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 Wisdom 12:8

But even these thou didst spare, since they were but men: These is a reference to the Canaanites, the people first mentioned in verse 3. Translators should take care not to render this verse in such a way that readers could think it refers to “the servants of God” in verse 7. In Good News Translation, since the last line ended with “your people,” this is appropriately translated “their enemies.” The idea in this line is that God showed mercy to these terrible people, that he “treated them leniently” (New Jerusalem Bible). Since they were but men (literally “as men”) can be interpreted two ways. Good News Translation (also Contemporary English Version, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Vílchez) takes it to mean that they were weak creatures: “since they were only human beings” (Contemporary English Version “since these people were merely human”). Others (New English Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), however, understand it to mean that they had a certain dignity as human beings (Revised English Bible “because they too were human beings”); compare Psa 8.5; Pro 8.31. We believe this second view is right; it is more consistent with verses 1-2. We would reword Good News Translation as follows: “But even in this you showed mercy toward their enemies, since, after all, they too were human beings” or “But since their enemies were also human beings, you showed mercy toward [or, spared] them.”

And didst send wasps as forerunners of thy army: This is a reference to Exo 23.28; Deut 7.20; and Josh 24.12. An obscure Hebrew word is used for “hornet” in those verses, which is rendered today by “plague,” “depression,” or “panic.” The Greek translated it “wasp/hornet”—some kind of stinging insect—and that is how it must be translated here. If wasps or hornets are unknown in a culture, “stinging insects” will be an acceptable translation. The wasps went “ahead of your army” (Good News Translation). God’s army refers to the advancing Israelites.

To destroy them little by little: Little by little recalls verse 2, although a different Greek phrase is used here. Here it means “gradually” (Good News Translation) or “a little at a time” (Contemporary English Version). The idea is that God, in his mercy, doesn’t wipe out the Canaanite enemy with one vicious blow; he went about the task little by little in order to give them time to repent.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.