Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 102:23:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“He broke my strength during the time of my life;
He shortened my days.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“When I was young He made me weak,
and He reduced my life span.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“Before in-fact my life has-ended the LORD is- already -causing- me -to-become-weak;
he makes- my life -to-be-short.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Laarim:
“He took away my strength in middle of my life,
and he made my life to be short.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Amemaliza nguvu zangu wakati bado niko kijana,
amefupisha siku zangu.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“But now you have caused me to become weak while I am still young;
I think that I will not live much longer/ very long/soon die.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal tā (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential tā (祂) is used.”
In that system, one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and others for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are Twents as well as Indonesian and Malay. In the latter two languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
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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 are (され) 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, mijikakus-are-ru (短くされる) or “shorten” is used.
Once more the psalmist describes his own situation (see verses 3-11); the natural implication of verse 23 is that he is still young but does not expect to live to a ripe old age. Line a is literally “He has brought down my strength in the way”; “way” here is taken to mean “while I am still young” (Revised Standard Versionin mid-course). One form of the Hebrew text has “his strength” (so the Septuagint); Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, and the majority of modern texts read the form of the text which has “my strength.” In languages where broken my strength or “made me weak” will refer only to sexual vitality, it may be necessary to say, for example, “has brought me close to death.” In some languages such a notion may be expressed better in figurative language.
In verse 24 the psalmist quotes himself, his prayer that God not let him die but allow him to live a normal life span. Good News Translation, as usual, does not represent this form but has the prayer, with the second person address to God. “Before I grow old” translates in the midst of my days.
Most translations limit the prayer to verse 24; some take it to the end of the psalm (see New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible).
The last line in verse 24 (see Revised Standard Version) is taken by Good News Translation to go with what follows, not with what precedes. It seems difficult to take it to mean, as Revised Standard Version and others render it, that the psalmist is saying, in effect, that it is unfair for God, whose existence has no end, to cut him off in mid-life. So Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible connect it with what follows. Briggs takes the whole strophe (verses 24c-27) to be a fragment of a lost psalm, incorporated into this psalm.
In the last part of the psalm (as understood by Good News Translation), the psalmist, in a hymn to Yahweh, praises his eternal being, which is without beginning or end; this is the basis for the security of those who trust in him (verse 28). In contrast with mortal humankind and transient creation, Yahweh endures forever (see 90.2 for the same affirmation).
The psalmist begins (verse 24c) “for all generations (are) your years,” meaning “your years have no end” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or “you live forever” (Good News Translation). This is balanced in the last line of the strophe (verse 27b) by “your years do not end.”
The LORD created the universe (the earth … the heavens); for lay the foundation of the earth in verse 25a, see 89.11; and for verse 25b, see 8.3. Unlike Yahweh, the earth and the heavens are temporary and will vanish (verse 26). The psalmist compares them to clothes which get worn out and so are discarded (see Isa 51.6). In verse 26c Thou changest them (New Jerusalem Bible “You change them”) may appear to mean that Yahweh would replace the old ones with new ones (so Briggs). But it seems better to understand the text as Good News Translation and New English Bible have done. The analogy of the earth and the heavens wearing out like clothes may not be clear. Therefore it may be necessary to recast this expression to say, for example, “they will become old and useless like old clothes” or “they will wear out and be discarded like old clothes.”
Verse 27a in Hebrew is simply “you are he,” a way of speaking of Yahweh’s uniqueness as one who does not change or grow old; verse 27b matches verse 24c.
Verses 25-27 are quoted in Hebrews 1.10-12 substantially as they appear in the Septuagint; in verse 26a the Septuagint has “you will change them,” while Hebrews 1.12 has “you will fold them (or, roll them up).”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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