A Study on Human Reference Expressions in the Korean Bible: Focusing on the Meaning, Function, and Translation System of Bun, I, In, Saram, and Ja

This study investigates the usage and diachronic shifts of personal expressions in Korean translations of the Bible and proposes a systematic framework to ensure translation consistency. In the Hebrew and Greek originals, personal references are often unmarked, relying on articles, participles, or relative clauses. Consequently, when translated into Korean — a language with a highly articulated honorific system and explicit particle markers — translators have frequently interchanged terms such as ‘bun’ (exalted dependent noun), ‘i’ (archaic/exalted dependent noun), ‘-in’ (suffix), ‘saram’ (noun), and ‘ja’ (dependent noun). By contrasting original texts and foreign translations (English, Chinese, and Japanese) with various historical Korean versions through digital knowledge infrastructures like Paratext and HolyNet, this paper analyzes the structural causes of these translational inconsistencies. To resolve these discrepancies while remaining faithful to native Korean grammatical norms and practical linguistic usages, this study establishes a two-dimensional classification model based on two key axes: (1) Individuality vs. Collectivity/Categorization, and (2) Honorific Hierarchy. First, regarding proper nouns denoting locations or ethnic groups, the suffix ‘-in’ is designated for legal, national, or collective identities, whereas the native word ‘saram’ is restricted to individual, relational personhood. Second, in terms of honorifics, the exalted term ‘bun’ is strictly applied as a third-person reference to divine entities (e.g., God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit). The term ‘i’ is limited to divine first-person self-references to accommodate auditory clarity and natural phrasing. Lastly, ‘ja’ is conceptualized not as a derogatory term, but as a neutral, stylistic marker representing an ‘attribute-bearing human’ when modified by descriptive clauses. This research holds significant interdisciplinary value spanning biblical translation, historical Korean linguistics, pragmatics, and corpus-based analysis. By presenting concrete revision guidelines for ambiguous verses, this paper provides a practical blueprint for future Bible revision projects and automated translation verification in digital environments.