The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” (Goldingay 2018: “commitment”) or similar in English is translated in a number of ways:
Vidunda: “love of enduring” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Bura-Pabir: “love which cannot be-changed” (hyirkur na a palidzi wa)
HausaCommon Language Bible “his love without changing” (kaunarsa marar canjawa) (source for this and above: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Elhomwe: “love that does not finish” (echikondi yoohisintheya) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Nyamwezi: chelu, combining “love,” “faithfulness,” “loyalty,” and “kindness” (source: James Lundeen)
Newari: dayāmāyā (दयामाया), a compound word made from two Sanskrit-derived terms: dayā (दया) or “compassion, mercy, kindness” and māyā (माया) or “love, affection” (source: Newari Back Translation)
In Pijintinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)
In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “steadfast love” and grace.
In a number of languages, the terms for for “steadfast love” and mercy are used interchangeably.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.
While the Englishmercy originates from the Latinmerces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 25:7:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious behaviors;
according to your love remember me,
for You Jehovah you are good.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“Please forget the sins I committed as a young man.
Please remember me,
and show how merciful You really are.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“Do- not -remember anymore the sins I did when I (was) still young.
According-to your (sing.) love remember me LORD,
so-that you (sing.) can-show your (sing.) goodness.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Eastern Bru:
“Request that you forgive the sins and errors I did when I was still young. God! Request that you remember me, because you love and do good always to people who believe you.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
Laarim:
“LORD, do not remember my sin when I was young,
and ways I rejected you,
in your love remember me,
because of your goodness.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Usikumbuke mabaya yangu,
dhambi za katika ujana wangu.
Ee Bwana, unikumbuke kufuatana na neema yako,
kwa sababu ya upole wako.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Forgive me for all the sinful things I did and the ways that I rebelled against you when I was young;
I ask this because you faithfully love your people and do good things for them, Yahweh, do not forget me!” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is typically translated as “sin” in English has a wide variety of translations.
The Greek ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) carries the original verbatim meaning of “miss the mark” and likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.”
Loma: “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”)
Navajo (Dinė): “that which is off to the side” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
Toraja-Sa’dan: kasalan, originally meaning “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and in the context of the Bible “transgression of God’s commandments” (source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. )
Bariai: “bad behavior” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
Sandawe: “miss the mark” (like the original meaning of the Greek term) (source for this and above: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)
Nias: horö, originally a term primarily used for sexual sin. (Source: Hummel / Telaumbanua 2007, p. 256)
In Shipibo-Conibo the term is hocha. Nida (1952, p. 149) tells the story of its choosing: “In some instances a native expression for sin includes many connotations, and its full meaning must be completely understood before one ever attempts to use it. This was true, for example, of the term hocha first proposed by Shipibo-Conibo natives as an equivalent for ‘sin.’ The term seemed quite all right until one day the translator heard a girl say after having broken a little pottery jar that she was guilty of ‘hocha.’ Breaking such a little jar scarcely seemed to be sin. However, the Shipibos insisted that hocha was really sin, and they explained more fully the meaning of the word. It could be used of breaking a jar, but only if the jar belonged to someone else. Hocha was nothing more nor less than destroying the possessions of another, but the meaning did not stop with purely material possessions. In their belief God owns the world and all that is in it. Anyone who destroys the work and plan of God is guilty of hocha. Hence the murderer is of all men most guilty of hocha, for he has destroyed God’s most important possession in the world, namely, man. Any destructive and malevolent spirit is hocha, for it is antagonistic and harmful to God’s creation. Rather than being a feeble word for some accidental event, this word for sin turned out to be exceedingly rich in meaning and laid a foundation for the full presentation of the redemptive act of God.”
Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the DanishBibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “We would explain terms, such that e.g. sin often became ‘doing what God does not want’ or ‘breaking God’s law’, ‘letting God down’, ‘disrespecting God’, ‘doing evil’, ‘acting stupidly’, ‘becoming guilty’. Now why couldn’t we just use the word sin? Well, sin in contemporary Danish, outside of the church, is mostly used about things such as delicious but unhealthy foods. Exquisite cakes and chocolates are what a sin is today.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )
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
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
Aan u, o Ene, ✡
geef ik mijn zaligheid-en-ziel!
2
Bij u, mijn God,
wist ik mij veilig:
maak mij niet beschaamd, ✡
laten mijn vijanden niet over mij lachen!
3
Dat ook al wie hopen op u
niet worden beschaamd, ✡
beschaamd worden die achteloos
ontrouw zijn.
4
En Ene, maak mij
bekend met uw wegen, ✡
uw paden, wil mij die leren!
5
Voer mij over mijn weg
in trouw aan u en leer mij,
want gij zijt de God die mij redt, ✡
op u ben ik blijven hopen
heel de dag!
6
Gedenk, Ene, uw ontferming
en uw vriendschap, ✡
want die zijn er van eeuwig!
7
Houd niet in gedachten
de zonden van mijn jeugd
en mijn misstappen,
gij, gedenk mij naar uw vriendschap, ✡
Ene, omwille van uw goedheid!
8
In-goed en rechtuit is de Ene, ✡
daarom wijst hij zondaars de weg.
9
Ja, voert gebukten
langs de weg van zijn recht, ✡
leert armen waar zijn weg is.
10
Komen wil de Ene
langs de paden
van vriendschap en trouw ✡
voor wie zijn verbond
en zijn overeenkomsten houden.
11
Laat het zijn, Ene, omwille van uw naam, ✡
dat ge mijn onrecht vergeeft,
want dat is overvloedig!
12
Mannen, wie uit u vreest de Ene?- ✡
hij wijst zo-een
de weg die hij moet kiezen.
13
Nachten vol goedheid zal zijn ziel ervaren, ✡
zijn zaad
zal de aarde beerven.
14
Omgang met de Ene voor wie hem vrezen, ✡
zijn verbond
maakt hij hun bekend!
15
Pal zijn mijn ogen op de Ene,-
voortdurend, ✡
want hij leidt mijn voeten uit de valstrik.
16
Richt u tot mij en wees mij genadig, ✡
want ik ben eenzaam en ellendig!
17
Schep ruimte voor mijn hart, zo benauwd, ✡
uit al wat mij benart,
leid mij daaruit!
18
Trek u mijn ellende en onheil aan!- ✡
draag
al mijn zonden weg.
19
Vijanden heb ik te veel, zie het aan,- ✡
hoe met haat en geweld zij mij haten.
20
Waak over mijn ziel en ontruk mij, ✡
maak mij niet beschaamd,
want ik heb toevlucht gezocht bij u.
21
Zo mogen mij hoeden
gaafheid en oprechtheid, ✡
want ik heb
gehoopt op u.
22
O God, koop Israël vrij ✡
uit al
wat hem benauwt!
Tot Lof van God translation:
Op naam van David.
Aan U, Jehovah, klampt mijn ziel zich vast!
2
O mijn God,
beschaam mij toch niet, op U immers heb ik vertrouwd;
laat mijn vijanden niet in triomf over mij juichen.
3
Degenen die op U hopen, die allen,
die zullen beslist niet beschaamd staan;
beschaamd staan veeleer de afvalligen, vergeefs hun verraad.
4
En daarom, Jehovah, maak mij Uw wegen bekend,
wil mij Uw paden toch leren.
5
Ferm de weg van Uw waarheid te gaan, geef mij dat, dus leer mij.
U bent immers de God van mijn redding,
op U heb ik gehoopt, de hele dag door.
6
Het was Uw mededogen, Uw loyale trouw, Jehovah,
wil die indachtig zijn,
zoals die er van oudsher af was.
7
In plaats van mijn jeugdzonden te gedenken, mijn opstandig gedrag,
uil mij gedenken naar Uw loyale trouw,
omwille van Uw goedheid, Jehovah.
8
Ja, goed en oprecht is Jehovah,
ook zondaars wijst Hij daarom de weg.
9 Kijk echter hoe Hij zachtaardigen
de weg van het recht ook echt doet betreden,
zachtaardigen leert Hij daadwerkelijk Zijn weg.
10
Loyale trouw en waarheid, al Jehovah’s wegen zijn zo
voor wie zich houden aan Zijn verbond en aan Zijn vermanen.
11
Maar ach, Jehovah, uil omwille van Uw naam
mij mijn dwaling vergeven, temeer daar die aanzienlijk is.
12
Nu dan, wie is de mens die Jehovah vrezen wil;
juist hem uil Hij onderwijzen in de weg die hij koos.
13
Overnachten zal zijn ziel in goedheid,
waar zijn nageslacht het land zal beërven.
14
Pas voor wie Hem vrezen is er de vertrouwelijkheid van Jehovah
en Zijn verbond, zodat zij daardoor op de hoogte zijn.
15
Richting Jehovah gaan mijn ogen daarom gedurig,
Hij immers trekt mijn voeten weg uit het net.
16
Sla dus acht op mij [o God], wees mij goedgunstig,
aangezien ik eenzaam en ellendig ben,
17
terwijl de beklemmingen van mijn hart slechts toenemen;
o, voer mij weg uit mijn benauwenis!
18
Vestig Uw blik op mijn moeite, zie mijn ellende,
vergeef mij toch al mijn zonden.
19
Vestig Uw blik op mijn vijanden, zie met hoevelen zij zijn,
vervuld van afkeer, gewelddadige haat.
20
Wees toch mijn ziel tot bescherming, bevrijd mij,
zodat ik niet beschaamd zal staan in mijn toevlucht tot U.
21
Zo moge oprechte onschuld mij bewaken;
op U immers heb ik gehoopt.
22
Sta op, o God, koop Israël los
van al zijn noden.
With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren
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. (Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Knox translations)
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 )
The translation by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997) has this Psalm as an acrostic as well (click or tap here for the complete psalm in the translation of Jackson).
Accept the whole heart, О God, I offer you.
Back me up still, Lord; please don’t let me go under;
don’t let the so-and-soes get me down.
Choose what they say, you’ll stand by those who stand by you;
not with the loud-mouths, not with the leaky in faith.
Direct my footsteps, Lord, on the right road;
be as plain as a signpost;
Each day guide me and teach me;
be my rescuer and my hope.
For you I have waited a good long while,
and I’ll go on till you come.
God, your goodness and mercy
go back to the start of my life;
How weak my offences seem
in the light of your glorious goodness.
Isn’t he amazing; generous; mindful;
guiding us sheepheads, giving us protection!
Just so, just right, that’s how he is
with them that are minded to know him. Kingly in mercy, have mercy on me,
on the angry wound of my sin that seeks forgiveness.
Let any man look to the Lord
and he will show him what he needs to know;
Much he will have to give thanks for,
and much shall his children inherit.
Now to the saints that need him
the Lord shall unbosom his wisdom;
On him my eyes have been fixed,
no one else can untie my poor hands.
Please, Lord, please,
I am ground down, I am lost;
Quashed and disheartened and tearful,
you’re the only one I can turn to;
Right from the start my whole life’s work
was for you, despite all my failings
See how my enemies flourish,
look how their hate of me prospers;
Take me away, Lord, please;
save me, don’t let them destroy me.
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 Almighty God, praise you I must —
All that I am is at your feet,
2 Because in you, HaShem, I trust.
But do not let me face defeat.
Conquer my foes so they can’t gloat.
Come now, I’m counting on your name.
3 Depending on you gets my vote.
Deceitful ones will all be shamed.
4 Enlighten me by what you preach,
Equipped for following your path.
5 Fill me with true food that you teach,
For God, you save me when I ask.
God, daily I lean on your hope.
6 Grant me your mercy and your love —
Heaven-borne instruments of old.
Help you sent down here from above.
7 Instead of youthful wickedness,
Irrational iniquities,
Just judge me with your gentleness.
Join mercy with your justice please!
8 King Yahweh, you are good, and true,
Kindly teach sinners what is right.
9 Lord, humble people learn from you,
Leading the lowly by your light.
10 My God, you’re loyal to those who will
Make covenant-keeping their aim.
11 Now pardon, please Lord, my great guilt,
Never fail, for the sake of your name.
12 Only those coming with respect,
Obtain the ways in your decree.
13 Prospering, those whom you select
Possess land for their progeny.
14 Quake at HaShem, for God will share
Quite freely from his covenant.
15 Release my feet, Lord, from the snare.
Redeemer, on you I depend.
16 Smile down your favor; don’t depart,
Since I’m alone here and oppressed.
17 Take troubles that torment my heart.
Transform trials, dissolve distress.
18 Understand my anguish and pain;
Unbind from laws I violate.
19 Voracious foes would vanquish, gain,
Vindictive with their venom, hate.
20 Won’t you now save me from defeat?
Why not rescue, oh bodyguard?
Expect to see my trust extreme,
Expecting help from who you are.
21 You see my true integrity.
You’re my desire. You keep me safe.
22 Oh, Zion needs you; set us free.
Oh, Zealous one, help us escape.
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 German1883 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).
Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight
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.”
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, -naide (ないで) or “do not (for their sake)” 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, oboeteite (覚えていて) or “stay remembering” 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. )
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