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 Matthew 17:20

For stylistic reasons Good News Translation translates He said to them as “answered Jesus” and places the clause after the first part of the quotation. Many languages will find the order “speaker-speaker’s words” simpler than “speaker’s words-speaker,” while other languages find it necessary to mark the speaker before and after the quotation.

The noun phrase your little faith is transformed into a clause with subject and verb in Good News Translation: “you do not have enough faith.” In place of the noun little faith, some Greek manuscripts have the noun “without faith,” which scholars believe was introduced by a later scribe because it is a better known word. In fact, the support for little faith is so much superior to that of the alternative, that none of the modern translations even note the other reading. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “your faith was not great enough.” In instances where faith must be rendered as a verb, one may translate “you did not really believe that God would do it” or “… would heal the boy.”

The purpose of the entire narrative is to focus upon the saying of Jesus regarding faith in the last part of this verse. For truly, I say to you translates the same formula used in 5.18.

If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed is problematic from at least two perspectives: (1) the average reader will not realize that in the biblical culture the mustard seed was considered one of the smallest seeds; and (2) it is not clear than the comparison is between the size of the seed and the size of the disciples’ faith. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is somewhat more explicit (“If your faith is only as large as a mustard seed”), as is New English Bible (“if you have faith no bigger even than a mustard-seed”).

Another problem arises in languages where faith is normally expressed as a verb. Translators may say “If the way you believe in God is small, just like a mustard seed,” but it may be better to drop the comparison and say simply “If you believe in God even a little bit.” Note from these examples that if it is necessary to have an object of faith it should be “God.”

A grain of mustard seed really means “a mustard seed.” See comment at 13.32. “The small seed of the mustard plant” is a good way to render it when readers are not familiar with mustard. It is not essential to the story to try to use some plant that readers know.

The word translated mountain may also mean “hill” (Good News Translation). However, for cultures familiar with mountains and hills, the better choice will doubtless be mountain, since the intention is to contrast the small size of the mustard seed with the enormous size of the largest physical object known. Although the words are reminiscent of certain verses from Isaiah (40.4; 49.11), they probably had assumed the form of a proverbial saying for the overcoming of seemingly insurmountable difficulties. In the context, this mountain can refer to the one Jesus had descended a short time previously. The translation should not make it seem Jesus was referring to a mountain he was standing on.

You will say (so also New English Bible) is a simple future in Greek, but the force of the verb is obviously conditional (either “you can say” or “you could say”) as a number of translations indicate (for example, Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt, New International Version, An American Translation, Phillips, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Both Revised Standard Version (Move from here to there) and Good News Translation: (“Go from here to there”) represent formal translations of the Greek.

If it is more natural to use indirect discourse, translators can have “You could order this mountain to move from this place to that place (or, from one place to another).”

Will move is also a future verb form, but “and it would move” will probably fit the sentence better.

And nothing will be impossible to you represents an unusual and awkward word order for native speakers of English, which Good News Translation simplifies to “You could do anything!” To accomplish this restructuring, two steps were taken: (1) the two negative forms (nothing … impossible) were reduced to one simplified positive form, and (2) the unnatural word order (nothing will be … to you) was changed into a word order that is common among speakers of the language. One way some translations have retained the negatives and still been fairly natural is “There is nothing you couldn’t do.”

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 17:20



17:20a

Because you have so little faith: Some words from 17:19b are implied here but not repeated. The complete sentence would be:

⌊You could not cast it out⌋ because you have so little faith.

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as little faith describes the kind of faith the disciples had. They did not believe very strongly or with confidence.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

It is because you don’t have enough faith! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Because your faith is too small. (New Century Version)
-or-
Because your faith/trust is lacking.
-or-
Because you do not believe/trust ⌊in God⌋ enough.

Jesus also used the expression “little faith” in 14:31b. You should translate these two expressions in a similar way.

He answered: In 17:20a, Jesus began to answer the disciples’ question. So, in some languages, it may be more natural to use the verb “said” instead of answered. For example:

He said to them (English Standard Version)

17:20b

For: In 17:20b–c, Jesus explained why he said that the disciples had little faith. The Greek introduces this explanation with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For. Many English versions do not translate this conjunction. They let the context indicate the connection instead. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either.

truly I tell you: Jesus often used these words to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. When he began a statement with these words, he was asking people to listen with extra attention.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

I assure you (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
Listen to this:
-or-
Let me tell you this:

If you have another way in your language to emphasize a statement or to alert people to listen with special attention, consider using it here.

This clause first occurs in 5:18a. You should translate it here as you did there.

17:20c

if you have faith the size of a mustard seed: This is a type of comparison called a simile. In this simile, Jesus compared effective faith to a mustard seed. They are similar in that both can be small, and both can do mighty things. Even a small amount of true faith can move mountains. (For help in translating the term mustard seed, see the note below.)

Here are some other ways to translate this simile:

• Make explicit the way faith and mustard seed are similar. For example:

if you have faith as small as a mustard seed (New International Version)
-or-
if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed (New Living Translation (2004))

• Use a generic word for mustard seed. For example:

if you have faith, even if it is as small as the smallest seed

a mustard seed: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a mustard seed can also be translated simply as “a grain of mustard seed” (as in the English Standard Version). To Jewish people, the mustard seed was a symbol of smallness.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

• Use your word for seed and transliterate the word mustard according to the sounds of your language. For example:

a musutarade seed
-or-
a seed of ⌊the plant/tree called⌋ mutar

• Use a generic phrase. For example:

a tiny seed

• Use the name of a local seed that is known to be very small, but grows into a tree. If you use this option, you may want to indicate the literal name in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

The Greek text is literally “a mustard seed.”

The phrase mustard seed also occurs in 13:31b–c. You should translate it the same way in both places.

17:20d

you can say to this mountain: This is an example of the small (but effective) faith of 17:20c. In Greek, the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as can say is future. It is as if Jesus were predicting that the disciples were going to say this at some time. But the context indicates that Jesus was implying that the disciples could move the mountain if they needed to. Use words which show that moving a mountain is an example. For example:

you can say to this mountain (New International Version)
-or-
you might ⌊for example⌋ say to this mountain
-or-
you could ⌊possibly⌋ tell this mountain

this mountain: This phrase probably refers to the mountain where Jesus had just been with his disciples. It is the mountain where his appearance had changed in front of them.

So you should translate this phrase as “this/that mountain.” You should not translate this phrase as “a mountain.”

17:20e

Move from here to there: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Move means to change position from one place to another. This word does not imply repeated movement back and forth.

The words from here to there indicate movement from a near place to a far place.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Leave from here and go over there.
-or-
Leave this place and go there.

In some languages, it will be more natural to use indirect speech here. For example:

to move from here to there

and it will move: Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and it will do it
-or-
and it would obey you

17:20f

Nothing will be impossible for you: This clause indicates that, if the disciples have even a tiny bit of faith, there is nothing that they cannot do. They will be able to do anything.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

There is nothing that you will not be able to do.
-or-
There is nothing that you cannot do.

-or-

All things will be possible for you. (New Century Version)

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