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 16:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 16:1:

  • Uma: “‘All this I say to you, so that you will not be so discouraged that you let-go believing in me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa said to his disciples, ‘I have told you all this in order that your trust in me will not move/waver.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason I told you all these things,’ said Jesus, ‘is so that your faith in me might not become lax by means of what’s going to happen to you in the future.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘I have told you all these-things so that you aren’t taken-by-surprise at their happening but rather you will-continue to believe in me.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As for these things, I am telling them to you already so that you won’t as-it-were trip-and-fall over the things which will happen to you, your believing-in/obeying me become insufficient.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I am telling you this so that you will not doubt.” (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 16:1

I have told you this is the same expression used in 15.11 and 14.25 (see there). The immediate reference is to 15.18-27.

Give up your faith translates the same verb used in 6.61 (see there); it occurs in John’s gospel only in these two verses, and in both it is a very strong term. So that you will not give up your faith is translated by Jerusalem Bible “so that your faith may not be shaken” (New American Bible “to keep your faith from being shaken”), and by New English Bible “to guard you against the breakdown of your faith.” The focus of Good News Translation and New English Bible is closer to the meaning of the Greek text; the reference is to giving up or falling away from one’s faith. It is not merely a matter of having one’s faith shaken. In a number of languages “giving up faith” is essentially equivalent to “ceasing to believe,” “stop trusting,” or “cease putting one’s confidence in.”

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 16:1

Paragraph 16:1–4b

Jesus continued to speak to his disciples to prepare them for his leaving them. In this paragraph he again warned them that unbelievers would persecute them.

16:1

I have told you these things so that you will not fall away: Jesus continued to speak. He indicated that he told his disciples what he did in order to help them. He wanted to protect them from stumbling. The word the Berean Standard Bible translates as fall away means “tripping,” as one might trip and fall over a rock. Here it is used figuratively and means “giving up (or “losing,” “falling away from”) their faith” in him. Here are other ways to translate this sentence:

I have said these things to you so that you won’t lose your faith. (God’s Word)
-or-
I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. (New Living Translation (2004))

I have told you these things: The phrase these things refers mainly to Jesus’ words in 15:18–27. Jesus had warned the disciples that unbelievers would persecute them because they follow him. See how you translated this same clause in 14:25.

you: This pronoun is plural and refers to the disciples whenever Jesus used it in this chapter.

so that you will not fall away: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as fall away means “tripping” and is a figure of speech. It compares losing one’s faith to tripping and falling. Jesus knew that the terrible persecution that his disciples would suffer could cause them to stop trusting him. He wanted to protect them, not from the persecution itself but from this loss of faith. For example:

in order that your faith in me will continue
-or-
so that you will not give up your faith (Good News Translation)

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