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).

eternity, forever, forever and ever

The Greek, Hebrew and Ge’ez that is typically translated as “eternity,” “forever,” or “forever and ever” in English are translated in Mairasi as “mashed out infinitely.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “Bark cloth required pounding. It got longer and wider as it got pounded. Similarly, life gets pounded or mashed to lengthen it into infinity. Tubers also get mashed into the standard way of serving the staple food, like the fufu of Uganda, or like poi of Hawaii. It spreads out into infinity.” (Source: Lloyd Peckham)

In Lisu the phrase “forever and ever” is translated as ꓕꓲꓽ ꓞꓲꓼ ꓕꓲ ꓑ — thi tsi thi pa, verbatim translated as “one – lifetime – one – world.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 57f.)

In Makonde it is often translated as navyaka or “years and years.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

See also forever, eternal life and salvation.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Concepts of Eternity .

complete verse (Luke 16:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 16:9:

  • Noongar: “Then Jesus said, ‘And so I tell you, use your money so people become your friends, people of this world, so when you are moneyless, you will be able to enter the home that lasts for ever.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘That is why I say to you: We must use riches in this world to help others, so that when the riches of this world are no longer useful, we will be received well in the dwelling-place that stays/remains until forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘Therefore I tell you,’ said Isa, ‘use your wealth here in this world for doing good so that when you are going to die and you don’t need your wealth anymore you will be received there in the place where you will stay forever.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore,’ said Jesus, ‘I say to you that you should use your wealth here on the earth in order to help the poor, so that when the times comes in the future, when you can no longer use your possessions, God will reward you in Heaven.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘So I advise you then that you use your riches on this earth to make-friends of your fellows so that when the day arrives when there is no use for money, he/they (combination pronoun–3rd pers. non-focus to 2nd pers. focus) will receive you in heaven where-you -will-stay forever.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well now/today, I am the one who says (this) to you who are my disciples. Use your money or whatever assets/possessions wisely/properly. Use it in the work of God, so that you will be received happily in heaven by those who have been able to get there because of this good use by you of your assets/possessions.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

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. )

1st person pronoun referring to God (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 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”.

Translation commentary on Luke 16:9

Exegesis:

kai egō humin legō ‘and I tell you,’ cf. on 3.8. Here it introduces the application of the parable.

heautois poiēsate philous ‘make friends for yourselves.’ heautois is emphatic by position. As apparent from what follows the clause is not to be understood literally, but refers rather to acts of goodwill and charity which last beyond this age.

ek tou mamōna tēs adikias ‘by means of dishonest wealth.’ For this type of phrase cf. on oikonomos tēs adikias (v. 8), and en tō adikō mamōna (v. 11). Here the genitive tēs adikias refers to the way in which the wealth is acquired.

mamōnas from Aramaic māmōna’, of uncertain derivation, often occurring in the Targum and the Talmud with reference to money made in dishonest ways, or spent for dishonest purposes. The phrase ho mamōnas tēs adikias seems almost to imply that wealth as such is morally or religiously bad (cf. Phillips).

hina … dexōntai humas eis tas aiōnious skēnas ‘so that … they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings.’ The subject of dexōntai is not the friends of the preceding clause, and the verb is best understood as a Hebraistic way of rendering the passive with God as agent of the welcoming (cf. on aitousin in 12.20). The eternal dwellings are best understood as dwelling places in the age to come. skēnē, cf. on 9.33.

hotan eklipē ‘when it comes to an end.’ Subject of eklipē may be ho mamōnas tēs adikias, or the verb may be impersonal, preferably the former.

ekleipō ‘to fail,’ ‘to come to an end,’ here probably in the sense of being no longer of any use.

Translation:

Make friends … by means of unrighteous mammon, i.e. ‘use … Mammon to make-friends’ (cf. Toraja-Sa’dan). Unrighteous, i.e. ‘gained dishonestly,’ “ill-gotten” (An American Translation), and cf. “ ‘Money,’ tainted as it is” (Phillips). Mammon, preferably, ‘property,’ ‘wealth,’ ‘riches,’ ‘money’; if transliterated, an explanatory note is required.

So that when it fails they may receive …, or, starting a new sentence, ‘then (or, the result will be that, or, if you do so) they will receive … when (or, at the moment that) it fails.’ It fails, or, ‘it lets you down’ (Balinese), ‘it is-there no longer’ (Tae’), “money is a thing of the past” (New English Bible).

They may receive you into the eternal habitations. In many cases the preservation of the third person plural would be misleading since it suggests a reference to ‘friends’; hence, ‘God may receive…,’ or somewhat less explicitly, ‘those who are, or, he who is, in the eternal habitations will welcome you there.’ Eternal habitations, or, ‘everlasting dwellings,’ ‘places where people dwell forever, or, without end.’

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 16:9

Paragraph 16:9

16:9a

In 16:8c–d, Jesus made a general comment on the parable in 16:1–8b. In this verse Jesus told his disciples how they should apply the preceding parable to their own lives. In some languages it may be helpful to indicate this shift of topic in some way. For example:

And Jesus went on to say, “And so I tell you…” (Good News Translation)
-or-
My disciples, I tell you (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Here’s the lesson: (New Living Translation (2004))

I tell you: Jesus often used the words I tell you to begin a statement that he wanted to emphasize. In this verse the Greek words occur in a different order than usual, literally, “I to-you I-say.” The pronouns I and you are in an emphatic position. This word order probably indicates a shift from a general statement about what the parable illustrated to the specific lesson that Jesus wanted his disciples to learn. The English versions do not indicate this difference in emphasis explicitly. One way to indicate it is to say:

And now, here is the lesson that I want you, my disciples, to learn.

16:9b

use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves: Jesus was telling his disciples to use the money they had on earth to help other people who were in need. These people would then become their friends. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit in order to avoid wrong meaning. For example:

use your money in this world ⌊to help poor people⌋ so that they will become your friends

Be careful that your translation does not imply that the disciples should pay bribes or give gifts to important people in order to gain jobs or other benefits in return.

worldly wealth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worldly wealth is literally “the mammon of unrighteousness,” or “unrighteous mammon.” The Revised Standard Version and several other English versions translate it that way. Another way to translate this is:

dishonest wealth (New Revised Standard Version)

The same Greek word was translated as “dishonest” in 16:8a–b. “Mammon” is an Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. Jesus may have referred to wealth as “unrighteous” for at least two reasons:

(a) People often gain and use wealth in a sinful or dishonest way. For example:

although wealth is often used in dishonest ways, you should use it to make friends for yourselves (God’s Word)
-or-
make friends for yourselves by means of money, which many people use in evil ways (adapted from the TRT)
-or-
use ‘money’, tainted as it is, to make yourselves friends (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(b) Wealth is gained and used in a sinful world (in contrast to the type of riches that are stored in heaven). For example:

win friends for yourselves with the money that you have in this evil/sinful world (adapted from the TRT)

You may translate this verse part using either of these options. Be careful not to imply in your translation that Jesus was talking about money that his disciples had gained dishonestly.

In some languages, words such as “sinful” and “dishonest” are only used to describe a person’s character or deeds. They cannot describe things such as “money” or the “world.” If that is true in your language, you may need to leave this aspect of meaning implied. The Berean Standard Bible and many English versions have done this by translating this phrase as “worldly wealth/riches.” Another way to translate this idea is:

your wealth here in this world

16:9c–d

Jesus’ application of the parable in 16:9c–d is similar and parallel to 16:4b in the parable itself: Notice the similarities:

(16:4b) so that after my removal from management, people will welcome me into their homes

(16:9c–d) so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings

If possible, try to keep such similarities in your translation of these verses.

16:9c

so that: The phrase so that introduces a purpose or intended result, namely, that “they will welcome you into eternal dwellings” (16:9d). In some languages it may be more natural to start a new sentence here. For example:

Then when it is gone (Contemporary English Version)

when it is gone: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as when it is gone literally means “when it fails.” The Revised Standard Version and several other English versions translate it that way. This is referring to the time when money becomes useless, either at the end of the world or when a person dies. Be careful that it does not imply “when you have given away all your money.” Other ways to translate this clause are:

when you die and you do not need your wealth any more
-or-
when it comes to an end (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
when money no longer has usefulness/value

16:9d

they will welcome you: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as they will welcome you uses the same verb that was used in 16:4b. There are at least two ways to interpret the word they:

(1) “They” refers to the friends that the disciples will make (16:9b). For example:

they will welcome you (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) “They” refers to God. It is a Jewish way to avoid using the name of God. For example:

God will welcome you (Translator’s Reference Translation)

If possible, translate ambiguously so that either option can be understood. Other ways to do this are:

• Use a passive verb, as many English versions do. For example:

you will be welcomed (Good News Translation, New International Version)

• Use an active verb with an indefinite subject. For example:

there will be someone/those who will welcome you

If you are not able to translate ambiguously, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. This interpretation exactly fits the parallel in 16:4b. It is likely that they refers back to “friends” in 16:9b.

eternal dwellings: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as eternal dwellings is literally “eternal tents.” Although the word “tents” usually refers to temporary dwellings, the phrase “eternal tents” refers here to the permanent homes of God’s children in heaven. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

those homes that continue forever (New Century Version)
-or-
in heaven where you will live/stay forever

General Comment on 16:9b–d

In some languages a literal translation may wrongly imply that, when someone’s money is gone, he dies. In order to avoid this wrong meaning, it may be possible to reorder these verse parts in the following way:

9cYour money will not be with you forever. 9bTherefore, help people with what belongs to you here on this earth and make friends with it. 9dSo then when you arrive at the eternal place, there will be those who will welcome you.

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