The Greek that is translated with the capitalized “Father” in English when referring to God is translated in Highland Totonac with the regular word for (biological) father to which a suffix is added to indicate respect. The same also is used for “Lord” when referring to Jesus. (Source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. )
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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. In the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017, God the Father is addressed with mi-chichi (御父). This form has the “divine” honorific prefix mi– preceding the archaic honorific form chichi for “father.”
If, however, Jesus addresses his Father, he is using chichi-o (父を) which is also highly respectful but does not have the “divine” honorific. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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 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.
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 rare (られ) 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, kotae-rare-ru (答えられる) or “answer” is used.
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 rare (られ) 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, o-rare-ru (おられる) or “is/be present” is used.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
Many translations drop And or render it with “Then.”
In some languages answered will only be used in a context where a question has been asked. “Said” is then more natural.
Blessed translates the same expression used in the Beatitudes; see comment in the introduction to 5.3-12. However, it may not be natural to render Blessed in the same way here. “You are indeed fortunate” may be possible, as long as it does not mean that Peter was lucky. A common translation is “Things are well with you, Simon son of John, because … it was revealed to you by my heavenly Father.”
Bar-Jona (so also Barclay) is a transliteration of the Greek, which is in turn a transliteration of the Aramaic meaning “son of Jonah” (New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Phillips, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition). The name is unexpected, since in John 1.42 Simon’s father is identified as John. One scholar notes that “despite the prophet of this name, there is no trace of ‘Jonah’ as a proper name in the centuries before and after Jesus,” and so he concludes, together with other scholars, that Jona is best understood as an abbreviation of “Johanan” (the equivalent of “John”); Good News Translation and Bible en français courant have “John.”
There will be languages where the vocative, Simon Bar-Jona, will more likely be at the beginning of Jesus’ words: “Simon son of John, things are well with you.”
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you: since flesh and blood is a Jewish way of referring to a human being in his totality, Barclay translates “for it was no human being who revealed this to you,” and New American Bible has “No mere man has revealed this to you.” It is quite possible that the expression intends to emphasize man as being subject to sickness and death, always limited in strength and knowledge, and so the basis for New English Bible: “You did not learn that from mortal man.” Moreover, it is quite possible that flesh and blood, as used here, refer specifically to Peter himself, in which case one may translate “You did not learn this on your own.” “You did not learn this by any human means” will actually allow for either of these interpretations.
Notice from these examples that revealed can be rendered by a passive (“has been revealed” or “has been taught”) or active (“no human revealed this to you” or “no one taught you”). Peter can even be the subject, as in “You did not learn.”
In the Greek sentence the verb revealed is not followed by an object, but English requires one, and translations have traditionally supplied this as the object. In place of thisGood News Translation uses “this truth” and simultaneously adopts a structure in which the noun phrase becomes subject of the verb: “this truth did not come to.” In place of this one may also use “this information,” “this insight,” or “this understanding.”
But my Father who is in heaven: this is a literal rendering of the Greek text and assumes “has revealed it to you” of the previous clause. Thus New English Bible has “it was revealed to you by my heavenly Father,” and Good News Translation translates “but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven.” See discussion of the phrase at 5.16.
In heaven draws the contrast between God, whose realm and power are unlimited, with people, who are creatures of flesh and blood.
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 .
Jesus replied: Jesus responded to Simon Peter’s answer. He did not answer a question. So in some languages, it will be more natural to use a different verb here. For example:
Jesus answered him (English Standard Version)
-or-
Jesus said to him
Blessed are you: The word Blessed here refers to God doing good to someone or putting that person in a good position. Use the same word for Blessed here as you used in 5:3–11, 11:6 and 13:16a.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
⌊God has⌋ blessed you
-or-
You are favored
-or-
⌊God has⌋ favored you
-or-
⌊God has⌋ done good to you
Simon son of Jonah: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as son of Jonah is transliterated in some English versions. For example:
Simon Bar-Jonah (English Standard Version)
Most English versions translate this word as son of Jonah or “Bar-Jonah.” But the Good News Translation and New Living Translation (2004) translate this word as “son of John.” This is probably based on John 1:42. (The names Jonah and John are spelled similarly in the Greek.) It is recommended that you use the name Jonah.
In some languages, it will be more natural to put this name first in the quote in 16:17a. For example:
Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed
16:17b
For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For indicates that 16:17b is the reason that Simon is blessed. The result is in 16:17a. In some languages, it may be more natural to put the reason before the result. For example:
17bFlesh and blood has not revealed this to you. 17a⌊That is why⌋ you are blessed.
this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood: The phrase flesh and blood is a figurative way of speaking about human beings. It implies that a spirit being like God revealed to Simon Peter that Jesus is the Christ. Human beings did not reveal it to him.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
No human revealed this to you (God’s Word)
-or-
no one of this earth showed that to you
-or-
no person taught you that (New Century Version)
this: The word this refers to Simon Peter’s words in 16:16a–b, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
this truth (Good News Translation)
-or-
this understanding/knowledge
-or-
that I am the Christ
16:17c
but: There is a contrast between who did not reveal this to Peter, and who did reveal it to him. The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction but.
Here are some other ways to indicate this contrast:
instead
-or-
rather
In some languages, a conjunction is not needed to indicate this contrast.
by My Father in heaven: The words “revealed to you” from 16:17b are implied but not repeated here. In some languages, it may be more natural to repeat some or all of the words. For example:
my Father who is in heaven ⌊revealed this to you⌋
-or-
it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven (Good News Translation)
-or-
my heavenly Father ⌊showed you that I am the Christ⌋
My Father in heaven: This phrase refers to God.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
my Father ⌊God⌋ in heaven
-or-
my heavenly Father
-or-
my Father who ⌊lives⌋ in heaven
General Comment on 16:17a–c
In some languages, it may be more natural to state the positive clause (16:17c) first and the negative clause (16:17b) second. For example:
17cMy Father who is in heaven revealed this to you. 17bFlesh and blood did not.
In some languages, it may also be natural to put part of 16:17a (the result) at the end of the verse after 16:17b–c (the reason). For example:
17aSimon son of Jonah, 17cmy heavenly Father showed that to you. 17bNo one of this earth showed it to you. 17a⌊So⌋ you are blessed.
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