mercy

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.

While the English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love.

steadfast love

The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda as “love of enduring.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In Bura-Pabir it is translated as hyirkur na a palidzi wa or “love which cannot be-changed” and in the Hausa Common Language Ajami Bible as kaunarsa marar canjawa or “his love without changing.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In Pijin tinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)

See also mercy and pain-love.

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 31:16 - 31:18

The psalmist prays for Yahweh to help him, the LORD’s servant (verses 16-17b), and to punish his enemies and put them to death (verses 17c-18).

The plea in verse 16a, Let thy face shine, is similar to the expression in 4.6, which is used also in 67.1; 80.3, 7, 19; 119.135; it means to look on someone with favor, mercy, kindness. In many languages Let thy face shine on thy servant must be recast to say, for example, “be kind to me who serves you,” or idiomatically, “have a warm heart for me your servant.”

It should be clear in translation that thy servant is the psalmist himself.

In verse 16b in thy steadfast love indicates the reason, or motivation, which will lead Yahweh to save the psalmist. So a translation can say “because of your great love for me” or “since you love me.”

For the plea in verse 17 that the psalmist’s enemies, and not he himself, be put to shame, see verse 1 and 25.2-3. Put to shame must be rendered in some languages idiomatically; for example, “Do not give me a burning face” or “Do not make me hide my face.” Good News Translation reverses lines a and b of verse 17, and the translator should feel free to do the same if it is effective in the target language.

The language the psalmist uses in describing his enemies is standard, and it is impossible to know the exact nature of the lies about the psalmist that they were spreading. Whatever they were, he wanted his enemies to die.

In verse 17d the word translated dumbfounded may be taken to mean “lifeless,” although it usually means that one is so surprised as to be silent. New Jerusalem Bible translates “be silenced in Sheol,” and New Jerusalem Bible “go down to Sheol in silence.” Dahood derives the verbal form from “to hurl,” translating “be hurled into Sheol.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy is quite good: “hurl them into the silence of the grave.” Go dumbfounded to Sheol may be translated in some languages as “let them die and go silently to the grave” or “let them die and be put in the silent grave.” In some translations it may be more effective to make the prayer a direct plea to God: “Defeat and humiliate the wicked; send them down to the silent world of the dead.”

In verse 18a the Hebrew is “May those lying lips be bound” (the verb that is used of binding sheaves or grain). In some languages it is possible to use figures which approximate closely the Hebrew usage; for example, “Tie shut the mouths of those who speak lies.”

In verse 18b insolently translates a word found only here and in 1 Samuel 2.3; Psalms 75.5; 94.4. The basic meaning is that of arrogance, pride; those liars “speak with contempt” (Good News Translation) against righteous people.

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 .