praise (God)

Click here to view graphically

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “praise (God)” in English is translated in a nuymber of ways:

In Dan a figurative expression for praising God is used: “push God’s horse.” “In the distant past people closely followed the horses ridden by chiefs, so ‘pushing’ them.” (Source: Don Slager)

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.

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight

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 35:17 - 35:18

This second part of the psalm closes with a renewed plea to Yahweh to intervene and help the psalmist, and a promise to praise him if he answers his prayer.

The expression How long, O LORD, wilt thou look on? will require some shifting in some languages if the meaning of looking without taking an active part in the defense of the psalmist is to be made clear. For example, in some languages it will be necessary to say “How long will you, Lord, just look and not defend me?” or “How long will you do nothing for me but look?” It should be noted that in verse 17a the title “Lord” is used, not, as Revised Standard Version wrongly has it, the name Yahweh.

The meaning of the word translated ravages is disputed; New Jerusalem Bible “onslaughts”; Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible “attacks”; New English Bible “out of their cruel grasp”; Dahood “from their pits”; Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “from these roaring lions.”

In lines b and c of verse 18 (as in 22.20) the Hebrew says “save my nefesh … my only one,” two ways of speaking about his life. Here Bible en français courant expands considerably on “my only one”: “Save my life from these roaring lions, my life, which is all that I have.”

The figure of lions is often used for enemies (7.2; 10.9; 17.12; 22.13, 21). Rescue … my life from the lions may have to be shifted to a simile; for example, “… from my enemies who attack me like lions.”

The psalmist promises to praise Yahweh in the great congregation, that is, in public worship in the Temple (as in 22.22). In the great congregation must sometimes be rendered “where the people meet to praise you.” And in line b the mighty throng is another way of speaking of the people gathered in the Temple for worship.

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 .