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).

complete verse (Matthew 16:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 16:15:

  • Uma: “He asked them again, he said: ‘But you, who do you say that I here am?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘But as for you,’ said Isa, ‘what do you say? Who am I?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘You also, who am I according to what you think?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘But as for you,’ said Jesus, ‘what is your spoken-opinion about me?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Well you,’ said Jesus, ‘what do you say about me, as to who I am?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus again said to the learners: ‘How about you, who do you think I am?'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

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”.

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. )

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 Matthew 16:15

In Greek the pronoun you (plural) appears in emphatic position, which is the basis for Good News Translation‘s restructuring: “What about you … Who do you say…?” The intention of the question is to contrast the opinion of persons outside the circle of disciples with the opinion that the disciples themselves held of Jesus. This seems also to be the intention of both New Jerusalem Bible (“ ‘But you,’ he said, ‘who do you say I am?’ ”) and New English Bible (“ ‘And you,’ he asked, ‘who do you say I am?’ ”), and similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. It may be that the translators of these two versions intended Jesus’ question to be understood in light of “he asked his disciples” (verse 13), but it is also possible that the average reader will have forgotten this information, especially since it is Simon Peter who immediately responds to Jesus’ question. In translation it is thus best to retain the indirect object them and, if there is a plural form of you in the receptor language, to use it also.

The emphasis can be kept on you with an expression such as “But for your part, who do you say (or, think) that I am?” or “But what is your opinion? Who am I really?”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 16:15

16:15

“But what about you?”… “Who do you say I am?”: In Greek, this is more literally, “But you, who do you I am?” In Greek, the pronoun “you” is emphasized the first time it occurs in this clause. Jesus had just heard what other people said about him. Now he wanted to know who his own disciples thought that he was.

Here are some other ways to translate this question:

But you,…who do you say I am? (New Jerusalem Bible)

-or-

And you, who do you say I am?

In Greek this is one question. Some English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, add a separate question to show that the pronoun you is emphasized. For example:

But what about you?…Who do you say I am? (New International Version)

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