formal 2nd person plural pronoun (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 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. )

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("say")

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 are (され) 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, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Mark 9:19

Text:

Instead of autois ‘them’ of all modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus has autō ‘him.’

Exegesis:

genea (cf. 8.12) ‘generation’: here also refers to the contemporaries of Jesus.

apistos (only here in Mark) ‘unbelieving,’ ‘not having faith,’ ‘faithless’ (rather than ‘unfaithful’).

heōs pote ‘until when?’ ‘how long?’

heōs (6.23; 13.19, 27; 14.25, 34, 54; 15.33, 38) ‘until,’ ‘till.’

pote (13.4, 33, 35) ‘when.’

anexomai (only here in Mark) ‘I will endure,’ ‘bear,’ ‘put up with.’

Translation:

For generation see 8.12.

Faithless is to be understood in an active sense ‘you people who do not believe’ (Copainalá Zoque, Highland Puebla Nahuatl). For faith see 1.15.

How long am I to be with you is equivalent in some languages to ‘how long must I remain with you,’ in the sense of how long must I remain with you in order for you to have faith.

Bring should be translated by the same word as brought of verse 17.

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 9:19

9:19a

O unbelieving generation!: The phrase O unbelieving generation here indicates that Jesus was speaking directly to the people. It also indicates emotion. Jesus was disturbed that the people living at that time did not believe in him.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

You unbelieving generation! (NET Bible)
-or-
What an unbelieving generation! (Revised English Bible)

unbelieving: The words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as unbelieving likely indicates that the people were not believing/trusting in God. In some languages it may be necessary to make that explicit. For example:

You people have no faith in God.

generation: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as generation refers to the adults who are alive during the same period of time. The text does not specify exactly who Jesus referred to in this context. (He may have referred specifically to the crowd and the scribes, who were mentioned in 9:14b–c. He may even have been thinking of the disciples. ) You should translate unbelieving generation with a phrase that refers in general to the people who were present. For example:

You people have no faith. (New Century Version)
-or-
You faithless people! (New Living Translation)

See also the notes on 8:12b and 8:38b.

Jesus replied: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus replied is literally “Having answered them, he said….” (There is a textual issue here. (1) Some Greek manuscripts have Jesus replied to them. For example, the Good News Bible says: “Jesus said to them” (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, English Standard Version). (2) Other Greek manuscripts have Jesus replied to him. This indicates that Jesus responded to the father. For example, the King James Version says: “He answereth him” (King James Version). It is recommended that you follow option (1). You can translate this as “Jesus replied to them” or simply “Jesus replied.”) Here, the word “answered” means “responded.” Jesus responded to the man’s statement about the disciples. He was probably also responding to the entire crowd who was arguing (9:16). He was not speaking directly to the boy’s father. So it may be more natural to say:

Jesus said to them (Good News Bible)
-or-
Jesus said (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus responded

The Berean Standard Bible places the words Jesus replied in the middle of Jesus’ spoken words. In Greek, these words occur at the beginning of 9:19. Place these words where it is natural in your language.

9:19b–c

you?…you?: The forms of the word you here are plural.

9:19b

How long must I remain with you?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus expressed his frustration and anger. Jesus was frustrated that the disciples and the other people there did not have faith in him. He wondered how long he would have to remain on the earth before they trusted him. There are at least two ways to translate this frustration:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

How much longer must I be with you? (NET Bible)
-or-
How long must I be with you until you believe? (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

• As a statement. For example:

Staying with you is so difficult!
-or-
I have been with you such a long time and yet you still do not believe!

9:19c

How long must I put up with you?: This is another rhetorical question. Jesus probably used this second rhetorical question to emphasize how frustrated he was. Jesus was frustrated because the disciples and the people did not believe in him. He wondered how much longer he would have to endure their lack of faith. There are at least two ways to translate this rebuke:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

How much longer must I endure you? (NET Bible)
-or-
How long must I wait for you to believe

• As a statement. For example:

Having patience with you is so difficult!
-or-
I have to endure your unbelief for such a long time!

Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language.

put up with: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the English idiom put up with means “endure,” “bear with” or “be patient with.” For example the NET Bible says:

How much longer must I endure you?

9:19d

In some languages, it may be natural to begin 9:19d with “Then he said…”

the boy: In this context the word boy refers to a male probably less than thirteen years old and more than three years old.

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