What’s the word? Debts? Trespasses? Sins?
Earliest manuscripts of the gospels were written in Greek. The Greek word όφείλω is most commonly translated “debts.” According to Walter Bauer’s Greek-English Lexicon the same word was used in contemporary documents to describe financial indebtedness. So the most accurate translation of the Lord’s prayer as it is recorded in the gospel of Matthew (6:12) would read:
And forgive us our debts, as we indeed forgave our debtors.
The use of the word “trespasses” comes from the 14th verse of the same chapter, which reads:
For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you.
The Greek word for “sins” is used in the gospel according to Luke (11:4), which literally reads:
And forgive us our sins, for indeed we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
In both the Matthew and the Luke, what we translate into English as “indeed” is actually “and,” or “and how.” The word is added for emphasis, the way “ja” is used in German (in a way that does not translate into English literally). In contemporary colloquial American English, we might more accurately translate it in this way:
And forgive us our debts, as we sooooo forgave our debtors. (California valley)
Or, we really truly forgave our debtors. (Midwestern)
Or, we sure enough forgave our debtors. (Southern)
Or, forgive us our debts, because you bet we forgave our debtors. (Minnesotan)
I believe that the words we chose to use, whether debts, trespasses, or sins, are not as important as living the spirit of the prayer. What tends to be glossed over is that our petition for forgiveness is connected to Jesus’ assumption that we would not dare ask God for something that we had not already given to others.
...our petition for forgiveness is connected to Jesus’ assumption that we would not dare ask God for something that we had not already given to others.
I hear a mildly chiding tone, perhaps a bit of sarcasm, in Jesus’ response. When someone asked him, “Teach us to pray,” perhaps Jesus heard an unspoken question, “teach us how to get what we want out of God.” Forgiveness of debt was no doubt high on everyone’s list. The economy of Roman occupation benefited the Roman settlers and the collaborating local rulers, but left most of the nation’s families landless, homeless and in debt.
I believe Jesus was teaching about the economics of the kingdom, which does not come down from on high, but which bubbles up from the ground. Things will change, Jesus seems to say, when we begin to live the way we pray.
If you want forgiveness, forgive.
If you want bread, share what you have today.
If you want justice, extend justice to someone who seeks it from you.
That is the word on the words.
