complete verse (Psalm 94:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 94:13:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “you make him rest in time of problems,
    until the wicked have their pit dug.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “You give him peace from the time of trouble
    until a pit is dug for the wicked.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “You (sing.) teach him so-that he has peace in times of trouble until the time that you (sing.) will-punish the wicked ones.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “you give him rest on the days of suffering
    until the hole is dug for trapping bad people.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “ili katika shida umpe amani,
    kufikia ambapo waliopotoka wamechimbiwa shimo.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “When those people have had troubles, you cause those troubles to cease,
    and some day it will be as though you will dig pits for wicked people,
    and they will fall into those pits and die.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("give")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, atae-rare-ru (与えられる) or “give” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Psalm 94:12 - 94:13

After having condemned the wicked leaders in Israel (verses 4-11), the psalmist now turns to the righteous. In verse 12a the verb is the same as the first verb of verse 10a (Revised Standard Version chasten). Here the parallel with the verb teach in line b makes it probable that the meaning is “instruct” (Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), or else “discipline” (New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “correct” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Law translates torah, the special characteristic of Israel’s religion, that is, Yahweh’s instructions or commandments. Many times the specific reference is to the Pentateuch (see comments at 1.2), the written record of Yahweh’s torah; here the wider meaning of “instruction” or “commandments” is intended. LORD translates Yah (see verse 7a). In languages in which there are no synonyms for teach, and in which teach requires an object, it may be necessary to reduce verse 12 to a single line and to say, for example, “LORD, how happy is the person to whom you teach your law.”

Respite from days of trouble is what the LORD gives to those who obey his law; they will be protected from their enemies, who will be caught like animals (see 57.6 and the references there). The nominal expression days of trouble will have to be recast in some languages as a verb phrase or clause; for example, “… rest from the times in which the wicked trouble you.” Days of trouble, if translated literally, in some languages will imply that the person is free from such troubles at night.

It is clearly divine retribution at work in verse 13b, but a translation should not keep the figure of digging a pit if God is named as the subject of the active verb; it would be better to abandon the figure and say something like “until you are ready to punish the wicked.” It is possible that here pit means the grave, so that it is the death of the wicked that is in view.

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 .