Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("do/reckon")

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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, s-are-ru (される) or “do/reckon” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Joshua 7:7

And Joshua said introduces a prayer and may be translated “Joshua prayed.” In order to indicate more precisely the temporal relation between the time of Joshua’s prayer and the events of the previous verse, one may translate “While they lay on the ground, Joshua prayed….” If there is a distinction in the language between silent prayer and oral prayer, the prayer is best understood as oral.

Sovereign LORD translates the Hebrew phrase “Lord Yahweh”—the title and the personal name of God (King James Version, Revised Standard Version, An American Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible “Lord GOD”; compare Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Seigneur DIEU). Good News Translation has followed the King James Version tradition of translating “Yahweh” by LORD, but it has not used the form GOD. In a number of languages the word for “God” will be “Lord,” and so the combination “Lord God” will be impossible. To translate as Sovereign LORD with Good News Translation may also be impossible, for both the modifier Sovereign and the noun LORD imply rulership. Some translations render the double expression as merely “Lord.” If this is felt inadequate, one may render “LORD, who rules over all” or “LORD of all peoples.”

In this verse the translator does not face the problem of breaking Good News Translation up into smaller units, but rather of creating larger pieces out of the smaller units of Good News Translation. In Joshua’s prayer the first question (Why did you bring us across the Jordan at all?) is answered by two other questions (To turn us over to the Amorites? To destroy us?). The two questions which answer the first question are both abbreviated in that they leave implicit the first part of each question, which is “Did you bring us across the Jordan…?” If the question form is retained, then this information may need to be built into the responses. On the other hand, it is possible to shift from a question to a strongly affirmative statement: “LORD! You surely did not bring us across the Jordan just to turn us over to the Amorites and let them destroy us.”

“Alas” (Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible) translates a Hebrew expression used infrequently in the Old Testament to denote sorrow or remorse (see Judges 6.22; 2 Kings 3.10; 6.5, 15). Bible de Jérusalem has Helas, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Ah. Joshua’s questions imply that the Lord is responsible for Israel’s defeat.

The Amorites probably refers in a general way to all the inhabitants of Canaan, equivalent to Canaanites (see 3.10 for the list of seven peoples of the land); Gray suggests that here Amorites may mean specifically those who lived in the hills (see Num 13.29).

Why didn’t we just stay translates an idiomatic Hebrew phrase “Would that we had persisted and remained”; compare New English Bible “If only we had been content to settle.” “Why weren’t we satisfied to remain” would represent the meaning well, as would “I wish that we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 7:7

7:7a

The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated but some English versions translate as “And” introduces the next event in the storyline.

The Hebrew begins this clause with a word that some English versions translate as “Alas.” It is an expression of dismay.

Here is another way to translate this word:

This is terrible

Choose an exclamation or a way to show dismay or grief. In some languages it may be more natural to omit this word, as many English versions do (for example, Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word).

O: The word O is an English “vocative” that marks the person who is being spoken to. This word was added by the Berean Standard Bible and is not the translation of a Hebrew word. Many English versions do not use this word. Use a natural form in your language to indicate that Joshua is speaking to God.

Lord GOD: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord here means “master” or “boss.” It is a title that shows respect. It is not the name Yahweh.

The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as GOD is “Yahweh.” It is God’s personal name. When it is used alone, it is often translated “LORD” or “Lord ” by English versions.

There are several ways to translate the phrase Lord GOD. For example:

• Use God’s name, “Yahweh,” along with a title of respect. For example:

master Yahweh
-or-
sovereign Yahweh
-or-
almighty Yahweh

• Use God’s name, “Yahweh,” with a descriptive phrase. For example:

Yahweh who is the ruler of everything

Use an appropriate form in your language. See the section on “Translating the Names of God” in the Introduction.

7:7b

Joshua said: In 7:7–9 Joshua expressed his grief in an emphatic complaint to Yahweh. He asked rhetorical questions that showed his confusion about what happened at Ai. In some languages it may be more natural to use a different verb instead of said.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Joshua prayed (NET Bible)
-or-
Joshua shouted out

7:7c

why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan: This is a rhetorical question. It functions as a complaint or an expression of regret. Joshua regretted that Yahweh brought them across the Jordan River, because the people of Ai defeated them. He implies that it is God’s fault that they were defeated.

Here are two ways to translate this complaint:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Our Lord, did you bring us across the Jordan River just so the Amorites could destroy us? (Contemporary English Version)

• Use a statement or exclamation. For example:

Surely you did not bring us (excl.) across the Jordan River so that the Amorites could defeat us!

Translate this in a way that is natural in your language for expressing a complaint.

You: The pronoun You means “you” and is singular. Joshua is speaking to God.

ever: The Hebrew expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ever is an idiom. It emphasizes Joshua’s complaint. Use a natural way in your language to emphasize a complaint like this.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

why did you bring this people across the Jordan just to hand us over to the Amorites to be destroyed? (Revised English Bible)

this people: The phrase this people refers to the Israelites. Joshua is also one of the Israelites. In some languages this must be made explicit. For example:

bring us (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
bring us (excl.) your people

7:7d

to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites: The Hebrew expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deliver us into the hand of the Amorites is an idiom. It means “let the Amorites gain control of us.” It indicates that the Amorites would conquer the Israelites.

us: The word us refers to the Israelites. It is exclusive.

us (excl.)

the Amorites: The name Amorites can be used in two senses. It can refer to a group of people who lived in the hills of Canaan where the town of Ai was. It can also be a synonym for the word “Canaanite,” to refer to all the people of Canaan. This is the way it is used here.

The English language uses the suffix “ites” to refer to a group of people.

Here is another way to translate this word:

the Amor people

7:7e

to be destroyed: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to be destroyed often means “to be killed.” Joshua feared that the Amorites would kill the Israelites.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

to let the Amorites kill us? (New Living Translation (2004))

7:7f

If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan: Joshua expressed regret about what happened. He wished that they had stayed on the other side of the Jordan River. He thought that if they had stayed there, they would not have been defeated by the Amorites.

A regret is a wish that something in the past could have been different. Languages have different ways to express regret. Here are some examples in English:

I wish we had stayed
-or-
We should have stayed
-or-
Why didn’t we just stay (Good News Translation)
-or-
This wouldn’t have happened if we had agreed to stay (Contemporary English Version)

Express Joshua’s regret in a natural and emphatic way in your language.

content to stay: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as content can be translated as:

willing to dwell
-or-
decided to dwell

the other side of the Jordan: This phrase refers to the east side of the Jordan River.

General Comment on 7:7

7:7c-e is a long rhetorical question in the Berean Standard Bible. In some languages it may be more natural to separate it into two or three different parts. For example:

Almighty Lord, why did you bring these people across the Jordan River? Was it to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us? (God’s Word)
-or-
Why did you bring us (excl.) across the Jordan at all? ⌊Did you want⌋ to give us to the Amorites? ⌊Did you bring us across only⌋ to destroy us?

Use a natural option for your language.

© 2001, 2011, 2020, 2022, 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.