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 Psalm 139:19 - 139:20

In verses 19-22 the psalmist abruptly switches to his hatred for Yahweh’s enemies, whom he regards as his own enemies. He asks God to slay the wicked, who are “violent men” (literally “men of bloods”; see comments on “bloodthirsty” in 5.6). The Hebrew in verse 19b is in the form of direct address, “depart from me, violent men!” (so Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible); Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New American Bible, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy put it in indirect form, which makes it go more easily with the preceding line. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy and Bible en français courant translate the line as a request to God: “drive far away from me those murderers”; this may be followed by translators.

In verse 20 maliciously translates the Hebrew “with malice (or, wickedness).” The second line in the Masoretic text seems to mean “they take up in vain your cities.” The word translated “your cities” is what it means in Hebrew; but if it is read as Aramaic, it may mean “your enemies,” which is the sense that Hebrew Old Testament Text Project assigns it here, and for which it proposes the following translation: “being your enemies, they mention in vain” (the object “you” being understood). Revised Standard Version, instead of the Masoretic text “your cities (or, your enemies),” conjectures against thee; Good News Translation conjectures “against your name.” Good News Translation‘s “against your name” is the same as Revised Standard Version‘s against thee.

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 .