The Greek that is translated in English as the singular “heaven” but is actually a plural form in the original Greek is translated in that plural form in the Greek original (ouranōn or ouranois instead of the singular ouranos) are translated in the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) as the plural form “heavens” ((die) Himmel). Note that this is particularly often used in the Gospel of Matthew (see the referenced verses). The German translation of Walter Jens (publ. 1998) translates likewise.
English translations that also maintain the plural where it is found in the Greek, include translations by Hart (2017), Ruden (2021), and McKnight (2023).
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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 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.
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. )
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 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).
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, kanaete (かなえて) or “grant” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”
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®).
Again (Good News Translation “And … more”) translates a Greek adverb which may indicate either repetition (as in Revised Standard Version) or continuation (Moffatt “another thing”; Barclay “Still further”). The context suggests the second of these two possibilities. Translators may say, for example, “Another thing I will tell you,” “In addition to that…,” or “I will tell you something else.”
In some Greek manuscripts “truly” is present, thereby making I say to you the same form as that used in verses 3, 13, and 18. Most modern translations do not include it in the text, though Barclay has “I tell you truly,” and Luther 1984 has “Truly, I say to you”; Jerusalem Bible has “I tell you solemnly.”
Two of you … they ask … for them is unnatural for English readers, since you, they, and them refer to the same persons. Good News Translation avoids this awkwardness by rendering “two of you … you pray for … for you.” New English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible also make similar shifts to second-person pronominal usage throughout. Grammatically it will be equally possible to use third person throughout: “two people … they pray for … for them.” However, Jesus is addressing his disciples and means two of them. Consequently “you” should be retained, as in Good News Translation.
The contrasting phrases on earth … in heaven link this verse with verse 18. In this respect a pleasing balance is achieved, but for many readers two of you … on earth will sound awkward. One may therefore prefer to translate “whenever any two of you.” A relative clause may allow translators to retain on earth; for example, “two of you who are here on earth.” But this should only be done if the resulting sentence in the receptor language is natural.
If is sometimes more naturally expressed as “When,” “Whenever,” or “Any time that.”
Agree … about anything they ask refers specifically to prayer, as the person asked (my Father in heaven) signifies. Good News Translation therefore translates “agree about anything you pray for.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders “if two of you on earth pray together about something.” If the verb ask is maintained in translation, then it may be obligatory in some languages to indicate the person of whom the request is made: “… ask my Father in heaven for something, he will do it for you.” Even where the verb ask is translated specifically as “pray,” some languages may still require specific mention of the Father in heaven as the one to whom the prayers are directed.
In the present context anything refers to the settlement of disputes within the Christian community and should not be translated in such a way as to imply the provision of material goods as an answer to prayer. Moreover, as “in my name” of verse 20 indicates, the prayer must be in keeping with God’s will.
With these things in mind, translators may render the passage as “If two of you here on earth agree about something you ask God to do,” “Whenever two of you here on earth agree to ask God to do something,” or “If here on earth two of you agree on something and ask God to do it.”
It will be done for them by my Father in heaven may require restatement in an active form: “my Father in heaven will do it for you.”
For comments on my Father in heaven, see 5.16.
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 .
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