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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kokoro (みこころ) or “will (of God)” in the referenced verses. Two verses (Ezra 10:11 and Ephesians 1:9) use mi-mune (みむね) with the same honorific prefix and meaning.
Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Matthew 6:5-15:
When you pray, don’t prattle and rattle like hypocrites —
those prancing pious porkers, seeking praise in a pigsty.
Earthly praise is their full reward.
Keep your prayer life between you and God alone!
Your Father above knows everything.
So be patient! Your reward is waiting for you.
No need to prattle and rattle when you pray.
Such prayers irritate the ears of God.
Your Father already knows what you need,
so pray like this:
Father above, help us to honor your name.
Let us see you rule on earth, as you rule in heaven.
Then everyone will obey you down here,
just as you are obeyed up there.
Provide us with food for this day
and forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.
Don’t test us beyond our strength,
and protect us from evil.
Forgive others when you are mistreated,
then your Father above will forgive you.
Fail to forgive others, and you won’t be forgiven.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
Thy kingdom come is parallel to the first petition. The reference is to the final establishment of God’s reign on earth. And, as one commentator observes, the prayer requests that God establish his reign for us, not that we establish it for him.
For a discussion of the term kingdom, see 3.2. Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition effectively restructures, “You are the Lord! Come and accomplish your work.” INCL translates “May you rule here,” and Malay common language version reads “Establish your reign (or, rule) on earth.” Most translations will be similar to Indonesian common language version and Malay common language version: “May your rule (or, reign) be established,” “We pray you will establish (or, begin) your rule (or, reign) on earth,” “We pray that you will soon rule over people,” or “May you bring all people under your rule.”
The next petition, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven, is not found in Luke’s presentation of the Lord’s Prayer. This petition is an exact parallel to the first petition concerning the honoring of God’s name, and as such it also stands parallel with the second petition. The meaning of the petition may be expressed in a variety of ways: “May people obey you as you are obeyed in heaven” (Malay common language version), “May you be obeyed all over the earth as you are obeyed in heaven” (INCL), and “What you will, may it be done not only in heaven, but also among us” (Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition).
Thy will be done is a passive and does not specify who is to do God’s will. Many translations have to say “may people do what you will” or “the things you want, may people carry them out.” In some languages the idea of people doing God’s will is acceptable for here on earth, but it does not fit as well with people when heaven is also considered. In those cases, phrases like this can be used: “The things you will, may people carry them out on earth, just as those (beings) in heaven do (or just as the angels in heaven do, or just as your servants in heaven do).”
Some translations have understood the prayer to be asking that God’s will be done on earth and be done in heaven, whereas it is probably better to assume that his will is already done in heaven, and that the prayer is that people on earth carry out his will just as it is already carried out in heaven.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Your kingdom come: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Your kingdom come has a similar structure to the previous clause. It is a prayer that expresses a desire that God’s kingdom will come.
Here is another way to translate this clause:
may your kingdom come (NET Bible)
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.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Cause your kingdom/chieftaincy to be established
-or-
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
See “kingdom of heaven” in the note on 5:3b.
6:10b
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Your will be done has a similar structure to the previous clause. It is a prayer that expresses a desire that God’s will/desires will be done.
Here is another way to translate this clause:
may what you want to be done, happen on earth just as it happens in heaven
The word will refers here to “what one wishes to happen.” God has made known his will primarily through his word, which reveals his commands and purposes. The prayer is that people who live on earth will do God’s will just as those who live in heaven do his will.
This clause is passive. In some languages it is more natural to translate this as an active clause. For example:
May those ⌊who live⌋ in this world do your will just as those ⌊who live⌋ in heaven ⌊do it⌋.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
may everyone on earth obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven
-or-
⌊we pray that⌋ everyone on earth will obey you just like those in heaven obey you
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