name (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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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 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-na (御名) or “name (of God)” in the referenced verses.

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

Translation commentary on Revelation 15:4

Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord?: this is a rhetorical way of saying “Everyone will fear and glorify your name,” and in some languages it may be better to use the positive statement instead of the negative rhetorical question. For fear … thy name see 11.18; for glorify thy name see 11.13; 14.7. Good News Translation divides the one question into two, and some translators may wish to do the same. The following is an alternative translation model for the first part of this verse: “Everyone will have reverence for you, O Lord! All people will confess, ‘You are very great and powerful.’ ”

Thou alone art holy: the Greek word translated holy (which appears also in 16.5) is different from the one used in 3.7, but the meaning is the same. It is what characterizes the essence of God as God, that is, God’s divinity, his separateness from humanity. Beckwith defines it: “his unapproachable majesty and power.” Certain translators will find it helpful to render this as “You alone are truly God!”

All nations shall come and worship thee: this may be rendered “People from all nations,” “All the people in the world.” As for the verb come, the translator must be aware of the point of reference and decide whether “go” or “come” is more appropriate. Since those who sing this song are in heaven, “come” seems appropriate. For worship see 4.10.

Thy judgments have been revealed: the Greek word translated judgments appears here and in 19.8, and means either “righteous (or, just) decrees” (so Revised English Bible) or “righteous (or, just) actions” (Good News Translation, Translator’s New Testament, Bible en français courant, New International Version, New American Bible, Revised). The latter seems more appropriate in this context. The word parallels “deeds” at the beginning of the song, in verse 3. God’s righteousness, God’s justice, is shown by what he does. The passive have been revealed may be rendered “have been seen by all” or “everyone has seen your righteous acts.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 15:4

15:4a–b

Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes that all people will fear God and glorify his name. Translate these words so that the meaning is emphasized. Some ways to do that are:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Lord, who won’t fear and praise your name? (God’s Word)

• Use a statement. For example:

Lord, all will fear you and bring glory to your name!
-or-
Everyone will respect you, Lord, and will honor you. (New Century Version)

This question has two parts. In some languages it is more natural to translate them as two sentences. For example:

Who will not stand in awe of you, Lord? Who will refuse to declare your greatness? (Good News Translation)
-or-
O Lord, who will not fear you? Who will not bring glory to your name?

fear: Here the word fear means “respect” or “revere.” People who fear God are humble before God and are in awe of him. They also realize he is all-powerful and does as he chooses. So they respect him.

In some languages the word fear only means “be afraid of.” If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Include the meaning of “respect” or “revere.” For example:

fear ⌊and respect/revere⌋

• Translate the meaning of fear as “respect” or “revere.” For example:

honor

See how you translated this word in 14:7.

O Lord: The Greek word is literally “Lord.” The Berean Standard Bible and other English versions add the word O. In English it probably indicates a formal address, as speaking to someone of high status. Some English versions do not add this word. The context clearly indicates that God has high status. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible says:

Lord

In some languages it is more natural to have the direct address first. For example:

Lord, who will not fear you, and bring glory to your name?

Lord: The word Lord refers to God here. In some languages it is more natural to include “God” in this phrase. For example:

Lord ⌊God⌋

glorify Your name: This phrase refers to honoring God. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

declare your greatness (Good News Translation)
-or-
acknowledge your glory
-or-
do homage to your name (Revised English Bible)

See how you translated a similar phrase “give glory” in 4:9 or 14:7.

15:4c

For: This conjunction introduces the reason for people to fear and glorify God. For example:

because (NET Bible)

You alone: Here the word alone means “only.” God is the only one who is holy. For example:

You are the only holy one (God’s Word)

holy: Here the word holy indicates that God is perfect and unique. He only does what is right. He is different from all other beings. Other ways to translate this word are:

sacred/divine
-or-
pure/perfect ⌊spiritually/morally⌋
-or-
unique/separate

See how you translated this word in 3:7.

15:4d

In Greek 15:4d begins with the same conjunction as in 15:4c. It introduces a second reason here. The New Jerusalem Bible uses “and” to connect 15:4d with 15:4c under a single “For”:

4c
For you alone are holy, 4d and all the nations will come and adore you

worship before You: This phrase indicates that the people will worship God in his presence.

worship: This word refers to honoring someone or something as sacred/divine. Other ways to translate this word are:

venerate
-or-
revere

See how you translated this word in 13:4 or 14:7.

15:4e

for: This conjunction introduces a third reason here. If you used “and” to introduce the clause in 15:4d, you may want to do the same here.

Your righteous acts have been revealed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as righteous acts has several meanings. There are two ways to interpret it here:

(1) It means right/just deeds. For example:

your righteous deeds have been revealed (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It means right/just judgments. For example:

they know about your fair judgments (God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

This clause indicates that all people had seen God’s righteous deeds. This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. God revealed what he had done. For example:

you have shown your righteous deeds
-or-
you have revealed ⌊to them⌋ your right/just deeds

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