Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("is/be present")

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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.

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

Translation commentary on Matthew 6:18

Revised Standard Version retains the formal structure of the Greek text, which continues in this verse the sentence begun in verse 17. Translators can also begin a new sentence, as in “Do that so that people won’t notice that you are fasting” or “You should do this so no one will know when you are fasting.”

Who is in secret … who sees in secret: the Greek noun used here for secret differs from that of verses 4 and 6. But there is no difficulty in interpreting the two nouns as synonymous. Problematic, however, is how God may be spoken of as the one who is in secret. Good News Translation resolves the problem by translating “who is unseen.” This interpretation finds support in the Septuagint of Jeremiah 23.24. The same phrase is used there (except in the plural), where the text reads, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places where I cannot see him?” In the Jeremiah passage the phrase is easily equivalent to “in places where he cannot be seen” or “in places where he is unseen.” New American Bible translates the two clauses as “who is hidden … who sees what is hidden,” and New Jerusalem Bible translates the two of them “who sees all that is done in secret.” New English Bible has “your Father who is in the secret place … your Father who sees what is secret.”

Translators most often do something similar to what they did in verses 4 and 6. They can say “Your Father who is in that private place will see (or, know about) your fasting, and he will reward you” or “Your Father whom men (or, you) can’t see will see what you do and will reward you.” Few translators will find it natural to repeat the phrase in secret, although Good News Translation has done it in English. Those who do will render the verse “So that no one will know when you are fasting except your Father whom no one can see. He sees all that is done in private, and will reward you.”

Father, as in 5.16, is God.

Will reward you: see comments on 5.12 and 6.4, where the same expression is used.

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 6:18

6:18a

so that: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that introduces the purpose for washing one’s face. Jesus asked his followers to 17wash their face and comb their hair 18ain order that it is not obvious to people that they are fasting.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

in order that
-or-
for the purpose that

Yet another way to introduce this clause is as a result. For example:

Then no one will notice that you are fasting (New Living Translation (2004))

your fasting will not be obvious to men: This clause is similar to 6:16c, except that it is negative. People who fast should look clean and neat as usual so that other people will not see that they are fasting.

The verb will not be obvious is passive.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

• As a passive, as the Berean Standard Bible does. For example:

you may not be seen by others that you are fasting

• As an active. For example:

people will not see/realize that you are fasting
-or-
no one will know you are fasting (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
your fasting won’t be obvious (God’s Word)

6:18b

but only: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but indicates a contrast. The contrast is between the people who will not know that you are fasting and God, who will know.

You should wash 18aso that your fasting will not be obvious to other people, 18bbut ⌊it will be obvious⌋ to God.

to your Father: The verb phrase “be obvious” from 6:18a is implied here. It will be obvious to your Father. He alone will know that you are fasting.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

• As a passive:

⌊your fasting will be obvious⌋ to ⌊God⌋ your Father

• As an active. For example:

only your Father ⌊will know⌋ ⌊that you are fasting⌋
-or-
but your Father ⌊God⌋ alone ⌊will realize/see it⌋

your Father: As in 6:15b, the phrase your Father refers to God. You should translate it here as you did there.

who is unseen: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as who is unseen also occurs in 6:6b. It refers to the fact that God is everywhere and sees everything. In the context of fasting, it is probably implied that the fasting should also be done in a place where no one will see. But God is there in that secret place.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

who is in ⌊that⌋ secret ⌊place⌋
-or-
who is with you in private (God’s Word)

6:18c

And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you: This clause is identical to the clause in 6:4b. Translate it here as you did there.

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