complete verse (Psalm 36:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 36:2:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “For him in his seeing he deceives himself a lot,
    he does not realize or hate his sin.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “They think that because they are so very great,
    God does not see their sin.
    and they think that they will not be judged guilty.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Because he looks-(upon) himself/[lit. his own self] highly,
    he can- not -see his wickedness so-that he would-have hate/detest this.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Eastern Bru:
    “They think saying they have great authority. So, they think God doesn’t see, or count their sins.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “He thinks he says that, he is very good,
    he would not see or hate his sin.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Kwa maana anajidanganya katika moyo wake,
    kuwa dhambi zake hazitaonekana na kuchukiwa.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Because they are very proud,
    they do not think that God will discover their sins and condemn them (OR, they do not think about their sins and hate themselves for it).” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Psalm 36:1 - 36:2

The opening words of the psalm are literally “utterance of sin to the wicked”; with very few exceptions, the noun translated “utterance” is used elsewhere of the voice of God, especially when speaking to the prophets (see 110.1, “Utterance of Yahweh to my lord”). So Dahood translates “Perversity inspires the wicked man”; New Jerusalem Bible has “Sin is the Oracle of the Wicked”; another possible version is “Rebellion speaks as an oracle to the wicked man.”

At the end of line b the Masoretic text has “my heart”; some Hebrew manuscripts and some of the ancient versions have his heart, which is followed by most translations. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, without any comment, recommends “his heart” (“C” decision). It cites factor 12, “Other scribal errors.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates the Masoretic text “The impious oracle of the infidel comes to my mind”; New Jerusalem Bible “I know what Transgression says to the wicked”; New International Version “An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked”; Bible en français courant “I keep in mind the maxim that expresses the evildoer’s rebellion.” It seems best to translate “his heart.” In many languages it is unnatural to say that sin can speak, since that is the activity of people. However, it is possible to employ causative constructions which essentially preserve the components of meaning; for example, “Sin causes the wicked to listen deep in his heart,” “Sin causes the wicked to listen intently,” “Sin makes the wicked person hear the voice of evil in his heart,” or “Sin causes people who do evil things to hear bad advice in their hearts.” In languages in which sin cannot serve as a subject or as an agent of an event, but only as an event, it may be necessary to say, for example, “When people sin they know what it does to them deep in their heart.” It is sometimes possible to employ a simile: “When a person sins, it is like someone speaking to him deep in his heart.”

The last part of verse 1 is quoted in Romans 3.18. There is no fear of God before his eyes means “in his opinion there is no need to fear God.” In this verse the phrase “fear of God” is not the one usually translated “to honor or have reverence for God”; here it means fear, dread, terror. The wicked person thinks there is no need to fear God, for God does not punish, God does not act (see related ideas in 10.4; 14.1). The phrase before his eyes expresses attitude, opinion; the negative “not to have before one’s eyes” means to neglect, disregard, forget, treat as nonsense. So lines c-d can best be translated “in his opinion there is no need to be afraid of God” or “he thinks to himself, ‘I don’t have to be afraid of God.’ ”

In verse 2 he flatters himself in his own eyes means “he thinks highly of himself.” But the subject of the verb could be Transgression of verse 1, and so the meaning would be (as New Jerusalem Bible has it) “its speech is seductive to him”; or else “For rebellion flatters him (and blinds him).” Flatters himself may sometimes be rendered “he thinks in his heart what a great chief he is” or “he speaks beautiful words about himself.”

The second half of verse 2 is literally “for finding out his sin for hating (it).” It seems best to take God as the implied subject (so Anderson; see Good News Translation), understanding “hate” in the sense of “condemn.” But there is great variety in the rendering of this line: New English Bible “and, when he is found out, he does not mend his ways” (following a conjecture, on the grounds that the Masoretic text is unintelligible); Traduction œcuménique de la Bible takes the sinner himself as the subject in the whole verse, “He sees himself in such a flattering way that he does not discover his own error and hate it”; Bible en français courant: “He has too good an opinion of himself to recognize his own fault and hate it” (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project).

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 .