Japanese benefactives (yō ni shite)

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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, yō ni shite (ようにして) or “do so (so that) / make it like” 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. )

Translation commentary on Luke 16:24

Exegesis:

kai autos phōnēsas eipen ‘and he raising his voice said,’ hence, ‘and he called out.’

pater Abraam ‘father Abraham,’ cf. on 3.8.

eleēson me ‘have pity on me’; the aorist tense points to a specific act of pity as indicated by pempson, etc.

pempson Lazaron ‘send Lazarus,’ i.e. send him over to this place.

hina bapsē to akron tou daktulou autou hudatos ‘(in order) to dip the tip of his finger in water.’ Strictly speaking the dipping precedes the going over. This implies that pempson means not only ‘order to go’ but also ‘order to do.’

baptō ‘to dip,’ here with genitive of that into which something is dipped (hudatos).

akron ‘tip’ of a finger, ‘top’ of a mountain.

kai kaptapsuxē tēn glōssan mou ‘and to cool my tongue,’ only a very small alleviation. glōssa, cf. on 1.64.

katapsuchō ‘to cool off,’ ‘to refresh.’

odunōmai en tē phlogi tautē ‘I am in agony in these flames,’ cf. on 2.48.

phlox ‘flame,’ here in a collective sense, ‘flames,’ ‘fire.’

Translation:

Called out, or, “called to him and said” (An American Translation), ‘cried out, saying’ (Indonesian languages).

Have mercy upon me, cf. on 1.50.

To dip the end of his finger, stressing the smallness of the matter requested: immerse/moisten for a moment only a small part of the smallest finger.

To cool has in many languages been rendered by causative verbs built on ‘cool/cold/fresh,’ elsewhere by ‘to ease’ (Batak Toba), ‘to alleviate the pain/heat of,’ ‘to besprinkle’ (Tae,’ designating the act itself instead of its result).

I am in anguish, or, ‘I suffer pain,’ referring to the emotion felt by him while “being in torment” (v. 23), which refers to what happened to him.

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 16:24

Paragraph 16:24–26

In this paragraph, the rich man pleaded that Abraham would send Lazarus to relieve his suffering. Both Lazarus and the rich man are described as though they still had their bodies. Jesus used this figurative language to make it easier for his listeners to picture the situation.

16:24a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces the next thing that the rich man did after he saw Abraham and Lazarus in the distance. Some versions omit this conjunction. For example:

He called out (New Revised Standard Version)

Use a natural way in your language to connect this verse to the preceding verse.

he cried out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cried out indicates that the rich man spoke in a loud voice. Other ways to translate this word are:

The rich man shouted (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
He yelled (God’s Word)

Father Abraham: The rich man was a Jew, and he was speaking to the ancestor of his people. Consider what title of respect a man in your culture would use to address an ancestor who is not directly a father or grandfather.

have mercy on me: The phrase have mercy on me means “be merciful to me.” The rich man was pleading with Abraham to show him mercy by doing something specific to help him. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that this was a plea for help, not a command. For example:

Please be merciful to me

16:24b

and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces the specific way in which the rich man wanted Abraham to show him mercy. It does not introduce a separate action. In some languages it may be more natural to omit this conjunction and start a new sentence. For example:

Send Lazarus to dip his finger… (Contemporary English Version)

send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue: The rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to him to cool his tongue with a little water. The rich man urgently longed for water, but he requested only a very small amount. He probably thought that Abraham might grant a small request such as that. The request implies that there was no water where the rich man was or that the rich man could not get to water.

The verse does not specify exactly how Lazarus would cool the rich man’s tongue. He might touch his wet finger to the man’s tongue or let some drops of water fall from his finger onto the man’s tongue.

In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

Tell Lazarus to ⌊go⌋ dip the end of his finger in water and ⌊come here to touch⌋ my tongue so that it cools off.
-or-
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and ⌊let the water drip onto⌋ my tongue so that it becomes cool.

the tip of his finger: In some languages it may be more natural to translate the phrase the tip of his finger in a more general way. For example:

his finger (Good News Translation)

In other languages it may be necessary to specify a particular finger. For example:

his forefinger

Use a natural expression for this action in your language.

16:24c

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why the rich man wanted Lazarus to wet his tongue with water.

I am in agony: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I am in agony refers to suffering both intense physical and mental pain. Other ways to translate this word are:

I’m suffering terribly (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I am in great pain (Good News Translation)

in this fire: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fire literally means “flame.” Hell is pictured as a place where there is fire that causes pain to people.

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