Sermon on Mount, law and fulfillment, visible and hidden, debts and repayment, virtue and virtue signaling, the Lord's Prayer
Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Matthew 6:9 This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Matthew 6:9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
In this way in fact you pray for yourselves, you yourselves: Father of ours, that one in the skies, it must be purified, this name of yours.
The idea that God is our Father even though far above us must be sacred.
One thing that is always lost in translation is how Jesus continually switches back and forth from addressing the crowd generally with the plural "you" and addressing individual people with the singular "you." Here, Jesus accentuates the plural you, using a pronoun subject that gives the sense of "you yourselves" to the subject of praying. The "praying" is also in the middle voice which has the sense of "for/by yourselves."
The next line in the Greek is simpler than the English translations. It means simply, "in the skies." The word "skies" doesn't refer to our religious concept of "heaven." It couldn't. The word is plural, "skies." There isn't more than one "heaven" so Biblical translated never translate it in the plural. The Greek word is also introduced by a definite article, which, in Greek, is more like our demonstrative article, "these," so "these skies." We don't use a definite article with "heaven" because there is only one heaven from a religious concept, but there are many different skies: the sun-lit sky, the night sky, the cloudy sky, the night sky in winter, the night sky in summer, and so on.
The Greek verb translate as "hallowed be" and "be kept holy" is from the same root as the word usually translated as "holy" but it means to separate out something for dedication to God. This verb is used 185 times in the Greek OT in such verses as "keeping holy the Sabbath." None of those verses reference the Greek word "name." The idea is the opposite of "profaning the name of God" (Lev 19:12).
- WV - Wrong Voice - The verb is in the middle voice requiring the concept of "by/for yourselves" as its object.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "you yourselves" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "art" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but it is plural.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "it must" or "let" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The word translated as "this" is not the adjective or pronoun "this" but a word that means "in this manner" as the phrase "this is how."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "you yourselves" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "should" indicates an subjunctive verb form, but the verb is not subjunctive.
- WV - Wrong Voice - The verb is in the middle voice requiring the concept of "by/for yourselves" as its object.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the one" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but it is plural.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "it must" or "let" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- WV - Wrong Voice - The verb is in the middle voice requiring the concept of "by/for yourselves" as its object.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "you yourselves" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "therefore" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the one" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but it is plural.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "may" indicates an subjunctive verb form, but the verb is a third-person command.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "kept holy" should be something more like "purified" or "dedicated to God."
After this manner -- The Greek word translated as 'After this manner" can also mean "therefore." Here, the same word could serve both purposes: offering the "therefore" and the "in this manner" ideas in one convenient package.
therefore -- The Greek word translated as "therefore" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative, "then," "therefore.
pray -- -- The Greek word translated as "pray" means "to offer prayers of vows" either "to worship" or "ask for a thing." The verb is in a form that could be either a command or a simple statement. The verb is plural, which is a change from the previous verb ("ask") at the end of the last verse, Matthew 6:8, which was singular, addressed to an individual. The verb is in a form where the subject acts on themselves or for their own benefit, so "pray for yourselves" or "you pray for yourselves."
missing "by/for yourself"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the word is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to act "for yourself" or "by yourself."
ye: -- (MW) The pronoun is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "your yourselves." This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb. The pronoun follows the verb.
Our -- Translated the "our" as "of ours" to better represent its form in Greek. In Greek, the possessive pronoun can come before or after the word it modifies. Christ usually chooses to put it afterward and translation into English can reflect this.
Father - "Father" is the common word that Christ uses to address his own Father, though it can mean any male ancestor.
which -- The word translated as "which" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those").
art -- (IW)There is no verb here to translate as "art."
in -- The word translated as "in" can also be translated as "among" or "surrounded by."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
heaven, --(WN) The Greek word translated as "heaven" means "sky." In Greek, it also had the sense of the home of the gods, but not in the sense that we use "heaven" to mean the place of the afterlife. This was also not the traditional idea in the Jewish faith. The word is plural. So it is, "in the skies." Jesus uses this word more in the sense of "the universe" meaning the creation outside of the planet on which we live. It is also a metaphor for the highest spiritual things. The use of the plural is especially interesting. See this article for more perspective on the word and how Jesus uses this word.
missing "it must" or "let"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a third-person command, which is a verb that demands that something acts or happens in a certain way.
Hallowed -- The Greek verb translated as "hallowed be" means "to dedicate to God." "to purify," and "to sanctify" usually by burning an offering. In this sense, this can mean holy or sacred, but the word also means "accursed." Another way to think about this word is that it describes something set apart only for God. It is a passive form, so "be sanctified." This verb is a third-person command, which is a form that commands that something to act or happen in a certain way. This is usually translated with "let" in English as in, "let it be sanctified" but most English speakers use the verb "must" to capture this idea, so "it must be purified." The concept of sanctifying or purifying something is also attached to both washing and sacrifice.
be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
thy -- The form of the "thy" pronoun is possessive. Jesus uses it in his "the name of yours" or "that name of yours" since the article "the" in Greek is a form of the word "this" or "that." It appears after the name.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
name. -- The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, this can be many things. It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." In relationship to any organization, from a family to a state, Jesus uses it to refer to the authority of the leader, the head of the family or the the state. In places in John, such as John 17:6, Christ describes himself as "manifesting" God's name. He also describes himself as "keeping" his followers in God's name, John 17:12. In both cases, the idea is that he is acting in the name of the leader.
This, - (CW) The Greek word translated as 'this" means "this" as an adjective, but here it is in the form of an adverb. can also mean "therefore." Here, the same word could serve both purposes: offering the "therefore" and the "in this manner" ideas in one convenient package. There "is how" completes the "in this manner."
then -- While Jesus might have repeated the concept "therefore" and "then" with a different Greek word here, it is also possible that the next Greek word was used to mean "certainly" or "really."
is how -- This completes the idea of the first word, "this is how" equate to "in this manner."
you - (MW) The pronoun is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "your yourselves." This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb. The pronoun follows the verb.
should -- (WF) This indicates that the following verb is a subjunctive but it isn't that form.
pray -- The verb "pray" is in a form that could be a command or a simple statement. The verb is plural, which is a change from the previous verb ("ask") at the end of the last verse, Matthew 6:8, which was singular. In this speech, we see Jesus switching The verb is in a form where the subject acts on themselves or for their own benefit, so "pray for yourselves" or "you pray for yourselves."
missing "by/for yourself"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the word is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to act "for yourself" or "by yourself."
Our -- Translated the "our" as "of ours" to better represent its form in Greek. In Greek, the possessive pronoun can come before or after the word it modifies. Christ usually chooses to put it afterward and translation into English can reflect this.
Father - "Father" is the common word that Christ uses to address his own Father, though it can mean any male ancestor.
missing "the one"-- (MW) The untranslated word "the one" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those").
in -- The word translated as "in" can also be translated as "among" or "surrounded by."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
heaven, --(WN) The Greek word translated as "heaven" means "sky." In Greek, it also had the sense of the home of the gods, but not in the sense that we use "heaven" to mean the place of the afterlife. This was also not the traditional idea in the Jewish faith. The word is plural. So it is, "in the skies." Jesus uses this word more in the sense of "the universe" meaning the creation outside of the planet on which we live. It is also a metaphor for the highest spiritual things. The use of the plural is especially interesting. See this article for more perspective on the word and how Jesus uses this word.
missing "it must" or "let"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a third-person command, which is a verb that demands that something acts or happens in a certain way.
Hallowed -- The Greek verb translated as "hallowed be" means "to dedicate to God." "to purify," and "to sanctify" usually by burning an offering. In this sense, this can mean holy or sacred, but it also means accursed. Another way to think about this word is that it describes something set apart only for God. It is a passive form, so "be sanctified." This verb is a third-person command, which is a form that commands that something to act or happen in a certain way. This is usually translated with "let" in English as in, "let it be sanctified" but most English speakers use the verb "must" to capture this idea, so "it must be purified." The concept of sanctifying or purifying something is also attached to both washing and sacrifice.
be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
your -- The form of the "your" pronoun is possessive. Jesus uses it in his "the name of yours" or "that name of yours" since the article "the" in Greek is a form of the word "this" or "that." It appears after the name.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
name. -- The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, this can be many things. It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." In relationship to any organization, from a family to a state, Jesus uses it to refer to the authority of the leader, the head of the family or the the state. In places in John, such as John 17:6, Christ describes himself as "manifesting" God's name. He also describes himself as "keeping" his followers in God's name, John 17:12. In both cases, the idea is that he is acting in the name of the leader.
Pray -- The verb "pray" is in a form that could be a command or a simple statement. The verb is plural, which is a change from the previous verb ("ask") at the end of the last verse, Matthew 6:8, which was singular. In this speech, we see Jesus switching The verb is in a form where the subject acts on themselves or for their own benefit, so "pray for yourselves" or "you pray for yourselves."
missing "by/for yourself"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the word is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to act "for yourself" or "by yourself."
missing "you yourselves"-- (MW) The untranslated pronoun "you yourselves" is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "your yourselves." This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb. The pronoun follows the verb.
like this: - The Greek word translated as 'like this" can also means "therefore" and the "in this manner."
missing "therefore"-- (MW) The untranslated word "therefore" and "then" with a different Greek word here, it is also possible that the next Greek word was used to mean "certainly" or "really."
Our -- Translated the "our" as "of ours" to better represent its form in Greek. In Greek, the possessive pronoun can come before or after the word it modifies. Christ usually chooses to put it afterward and translation into English can reflect this.
Father - "Father" is the common word that Christ uses to address his own Father, though it can mean any male ancestor.
missing "the one"-- (MW) The untranslated word "the one" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those").
in -- The word translated as "in" can also be translated as "among" or "surrounded by."
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
heaven, --(WN) The Greek word translated as "heaven" means "sky." In Greek, it also had the sense of the home of the gods, but not in the sense that we use "heaven" to mean the place of the afterlife. This was also not the traditional idea in the Jewish faith. The word is plural. So it is, "in the skies." Jesus uses this word more in the sense of "the universe" meaning the creation outside of the planet on which we live. It is also a metaphor for the highest spiritual things. The use of the plural is especially interesting. See this article for more perspective on the word and how Jesus uses this word.
may -- (WF) This indicates that the following verb is a subjunctive but it isn't that form. Since this is a third-person command, this should be an "it must" or a "let" because it commands that something to act or happen in a certain way.
your -- The form of the "your" pronoun is possessive. Jesus uses it in his "the name of yours" or "that name of yours" since the article "the" in Greek is a form of the word "this" or "that." It appears after the name.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
name. -- The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, this can be many things. It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." In relationship to any organization, from a family to a state, Jesus uses it to refer to the authority of the leader, the head of the family or the the state. In places in John, such as John 17:6, Christ describes himself as "manifesting" God's name. He also describes himself as "keeping" his followers in God's name, John 17:12. In both cases, the idea is that he is acting in the name of the leader.
be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
kept holy -- (WW) The sense of the verb is "to make holy" not "to keep holy." The "holy"means "to dedicate to God," "to purify," and "to sanctify" usually by burning an offering. In this sense, this can mean holy or sacred, but it also means accursed. Another way to think about this word is that it describes something set apart only for God. It is a passive form, so "be sanctified." This verb is a third-person command, which is a form that commands that something to act or happen in a certain way. This is usually translated with "let" in English as in, "let it be sanctified" but most English speakers use the verb "must" to capture this idea, so "it must be purified." The concept of sanctifying or purifying something is also attached to both washing and sacrifice.
Οὕτως (adv) "After this manner" is from houtos, which, as an adverb, it means "in this way," "therefore," "so much," "to such an extent," and "that is why."
οὖν (partic) "Therefore" is from oun, which means "certainly," "in fact," "really," "in fact," "so" and "then" (continuing a narrative), and "then" and "therefore."
προσεύχεσθε (2nd pl pres imperat mp OR verb 2nd pl pres ind mp) "Pray" is proseuchomai, which means "to offer prayers or vows," "to worship," and "to pray for a thing. It is the combination of two Greek word, pros, meaning "towards" or "by reason of," and euchomai, meaning "to pray to God."
ὑμεῖς (pron 2nd pl nom) "You" is from hymeis (humeis), which is the plural nominative form of the second person, "you."
Πάτερ (noun sg masc voc) "Father" is from pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers."
ἡμῶν (pron 1st pl masc/fem gen) "Our" is from hemon, which is the plural possessive (genitive) form of the first personal pronoun.
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "Which" is from hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
ἐν (prep) "In" is from en, which means "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," and "with."\
τοῖς (article pl masc dat) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, withThout a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." --" is from ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky," "heaven as the seat of the gods," "the sky," "the universe," and "the climate."
οὐρανοῖς (noun pl masc dat) "Heaven" is the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky," "heaven as the seat of the gods," "the sky," "the universe," and "the climate."
Ἁγιασθήτω [ἁγίζω](3rd sg aor imperat pass) "Hallowed be" is from is hagiazo, which means "to separate from profane things and dedicate to God," "to dedicate people to God," "to purify," and "to cleanse externally or internally." This may be a special form of hagizo which means "to hallow," "to dedicate," and "to make sacred," commonly by burning a sacrifice.
τὸ (article sg neut nom "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
ὄνομά (noun sg neut nom) "Name" is from onoma, which means "name," "fame," "a name and nothing else [as opposed to a real person]," "a phrase," "an expression," "a technical term," "a word," and, in expressions indicating doubt, "a false name," "a pretense," or "a pretext."
σου, (pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your."
“What do we ask Him?” the Mouse called out. “How?”
The Master beamed. We could see his excitement as he almost did a little dance. He clearly loved his question. It was as though he had been waiting for it.
“In this way, then, do you pray for yourselves,” he announced happily, addressing the whole crowd. “You yourselves!”
After making this announcement, it surprised us when the Master left the speaking area. He hid himself behind the rock that provided a shadow to Pisca and her family. For a moment, we murmured among ourselves, wondering what he was doing.
“Father of ours,” the Teacher’s voice said from his hiding place. He seemed to be talking normally, but we could hear him easily enough.
He paused and in this silence, a few of students quietly repeated his words as if to themselves, “Father of ours...”
“The one in the skies,” the Teacher continued
“The one in the skies,” more of students quietly echoed.
“Let it be consecrated,” the Teacher went on from behind his rock.
More in the crowd quietly repeated the line, “Let it be consecrated.”
But the line was confusing, we didn’t know what was to be sanctified.
“This name of Yours,” the Teacher said, finishing the thought.
More of us joined, saying, “This name of Yours.”
It made sense. The “Father of the skies” was new to us as a name of the Divine. Like everything offered to the Divine, it needed to be ritually purified for use.