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 32:6

In verses 6-7 the psalmist instructs his fellow worshipers. For godly see comments on 4.3. The expression who is godly may require recasting as in the manner of Good News Translation; for example, “those who worship you,” “people who follow you,” or “people who belong to you.”

At a time of distress translates a conjectural Hebrew text; the Masoretic text is “in a time of finding only,” which New Jerusalem Bible translates “upon discovering [his sin]”; in the margin, “In a time when You may be found,” which is how Kirkpatrick, Weiser, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and New International Version understand it.6 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project is less helpful than usual (“C” decision). It states that the Masoretic text may be interpreted in two ways: (1) “at the time he finds [it] (that is, his sin); only…”; (2) “for the time [when] he finds the leanness (that is, suffers from famine)”; in this interpretation the Masoretic text punctuation is not maintained. Some connect the word translated “only” to the following words and translate “surely” (King James Version, American Standard Version, The Holy Scriptures by Jewish Publication Society [Jewish Publication Version]). Toombs takes the Masoretic text to mean “at the appropriate times,” which is what the Septuagint and Vulgate have (so Bible en français courant). But many prefer to change the Masoretic text “finding only” to “trouble” (Briggs, Oesterley, Anderson, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The Good News Translation rendering “in times of need” may have to be recast in some languages to say, for example, “when they have difficulties” or “when they are in trouble.” It seems best to follow the text translated by the majority.

It should be noted that Revised Standard Version connects at a time of distress with what follows, while Good News Translation‘s “in times of need” is connected with what precedes. The Good News Translation order seems to represent the Masoretic text lines better than does Revised Standard Version.

The troubles that threaten are likened to the rush of great waters, that is, a devastating flood (see also comments on 18.16). Revised Standard Version translates quite literally, in the rush of great waters, but it is quite certain that this is a poetic figure of speech for dangers and troubles. See Bible en français courant “If danger threatens to submerge them….” In some languages it is not natural to speak of “a flood of troubles” as in Good News Translation. This expression can sometimes be recast to say “many troubles like the waters of a flood.”

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 .