3rd person pronoun with high 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 third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”

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

See also third person pronoun with exalted register.

Translation commentary on Mark 15:39

Text:

After houtōs ‘thus’ Textus Receptus adds kraxas ‘crying out,’ which is omitted by all modern editions of the Greek text.

Exegesis:

ho kenturiōn (15.44, 45) ‘centurion’ (Latin centurio), commander of one hundred soldiers (Matthew, Luke and Acts use the Greek term hekatontarchēs ‘ruler of one hundred’).

ho parestēkōs ex enantias autou ‘who stood by opposite him,’ ‘who stood facing him.’

ho parestēkōs (cf. 14.47) ‘the one standing by.’

ex enantias (only here in Mark; cf. enantios 6.48) ‘opposite,’ ‘against’: here, in the nature of the case, ‘facing (him).’

exepneusen (cf. v. 37) ‘he expired,’ ‘he died.’

alēthōs (cf. 14.70) ‘truly,’ ‘certainly.’

houtos ho anthrōpos huios theou ēn ‘this man was the (a) Son (son) of God’: commentators and translators are divided over whether the words are to be taken as an expression of awe and admiration on the part of a pagan, ‘a son of God,’ meaning ‘a hero,’ ‘a superhuman being,’ or whether they are to be understood in a Christian sense ‘the Son of God.’ In favor of the former are Goodspeed, Moffatt, Translator’s New Testament, Manson; Gould, Swete, Rawlinson, Taylor; for the latter cf. American Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, The Modern Speech New Testament, Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale; Berkeley and Williams have ‘God’s Son’ (cf. also Zürcher Bibel, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada, Lagrange), while Knox, Douay, and Confraternity translate the Vulgate Filius Dei by ‘the Son of God.’

It should be made clear that grammar is not decisive since the Greek may be just as correctly translated ‘a son of a god’ as ‘the Son of God’: here it is in the context, which is to say one’s interpretation of the incident, which will determine the translation. The precisely identical Greek construction occurs in nine other passages in the Gospels (Mt. 4.3, 6, 14.33, 27.40, 43, 54, Lk. 4.3, 9, Jn. 10.36; similar phrases in Lk. 1.32, Jn. 19.7): in all of these passages Revised Standard Version translates ‘the Son of God.’

There is good evidence for understanding huios theou here as ‘the Son of God.’

Translation:

Centurion is usually translated as (1) the local equivalent of ‘captain’ or (2) by a descriptive phrase ‘leader of one hundred soldiers.’

For breathed his last see verse 37.

Truly, though in initial position, is usually related to the verb or the predicate, e.g. ‘this man was really the (or ‘a’) Son of God.’

The son of God may involve difficulties quite apart from the exegetical problems cited above. For example, in Central Tarahumara ‘a son of God’ refers only to a Central Tarahumara person. All other people are classed as ‘sons of the devil.’ Accordingly, in the Central Tarahumara language one must say ‘the only Son of God,’ or the comment of the centurion becomes quite meaningless.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 15:39

15:39a

centurion: A centurion was a Roman military officer. He was the leader of eighty to one hundred soldiers. This particular centurion was the officer in charge of crucifying Jesus and the two robbers.

Here are some other ways to translate centurion:

officer
-or-
elder/leader of one hundred soldiers
-or-
soldiers’ chief
-or-
elder/leader of many soldiers

standing there: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as standing there in this context means “who was near” or “who was there.” It is true that this officer was probably standing, but the focus is not on his posture. See how you translated the similar expression at 15:35a–b.

in front of Jesus: The phrase in front of Jesus implies that the Roman officer was facing Jesus and looking at him.

15:39b

saw how He had breathed His last: There is textual issue with this verse. In some Greek manuscripts, there is a word that means “crying out”:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts do not have this word. Most English versions follow these manuscripts. For example, the Good News Bible says:

The army officer…saw how Jesus had died. (Good News Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, English Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible)

(2) Other Greek manuscripts have this word that means crying out. Only a few English versions follow these manuscripts. For example, the New International Version says:

heard his cry and saw how he died (New International Version, 2011 edition)

(New International Version, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), since it has strong manuscript support and most English versions follow this option. However, you should check the major language version in your area. If it follows option (2), then you may want to follow it. Both options have strong manuscript support.

how He had breathed His last: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as how also means “in this way/manner.” It is not exactly clear what this word refers to. Many things about the way Jesus died may have caused the centurion to say what he did in 15:39c. Many events that happened in connection with Jesus’ death may have also cause him to say this. So you should translate this in a general way. For example you could translate 15:39b as:

how Jesus died
-or-
When he saw the way that Jesus died

15:39c

Truly this man was: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Truly literally means “certainly.” The centurion’s use of this word expresses his confidence in what he is about to say about Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Certainly, this man was (God’s Word)
-or-
This man really was (Contemporary English Version)

the Son of God: The Bible uses the title Son of God to express the fact that Jesus has the same nature as God. The title also indicates that the relationship between God and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship of human fathers and sons. God does not have a physical body, and he did not create/produce Jesus the way a human father produces a son. Jesus existed eternally as the Son with his Father.

In areas where people do not understand the term Son of God in this way, you may wish to include a footnote. For example:

God is the Father of Jesus the Son in a different way than human males are fathers of their sons. The Bible uses the word Son to express the fact that Jesus has the same nature as God. It also indicates that the relationship between God and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship of human fathers and sons.

In languages where there is no single word for “son,” many translators have used a more general expression, such as:

child of God

Other verses will usually make clear that Jesus was a male child. If you use a descriptive phrase such as “male child of God,” be sure that this expression does not imply that God had another child who was female.

The phrase the Son of God also occurs in 1:1 and 3:11. You should translate it here as you did there.

Some languages must distinguish between “the son of God” and “ son of God.” “The son of God” implies that there is only one. “ son of God” implies one son among several. If you must distinguish this in your language, you should say “the son of God.” (In the commentaries, there is much discussion about whether this should be translated as “the son of God” or “ son of God,” about whether the meaning should come from what the centurion intended or what Mark intended, and if focused on the centurion, whether he understood Jesus as the unique son of God or simply a heroic man or demi-God according to Greco-Roman thought. The Greek grammar here can support translation into English as either “a” or “the” son of God (Colwell’s rule). However, the anarthrous construction highlights the character or nature of being a “son of God.” It is an English issue that forces us to decide between “a” or “the” son of God since English does not support “this man was son of God” (but see New Jerusalem Bible). The distinction between “a son of God” (implying one among many) and “the son of God” (implying unique) need not have been in either the centurion’s or Mark’s mind.)

Paragraph 15:40–41

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