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 Nehemiah 9:12

The next section (verses 12-21) describes the time the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. According to Williamson (1985, pages 313-314), it has the following repetitive structure:
(a) God’s gracious provision of
(i) guidance on the journey (the pillar and cloud; verse 12)
(ii) good laws for guidance in all aspects of their lives (verses 13-14)
(iii) material provision for life in the wilderness (verse 15a)
(iv) renewal of the promise of the land (verse 15b).
(b) The people’s ungrateful rebellion, rejecting both God’s laws and his provision in their desire to return to Egypt (verses 16-18).
(c) God’s continuing mercy, so he did not remove the provision made previously, namely,
(i) the pillar and the cloud (verse 19)
(ii) his Spirit to instruct them (verse 20a)
(iii) material provision for life in the wilderness (verses 20b-21)
(iv) possession of the land (verses 22-25).

Pillar of cloud … pillar of fire: The cloud of the daytime and the fire of the nighttime are both described as pillars. Normally, a pillar supports a roof or, in Hebrew cosmology, pillars were believed to support the heavens (see Job 9.6; 26.11; Psa 75.3). However, here the word describes the appearance of both the cloud and the fire that led the Israelites in their journey (see Exo 13.21). Most versions retain the picture of the pillar, though it can be expressed as a comparison; for example, “a cloud in the shape of a pillar” and “a burning fire in the shape of a pillar,” or “that was similar to a pillar,” or even “that looked like a pillar.” If pillars are unknown or if they are unacceptable to be used to describe clouds and fire, then an equivalent picture or appropriate adjectives may be used. For example, Contemporary English Version qualifies the cloud and the fire with adjectives that are commonly used in English with the two objects: “thick cloud” and “flaming fire.” Translators should show that the cloud and the fire were special in their shape. If at all possible, they should not do as Good News Translation has done, omitting the figurative language and simply saying “cloud” and “fire.”

To light for them the way in which they should go means to shine on the path or on the way, thereby showing them the way they should take. Good News Translation restructures the verse to make its two parts clearly parallel and its meaning easier to understand.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .