Ps 145:2 – TIPs

every day

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “every day” in English is translated in Chichewa as “day and day.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

praise (God)

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The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “praise (God)” in English is translated in a nuymber of ways:

Tae’: “make-great” / “make-great the name”
Western Highland Purepecha / Morelos Nahuatl: “speak well of”
San Blas Kuna / Kpelle: “lift up the name”
Huehuetla Tepehua: “sing the name”
Highland Totonac: “make good”
Tzeltal: “say good about”
Navajo (Dinė): “make known something good about” (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Isthmus Mixe: “place (God) big”
Chuj: “say good words about (God)”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “honor (Father God)” (source for this and three above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Dan a figurative expression for praising God is used: “push God’s horse.” “In the distant past people closely followed the horses ridden by chiefs, so ‘pushing’ them.” (Source: Don Slager)

eternity, forever, forever and ever

The Greek, Hebrew and Ge’ez that is typically translated as “eternity,” “forever,” or “forever and ever” in English are translated in Mairasi as “mashed out infinitely.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “Bark cloth required pounding. It got longer and wider as it got pounded. Similarly, life gets pounded or mashed to lengthen it into infinity. Tubers also get mashed into the standard way of serving the staple food, like the fufu of Uganda, or like poi of Hawaii. It spreads out into infinity.” (Source: Lloyd Peckham)

In Lisu the phrase “forever and ever” is translated as ꓕꓲꓽ ꓞꓲꓼ ꓕꓲ ꓑ — thi tsi thi pa, verbatim translated as “one – lifetime – one – world.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 57f.)

In Makonde it is often translated as navyaka or “years and years.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

See also forever, eternal life and salvation.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Concepts of Eternity .

bless(ed)

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The Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated into English as “(to) bless” or “blessed” is translated into a wide variety of possibilities.

The Hebrew term barak (and the Aramaic term berak) also (and originally) means “kneel” (a meaning which the word has retained — see Gen. 24:11) and can be used for God blessing people (or things), people blessing each other, or people blessing God. While English Bible translators have not seen a stumbling block in always using the same term (“bless” in its various forms), other languages need to make distinctions (see below).

In Bari, spoken in South Sudan, the connection between blessing and knees/legs is still apparent. For Genesis 30:30 (in English: “the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned”), Bari uses a common expression that says (much like the Hebrew), ‘… blessed you to my feet.'” (Source: P. Guillebaud in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 189ff. .)

Other examples for the translation of “bless” when God is the one who blesses include (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):

“think well of” (San Blas Kuna)
“speak good to” (Amganad Ifugao)
“make happy” (Pohnpeian)
“cause-to-live-as-a-chief” (Zulu)
“sprinkle with a propitious (lit. cool) face” (a poetic expression occurring in the priests’ language) (Toraja Sa’dan) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
“give good things” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
“ask good” (Yakan) (source: Yakan Back Translation)
“praise, say good things” (Central Yupik) (source: Robert Bascom)
“greatly love” (Candoshi-Shapra) (source: John C. Tuggy)
“showing a good heart” (Kutu) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
“good luck — have — good fortune — have” (verbatim) ꓶꓼ ꓙꓳ ꓫꓱꓹ ꓙꓳ — ɯa dzho shes zho (Lisu). This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 58)
wodala — denoting a person who is considered fortunate because he/she has something good that the majority of people do not have. It also acknowledges someone as a causative agent behind “being blessed.” (Chichewa) (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

In Tagbanwa a phrase is used for both the blessing done by people and God that back-translates to “caused to be pierced by words causing grace/favor” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation) and in Benabena a term denoted “good spell” or “good magic” (source: Renck 1990, p. 112).

Ixcatlán Mazatec had to select a separate term when relating “to people ‘blessing’ God” (or things of God): “praise(d)” or “give thanks for” (in 1 Cor. 10:16) (“as it is humans doing the ‘blessing’ and people do not bless the things of God or God himself the way God blesses people” — source: Robert Bascom). Eastern Bru and Kui also use “praise” for this a God-directed blessing (source: Bru back translation and Helen Evans in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) and Uma uses “appropriate/worthy to be worshipped” (source: Uma back translation).

When related to someone who is blessing someone else, it is translated into Tsou as “speak good hopes for.” In Waiwai it is translated as “may God be good and kind to you now.” (Sources: Peng Kuo-Wei for Tsou and Robert Hawkins in The Bible Translator 1962, pp. 164ff. for Waiwai.)

Some languages associate an expression that originally means “spitting” or “saliva” with blessing. The Bantu language Koonzime, for instance, uses that expression for “blessing” in their translation coming from either God or man. Traditionally, the term was used in an application of blessing by an aged superior upon a younger inferior, often in relation to a desire for fertility, or in a ritualistic, but not actually performed spitting past the back of the hand. The spitting of saliva has the effect of giving that person “tenderness of face,” which can be translated as “blessedness.” (Source: Keith Beavon)

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “As for ‘blessing’, in the end we in most instances actually kept the word, after initially preferring the expression ‘giving life strength’. The backlash against dropping the word blessing was too hard. But we would often add a few words to help the reader understand what the word means in a given context — people often understand it to refer more to a spiritual connection with God, but in the Hebrew texts, it usually has to do with material things or good health or many children. So when e.g. in Isaiah 19:25 the Hebrew text says ‘God bless them’, we say ‘God bless them’ and we add: ‘and give them strength’. ‘And give them strength’ is not found in the overt Hebrew text, but we are again making explicit what we believe is the meaning so as to avoid misunderstanding.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

complete verse (Psalm 145:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 145:2:

Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“I will praise you day by day
and respect your name to the times of time.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“Every day I will praise You,
and I will elevate Your name forever.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“Every day I will praise you,
and I will do that forever.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Laarim:
“I will always praise you,
and will glorify your names forever.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Kila siku nitakusifu,
nitalitukuza jina lako milele na milele.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Every day I will praise you;
Yes, I will praise you forever.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

acrostic in Psalm 145

The Hebrew text of Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)

While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. The Natügu translation is one such exception. Boerger (see above) cites a strong tradition in singing the psalms and the fact that Natügu, like Hebrew, also has 22 possible initial letters as motivating factors to maintain the acrostics in that language.

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu

1 Awi-zvzbo bam mz nzglqpx-krnge nim,
Murde nim Gct rnge x mnclzbo bam.
2 Bilvzx nim mz nzawi-krbo bam.
X sa naglqpx-zvzx nim mz zbq kang kqlu.
3 Clveq nrlc mz zmatq ngrm kx trpnzngr kxrkrlz.
Yawe, myatxlz-esz’ngrn x takitrde nzrglqlzngr nim.
4 Doa nemqng sa nayapwxti-zvzbzlr mz doa nedrng,
Da kcng tqetuting tqmatq tqaletiqng.
5 Eu, x sa na-aoti-zvz-kzx drtwrnge nzwz-krmqng kxmrlzvxing,
X nzetu-esz’ngr-krm mz zmatq.
6 Gct, sa nayapwxtipx leplz da kxnzkctipxng kcng tqwz-ngrn.
X sa napipxx nzmyalz-esz’ngr-krm.
7-8 Ipq-aniq leplz murde yc mz drtwrm nidr.
Murde nivz lrm x nzaodu-krm tqyc tqyc.
Jzsiq leplz mz nztubqngr x sa na-angrlvzlr nim.
Sa nalepxlr nrpa ngr nzmrlz-esz’ngr-krm.
9 Kxetu, mrlztiq leplz amrlx,
X yc zlwz mz drtwrm doa amrlx kcng tqwz-ngrn.
10 Leplz nemqng amrlx sa na-awibzng bam,
X doa amrlx kcng tqwz-ngrn sa naglqlzlr nim.
11 Mz nrlc tulvzo, sa nayapwxtipxlr nzmyalz-esz’ngr-krm,
X nzetukr zmatq ngrm mz nzngini-krm king.
12 Nrpa ngr nzwz-krmqng etu, mz da kxmrlzting kcng tqwz-ngrn mz nzaclve-krm,
Sa nakrlz leplz amrlx.
13 Obqom mz nrlc mz nzaclve-krm kc tqyc tqyc,
X nzngini-krm king tqvzpe tqvzpe.
Pipx-zvzq natq kx na-angidatiq,
X aelwapx-zvzq nivz lrm mz da amrlx kcng tqaleq.
14 Rngiscm zmatq kx okatrle leplz kcng tzkxpung,
X axplrle nabz leplz kcng tqtalvzo.
15 Sa narkabzme dakxnzng mz kxnzlung amrlx,
Mz nzmnc-xgle-krdr nim mz da amrlx.
16 Tekqtrq nzbrtale-krdr mz nzakrlc-krbzme nelzdr,
X drtwrdr esatxpx zpwx.
17 Vz zvz nzale-krm da kx tubq-esz’ngr,
X aelwapx-zvzq nivz lrm mz da amrlx kcng tqaleq.
18 Wxbu-aepztrpzme mz krkcng tzkqlelr nim,
Mz nzbrti-zpwxkr drtwrdr nim.
19 Xlrq nzyrnikr leplz kcng tzamrluelr nim,
X ayzlubzme natqdr mz nzarlapx-krm nidr.
20 Yawe, tu-zvzbzme mz nibr leplz kx nzmrlztilr nim,
A’ odati-atwrnr-ngrn kxdrka’-ngrng.
21 Zbq kalvz sa naglqlzx nim.
X krkcng tzlung tqwz-ngrn, nzangio-krdr nim tqvzpe tqvzpe.

The Danish Bibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.) also translated Psalm 145 into an acrostic. Due to the higher number of Danish letters, It skips C, Q, W, X, Z, and Ø.

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Danish

1 Altid vil jeg prise dig, Herre,
du er min Konge og Gud for evigt.
2 Bestandig vil jeg synge til din ære,
takke dig hver eneste dag.
3 Der er ingen så mægtig som dig, Herre,
ingen kan fatte din storhed.
4 En generation skal fortælle det videre til den næste,
at dine underfulde gerninger er uden sidestykke.
5 Folk skal fortælle om din herlighed og magt,
og jeg vil altid mindes dine undere.
6 Gang på gang bliver dine gerninger berømmet,
jeg vil fortælle om din storhed igen og igen.
7 Hvor er din godhed dog stor,
din retfærdighed bliver husket med glæde.
8 Ingen er nådig og barmhjertig som dig,
du er tålmodig og utrolig trofast.
9 Jeg ved, at du er god mod alle,
barmhjertig mod alle dine skabninger.
10 Kan mennesker gøre andet end takke dig, Herre?
Dine tjenere vil altid lovprise dig.
11 Lad os altid tale om dit riges herlighed,
fortælle om din vældige magt.
12 Mennesker i hele verden skal høre om din magt,
om dit riges strålende herlighed.
13 Når alt andet forgår, vil dit rige bestå.
Du skal regere i evighed.
Ord fra dig kan man stole på,
dine handlinger viser din nåde imod os.
14 På livets vej kan vi synke i knæ,
men du rejser os op, når vi falder.
15 Retter vi vores blik mod dig i tro,
vil du altid give os det, vi har brug for.
16 Så snart et menneske erkender sit behov,
er du straks parat til at opfylde det.
17 Trofasthed og retfærdighed kendes du på,
dine handlinger er baseret på kærlighed.
18 Uden undtagelse hjælper du alle,
som beder til dig af et oprigtigt hjerte.
19 Vælger mennesker at følge dig,
vil du redde dem, når de råber om hjælp.
20 Ærligt troende oplever din beskyttelse,
men de onde går deres undergang i møde.
21 År efter år vil jeg prise dig, Herre,
måtte alt levende lovsynge dig for evigt.

There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Dutch translations

Naardense Bijbel:

1
Alleluia, ik dank de Ene van ganser harte, ✡
binnen de kring der oprechten,
een samenkomst;
2
groot zijn de daden van de Ene, ✡
doorvorsbaar
voor elk met behagen daarin;
3
en glans en luister straalt van zijn werk, ✡
fleur houdt zijn gerechtigheid
voor altijd;
4
genadig en barmhartig is de Ene, ✡
hij doet zijn wonderen voorgoed gedenken;
5
indachtig is hij voor eeuwig zijn verbond, ✡
ja, wie hem vrezen gaf hij teerkost; de
6
kracht van zijn daden
heeft hij zijn gemeente gemeld; ✡
leende hun
het erfdeel van volkeren;
7
machtig zijn zijn handen in trouw en recht, ✡
nooit onbetrouwbaar zijn
al zijn inzettingen;
8
ondersteund voor altijd en eeuwig, ✡
product
van trouw en oprechtheid;
9
redding, loskoop zond hij zijn gemeente,
sloot voor eeuwig zijn verbond, ✡
te vrezen en heilig is zijn naam!-
10
vreze voor de Ene
is het beginsel van wijsheid,
weg tot goed inzicht
voor wie daarnaar dóen; ✡
zijn lof
blijft staande voor altíjd!

Tot Lof van God translation:

Een lofdicht, op naam van David.

Als de ware Koning, zo wil ik U verhogen, mijn God,
zegenen wil ik Uw naam voor altijd en eeuwig.
2
Bij voortduring wil ik U zegenen, iedere dag weer,
loven wil ik Uw naam voor altijd en eeuwig.
3
Dat omdat Jehovah groots en zeer te loven is,
Zijn grootsheid is onpeilbaar.
4
En daarom prijst men Uw daden van geslacht op geslacht,
verhaalt men van Uw machtige daden.
5
Flonkerend in luister en pracht is Uw majesteit,
details over Uw wonderen verkondig ik graag.
6
Geweldig zijn Uw geduchte daden waarover men spreekt
– van Uw grootse daden wil ik vertellen –
7
herinneringen aan veel van Uw goedheid halen zij op,
over Uw rechtvaardigheid juichen zij.
8
Inderdaad, goedgunstig en barmhartig, dat is Jehovah,
geduldig en groots in loyale goedheid.
9
Jehovah is goed jegens allen,
met daarbij Zijn barmhartigheid, kenmerkend voor al Zijn werken.
10
Komen al Uw werken U werkelijk prijzen, Jehovah,
Uw loyalen zullen U zegenen.
11
Laten zij de heerlijkheid van Uw koninkrijk aanzeggen,
Uw grote macht bespreken.
12
Mogen zij Zijn machtige daden aan de mensen bekendmaken,
en de luister en pracht van Zijn koninkrijk.
13
Niet alleen dat, Uw koninkrijk is een koninkrijk voor alle tijden,
Uw heerschappij is voor alle achtereenvolgende geslachten.

14
Prachtig, Jehovah pakt allen stevig vast die vallen,
allen die gebukt gaan richt Hij weer op.
15
Reikhalzend zien aller ogen daarom naar U uit,
U bent het die hun te rechter tijd hun voedsel verschaft.
16
Stellig, U opent Uw hand
en verzadigt het verlangen van een ieder die leeft.
17
Terecht heet Jehovah ‘rechtvaardig in al Zijn wegen’,
in al Zijn werken is Hij loyaal.
18
Uit dien hoofde is Jehovah nabij allen die Hem aanroepen,
allen die Hem aan blijven roepen in waarachtigheid.
19
Vervullen zal Hij het verlangen van hen die hem vrezen,
Hij luistert naar hun hulpgeschreeuw en zal hen redden.
20
Waken zal Jehovah over een ieder die Hem liefheeft,
waar Hij alle wettelozen weg zal vagen.
21
Zo zal mijn mond Jehovah’s lof spreken.
Alle vlees zal Zijn heilige naam zegenen,
en dat voor altijd en eeuwig!

With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren

The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains almost every Hebrew acrostic (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letter K, X, Y, and Z. (Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Knox’s translation.)

1 And shall I not extol thee, my God, my king; shall I not bless thy name for ever and for evermore?
2 Blessing shall be thine, day after day; for ever and for evermore praised be thy name.
3 Can any praise be worthy of the Lord’s majesty, any thought set limits to his greatness?
4 Down the ages the story of thy deeds is told, thy power is ever acclaimed;
5 each magnifies thy unapproachable glory, makes known thy wonders.
6 Fearful are the tales they tell of thy power, proclaiming thy magnificence;
7 grateful their memory of all thy goodness, as they boast of thy just dealings.
8 How gracious the Lord is, how merciful, how patient, how rich in pity!
9 Is he not a loving Lord to his whole creation; does not his mercy reach out to all that he has made?
10 Joining, then, Lord, in thy whole creation’s praise, let thy faithful servants bless thee;
11 let them publish the glory of thy kingdom, and discourse of thy power,
12 making that power known to the race of men, the glory, the splendour of that kingdom!
13 No age shall dawn but shall see thee reigning still; generations pass, and thy rule shall endure. O how true the Lord is to all his promises, how gracious in all his dealings!
14 Prostrate though men may fall, the Lord will lift them up, will revive their crushed spirits.
15 Quietly, Lord, thy creatures raise their eyes to thee, and thou grantest them, in due time, their nourishment,
16 Ready to open thy hand, and fill with thy blessing all that lives.
17 So faithful the Lord is in all he does, so gracious in all his dealings.
18 The Lord draws near to every man that calls upon him, will he but call upon him with a true heart.
19 Utter but the wish, you that fear the Lord, and he will grant it, will hear the cry, and bring aid.
20 Vigilantly the Lord watches over all that love him, marks down the wicked for destruction.
21 While these lips tell of the Lord’s praise, let all that lives bless his holy name, for ever, and for evermore. (Source )

Another English translation that keeps an acrostic for this psalm is the EasyEnglish Bible (publ. 2018), skipping Q, U, X, and Z.

1 Always I will praise you, my God and my king,
and I will say how great you are!
2 Because you are good, I will praise you every day.
Yes, I will always praise your name.
3 Clearly the Lord is great!
He is so great that we cannot understand it.
4 Down from father to son, people will praise you.
They will tell each other about the powerful things that you have done.
5 Everyone will speak about your glory and authority.
I also will think carefully about your great miracles.
6 Famous are the powerful things that you have done.
People will talk about them.
I also will speak about the great things that you do.
7 Good things are what everybody will remember about you.
They will sing about your justice.
8 How very kind the Lord is!
He is very patient and his faithful love continues.
9 It is the Lord who takes care of everybody.
He is kind to everything that he has made.
10 Join together to thank the Lord!
Everything that he has made will praise him.
Your own people will praise you, Lord!
11 King is who you are and your kingdom is great!
People will speak about your royal authority.
12 Let everyone agree that you do great things!
Let them say that you rule with great authority.
13 Many years your kingdom will remain, even for ever.
You will always rule your people and their descendants.
Nothing that the Lord promises is false.
He is kind in everything that he does.
14 Often people fall, but the Lord lifts them up.
He helps everyone who has trouble.
15 People look to you for help.
You give them food when they need it.
16 Ready to help, you open your hand.
You give to every living thing the good things that they want.
17 So the Lord is fair in all that he does.
He always shows how much he loves us.
18 The Lord is ready to help everyone who asks him.
He is near to everyone who prays honestly.
19 Very kindly he gives his own people the things that they need.
He saves them when they call to him for help.
20 Whoever loves the Lord, he keeps safe.
But he destroys wicked people.
21 Yes, I will praise the Lord!
Everyone who lives should praise his holy name for ever!

Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997). (Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Jackson’s translation)

Allworthy God, I honour you as my king,
and as long as I have breath it will praise your name;
Be my days many or few, each one will bless you,
each one be a holy day as I give it to you;
Can anyone overpraise the Lord,
can anyone exaggerate his greatness?
Don’t his miracles simply astonish us,
don’t witnesses find it hard to make others believe in them?
Essentially my theme is one and the same,
your glory that is hidden in private knowledge;
For all that your public displays of saving power
fill men with awe and profitable fear,
Grateful and humble hearts keep their gladness close
and treasure the infinite goodness you graced them with.
He is gracious, they know, he is considerate,
he is patient, he is kind beyond compare;
Isn’t he everyone’s God, and his love
available to all his beloved creatures?
Justly, О Lord, your creatures who know you praise you,
rightly they find in you a blessing each day;
Let them enlarge their language to talk of your glory,
let them tell their own tale,
Making no bones about what they know of you,
you and your Majesty, you and your dearest Mercy;
Not to diminish with anger, not to decline with age,
no, your goodness is faultless, and your mercy is perfect.
Oh how true to his word he is, how reliable;
once he has given a promise then count it fulfilled;
Perhaps you will trip, maybe fall, he will help you up;
perhaps be depressed, he will help you get out of it.
Quail they do not who look to you, Lord, in hope,
and sure enough you stead them in your season,
Ready and bountiful and providential
you give your living creatures what they need.
See if he isn’t just in all his ways,
see if he isn’t true to his every word;
Try him and see, come close as you dare to him,
and if you are straight with him he will show you his love.
Up to your eyes in worry, just ask for his help;
be honest with him, be frank, and he will respect you.
Vicious and oily souls have good cause to fear him,
but those who respect him he will account his own.
Which is why I have good reason to praise the Lord,
and why we should all bless his name for ever and ever.

And lastly, Brenda Boerger (2024) translated this psalm while maintaining the acrostic (click or tap here for the complete psalm in Boerger’s translation).

1 Adonai, King, I adore you,
And HaShem acclaim forever;
2 Bow in worship for all you do,
Blessing ever who you are.
3 Can your craftings be quantified?
Clearly all acclaim must be yours.
Deeds you do leave us mystified;
Deep, delightful are your ways.
4 Each enlightens his descendants,
Expresses your mighty actions.
5 Focusing upon your splendors,
Fuels reflections on your works.
God, it’s you whom I will study —
Greatness, glory eternally,
6 How your works exhibit power.
Holy acts you do each hour.
I proclaim your immensity;
7 Intone anthems without pausing,
Jump for joy, Lord, for you’re causing
Justice to reign with purity.
8 King’s complete in mercies, graces,
Kindly, he does keep his temper.
9 Lord God’s love reaches all races,
Limitlessly, flows forever.
10 Majesty, your works commend you —
Master, we too magnify you.
No one now neglects to serve you,
Numbering blessings — all you do.
11 Openly, they honor your name,
Odes to you, your outstanding reign,
Proclaim praises, hour by hour and
Profess now your splendor, power.
12 Quite so, all learn of your splendor;
Quake because you’re very mighty.
13 Revered Lord, your rule’ s forever.
Redeemer’s word is trustworthy.
14 Sustainer of those who stumble,
Supporter of souls who’re brought low,
15 To you, in faith, those who’re humble,
Turn for food, today, tomorrow.
16 Unfailingly you’re unstinting,
Undergird lives of the living.
17 Verily, you have great virtue.
Vast love’s voiced whate’er you do.
18 Wise one, you watch those who’re pleading,
Witness vows of those believing,
19 Execute prayers of exalters!
Extricate those at your altars!
20 You protect all those who love you,
Yet destroy the wicked ones too.
21 Zestfully let’s praise Creator;
Zealous, praise HaShem forever.
Ho’ o-ho’o-Ho’ osana. Hale-hale-hallelu-Yah.
Ho’ o-ho’ o-Ho’ osana. Hale-hale-hallelu-Yah.

Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.

Another 19th century translation with maintained acrostics is the German 1883 commentary and translation by Franz Delitzsch . Unlike the other translations, he translates the acrostics of this and the other acrostic psalms by following an approximation of the German sound of the 22 letters (alef/א‎ = a; bet/ב‎ = b; gimel/ג‎ = g; dalet/ד = d; he/ה‎ = h; vav/ו = u; zayin/ז‎ = s; chet/ח‎ = h; tet/ט = t; yod/י‎ = i or j; kaf/כ = k; lamed/ל = l; mem/מ = m; nun/נ = n; samech/ס‎ = s; ayin/ע = e; pe/פ = f; tsadi/צ‎ = z; qof/ק = k; resh/ר = r; shin/ש‎ = sch; tav/ת = t).

name (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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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 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-na (御名) or “name (of God)” in the referenced verses.

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

addressing God

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 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.

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Verse: Psalm 145:2