offering

The Hebrew that is translated as “offering” in English is translated in Venda as nduvho. J. A. van Rooy (in The Bible Translator 1974, p. 439ff. ) explains: “It is derived from the verb u luvha (‘to pay homage to; to acknowledge the superiority of; at the same time usually asking for a favour’). It is sometimes used as a synonym for ‘asking something from a chief. The noun nduvho means ‘a gift of allegiance,’ which corresponds closely with minchah (מִנְחָה) as ‘offering of allegiance.’ This term nduvho has in it the elements of subjugation, of reciprocity (asking for a favor), of being taken up into the same community as the chief in allegiance to him. Only the element of expiation is missing.”

In Northern Emberá, it is translated as “given to God freely.” (Source: Loewen 1980, p. 108)

See also offering (qorban).

addressing God

Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.

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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.

In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.

Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”

In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.

Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking (source Philip Noss).

In Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.

See also female second person singular pronoun in Psalms.

Japanese benefactives (-naide)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, -naide (ないで) or “do not (for their sake)” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

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

Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“say”)

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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 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, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Judges 6:18

This verse continues the speech of Gideon, so in most languages the last verse will not end in quotation marks. Apparently Gideon is concerned that the messenger might disappear, so he asks the person to wait while he goes to get a gift for him. This gesture in and of itself shows that Gideon knows that someone of great importance is speaking to him.

Do not depart from here, I pray thee is literally “Please don’t leave from this [place].” In some languages it will not be necessary to say from here, so this whole clause may be rendered “Please do not leave” (Good News Translation) or “Please do not go away” (New International Version). I pray thee is an old English expression that renders the Hebrew politeness particle naʾ, which also occurs in the previous verse. Several versions leave this particle untranslated (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, NET Bible), but most languages will have a natural expression of politeness that would be appropriate here, such as “please.” Translators may simply say “Please wait here.”

Until I come to thee, and bring out my present, and set it before thee: This long string of clauses could reflect Gideon’s politeness, or even his nervousness. Until I come to thee may be rendered “until I come back [to you]” or simply “until I return.” Bring out renders the causative form of the Hebrew verb meaning “come out” (yatsaʾ), which is used in many of the judges’ stories (see comments on verse 1.24). In some languages it will be more natural to say “until I come with your gift.” In this context the Hebrew word for present probably has the sense of a religious sacrifice (see comments on verse 3.15, where it is rendered “tribute”). The next clause confirms this interpretation. Many versions render this word as “offering” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), but we could also say “gift” (Revised English Bible). Set it before thee (literally “I set [it] down before your face”) may be translated “place it before You” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “lay it before you” (Revised English Bible), or “present it to you.” Once again the old English pronoun thee should be rendered with a modern equivalent. In English the subject pronoun I is assumed in the last two clauses here, but in many languages it may need to be made explicit in all three clauses by saying “until I return, and I bring my offering, and I present it to you.” Contemporary English Version says simply “until I bring you an offering” (similarly Good News Translation).

And he said introduces Yahweh’s answer to Gideon’s request, so Contemporary English Version says “the LORD answered.”

I will stay till you return: To prepare such an offering would probably take Gideon many hours, but Yahweh promises to wait. This sentence is literally “I, I will stay until you return,” which is a strong affirmation. Though the Hebrew verb rendered stay often means “sit,” “remain,” or “dwell” (see verse 1.9), here the meaning is “stay” or “wait.” It is the same verb used to describe the angel sitting under the tree in verse 6.11. Return renders the key Hebrew verb shuv (see comments on verse 2.19), a word that sounds very much like the verb rendered stay (yashab), so this is probably a wordplay. Possible models for this sentence are “I promise. I’ll wait until you come back” and “Yes, I’ll wait for you.” Contemporary English Version‘s “All right, I’ll wait” again uses language that seems too familiar for this kind of exchange and should not be used as a model.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

before / in the sight of / presence of (God) (Japanese honorifics)

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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-mae (御前) or “before (God)” in the referenced verses. In some cases in can also be used in reference to being before a king, such as in 1 Samuel 16:16.

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

See also presence (Japanese honorifics) and before you / to you.