2nd person pronoun with low register (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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("come")

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 rare (られ) 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, ko-rare-ru (来られる) or “come” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Luke 13:35

Exegesis:

idou ‘behold,’ cf. on v. 32.

aphietai humin ho oikos humōn ‘your house is abandoned to you,’ i.e. is left to your own care without protection from God. oikos may refer to the city of Jerusalem or to the temple, preferably the former.

legō [de] humin ‘I tell you,’ cf. on 3.8.

ou mē idēte me heōs [hēxei hote] eipēte ‘you will not see me till (the time) will come when you say,’ as if Jesus had already left Jerusalem for the last time in his earthly life. hēxei is impersonal.

eulogēmenos ho erchomenos en onomati kuriou ‘blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,’ a Messianic exclamation and greeting, here referring to the (eschatological) moment when Israel will acknowledge Jesus as its Messiah. en onomati kuriou means ‘as one who is sent and authorized by the Lord,’ i.e. by God.

Translation:

Your house is forsaken, or, ‘God will leave your house to you’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘God no longer concerns himself about your house.’ House, literally translated, often has too restricted a meaning here; hence, “home” (Good News Translation), ‘habitation’ (Bible de Jérusalem), ‘place where you (plur.) live.’

For blessed see on 1.42, sub (1).

He who comes in the name of, or ‘supported by (lit. having-as-bridge) the name of’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘with/carrying the name of.’ Where such a rather literal rendering would be incomprehensible one will have to describe the meaning of the phrase, e.g. ‘the one sent by’ (cf. Tzeltal, Shona 1966), ‘the one who comes as the Lord’s namesake (cf. Guhu-Samane), or, as the representative of the Lord, or, to represent the Lord.’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 13:35

13:35a

Look: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translate as Look introduces a surprising or unexpected statement. Other versions, such as the NET Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible, also translate it that way. This statement is an implied result of Jerusalem’s refusal to accept Jesus’ protection. In some languages it may be more natural to introduce this result with a word such as “Therefore” or “So.” For example:

⌊Therefore,⌋ listen ⌊to what will happen⌋ (Translator’s Reference Translation)

This word last occurred in 13:32b. See the note there.

your house is left to you desolate:
This clause is a prophecy of what was going to happen in the future. It was not a description of Jerusalem at the time when Jesus spoke these words. So in some languages it will be clearer to use a verb tense that refers to the future. For example:

Your house will be left to you (New Jerusalem Bible)

The clause your house is left to you desolate is passive. Another way to translate this is:

Your house will be abandoned. (God’s Word)

If it is more natural to use an active clause, you may supply the implied subject “God.” For example:

⌊God⌋ will forsake/abandon you and your city

your house: There are two ways to interpret the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as your house:

(1) “Your house” refers primarily to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as does the expression “your children” in 13:34c. For example:

You will be forsaken/abandoned

(2) “Your house” refers primarily to the Temple. For example:

your Temple will be abandoned (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. This interpretation includes the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. Almost all English versions retain the literal expression “your house.”

General Comment on 13:35a

The clause “your house is left to you desolate” indicates that the people of Jerusalem would be abandoned. God would leave the people of Jerusalem alone. He would no longer protect them. Most scholars feel that this happened when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

13:35b

And: Many Greek manuscripts include a conjunction here. The Berean Standard Bible translates it as And. You should connect this part of the verse to the preceding one in a natural way in your language.

I tell you: The clause I tell you emphasizes the fact that what Jesus was about to say would certainly happen. This clause was also used in 13:3a and 13:5a.

you will not see Me again until you say: The clause you will not see Me again until you say indicates here that the people would not see Jesus again until the time when they would welcome him with the blessing in 13:35c. Scholars suggest three possible periods or points of time Jesus was referring to here:

(1) The day of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem during Passover week, when the crowds would welcome Jesus into Jerusalem (19:38).

(2) The time when Jesus would return to earth from heaven.

(3) Whenever Jews accepted Jesus as the Messiah.

All three interpretations have commentary support. You should not make any one interpretation explicit in your translation. You may wish to mention the possible interpretations in a footnote.

13:35c

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord: This clause is a quotation from Psalm 118:26. Jesus predicted here what the crowd would say during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (see 19:38). At that time they would shout praises to God for all the miracles that they had seen Jesus do.

This shout of praise can express several different ideas:

(a) It is an emphatic statement or exclamation. It affirms that God had blessed and shown his favor to the Messiah who was coming in his name. For example:

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! (God’s Word)
-or-
God has done good things for this one who comes in his name!

(b) It is a joyful exclamation of praise. It expresses the crowd’s enthusiastic welcome for the Messiah. For example:

Praise the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

(c) It is a wish or prayer. It expresses the crowd’s desire that God would continue to bless the Messiah. For example:

God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord. (New Century Version)
-or-
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! (New Living Translation (2004))

It is probable that when the crowd shouted these words, they intended to express any or all of the above. Try to use an expression in your language that will convey one or more of these meanings in a natural way.

See bless, Meaning 1 in the Glossary.

He who comes in the name of the Lord: The clause He who comes in the name of the Lord was a title that was used for the Messiah. It means “the one who comes as a representative of the Lord,” that is, as his messenger or spokesman. Another way to translate this expression is:

the One whom the Lord has sent

the Lord: In this context the Lord refers to Yahweh, the God of Israel. In some languages the word for “Lord” is not normally used for God, so it may be misunderstood. In that case, you may want to make explicit that it refers to God. For example:

the Lord God
-or-
God

See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

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