face (of God) (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 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-kao (御顔) or “face (of God)” in the referenced verses.

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

favor / grace (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 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 or a person or persons to be greatly honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-onchō (ご恩寵), a combination of “favor” (onchō) and the honorific prefix go-.

(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. 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.

Translation commentary on Psalm 30:6 - 30:7

The psalmist recalls his past, when in his ease he boasted of his success; but when Yahweh withdrew his presence, he felt afraid.

The word translated prosperity is found only here; it means quietness, ease. One may translate “when things went well”; New Jerusalem Bible “when I was untroubled”; New English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible have “Carefree”; both Good News Translation and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translate “I felt secure.”

For verse 6b see the same statement in 10.6.

In verse 7a thy favor translates the same word that appears in verse 5b.

The exact meaning of the Hebrew in verse 7b is disputed, though the general sense of security is clear enough. New Jerusalem Bible has “Your favour, Yahweh, set me on unassailable heights”; New American Bible, following the Septuagint, “You had endowed me with majesty and strength”; another possible version is “you established strength for my mountain”; similarly An American Translation and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible.6-7 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project also takes the Masoretic text to mean “by your favor you had established strength for my mountain” (“B” decision). It is unclear what “my mountain” means in this context, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project does not explain. Dahood has “by your favor you made me more stable than the mighty mountains”; New Jerusalem Bible “You … made [me] firm as a mighty mountain.” New English Bible, however, translates “it was thy will to shake my mountain refuge”; this, however, is quite improbable. Established me as a strong mountain will have little meaning where the highest hill is a barely-noticeable elevation of ground. In such areas it will be necessary to employ a different figure of strength or to avoid the use of the figure altogether; for example, “you protect me like a strong fortress” or “you are like a fortress and you protect me.”

For thou didst hide thy face, see comment at 13.1. It was the psalmist’s illness that caused him to conclude that Yahweh had forsaken him, and for this reason he was dismayed, that is, afraid (see the same verb, translated “terrify,” in 2.5).

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 .