acrostic in Psalm 25

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

1-2 Awi Yawe mz nzngini-krm Gct rnge.
Abrtr-zvzbo drtwrnge bam mz nzkrka’-krbo bam.
Bzkq rlr-ngrbzme mz enqmi rngeng nzaovxio-krdr ninge.
Bzkq nzamyatimlr drtqnge.
3 Clvebz doa kc tqabrtr-zvzbzle drtwrde bam, murde drtqde ma tzamyatibz.
Clveti-lzbq zvz doa lc, a’ mrlx kx ani txpwz nzota-krmu ncdr, mrlz nzmyakr drtqde.
4 Da kx sutitx-zlwzbz drtwrnge bam, nzalvztr-krme bange nqmq krmqng amrlx.
Delc nakrlz-zpwx-ngrne lrpzki rm.
5 Elalvzx nzokatr-krme ninge mz nzvz-nqblq-krnge natqm.
Eu. Murde nim Gct rnge kc tqarlapxle ninge, x tqabrkitr-zvzx drtwrnge nim.
6 Gct, aelwapx-zvzm nzaodu-krm x nivz lrm bange.
Gct, ale da lc, da kc tqwai-pnzq mzli kc bqnc.
7 Ipq ninge mz alwx kcng tqalexng mzli kc tqngini-ngrne obla, murde nim mrlz-esz’ngr.
Ipqpx nzvz-rbr-krngeng amrlx mz nzdcpxkr mz drtwrm nzaodu-zvz-krm.
8 Jzs-zvzq leplz mz nzmncngr kxmrlz x kxtubq.
Jzsiq mz nzalvztr-krm kxnzaleng alwx, murde nao-zlilr nzti rm.
9 Kxrmailz, aelwapx-ngrbzme mz kxnzavzo-lzbqng da kxtubq.
Kxakrlz, alvztr-zvz-ngrn nidr me pnz drtwrm.
10 Lrpzki rmqng amrlx nzaelwapxbzlr mz leplz nemqng nzaodu-krm x nzangidati-krm natqm.
Leplz lcng nzyrlq-zvzlr nzalvztr-krm x nzesz’tikr drtwrmu badr.
11 Ma-nqblq natqm kc tqesalz-ngrn mz nzipqpx-krm alwx rngeng,
Murde nzkqlu-zlwzng.
12 Nekeng nzlxngiti-angidrlr natqm,
Nzo-zlilr lrpzki angidr mz nzalvztr-krm nidr.
13 Olvz x ncblo lcng sa namnc-zpwxng.
Oliqtibz drtc’ kc tqpibzme, murde doa nedrng namnc-kzng elr.
14 Pqtr mz drtwrm leplz kcng tzamrluelr nim.
Pipx-zvzbzme da kx na-alelr mz nzvz-nqblq-krdr nzesz’tikr drtwrmu badr.
Nzkrka’ngr
15 Rtxtrpwo nibrnge bam mz nzmnc-xgle-krnge nim.
Rlapx-zvzx mz nzokatr-krm ninge.
16 Suti drtwrnge kx naobqme bange x nayc mz drtwrm ninge.
Sutitx drtwrnge murde trpengr kztenge x trmnc-zpwxpewxu.
17 Trte, katxpxbz nztalvzokr nabznge.
Tekqtr drtwrm x arlapxbz ninge mz nzkxpu-krngeng.
18 Vz zvz nzaotikr drtwrm nzkxpu-krnge x nzetqkr drtqnge,
Vzm x ipqpxbz alwx rngeng.
19 Wx-nzlongr nabznge nzkqlu-zlwzkr enqmi rngeng.
Wzpx zlwz mz drtwrdr nzatrkati-krdr ninge.
20 Xplrlvzbz ninge mz enqmi rngeng mz nztu-krme mz nibrnge.
X bzkq rlr-ngrbzme badr nzamyati-krmlr drtqnge, murde nim me rlakitrx.
21 Yawe, arlapx ninge murde tubqx x nabznge lqngi.
Yrlqtr-zvzbo nzlu-krnge bam.
22 Zmatq ngrm, navzm mz nzarlapx-krbzle nigr lr Israel mz
Ztrkang amrlx kcng tqrmctikr mzli ka.

© 2008, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. All rights reserved.

The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (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 V, X, Y, and Z.

1 (Of David.) All my heart goes out to thee, O Lord my God.
2 Belie not the trust I have in thee, let not my enemies boast of my downfall.
3 Can any that trust in thee be disappointed, as they are disappointed who lightly break their troth?
4 Direct my way, Lord, as thou wilt, teach me thy own paths.
5 Ever let thy truth guide and teach me, O God my deliverer, my abiding hope.
6 Forget not, Lord, thy pity, thy mercies of long ago.
7 Give heed no more to the sins and frailties of my youth, but think mercifully of me, as thou, Lord, art ever gracious.
8 How gracious is the Lord, how faithful, guiding our strayed feet back to the path!
9 In his own laws he will train the humble, in his own paths the humble he will guide.
10 Jealous be thy keeping of covenant and ordinance, and the Lord’s dealings will be ever gracious, ever faithful with thee.
11 Kindly be thy judgement of my sin, for thy own honour’s sake, my grievous sin.
12 Let a man but fear the Lord, what path to choose he doubts no longer.
13 Much joy he shall have of his lands and to his heirs leave them.
14 No stranger the Lord is, no secret his covenant, to his true worshippers.
15 On the Lord I fix my eyes continually, trusting him to save my feet from the snare.
16 Pity me, Lord, as thou seest me friendless and forlorn.
17 Quit my heart of its burden, deliver me from my distress.
18 Restless and forlorn, I claim thy pity, to my sins be merciful.
19 See how many are my foes, and how bitter is the grudge they bear me.
20 Take my soul into thy keeping; come to my rescue, do not let me be disappointed of my trust in thee.
21 Uprightness and purity be my shield, as I wait patiently, Lord, for thy help.
22 When wilt thou deliver Israel, my God, from all his troubles? (Source )

The English New Jerusalem Bible (publ. 1985) also translated this Psalm as an acrostic:

1 [Of David] ADORATION I offer, Yahweh,
2 to you, my God. BUT in my trust in you do not put me to shame, let not my enemies gloat over me.
3 CALLING to you, none shall ever be put to shame, but shame is theirs who groundlessly break faith.
4 DIRECT me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths.
5 ENCOURAGE me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me. FOR my hope is in you all day long — such is your generosity, Yahweh.
6 GOODNESS and faithful love have been yours for ever, Yahweh, do not forget them.
7 HOLD not my youthful sins against me, but remember me as your faithful love dictates.
8 INTEGRITY and generosity are marks of Yahweh for he brings sinners back to the path.
9 JUDICIOUSLY he guides the humble, instructing the poor in his way.
10 KINDNESS unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh’s paths, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 LET my sin, great though it is, be forgiven, Yahweh, for the sake of your name.
12 MEN who respect Yahweh, what of them? He teaches them the way they must choose.
13 NEIGHBOURS to happiness will they live, and their children inherit the land.
14 ONLY those who fear Yahweh have his secret and his covenant, for their understanding.
15 PERMANENTLY my eyes are on Yahweh, for he will free my feet from the snare.
16 QUICK, turn to me, pity me, alone and wretched as I am!
17 RELIEVE the distress of my heart, bring me out of my constraint.
18 SPARE a glance for my misery and pain, take all my sins away.
19 TAKE note how countless are my enemies, how violent their hatred for me.
20 UNLESS you guard me and rescue me I shall be put to shame, for you are my refuge.
21 VIRTUE and integrity be my protection, for my hope, Yahweh, is in you.
22 Ransom Israel, O God, from all its troubles. (Source )

complete verse (Psalm 25:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 25:20:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “Protect my life and rescue me;
    do not let me be ashamed,
    for I flee to You.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “I have come to your refuge,
    Rescue me.
    Don’t let me be ashamed.
    Don’t make me ashamed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Protect/Keep my life and save me!
    Do- not -put- me -to-shame, for in you (sing.) I ask-for protection.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Eastern Bru:
    “Request that you care for my life and help me to live. Request that you help me overcome my enemies. I come to you because you are my strength.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “Take care of my life and save me,
    do not let me to be shamed,
    because I hide where you stay.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Unilinde, uniokoe.
    Nakukimbilia wewe, nisiaibike.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Protect me, and rescue me from them;
    do not allow them to defeat me,
    with the result that I would be ashamed/ disgraced;
    I have come to you to get refuge/be safe.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

addressing God

Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.

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Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or 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 Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.

See also female second person singular pronoun in Psalms.

Japanese benefactives (sukuidashite)

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 show 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, sukuidashite (救い出して) or “save/rescue” 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. )

Japanese benefactives (yō ni shite)

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 show 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, yō ni shite (ようにして) or “do so (so that) / make it like” 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. )

Translation commentary on Psalm 25:19 - 25:20

Consider: see verse 18a.

In describing his enemies’ hatred, the psalmist calls it a violent hatred, which can mean a hatred that leads to violence, or else a very strong hatred. Violent hatred will often have to be recast as an idiomatic clause; for example, “they hate me with hearts that can kill.” In some languages one may translate “they hate with black hearts” or “in their hatred their stomachs do evil.”

Guard my life (verse 20) translates “protect my nefesh” (see discussion at 3.2); deliver is here the same verb as in 7.2.

For shame see verses 2-3; the negative not be put to shame (Good News Translation “keep me from defeat”) can be stated in a positive way, “make me victorious,” “give me victory over my enemies.” For refuge see comment at 2.12. It is best to follow Revised Standard Version, for I take refuge in thee, as the ground, or reason, for the psalmist’s request for safety.

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 .

imperatives (kudasai / Japanese honorifics)

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 show different degree of politeness is through the choice of an imperative construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

In these verses, the honorific form kudasai (ください) reflects that the action is called for as a favor for the sake of the beneficiary. This polite kudasai imperative form is often translated as “please” in English. While English employs pure imperatives in most imperative constructions (“Do this!”), Japanese chooses the polite kudasai (“Do this, please.”). (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )