Holy: Understanding it Better Through Translation

I know you are visiting this blog to learn about the biblical meaning that is translated as "holy" (mainly) in English.  I am working openly (out in public view) on my project for my post-graduate degree through this blog for defining holy in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.  In this entry, I want to improve our understanding of holy through a better understanding of the principles of translation. 

Elsewhere ( in earlier blog entries) I have spoken about the need for greater clarity in translation.  For me, there are two principles for an excellent translation.  They are:

     1) clarity, and
     2) meaningfulness

Recently, a friend of mine on Facebook complained about the wording of a verse in the CEV (Contemporary English Version).  Knowing Greek as I do, I could not concur more.  The problem is that the translation was that it used a one-legged approach rather than a two-legged approach to translation.  It dealt with translation as though meaningfulness was the only leg or central principle of translation.  But rather than delve too deeply into either general principles of translation or into one entire Bible translation effort, let me narrow things down to a unit of Scripture that most Christians (and even non-Christians) will likely find familiar and that contains the word "holy".   

The place I want to suggest is that of the verses commonly referred to as the "Lord's Prayer" and usually recited according to the KJV and from my memory as (Matthew 6:9-15):

     Our Father, who art in heaven,
     Hallowed be thy name,
     Thy kingdom come,
     Thy will be done,
     On earth as it is in heaven,
     Give us this day our daily bread,
     And forgive us our trespasses,
     As we forgive those who trespass against us.
     And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
     For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
     Amen. 

This passage is very familiar and yet that does not mean it is either clear or meaningful to us in the 21st century.  That is not a knock on the clarity or meaningfulness when the KJV was created, if it is not as clear and meaningful now as it was at that time.  So let me make this recited translation from the KJV (without consideration for textual criticism issues), in a more clear and in a more meaningful way.  I would in good 21st century translation into English, like it to say:

     Our Father, who is in heaven,
     Holy be your name,
     Your kingdom come,
     Your will be done,
     On earth as it is in heaven,
     Give us this day our daily bread,
     And forgive us our debts,
     As we forgive those who are our debtors.
     And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
     Because yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
     Amen. 

On first glance, you will notice that most of the changes have to do with updating "thy" and "thine" to "your".  This I have done on the basis of the principle of meaningfulness.  A second change, I make for the sake of meaningfulness, is that of going from "for" to "because", because this is how we connect these two clauses today.  We just don't use "for" very much at all in this way.  Back now to the first change, when we say "thine", we pretty much have to translate (my age and younger at least) in our heads from that older English to a newer form of English.  Sometimes when the Lord's prayer is recited in church, I even do this quietly under the louder voices around me, so I can say the Lord's prayer in its full meaningfulness for myself!

On the next glance, you will also notice some changes in words chosen that is more than just updating English.  These changes have to do with clarity more than meaningfulness.  The first change is from "hallowed" to "holy".  The second change is from "trespasses" to "debts". 

It is true that "hallowed" is also sort of meaningless, because the only other related word we use now is "Halloween".   That, of course, is not much help!  It is more confusing than anything.  The reason I switched over to "holy" is because then it is clear that this statement is connected to the Old Testament statements that God's "name is holy".  With "hallowed", because it is another word rather than the same word, we don't usually make the connection.  The interesting thing is that internally in the Bible's own translation of its prior words, it only uses one Hebrew word (or root), one Aramaic word (or root) and one Greek word (or root).  So I am in favor, for the sake of clarity, of using one English word across the board for all three originals to bring greater clarity and unity of message as was intended within Scripture itself.  We can se aside all the sanctification and hallowed language and just preserve it in theology and in footnotes.  They are historically valuable, but not for the sake of clarity are they valuable in our time frame. 

On the question of debts and trespasses, it is unclear to me why the KJV people chose "trespasses" for a word in Greek that is not related to the other word they translate as "trespasses" in the same context discussing prayer.  I, for reasons of clarity, think a different word must be used and I will go with "debts", unless I find someday a better option.  For now that is the best suggestion that I have seen from translators.  Again, why confuse people with one word for two words in the original, when that is not necessary?  Seeking clarity is the right leg of translation.  It must step out in tune with the left leg of meaningfulness. 

The implications for my efforts to define holy is this.  Let's go with holy or with one of its possible meanings in the English language: 1) pure, 2) set apart, or 3) moral whole; but let's stick to one of them not many of them.  One is clear.  Many is unclear.  Try this test.  If we all say the same word at once (ex. "yes") the message is clear, but if we split into thirds and each say a different word in each third at the same time ("yes", "no", and "maybe"), then the message becomes unclear.  That is what "hallowed" and "trespasses" are doing in the Lord's Prayer.  They are making things unclear rather than clear. 

So let's stop limping along with only clarity or only meaningfulness.  Say the Lord's Prayer with all the gusto we can all together in English (for English speakers).  Say it with clarity and with meaningfulness.  Why are we still walking with only one leg?  Let's walk on the two translation legs that God gave us to walk with!  I hope this has enriched your holiness and your saying of the Lord's Prayer. 

In Christ,

Jon