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. )

Translation commentary on Matthew 20:30

In Greek this verse is introduced by two words which Revised Standard Version translates And behold (see comment at 1.20). The formula here functions as a means of introducing the two blind men into the narrative, and most modern English translations do not use a specific word to render the Greek expression. New American Bible, however, translates “and suddenly.” Jerusalem Bible very effectively uses the transitional “Now” and isolates the statement about the presence of the blind men: “Now there were two blind men sitting at the side of the road.” Another possibility is “It happened that two blind men…” or “It happened there were two blind men….” Barclay and many others make this statement about the blind men a separate sentence, as for example, “(It happened) there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing, they cried out.”

When they heard that Jesus was passing by may be restructured as direct discourse: “when they heard people say, ‘Jesus is about to pass by.’ ”

Have mercy on us is the same plea uttered by the blind men in 9.27. As RSV’s footnote indicates, some Greek manuscripts include the noun of address, which may be translated either “Lord” (RSV footnote) or “sir” (Good News Translation). Both the position and presence of the noun is in question, and the committee on the UBS Greek text decided that the “least unsatisfactory resolution of all the diverse problems” of the text was to place the word within square brackets (see TC-GNT). A number of translations have “Lord” and place the noun in emphatic position immediately before the phrase “Son of David.” On the other hand, New English Bible deletes it entirely. The same translational problem exists here as in earlier passages (see 8.2).

Son of David, first appearing in 1.1, is also the title by which the two other blind men previously addressed Jesus (9.27). This was a popular name for the expected Messiah, and it reflected nationalistic hopes. Commentators draw attention to Isaiah 29.18 and 35.5, where restoration of sight was one characteristic of the Messianic Age.

It may be more natural to have the men address Jesus before asking for his mercy: “Son of David, have mercy on us.” See comments at 9.27.

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 20:30



20:30a

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated literally means “look” or “see.” Some English versions translate it as “behold.” This word brings attention to the words that follow. If you have an expression in your language that someone uses when he wants to bring attention to something that he is about to say, you should consider using it here.

Most English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate this word here. See 19:16a and 19:27a for a similar context for this word.

there were two blind men: The Greek phrase the Berean Standard Bible translates as two blind men is more literally “two blind ones.” Most English versions translate this as two blind men. However, it is also possible that one of the two people was a woman. If possible, keep it as general as possible. For instance:

two blind people

sitting beside the road: Blind people in that part of the world usually had to beg for gifts from others in order to be able to eat. Worshipers going up to the Passover festival in Jerusalem were likely to give such gifts as a religious service. That is why these blind people were sitting beside the road.

The parallel passages in Mark and Luke use the word “beg.” However, Matthew does not make their begging explicit. If necessary, you can add a footnote to explain why the blind people were sitting beside the road. Here is a sample footnote:

These blind people were sitting beside the road in order to beg for gifts from the people going up to the Passover celebration.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

sitting by/beside the road
-or-
On the side of the road sat

20:30b

When they heard that Jesus was passing by: The verb heard could indicate that:

(a) these two people overheard the crowd talk about Jesus, or

(b) someone actually told them Jesus was passing by.

It is even possible that both happened.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

they heard ⌊the crowd saying⌋ that Jesus was coming that way
-or-
when someone told them that Jesus was passing by
-or-
Someone said, “Jesus is going past,” so

they cried out: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cried out means “shouted.” The context implies that they shouted like this so that Jesus would hear them. They were not shouting in an angry or impolite way.

Here are some other ways to translate this verb:

they shouted (New International Version)
-or-
they began to shout (Good News Translation)

20:30c

Lord: There is a textual issue with the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord:

Some Greek manuscripts include this word. Most English versions follow these manuscripts. For example:

Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! (New Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New International Version, NET Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, God’s Word)

Other Greek manuscripts do not include this word. Only a few English versions follow these manuscripts. For example:

Have mercy on us, Son of David! (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) and the majority of English versions.

The word Lord means “master.” It was a polite form that people used when they addressed a respected leader.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

sir (Good News Translation)
-or-
Big man

Son of David: This phrase is a title that means that Jesus was a descendant of King David. The Jews used this title to refer to the Messiah (Christ), because God promised that the Messiah would be a descendant of David (Isaiah 9:6–7, 11:1–5, Jeremiah 23:5). In some languages, it may be necessary to make this information explicit. For example:

the Descendant of ⌊King⌋ David
-or-
the ⌊promised⌋ Son/Descendant of ⌊King⌋ David

In some languages, it may be helpful to add a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

God promised that one of King David’s descendants would be the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6–7, 11:1–5, Jeremiah 23:5). The Jews were expecting this promised person to come, and they referred to him by the title “Son of David.”

This same phrase is in 9:27b. Translate it the same way in both places.

have mercy on us: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as have mercy on means “have compassion/pity for.” It is the kind of thing that beggars would ask of people as they went past. The blind people were asking Jesus to help them in some way.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Have pity on us (Revised English Bible)
-or-
pity us ⌊and help/heal⌋ us

-or-

show kindness to us

This expression is also in 9:27b. You should translate it the same way in both places.

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