have mercy on me

The Greek that is translated in English as “have mercy on me” is translated in Roviana as “(Son of David,) love me, help me!” (source: Carl Gross) and in Mairasi as “(Daud’s Child,) desire my face (=love me)” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

See also mercy.

mercy

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.

While the English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love and Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions.

complete verse (Matthew 20:30)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 20:30:

  • Uma: “On the side of the road sat two blind people. When those blind people heard that it was Yesus passing by, they said: ‘Lord, descendant of King Daud! Have mercy/pity on us!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There were two blind people sitting at the side of the road where they were passing. When they heard that Isa was passing by, they shouted loudly they said, ‘O descendant of Sultan Da’ud, have pity on us.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there were two blind people who were sitting on the side of the road. And when they found out that Jesus was passing by there, they called out, saying, ‘Hey, Datu, pity us for you are the prophesied descendant of King David.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There were two blind-ones who were sitting on the edge of the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing-by, they immediately-shouted saying, ‘Lord, descendant of David, please have mercy!'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There at the edge of the trail, there were two blind people sitting. When they knew that Jesus would pass by, they were shouting out saying, ‘Lord, descendant of king David, do pity us!'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There in the road where he was to pass by there sat two blind men. The blind men came to know that it was Jesus who would pass by where they were sitting. They began to shout saying: ‘Listen, Lord, you descendant of David, have pity on us,’ they said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Matt. 20:30)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding Jesus). In Tok Pisin this is further specified by the use of the dual mitupela — the “two of us.

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English means “beloved.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).


“David” in German Sign Language (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .

Japanese benefactives (awarende)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, awarende (あわれんで) or “have mercy/compassion” 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).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("pass")

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, tō-rare-ru (通られる) or “pass” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )