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 80:8 - 80:9

In his attempt to get God to change his attitude and save his people, the psalmist recalls Israel’s history, how God had cared for them, led them into the Promised Land, and made them prosper. The psalmist uses the allegory of a grapevine as a figure for Israel; this figurative language often appears in the Bible (see especially Isa 5.1-7). In graphic language he describes how God brought the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan (verse 8); in verse 8b he departs from his allegory and uses literal language in the first half of the line (see the same expression in 78.55). The nations are the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan. In verse 9a, in the metaphor of a farmer clearing a field, the psalmist uses figurative language to repeat what was said literally in verse 8b; and in verse 9b the strength and expansion of Israel in Palestine are described.

Because the events in line b follow those in line a, it may be necessary to make this clear by saying, for example, “You brought a grapevine out of Egypt, and when you had driven out the other nations you planted it.”

In some languages it will be necessary to substitute another fruit bearing vine for the grapevine of Good News Translation. In some cases, even where the vine image is retained, it will be necessary to make the allusion clear by shifting to a simile; for example, “You brought your people like a grapevine out of Egypt.”

The translator will have to determine whether these agricultural figures of clearing the land, planting the shoot of a grapevine, and the sprouting and growth of the vine will make sense to readers. If not, something like the following may serve as a model:

• 8 You brought your people out of Egypt;
you expelled the peoples who lived in Canaan
and let your people take possession of the land.
9 After you drove out those other nations,
your people settled in Canaan
and spread out over the whole land.

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 .