formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In Nepali translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and other people with the medium honorific pronoun timīlē (तिमीले) or timīlēharū (तिमीलेहरू). His disciples respond with a high honorific pronoun. (Source: Chitra Chhetri in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 73ff. )

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

See also formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese).

complete verse (John 14:25)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 14:25:

  • Uma: “‘All that earlier I said to you while I was still there with you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘I have been telling this all to you while I am still here with you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I am telling you all of this while I am still with you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then he continued to say, ‘I have told all these-things to you while I am still with (lit. added-to) you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “These teachings of mine, I am teaching to you while I am still with you here in this world.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I am telling you all these things while I am yet with you here.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on John 14:25

I have told you this (literally “these things”) will occur six more times in Chapters 15-16 (15.11; 16.1,4,6,25,33). It may be expressed in some languages as “I have spoken to you in this way” or “I have said these words to you.”

While I am still with you is literally “remaining with you.” John uses the verb “to remain” interchangeably with the verb “to be.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 14:25

Paragraph 14:25–26

In this paragraph, Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would teach them everything.

14:25

All this I have spoken to you: The word this refers to all that Jesus had just said and continued to say. Here are other ways to translate this whole clause:

I have told you this (God’s Word)
-or-
I am telling you this (New Living Translation (2004))

you: This pronoun is plural and refers to the disciples.

while I am still with you: This clause implies that Jesus would soon go away. In some languages it is more natural to express this time as being before he went away. For example:

before I leave you

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