1st person pronoun referring to God (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 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”.

Japanese benefactives (torisatte)

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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, torisatte (取り去って) or “take away” 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. )

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 22:39-46)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 22:39-46:

Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives, as he often did, #
       and his followers went along with him.
When he got there, he told them,
       “Pray that you won’t be put to the test!”

After Jesus had walked a little way, he knelt and prayed,
“Father, please save me from this terrible suffering!
       But I’m willing to do whatever you want.”

At that moment, an angel descended to help Jesus,
because he was in such pain
       that his sweat poured down like drops of blood.

Jesus stood up and went back to his followers,
weary from sadness and sound asleep.
       “Why are you sleeping?” asked Jesus.
       “Wake up and pray not to be put to the test.”

Translation commentary on Luke 22:42

Exegesis:

ei boulei ‘if you will,’ i.e. ‘if you decide so,’ not ‘if you are willing to grant me what I want,’ cf. Plummer. boulomai, cf. on 10.22.

parenegke touto to potērion ap’ emou ‘take this cup away from me.’

plēn ‘but,’ cf. on 18.8.

mē to thelēma mou alla to son ginesthō ‘not my will but your (will) be done.’ For to thelēma cf. on 12.47. It should be noted that mou is a less emphatic possessive pronoun than to son. ginesthō lit. ‘must happen,’ is a very general expression.

Translation:

Remove this cup from me. One may have to add a reference to the intention of the act, cf. e.g. ‘take this can/mug from my hand that I need not drink it’ (Sranan Tongo); or to explain the metaphorical meaning of cup, ‘cup of heaviness’ (Guhu-Samane), ‘trouble bowl’ (Zarma); or to substitute a non-metaphorical rendering, e.g. ‘take away this pain/affliction from me’ (Tae’ 1933, similarly in a Copainalá Zoque dialect), ‘free me from having to suffer this trial’ (Dios Habla Hoy), and cf. ‘if there were some way in which you would not allow suffering to come to me’ (Tzeltal).

Not my will, but thine, be done, or, ‘not what I wish/desire be done but (only) what you wish/desire,’ ‘do not do what (or, do not let it happen just as) I want….’

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 22:42

22:42a

In Greek this verse begins with another verb of speech that versions such as the New American Standard Bible translate as “saying.” It introduces the words of Jesus’ prayer. In some languages a verb of speech is not necessary here. Introduce the prayer in a natural way in your language.

Father: Jesus addressed God as his father at the beginning of his prayer. In some languages there may be a special form of address that is used to introduce a prayer. For example:

O Father

In some languages a word like “father” must specify whose father is referred to. For example:

My Father

Jesus also addressed God as Father in the prayer in 10:21. Refer to how you translated that prayer.

if You are willing: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as if You are willing is a limit or condition for Jesus’ prayer. It implies that Jesus will accept whatever God decides. It also implies that God decides what should happen. Other Scriptures indicate that God had already decided that Jesus must suffer and die to save the world from sin. Jesus was about to pray that he would escape that suffering and death.

Some other ways to translate if You are willing are:

if you agree/approve
-or-
if it is your will (God’s Word)
-or-
if it agrees with your purpose/decision
-or-
if you decide ⌊that it is good/right⌋

22:42b

take this cup from Me: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as cup is a figure of speech. It refers to the suffering that Jesus was about to endure, especially as he died on the cross. Jesus was asking God to rescue him from that suffering. If your readers would not understand this, some other ways to translate it are:

• Translate the figure of speech and indicate that it refers to suffering. For example:

please take this cup of suffering away from me (New Living Translation (2004))

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

save/spare me from the suffering that otherwise I will suffer
-or-
allow me to escape/avoid the torment that I must soon endure

• Use a different figure of speech that has the same meaning in your language. For example:

please remove from my path this suffering that is almost striking me

Translate this prayer in a meaningful way in your language. Since it is a humble prayer, express it in a respectful way in your language.

22:42c

Yet: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Yet introduces a limit or condition that Jesus added to his request. It is very similar to the limiting condition in 22:42a. Jesus asked in 22:42b to be saved from suffering, but he did not want God to save him from it if that was not God’s will.

Some other ways to introduce this limit to his prayer are:

but if what I ask is not what you want/plan
-or-
even though I have prayed this
-or-
However (God’s Word)
-or-
But if You want Me to go through it (Translator’s Reference Translation)

not My will, but Yours be done: This clause means “⌊It is⌋ not My will ⌊that should happen⌋, but Your ⌊will⌋ should happen.” It indicates that Jesus accepted whatever his Father wanted to happen to him. Another way to translate the clause is:

what I want should not be followed but what You want

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of phrases in this clause so that God’s will is mentioned first. For example:

…your will must be done, not mine. (God’s Word)
-or-
I want your will, not mine.

In some languages it may be more natural to translate the clause without using a passive verb. For example:

do what you want, and not what I want (Contemporary English Version)

My will: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will here refers to what someone wants to happen. It is based on a different verb from the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “willing” in 22:42a. The phrase My will refers to what Jesus wanted to happen in the situation that he prayed about.

but Yours: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but indicates a contrast between two choices. In this context Jesus had to choose either what he wanted to happen or what God wanted to happen. The word Yours refers to what God wanted to happen, and that is what Jesus chose.

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