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.

Translation commentary on Habakkuk 1:14

Verses 14-17 give a figurative description of the way the Babylonians treat their enemies. Verse 14 gives the setting, verses 15-16 describe what happens, and verse 17 states the question which the situation raises in the prophet’s mind.

In verse 14, thou makest, Habakkuk boldly blames God for bringing about the conditions under which the Babylonians can abuse their power. In some languages it may be necessary to say “You cause men to become…” or “You allow men to become….” He uses two comparisons: thou makest men like the fish of the sea and like crawling things that have no ruler. The point of the comparison with crawling things is that they have no leaders to help defend them. The point of the comparison with the fish is not stated here, but in the light of the following verse, it seems to be the casual way in which people kill them without worrying about it. Perhaps this can be brought out by saying “treat people as if they were only fish” or “… as if they were no more important than fish.”

Fish of the sea is a Hebrew expression which sounds rather odd in English. Some modern translations say “fish (or, fishes) in the sea” (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version), but Good News Translation recognizes that “fish” alone is sufficient (compare Good News Translation Zeph 1.3). Translators should consider what expression sounds natural and appropriate in their own language.

Crawling things may refer either to small “sea creatures” (New International Version) or to “a swarm of insects” (Good News Translation) such as ants or locusts. In languages which do not have a general word which equals the English word “insects” in meaning, one may say “a swarm of tiny crawling creatures,” or even “a swarm of ants.” The point here is that they “have no ruler” and are therefore disorganized and defenseless. This is a forceful picture of the way other nations were helpless before the Babylonian armies.

This verse is a statement in Hebrew, but Good News Translation has turned it into a rhetorical question, “How can you treat…?” as has New English Bible. There is no great advantage in this, and few translators will wish to do the same. However, the sense of the Hebrew in the phrase thou makest men like shows a direct causative action by God rather than a more passive one as in Good News Translation‘s “How can you treat people….” Therefore the following are legitimate translations: “You cause people to become…” or “You allow people to become….” Another translation model for this verse is “You cause people to become like mere fish, or like a swarm of insects that have no ruler to direct (or, lead) them.”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .