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). This 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 20:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 20:26:

  • Uma: “But you, don’t have behavior/character like that. Whoever of you wants to high rank, must become a servant [lit., ordered-one].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But you,’ said Isa, ‘you shall not do/be like that. Whoever of you wants to be made great, he shall be your servant.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But this cannot be here among you. If there is one of you who wants to be greatest, he must be the servant of all of his companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But that’s not how you should do. Because if someone among you wants to become-greater, it-is-necessary that he serve his companions like a servant,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But hopefully not like that will be made a habit of here with you. On the contrary, whoever of you wants to be praiseworthy, he must be the servant of his companions.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But as for you, do not want that you are just commanding people. Concerning the person who wants a high position, this person must work to help his fellowman.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

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. )

Translation commentary on Matthew 20:26

It shall not be so among you: although the Greek text does use the future tense (shall … be), more than simple futurity is intended. The meaning is better expressed as “It is not to be so among you” (An American Translation) or “It cannot be like that with you” (New American Bible). Since the idea of “oughtness” is really what is intended, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is best: “But it should not be that way with you.” One may also translate “But that is not the way that you should act toward one another.”

Great represents a literal rendering of the Greek text and is followed by most all translations; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “something special.” Other possible phrases are “be considered great” and “be important.”

Your servant is translated “the servant of the rest” by Good News Translation. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch shifts to a verb construction: “must serve the others.”

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 20:26



20:26a

There is a contrast here. The contrast is between how the kings of the earth act (20:25b–c) and how the followers of Christ should act (20:26b–27). Some English versions indicate this contrast with the conjunction “But.” For example:

But it should not be that way among you. (New Century Version)

It shall not be this way among you: The pronoun It refers to the way leaders use their power and authority. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates this way means “like that.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Do not behave/act like that
-or-
You must not do/be like that
-or-
You must act differently

shall not be this way: The tense of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as shall not be is future. In this context, the future tense has the force of a command.

Here are some other ways to translate this verb:

must not be (NET Bible)
-or-
should not be (New Century Version)
-or-
do not (Contemporary English Version)

among you: The pronoun you refers to the disciples. Jesus spoke with the disciples as people who would become leaders of the church.

20:26b–27

As in 20:25b–c, verses 20:26b–c and 20:27 are a parallelism. This means that they are two ways of saying the same thing. (However, the statement in 20:27 is more intense.) Notice the parallel parts in these two statements:

26b
whoever wants to be great among you 26cmust be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.

Jesus repeated this idea in order to emphasize it. You should show this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language. Some languages can repeat the idea. In other languages, it may be more natural to combine the two parts and translate them together. For example:

The person among you who wants to be an important person or the most important person, he must become like a slave and serve everyone.

Notice that this idea contrasts with the one in 20:25b–c.

20:26b

Instead: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between a negative clause (in 20:26a) and a positive clause here in 20:26b. The negative clause is “It shall not be this way among you.” The positive clause is “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Languages have different ways to indicate this negative-positive type of contrast. Here are some of the ways:

• With the conjunction Instead, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

• With a conjunction other than Instead. This is a common way in English to show this type of contrast. For example:

Rather
-or-
on the contrary
-or-
But (English Standard Version)

• With no conjunction. For example:

it should not be that way among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. (New Century Version)

You should do what is natural in your language.

whoever wants to become great: The Greek verb phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wants to become is more literally “might want to become.” The word great refers to having high status/rank in God’s kingdom.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

whoever would be great (English Standard Version)
-or-
Whoever wants to be a leader (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
If you desire/wish to be a big/important person ⌊in God’s kingdom⌋

among you: The pronoun you refers primarily to the twelve disciples Jesus addressed. But it also applies to the whole community of believers.

20:26c

must be your servant: In Greek, the tense of must be is future. But it functions as a command. Here the command is a bit unusual in that it is a third person command.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

he must become the servant of the rest of you
-or-
it is necessary that he become your servant

your servant: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant refers to someone who was responsible for household duties. It was a very low-status role. It is a different Greek word than the normal word for servant/slave (in 20:27).

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

servant of all the others (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
servant of his companions

-or-

serve the rest/others of you

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