The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).
Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)
In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 138:7:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“Though I walk in the middle of afflictions,
you keep my life;
you stretch your hand opposing the anger of my enemies,
you save me with your right hand.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“Even though I am surrounded by problems, You protect my life.
You oppose the enemies who are angry with us,
and by Your right hand I am saved.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“Even-though I (am) in trouble/difficulty, you (sing.) preserve/take-care-of my life.
You (sing.) punish my angry enemies.
You (sing.) save me by-means-of your (sing.) power.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Laarim:
“Even though I walked in the midst of suffering,
you keep my life,
and you keep me from the anger of my enemies,
with your right hand.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Hata kama niko katika shida,
wewe unanilinda.
Na mkono wako wa kulia unaniokoa,
kwa maadui zangu ambao wamechukia,
mkono wako wa kulia unaniokoa.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“When I am in the midst of many troubles/ difficulties,
you save/rescue me.
With your hand/ power you rescue me from my enemies who are angry at me.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).
Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed.
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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 Translator2002, 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.”
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) is used here in mi-te (御手) or “hand (of God).”
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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, ikashite (生かして) or “let them live” 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).”
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 choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, sukutte (救って) or “save/deliver” 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. )
The psalm closes with a confident affirmation of Yahweh’s power and care. He will not abandon the psalmist in his trouble but will save him from his angry enemies (verse 7c). In verse 7c-d the psalmist uses the figure of Yahweh’s hand … right hand as symbols of his care and power. There is no way of knowing what specific trouble the psalmist had, other than the wrath of his enemies. New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Dahood take the Hebrew word in verse 7a which Good News Translation translates “troubles” to mean “adversaries, foes,” parallel with enemies in verse 7c. Good News Translation has adjusted the Hebrew image of walk in the midst of trouble as “surrounded by troubles,” both being metaphors. In some languages one must say “when trouble grabs me” or “when trouble strangles me.” In languages in which “raise the hand” carries the meaning of stopping someone (in verse 7c), the figure should be used. If not, it is best to follow Good News Translation. “Save me by your power” must sometimes be rendered “you save me because you are powerful” or “you are powerful and so you save me.”
It is to be noted that in verse 8 Good News Translation has kept the second person of direct address, in harmony with verse 7; the Hebrew has the third person in verse 8.
In verse 8 the verb translated fulfil is used only in the Book of Psalms (7.9 “let … come to me”; 12.1 “there is no longer”; 57.2 “fulfils”; 77.8 “at an end”). The context here is similar to that in 57.2. Good News Translation has omitted the personal for me; it should read “You will do for me everything you have promised.” Verse 8b uses the statement found in the repeated refrain in Psalm 136.
It is not clear what is specifically meant by the work of thy hands; probably it refers to the people of Israel. Bible en français courant has “Do not abandon now those you have made with your own hands.” Dahood takes it to be the king, the author (as he supposes) of the psalm. New Jerusalem Bible seems to restrict the sense to created things: “do not abandon what you have made.” It may refer in a more general way to everything that Yahweh has planned (so Good News Translation, New English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Finish what you have begun!” It seems best to take it as a reference to the people of Israel.
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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