complete verse (Psalm 82:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 82:7:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “But you will die like ordinary people;
    you will fall like any other ruler.’” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “But you will die like men,
    and you will end your lives like other rulers."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “But you (plur.) will-die like a man.
    Your (plur.) life will-be-lost like any (other) ruler/[lit. head] in the world.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “But instead, you will die just like people,
    you will die like all others leaders.’” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Lakini mtakufa kama vile watu wote,
    mtaanguka kama vile viongozi wote.’” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “but you will die like people do;
    your lives will end, like the lives of all rulers end.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (Japanese)

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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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on Psalm 82:6 - 82:7

Dahood and Revised Standard Version take verses 6-7 to be the psalmist’s words, not God’s. It seems better to take them as God’s words.

Verse 6a is quoted in John 10.34.

In these two verses God, in a slightly ironic fashion, admits to having once acknowledged their divine status: gods … sons of the Most High. It is not necessary to think that the language of verse 6b means that God acknowledges the gods as his own “sons”; here, as often, sons of denotes membership in a class. But Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates quite straightforwardly, “You are gods, you are my sons, sons of the Most High!” They are divine beings, they are gods, as is God himself (see Job 1.6). For the Most High see comments on 7.17.

Verse 7 would make no sense if the ʾelohim who are being addressed are human beings, since death is the inescapable lot of all human beings. The gods are reduced to mortal beings. In verse 7a like men could be “like Adam” (New English Bible footnote); the Hebrew ʾadam can be generic “humankind” or specifically “Adam.” In verse 7b fall is parallel with die in verse 7a. The word prince in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation does not necessarily mean the son of a king, but rather a “ruler,” and probably focusing upon the ordinariness of the ruler. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “incapable official,” and Bible en français courant has “an ordinary minister of government.”

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 .