Sunday, November 21, 2021

De toute

A number of times this year, I've found instances where my French New Testament adds "de toute" before every item in a list where there's only one modifier in the original Greek.

The first instance I found is in Ephesians 1:21:
au-dessus de toute domination, de toute autorité, de toute puissance, de toute dignité, et de tout nom qui se peut nommer, non seulement dans le siècles présent, mais encore dans le siècles à venir.

ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ κυριότητος καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι

Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
The French repeats the πάσης ("all") for each noun.  I'm not sure this is the best translation, but it does result in a stronger rhetorical effect that gives a sense of breadth or of number.

I found two other instances of this, both in Revelation.

Revelation 7:9:
Après cela, je regardai, et voici, il y avait une grand foule, que personne ne pouvait compter, de toute nation, de toute tribu, de tout peuple, et de toute langue.  Ils se tenaient devant le trône et devant l'agneau, revêtus de robes blanches, et des palmes dans leurs mains.

Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον καὶ ἰδοὺ ὄχλος πολὺς ὃν ἀριθμῆσαι αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ φυλῶν καὶ λαῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν ἑστῶτες ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, περιβεβλημένους στολὰς λευκὰς καὶ φοίνικες ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands
Here, παντὸς ("every") is repeated.

Revelation 14:6
Je vis une autre ange qui volait par le milieu du ciel, ayant un Évangile éternal, pour l'annoncer aux habitants de la terre, à toute nation, à toute tribu, à toute langue, et à tout peuple.

Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον πετόμενον ἐν μεσουρανήματι ἔχοντα εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον εὐαγγελίσαι ἐπὶ τοὺς καθημένους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν ἔθνος καὶ φυλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ λαὸν

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.
Here, πᾶν ("every") is repeated.