addressing God

Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed.

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or modern 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.

In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.

Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”

In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.

Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking.” (Source Philip Noss)

In the most recent Manchu translation of 1835 (a revision of an earlier edition from 1822), God is never addressed with a pronoun but with “father” (ama /ᠠᠮᠠ) instead. Chengcheng Liu (in this post on the Cambridge Centre for Chinese Theology blog ) explains: “In Manchu tradition, as in Chinese etiquette, second-person pronouns could be considered disrespectful when speaking to superiors or spiritual beings. Manchu Shamanist prayers avoided si [‘you’] and sini [‘your’] for this very reason. To use them for God would be, in Lipovzoff’s [one of the two translators] words, ‘the most uncouth and indecent way to speak to the Almighty — as if He were a servant or slave.’ There was also a grammatical problem. In Manchu, si and sini could refer to both singular and plural subjects. For a faith that insisted on the singularity of God, this was potentially confusing. By contrast, repeating ama removed any ambiguity.”

In Dutch, Afrikaans, Gronings, and Western Frisian translations, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.

See also formal pronoun: disciples addressing Jesus, female second person singular pronoun in Psalms.

complete verse (Nehemiah 9:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 9:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “They refused to listen to you and they did not remember/recall the wonderful things you did to/for them. They rebelled and elected their leader who might take them back to their slavery in Egypt. Though it is like that, you are merciful to people and you forgive people. And again, you do not easily get angry and you have everlasting love and compassion. You did not abandon those people” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They do- not -want to listen to what you (sing.) are-saying, and they just forgot the miracles which you (sing.) did to them. Their heads became hard, and they rebelled against you (sing.) by choosing a leader/[lit. head] to take them back to slavery in Egipto. But you (sing.) are a forgiving God, compassionate, take-an-interest-in-the-welfare-(of others), slow-to-anger, and loving. Therefore you (sing.) did- not -reject them,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They refused to follow your (sing.) command and they forgot the amazing-things that you (sing.) did in front of them. Because of their hard minds (i.e., stubbornness), they chose someone to lead them so-that they would (unfulfilled expectation) return to their being-enslaved in Egipto. But you (sing.) are the God who characteristically-forgives, characteristically-shows-mercy, always is characteristically-loving and is not easy to become-angry. Therefore you (sing.) did not turn-your-back-on them” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “They refused to heed you, and they forgot about all the miracles that you had performed for them. Instead, they became stubborn , and they appointed someone to lead them back to Egypt, where they would be slaves again! But you are a God who forgives us and who is kind and merciful to us. You do not quickly become angry. You always faithfully love us.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

work(s) (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-ude (みわざ) or “work (of God)” in the referenced verses.

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

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("[someone/who] is")

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, a-rare-ru (あられる) or “(someone/who) is” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 9:17

They refused to obey is literally “they refused to listen.” This is a repetition of the preceding line, but it is stated more strongly by using the active verb “refuse.”

Were not mindful of the wonders which thou didst perform among them means that they “did not remember” (New English Bible) or “they forgot” (Good News Translation) the wonderful things that God had done among them in freeing them from slavery in Egypt (see verse 10 above).

They stiffened their neck: If possible this should be translated similarly to the preceding verse where it also occurs. The repetition gives poetic emphasis. Amplified Bible makes their stubbornness against God explicit by translating “[they] stiffened their necks, and in their rebellion….”

Appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt: Appointed a leader is literally “gave a head.” This phrase can mean “determined” (for example 1 Chr 16.7, where Revised Standard Version has “first appointed”), but it usually means to “appoint a leader” (as in Exo 18.25; Deut 1.15; 1 Chr 12.18). It is this interpretation that Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have adopted here. The reference is to the time when the people proposed to choose someone to lead them back to Egypt in Num 14.4, where the same phrase is translated “choose a captain” (New Revised Standard Version) or “choose a leader” (Good News Translation, New International Version). Other translations adopt the alternative interpretation, that is, that the people put it in their heads to return to slavery in Egypt (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). New Jerusalem Bible renders it as “made up their minds to return to their slavery in Egypt,” and Contemporary English Version translates “they were determined to return to Egypt and become slaves again.” Since the statement here is based on Num 14.4, this indicates that the appointment of a leader is intended here and this is the recommended translation.

For bondage see Ezra 9.8-9.

The phrase in Egypt follows the Septuagint and several Hebrew manuscripts and corresponds to Num 14.4. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives it a C rating. MT has “in their rebellion,” which appears to be a misspelling of the word for Egypt due to the dropping of one letter. Since the statement here is based on Num 14.4, this indicates that the appointment of a leader to lead them back to Egypt is intended here and this is the recommended translation.

But thou art a God …: This line begins with the Hebrew connective conjunction. Here it marks a strong contrast between what has just been said and what will follow. The contrast is between what the Israelites had done and the nature of God. The description of God is introduced by the independent second person singular pronoun. This may be rendered similarly in some languages by an emphatic pronoun followed by a normal pronoun; for example, “But YOU, you are God…” (Deftere Allah). Other languages may say “But you, for your part, are….” In shifting the focus from the Israelites to God, translators must be careful to use words that show appropriate respect for God. In some languages this will require using a second person plural pronoun or another honorific marker for God.

God’s character is described by a series of attributes. These are key terms that translators must take great care in translating. They describe the very nature of God as recorded in Exodus in his declaration about himself when he gave the Ten Commandments to Moses the second time (Exo 34.6; see also Psa 86.15). Several of the same attributes are found in the passage of Numbers referred to above (Num 14.18). Ready to forgive means he is “quick to forgive” (Contemporary English Version) people who are sinful and unfaithful to him. The Hebrew word rendered gracious is related to a verb meaning “to be kind” (so New Century Version). The Hebrew word translated merciful is related to the word for “womb” and suggests a very deep level of compassion. Slow to anger is literally “long of nostrils,” which means God’s nostrils do not quickly show anger. For steadfast love, see the comment at Ezra 3.11. These concepts may be expressed in different ways in other languages: some by adjectives, others by figurative language, and others perhaps by praise terms.

In spite of their rebellion, they acknowledge that God did not forsake them; that is, God “did not desert them” (New International Version) or “abandon them” (New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In some languages a figure of speech may be appropriate, such as “you did not turn your back on them” or “you did not toss them to the ground.”

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .