mercy

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, 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 English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Ps 79:8)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translations both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding the Lord.

complete verse (Psalm 79:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 79:8:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “Do not punish us because of the sins of our parents
    let your mercy come quickly to meet us,
    for we have a great need.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “Do not punish us for the sins of our ancestors.
    Have mercy on us.
    We have given up all hope.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Do- not -punish us (excl.) because of the sins of our (excl.) ancestors/[lit. old-ones].
    Instead, have-mercy on us (excl.) right-away/without-delay for we (excl.) can- not -do anything.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “Do not punish us because of the sins of our fathers of long time ago
    have mercy on us now,
    for our hope disappears.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Usituhukumu kwa mabaya ya babu zetu,
    utuhurumie, uje haraka,
    tumeishiwa nguvu kabisa.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Do not punish us because of the sins that our ancestors committed!
    Be merciful to us now/quickly, because we are very discouraged.” (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 (-naide)

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, -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).” (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 79:8 - 79:9

The people pray that God not punish them for the sins of their ancestors. The Hebrew Do not remember against us can be translated somewhat idiomatically, “Don’t hold the sins of our ancestors against us” or, as Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates, “Do not make us pay for the sins of our ancestors.” The word Good News Translation translates “ancestors” (so most commentators and translators) is taken by some to mean “earlier, former” (see McCullough). So New Jerusalem Bible “Do not hold our former iniquities against us.” This makes sense, but the other makes just as much sense: one generation does not want to pay for the sins of former generations.

For compassion see comments on “abundant mercy” in 51.1. Good News Translation “we have lost all hope” translates “We are very low”; Dahood translates “We are down and out.” In some languages it may be necessary to place the reason for the psalmist’s plea before the plea; for example, “we are brought very low; therefore let your compassion come….” Brought very low is sometimes rendered “we are weakened,” “our hearts are low,” “trouble fills our hearts,” or “trembling takes hold of us.” Let thy compassion come speedily to meet us translates the Hebrew closely in form but will need to be recast in many languages, similarly to Good News Translation, or, for example, “quickly show us your good face,” “make us see now your warm heart,” or “have a warm heart now for us.”

God of our salvation in verse 9a means “the God who saves us” (see translations and comments at 18.46; 24.5; 25.5; 27.9; 65.5).

The people plead to be saved for the glory of thy name … for thy name’s sake. The two expressions here are synonymous, which Good News Translation has represented by one line, “for the sake of your own honor,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy by “for the glory of your name.” Yahweh’s fame and reputation were affected by his people’s situation: when they were humiliated, so was he; when they were praised, so was he. So it is not only for their own sake but also for God’s sake that the people pray for the defeat of their enemies, the enemies of God. The expression “for the sake of your own honor” must often be recast to say, for example, “so that the other tribes will honor you” or “so that other people will respect you.”

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 .