2nd person pronoun with low register (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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on Matthew 23:29

A link is drawn between verse 29 and verses 27-28 through the repetition of the word tombs. Since the tombs of the prophets implies tombs out of the ordinary, Good News Translation translates “fine tombs,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “wonderful tombs.” It was customary in that day to build outstanding monuments to mark the graves of heroes and other famous men (see Acts 2.29, which mentions David’s tomb).

Prophets was discussed at 1.22. Here it may have to be “the prophets of old” to be sure readers do not think the reference is to building tombs and grave markers in anticipation of the death of the prophets.

The righteous are defined by Good News Translation as “those who lived good lives” (see comment under “just” at 1.19, and note the use of the word in verse 28).

The prophets and the righteous represent two categories of people who were known for their faithful devotion to God. The honor attributed to them by the Pharisees was an attempt to deny that they would have rejected the prophets, had the Pharisees lived during the days of their ancestors (see verse 30).

It appears that tombs and monuments are used synonymously, with tombs of the prophets and monuments of the righteous forming a parallel construction. One may then translate “you build fine tombs for the prophets and other faithful servants of God, and you keep their tombs decorated” or “you build … and you decorate the tombs that others have built for them.”

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 .