Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

Spoken to
Apostles

One of his disciples asks him to teach them to pray

KJV

Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

NIV

Luke 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.

LISTENERS HEARD

This loaf of ours, the one existing upon, give this to us for a day. 

LOST IN TRANSLATION

There is a mystery word translated as "daily." The linked article explains how I uncovered its meaning. Its most likely and literal meaning is "existing upon." Since it is introduced with a definate article, the form is a noun, "the existing upon." Another article, untranlasted after the verb, refers to it as "this."

The preposition phrase translated as "day-by-day" and "each day" means "for a day." (See NOTE under the Greek that show how the phrase "day-by-day"is said.

MY TAKE

Jesus didn't mean just physical bread but also that which nourishes the mind and spirit.

GREEK ORDER

τὸν  ἄρτον   ἡμῶν   τὸν       ἐπιούσιον        δίδου  ἡμῖν τὸ    καθ᾽   ἡμέραν:
This loaf    of ours, the one existing upon, give   to us this  for    a day. 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "day" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the one" before "by" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "by" does not capture the word's specific meaning in this situation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "daily" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "bread" is not shown in the English translation.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the one" before "by" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "each" should be something more like "for."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "daily" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "bread" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

Give -- The verb translated as "given" means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

us .- "To us" is the first person plural pronoun, "we," "us" as an indirect object.

day -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

missing "the one"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

by "-- (CW) The word translated as "against" means "down from," "down into," "against," "opposite," "at a point" (geometry), "separately," "at a time," "for," "towards," "in accordance with," "concerning," "corresponding with," "during the course of a period," and "severally."

day -- The Greek word translated as "day" also means "time," in general, and refers specifically to the "daytime."

our -- The "our" is the plural possessive first-person pronoun. This pronoun follows the noun so "of ours."

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

daily -- (WW)  The word translated as "daily" is a mystery and one of the most interesting words in the Gospels. See this article for a complete historical discussion of this word. Its most likely and literal meaning is "existing upon."

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

bread. -- The word translated as "bread" means "small loaf or cake of bread." It is more like a slice of bread today. It describes a thin 1/2 inch thick round or an oblong loaf of wheat bread, meant to be torn into pieces and not cut. It was closer to a flour tortilla or a piece of pan than a loaf of bread. "Bread" is one of Christ's most basic symbols, representing temporary physical nourishment as contrasted with permanent spiritual nourishment.

EACH WORD of NIV

Give us each day our daily bread.

Give -- The verb translated as "given" means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

us .- "To us" is the first person plural pronoun, "we," "us" as an indirect object.

missing "the one"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

each  "-- (WW) The word translated as "against" means "down from," "down into," "against," "opposite," "at a point" (geometry), "separately," "at a time," "for," "towards," "in accordance with," "concerning," "corresponding with," "during the course of a period," and "severally." This word doesn't mean "each." 

day -- The Greek word translated as "day" also means "time," in general, and refers specifically to the "daytime."

our -- The "our" is the plural possessive first-person pronoun. This pronoun follows the noun so "of ours."

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

daily -- (WW)  The word translated as "daily" is a mystery and one of the most interesting words in the Gospels. See this article for a complete historical discussion of this word. Its most likely and literal meaning is "existing upon."

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

bread. -- The word translated as "bread" means "small loaf or cake of bread." It is more like a slice of bread today. It describes a thin 1/2 inch thick round or an oblong loaf of wheat bread, meant to be torn into pieces and not cut. It was closer to a flour tortilla or a piece of pan than a loaf of bread. "Bread" is one of Christ's most basic symbols, representing temporary physical nourishment as contrasted with permanent spiritual nourishment.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative. See this article.   -

ἄρτον  [32 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Bread" is artos, which means specifically a "cake of whole wheat bread," and generally "loaf," and "bread."

ἡμῶν [17 verses](pro 1st pl gen) "Our" is hemon, which is the plural possessive (genitive) form of the first-personal pronoun. A genitive object of a preposition means a movement away from something or a position away from something else. The time sense of a genitive object is that the event occurred within a specified time.

τὸν [821 verses](article sg neut acc)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative. See this article.

ἐπιούσιον [2 verses](adj sg neut acc) "Daily" is epiousios, which may mean, "the appropriate," "sufficient for the coming," which first appears in Greek here. It could be an adjective from the verb epiousa, which means "to come on, to approach." It may also be from epi-eimi meaning literally "upon being" or "being upon." Some suggest is means "over being" or "above being" (from another meaning of epi) with the sense of meaning "supernatural" or "super-essential." Discussion about its possible meanings go back to the very early Christian writers. It is not the Greek word "daily," which is a form of the word "day.." 

δίδου [147 verses] (verb 2nd sg pres imperat act) "Give" is didomi, which means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe."

ἡμῖν [15 verses](pron 1st pl masc/fem dat) "Us" is from hemin, which is the first person plural dative pronoun, "to us." A dative object of a preposition implies no movement but in a fixed position. Event occurs at a specified time or while the action was being performed.

τὸ (article sg neut acc) (article) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." -

καθ[60 verses](prep/adv) "By" is kata can be a preposition or an adverb. As a preposition with the genitive, it means, means "downwards," "down from," "down into," "against," "down toward," "down (from),"  "by," and, or time, "for." With the accusative, it means "down (to)," "according to," "about," "by,"  "during," of motion, "for," "on," "over," "throughout a space," "opposite," "at a point" (geometry), "at a time," "towards," "in accordance with," "concerning," "corresponding with," "during the course of a period," and "severally." As an adverb, it means "separately," "individually," "according as," "just as," "in so far as," "wherefore," "like as if" and "exactly as." As an adverb is means "downward" or "down.

ἡμέραν[96 verses](noun sg fem acc) "Day" is hemera, which, as a noun, means "day" "a state or time of life," "a time (poetic)," "day break" and "day time." It is also and also has a second meaning, of "quiet," "tame (animals)," "cultivated (crops)," and "civilized (people)."

NOTE: The Greek phrase "day-by-day" is καθ᾽ ἡμέραν, κατ᾽ ἦμαρ, which is not the phrase here.

Wordplay

 The use of a rare word meaning "sufficient for what is coming" to describe the bread requested in the prayer. 

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