Translation commentary on Luke 11:2

Exegesis:

eipen de autois ‘he said to them,’ i.e. in reply to the request of v. 1 (cf. New English Bible). The answer is given to all disciples (autois), since the request included them all (hēmas).

Pater ‘Father,’ Greek rendering of the Aramaic Abba (cf. Mk. 14.36). It belongs to the language of every day life, and introduces a hitherto unknown element of tenderness into the language of prayer.

hagiasthētō to onoma sou ‘your name be treated, or, acknowledged, as holy,’ or ‘venerated.’ to onoma sou ‘your name’ means ‘you as you have revealed yourself,’ i.e. God in his revelation. The clause is an expression of adoration. hagiazō.

elthetō hē basileia sou ‘your kingdom come.’ For basileia cf. on 4.43 and reference there. The coming of the kingdom of God is the eschatological consummation and inauguration of the Messianic age. Hence Schonfield renders, “Let thy Kingdom be inaugurated”.

Translation:

Father, i.e. ‘our (exclus. pronoun) Father.’ The noun may have to be rendered by an honorific term; the case is comparable to that mentioned in the note on 6.36.

Hallowed be thy name. The optative mood may be expressed by a modal verbal form or particle, or by an introductory phrase such as, ‘we pray/beg (you that)’ (Toraja-Sa’dan). The implied agent is people in general. To hallow, or, ‘to acknowledge/revere/honour as holy’ (for which adjective see references on 1.15); for name see on 1.49.

Thy kingdom come, or, ‘become visible’ (Tae’ 1933), ‘prevail’ (Toraja-Sa’dan); or, ‘let the day come that you rule’ (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec).

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:2

11:2a

So Jesus told them: Verse 11:2a introduces Jesus’ response to the disciple’s request in 11:1. The Berean Standard Bible connects these verses with the word So. You should connect these verses in a way that is natural in your language.

When you pray, say: The phrase When you pray, say indicates that Jesus would give the disciples a model prayer that they could use. This prayer is an example that shows the kinds of things Jesus’ disciples should pray about.

11:2b–4c

Several English versions print each request in this prayer on a different line. For example:

2a Father,

hallowed be your name,

2c your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread.

4a Forgive us our sins,

4b for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

4c And lead us not into temptation.

When you prepare the book of Luke for printing and publishing, you will have to decide how to format this prayer.

11:2b

Father:
Here Jesus addressed God as Father. If it is not clear that Jesus was referring to God, you may need to make it explicit. For example:

Father ⌊God⌋

In some languages, it may be more natural to supply a pronoun here. For example:

⌊Our (excl)⌋ Father

hallowed be Your name: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hallowed be Your name is a prayer. It is a prayer that God would cause his name to be recognized or honored as holy. In some languages it may be natural to express this in the form of a request. For example:

may your holy name be honored (Good News Translation)
-or-

we pray/ask that your name be recognized as holy

hallowed be: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hallowed comes from the same Greek word as “holy.” It means “make or cause ⌊something⌋ to be holy.” (See the note on “holy is his name” in 1:49b for more information on translating “holy” in this context.)

This verb is passive. The text does not specify who should make God’s name holy. This action involves both God and people. God makes his name holy by revealing to people that he is holy. He is completely perfect and sinless and is worthy of awe. People make God’s name holy by honoring or treating him as the holy God who deserves their worship and obedience.

If possible, translate this clause in a way that both God and people can be understood as the ones who make God’s name holy. Some ways to do this are:

• Use a passive verb, as in the previous two examples.

• Use an active verb. For example:

cause ⌊people⌋ to recognize that your name is holy
-or-
reveal ⌊to everyone⌋ that you are holy so that they will recognize you as the only God
-or-
help us to honor your name (Contemporary English Version)

If you need to specify that either God or people are the ones who make God’s name holy, it is recommended that you specify people. For example:

we pray that ⌊all people⌋ would honor/respect your holy name
-or-
may ⌊all people⌋ recognize that you are holy

Your name: In Jewish thinking, a person’s name represented the person himself. When people honored someone’s name, it was the same as honoring him. If this would not be understood in your language, it may be necessary to translate the meaning of name directly. For example:

may you be honored as the holy ⌊God⌋
-or-
may ⌊people⌋ treat you with the respect you deserve as God
-or-

⌊we ask that⌋ you will cause ⌊men to say⌋, “You are holy”

11:2c

Your kingdom come:
The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Your kingdom come has a similar structure to the previous clause. It expresses a desire or prayer that God’s kingdom will come.

Most scholars agree that this prayer refers to more than one aspect of God’s kingdom/rule. This is a prayer that:

(a) God will truly rule now in the lives of his people;

(b) God’s rule will be extended over more and more people;

(c) God’s rule will be established in the future over all the earth.

If possible, you should translate in a way that allows for all these meanings. Some ways to translate this clause are:

May you rule ⌊everyone/everywhere⌋
-or-
We pray that you will rule ⌊over all people⌋
-or-
May the time begin/arrive for you to rule as king
-or-
Cause your kingdom/chieftaincy to be established

Luke 11:2c is the same as the first clause of Matthew 6:10. See the note on 9:2 for a discussion of God’s kingdom. See also kingdom of God in the Glossary.

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