The Lord's Prayer, Notes
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Translation
Ἁγιασθήτω[8] τὸ[9] ὄνομά[10] σου[11]; Ἐλθέτω[12] ἡ[13] βασιλεία[14] σου11;
Your name was hallowed[15]; Your kingdom came[16];
Your name was hallowed[15]; Your kingdom came[16];
Γενηθήτω[17] τὸ9 θέλημά[18] σου11;
ὡς [19] ἐν4 οὐρανῷ[20], καὶ[21] ἐπὶ[22] τῆς[23] γῆς[24].
Your will was born[25]; as in heaven, also on the earth[26].
Your will was born[25]; as in heaven, also on the earth[26].
Τὸν[27] ἄρτον[28] ἡμῶν2 τὸν27 ἐπιούσιον[29], δὸς[30] ἡμῖν[31] σήμερον[32].
Our bread, the epiousion, You gave us today[33].
Our bread, the epiousion, You gave us today[33].
ἀλλὰ[46], ῥῦσαι[47] ἡμᾶς43 ἀπὸ[48] τοῦ[49] πονηροῦ[50].
nevertheless, You delivered us from the evil.
nevertheless, You delivered us from the evil.
Ὅτι[51] σοῦ11 ἐστιν[52] ἡ13 βασιλεία14 καὶ[53] ἡ13 δύναμις[54]
Because, from You is the kingdom, the power,
Because, from You is the kingdom, the power,
Ἐὰν[60] γὰρ[61] ἀφῆτε[62] τοῖς5 ἀνθρώποις[63] τὰ36 παραπτῶματα[64] αὐτῶν[65],
For if you forgave men their trespasses,
For if you forgave men their trespasses,
ἀφήσει[66] καὶ[67] ὑμῖν[68], ὁ3 Πατὴρ[69] ὑμῶν[70] ὁ3 οὐράνιος[71].
then He will forgive you, Your heavenly Father[72].
then He will forgive you, Your heavenly Father[72].
Ἐὰν60 δὲ[73] μὴ41 ἀφῆτε62 τοῖς5 ἀνθρώποις63 τὰ36 παραπτῶματα64 αὐτῶν65,[74]
Yet if you forgave not men their trespasses,
Yet if you forgave not men their trespasses,
οὐδὲ[75] ὁ3 Πατὴρ69 ὑμῶν70 ἀφήσει66 τὰ36 παραπτώματα64 ὑμῶν70.
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses[76].
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses[76].
[1] Πάτερ, vocative singular masculine
noun from Πατὴρ,
τέρος, τρός, ὁ: Father.
[2] ἡμῶν, genitive plural personal
pronoun from ἐγώ: I, our,
ours.
[3] ὁ, nominative singular masculine
article from ὁ, ἡ, τό: the, the one, introducing an
appositional phrase.
[4] ἐν, preposition of location, place,
or position from ἐν: in
[5] τοῖς, dative plural article from ὁ, ἡ, τό:
the, in the after ἐν,
the preposition is beginning to replace the case ending.
[6] οὐρανοῖς, dative plural masculine
noun from οὐρανός, οῦ, ὁ: heavens.
[7]
Literally, Father, ours, the one in the heavens. Optionally, Our heavenly Father. “Our Father which art in heaven,” is archaic
and cumbersome. This is a standard
introductory address, as with a letter or oral petition.
[8] Ἁγιασθήτω, third person singular,
aorist passive imperative of ἁγιάζω:
to set apart, sanctify, hallow. I could
find no indications of defectiveness or deponency for this verb; the forms ἁγιασάτω (active) and ἁγιασάσθω, ἁγιάσθω, or ἁγιασθῶ (middle) were not readily found.
[9] τὸ, nominative singular neuter
article from ὁ, ἡ, τό: the.
[10] ὄνομά, nominative singular neuter noun
from ὄνομα, ατος, τό: a name, the proper name, the
character or reputation. The second
accent is attracted from the following word.
[11] σου, genitive singular personal
pronoun from σύ, σοῦ: you, your, yours. The accent was lost to the previous word.
[12] Ἐλθέτω, third person singular,
aorist active imperative of ἔρχομαι:
to come, go, or pass. A defective and
irregular verb: the second aorist root is ἤλυθον, ἦλθον by contraction, which
shortens to ἐλθ- in
the imperative, ἐλθέτω (active); the forms ἐλθέσθω (middle), ἐλθεθήτω or ἐλθήτω (passive) were not found.
[13] ἡ, nominative singular feminine
article from ὁ, ἡ, τό: the.
[14] βασιλεία, nominative singular
feminine noun from βασιλεία, ας, ἡ: kingdom. Please not the common distinction between
masculine and feminine, where the masculine is the active agent, while the
feminine is the inactive recipient.
[15]
Literally, It was set apart, the name, yours.
The passive voice asks the question by whom, and when.
[16]
Literally, It came, the kingdom, yours. The kingdom came because the
king arrived, and the kingdom came with him.
This accords with the prophetic visions of Daniel where the historic
emperors and empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome) are referred to
interchangeably.
[17] Γενηθήτω, third person singular,
aorist passive imperative of γίνομαι:
to exist, be created, be born. An
irregular verb: the second aorist root is ἐγενόμην, which shortens to γεν-
in the imperative, γενέσθω
(active). The word derives from the
copula, rather than from active verbs of doing, etc.
[18] θέλημά, nominative singular neuter noun
from θέλημα, ατος, τό: bent, inclination, resolve,
will, wish. The second accent is
attracted from the following word.
[19] ὡς, correlative adverb from ὅς,
ἥ, ὅ: as, like.
[20] οὐρανῷ, dative singular masculine
noun from οὐρανός, οῦ, ὁ: heaven.
[21] καὶ, cumulative particle
(adverbial): also, so also, too.
[22] ἐπὶ, preposition of location,
place, or position from ἐπὶ:
on, upon.
[23] τῆς, genitive singular feminine article from ὁ, ἡ,
τό: the.
[24] γῆς, genitive singular feminine
noun from γῆ, γῆς, ἡ: earth, the planet, its surface, land, dry land, a region.
[25]
Literally, It was born or created, the will, yours. Existed, makes no sense in this context. The passive voice asks the question by whom,
and when.
[26]
The phrase gathers and applies to all three verbs: was hallowed, came, and was
born.
[27] Τὸν, accusative singular masculine
article from ὁ, ἡ, τό: the.
[28] ἄρτον, accusative singular
masculine noun from ἄρτος, οῦ, ὁ: bread in any form or shape, any life necessity.
[29] ἐπιούσιον, accusative singular
masculine noun from ἐπιούσιος,
οῦ, ὁ: the lexicons are not particularly
helpful at this point. The root οὐσίος
from οὐσία, ας, ἡ:
existence, substance, essence; cannot possibly be associated with σήμερον: today. The obvious historical reference is to the
manna from the days of Moses, which is elsewhere known as the bread of angels,
or of heaven. This manna conspicuously
prefigures the Christ of God, particularly as expressed in John 6, Who is the
living Passover, which we receive in the Communion, Liturgy, Mystery, Un-bloody
Sacrifice, or other name you may prefer.
The ἐπιούσιον is
clearly Jesus Himself. If οὐσίος
is substance, then ἐπιούσιον
or upon substance is somehow, greater, super-existent. This does not mean that there is a suitable
English word for our translation purposes; even though, we know perfectly well,
exactly what it means. Some suggested
translations might be angelic, or heavenly bread: which picks up on the idea
that Jesus is the manna of God. In any
case, daily, will never suffice. The
word, ἐπιούσιον, most
certainly does not mean daily. We do not
need bread for our bellies; we desperately need Jesus for our human spirits, so
that our souls will be nourished with the fullness of God.
[30] δὸς, second person singular, aorist
active imperative of δίδωμι:
give, you gave. The imperative mood is
customary for prayer. Even though the
force of the past tense must not be weighted excessively, it suggests that this
is more an expression of gratitude, than of petition.
[31] ἡμῖν, dative plural personal
pronoun from ἐγώ: to
us. This is the indirect object.
[32] σήμερον, indeclensionate adverb:
today.
[33]
The whole point of the petition is the development of Christlikeness within
us. “God became man, so that man could
become god.” Christ repeatedly scolds
the disciples for looking at the outward, earthly nature of things. We are fat enough, but we are starving to
death spiritually.
[34] καὶ, continuative conjunction: and,
possibly a Hebraism of vav consecutive or vav continuative. These lead to tedious strung on sentences in
English and are left untranslated, because they are unnecessary in English.
[35] ἄφες, second person singular,
aorist active imperative of ἀφίημι: excuse, forgive, you
forgave. We render ἄφες literally, in the past tense, but it
is possibly characteristic. Yet, in
keeping with the rest of the prayer, it seems to be more of gratitude, than of
petition.
[36] τὰ, accusative plural neuter
article from ὁ, ἡ, τό: the.
[37] ὀφειλήματα: accusative plural
neuter noun from ὀφείλημα, ατος,
τό: debt,
duty. The idea of duty, and being
excused from performing a duty suggests the specific failure to keep the
Decalogue, which is the specific duty of the Israelites and the Jews; a
requirement of the Law; actual or potential culpability, fault, or guilt at the
Law.
[38] ἡμεῖς, nominative plural personal
pronoun from ἐγώ: to us.
[39] ἀφίεμεν, first person plural, present active
indicative of ἀφίημι: excuse, forgive. Alexandrian text has ἀφήκαμεν, first person plural, aorist
active indicative of ἀφίημι, which appears to be an attempt to coordinate the tense
with ἄφες. The change of tense may be characteristic and
minimal, but it suggests that we must automatically forgive, out of gratitude
for what we have been forgiven. We
simply must do what is natural for a forgiven people to do: Matthew 18 and
25. There is nothing optional about this
reaction; an unforgiving person cannot possibly enter the kingdom of God’s
forgiveness. Having received the gift of
faith, it is impossible not to respond appropriately.
[40] ὀφειλέταις, dative plural masculine
noun from ὀφειλέτης,
ου, ὁ: debtors, the ones with whom we
have a charge concerning the Decalogue; a requirement of the Law that is due or
owed; actual or potential culpability, fault, or guilt at the Law.
[41] μὴ, negation particle (adverbial):
not. Its primary function here is to
negate the following verb.
[42] εἰσενέγκῃς, second person singular,
aorist active subjunctive of εἰσφέρω: to bring, carry, or lead
into.
[43] ἡμᾶς, accusative plural personal
pronoun from ἐγώ: us.
[44] εἰς, preposition of direction from εἰς: into, the opposite of an
ablative when used with the accusative.
[45] πειρασμόν, accusative singular
masculine noun from πειρασμός,
οῦ, ὁ: affliction, calamity, proof, temptation,
test, trial.
[46] ἀλλὰ, emphatic adversative
conjunction: but, however, nevertheless, on the other hand, yet.
[47] ῥῦσαι, second person singular,
aorist active imperative of ῥύομαι: to deliver, drag from danger,
rescue.
[48] ἀπὸ, preposition of direction from ἀπὸ: from, the ablative.
[49] τοῦ, genitive singular masculine or
neuter article from ὁ, ἡ, τό: the.
[50] πονηροῦ, genitive singular
masculine adjective from πονηρός, ά, όν: bad, evil, the evil person,
system, or thing. We resist the
temptation to translate, “the evil one,” implying that this refers directly to
Satan himself. This certainly includes Satan,
but it seems to us that a broader scope is intended: all sorts of evil; the
world, the flesh, and the Devil; the whole scope of the evil system, without
any exception.
[51] Ὅτι, causal conjunction or particle from the relative
pronoun ὅστις,
ἥτις, ὅτι: because.
[52] ἐστιν, third person singular, present
active indicative of εἰμί:
he, she, or it is.
[53] καὶ, coordinating or series
conjunction: and. In keeping with the
English custom, only the last καὶ in the
series is translated. The series or Oxford
comma is retained.
[54] δύναμις, nominative singular feminine
noun from δύναμις, εως, ἡ: might, omnipotence, power,
strength; predicate nominative.
[55] δόξα, nominative singular feminine
noun from δόξα, ης, ἡ: appearance, glory, Glory, a
direct reference to the Shekinah; predicate nominative.
[56] τοὺς, accusative plural article from ὁ, ἡ, τό:
the.
[57] αἰῶνας, accusative plural masculine
noun from αἰών, ῶνος, ὁ: a significant period of time, an age or
era, all of time, eternity. In service
settings this is often strengthened with τῶν αἰώνων, lest there be any doubt that eternity is in mind, and to
add poetic flourishes for emphasis.
[58] Ἀμήν, indeclensionate
particle of covenantal affirmation: absolutely, truly, we agree, we submit to
the covenant stipulations, we will be ruled by this king, amen.
[59]
Alexandrian text omits the entire sentence.
This is very possibly a Byzantine liturgical tradition, an added
response to the prayer. However, this
tradition exists universally throughout the practice of the Church, and the
prayer sounds strange without it. It is
an appropriate antiphon to the prayer.
Since the prayer is covenantal in nature, its only appropriate response
is covenant affirmation.
[60] Ἐὰν, conditional conjunction
introducing a protasis: if. This begins
a Third Class, Future More Probable conditional sentence.
[61] γὰρ, postpositive explanatory
conjunction: for.
[62] ἀφῆτε, second person plural, aorist
active subjunctive of ἀφίημι: excuse, forgive.
[63] ἀνθρώποις, dative plural masculine
noun from ἄνθρωπος, ου, ὁ, ἡ:
to men. This is the
indirect object.
[64] παραπτῶματα or παραπτώματα: accusative plural neuter noun
from παράπτωμα, ατος, τό: stumbling, fault, offense, transgression; the act
or deed of breaking the Law. It may also
imply a lesser degree of seriousness (an accident, a slip) than is implied by ὀφείλημα.
The step of sinners is on slippery ground (Deuteronomy 32:35). The change in inflection from circumflex to
acute is possibly musical, its exact use is lost to us. It is more likely that the Byzantine culture
would reflect correct musical tonalities.
This argument cuts both ways, but it is not a translatable difference.
[65] αὐτῶν, genitive plural reflexive
pronoun from αὐτός, ή, ό: their.
[66] ἀφήσει, third person singular,
future active indicative of ἀφίημι: excuse, forgive. Forgiveness is certain if the condition is
met.
[67] καὶ, dependent conjunction
introducing an apodosis: then. The
location is postpositive, balancing γὰρ (note 69) and δὲ
(note 81)
[68] ὑμῖν, dative plural personal
pronoun from σύ: to
you. This is the indirect object.
[69] Πατὴρ, nominative singular masculine
noun from Πατὴρ,
τέρος, τρός, ὁ: Father.
[70] ὑμῶν, genitive plural personal
pronoun from σύ: you,
your, yours.
[71] οὐράνιος, nominative singular
masculine adjective from οὐράνιος,
ία, ιον: heavenly.
[72]
That this forgiveness is associated with you plural in all three instances,
indicates that this must take place in a forgiving community, even though
personal obedience is required. The
community of forgiveness is seriously damaged when forgiveness is not a
reality.
[73] δὲ, postpositive conjunction
introducing continuation or opposition: but, now, yet, conversely, on the other
hand.
[74]
The phrase, τὰ παραπτῶματα αὐτῶν, is included in both the
Byzantine and B. Its absence in א leaves that which is to be forgiven open and unspecified. This implies forgive everything, even corrupt
and deliberate acts of aggression and violence.
[75] οὐδὲ, adverb, a contraction of οὐ + δέ: neither, nor, and not, not
even. The phrase sequence “for … then …
yet … neither” is very emphatic and forceful.
[76]
The converse is also true. Again, it is
associated with you plural in all three instances. Failure to forgive on the
part of individuals is a cancer or poison that spreads like a flood or like
wildfire through the forgiving community, killing all. Acts 8:23; Romans 3:14; Ephesians 4:31;
Hebrews 12:15
