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LORD'S PRAYER STUDY








MATTHEW 6:6-13



" One thing leads to another," As the old saying goes. It seems like every time I start a study, it leads to other studies. If I learned a particular study tool, soon that tool opens the door to other information.

Early on in my Christian walk, I started using Strong's Exhaustive Concordance to get behind the English words to the original language of scripture. At one point I wanted to clarify some of the words in Chapter 6 of the book of Matthew. Especially, I wanted to double-check the Greek words that are translated "alms". I had been taught that "alms" in verse 1 was different than "alms" in verse 3..

Sure enough, my Diaglot interliniary showed two different Greek words, dikaiosunen and eleemosunen. The first word has the root "dika" which means righteousness, while the second, in verse three, has the root "ele-emo". Yyou'll notice that the "sunen" is the same for both words.

The"dika" root means righteousness, whereas the "ele-emo" root relates to money. From just reading the English, one would conclude that money, the word we usually hear for "alms" was meant in both places. This is not true. Jesus was saying, in verse one, that we should do our righteous acts privately, not openly. He then goes on to list three major acts of righteousness, giving, prayer and fasting.

One thing leads to another, and this clarification of the word "alms", led to the study below. This short study shows how I went behind the King James English to the Greek words that were used in the translation. This method of "translating/substituting" is a good basic way to help understand what the writer had in mind. You may have already seen this method on some of the other Bible pages.



One last note. This is always called the Lord’s Prayer, but to avoid any confusion, know that Jesus never prayed this prayer. My guess is that the name, Lord’s Prayer, came about because it was the Lord who gave it to us. Jesus couldn’t possibly have prayed this prayer and been the Son of God. Jesus had no reason to ask for forgiveness of his sins. He had none.

We may not be able to learn Greek and Hebrew, or have access to the Codex Vaticanus. We may not be able to read what other ancient languages recorded as scripture. How many of us know Ethiopic or Syriac? But we surely can get a Strong’s Concordance and look up the definitions for the original words used by the writers. I really believe that this kind of study is probably more effective than reading a couple commentaries or looking at five or six different translations.

If you want to verify this for yourself, just look up “faith” in those five or six other translations or commentaries. Get a good sense of how “faith” is being used. My guess is that you will understand those other translations to mean “belief” when they say “faith”.

I have found very few places where “faith” is understood as a VERB. My pages are spilling over with this idea. Faith is a verb. I haven’t seen one English translation that conveys the idea of action when the word “faith” is used.

The Greek word pistis is a trusting action. English doesn’t have one word that believes, trusts and acts. Trust is a very poor substitute for pistis. Too many non-action ideas are part of trust. Trust easily travels between attitude, action, idea, and mind set. You, as a sincere student will never know that “faith” is a verb by reading any English translations.

Try not to get angry at the translators over this next part. The word pisteuo, that is always translated into some form of the word "believe," has the exact same properties as pistis. You must have noticed that they both have the same root, pist. Think what that does to many Christian’s “proof text” that they are saved, John 3:16. If they say, “I believe in God. I’m saved,” they are in serious, nay fatal error.

OK. Now it's your turn. A new look at the "Lord's Prayer." You really should do more than just read this stuff. Reading isn't study. Get out your Bible and Strong's and check the references and definitions. Have some serious fun.



VERSE
6
to pray to God
4336x
PRAYEST
to enter
1525x
ENTER
storage chambr
5009
CLOSET
to close
2808x
SHUT
parent/father
3962x
FATHER
concealed
2927private
SECRET
to look
591
SEETH

give away
991p.v.
REWARD
apparent fixed position
1722(in,at,on) 5318
OPENLY
VERSE
7
prate tediously
945q to stutter
REPETITIONS
prolixity-verbosity,diffusiveness
4180q loquacity-excess talk
SPEAKING
VERSE
8
none
VERSE
9
in this way
3779u
MANNER
heaven/eternity
3772x the sky
HEAVEN
to make holy
37x venerate
HALLOWED
authority
3686x a name
NAME character
VERSE
10
realm
932x royalty
KINGDOM
to come or go
2064r
COME
a determination
2307x
WILL
soil
1093x region
EARTH globe
VERSE
11
bestow
1325x grant
GIVE
needful for
1967q sustenance
DAILY
bread
740x a loaf
BREAD
VERSE
12
to send forth
863x discharge
FORGIVE
something owed
3783 moral fault
DEBTS
(one who owes)
(same)
FORGIVE DEBTS
VERSE
13
carry inward
1533q
LEAD
adversity-evil/Lu 11 sins
3986x putting to proof
TEMPTATION
rescue for
4506r onesself
DELIVER
hurtful-evil
4190r malice
EVIL
dynamite
1411r force
POWER
apparent glory
1391x
GLORY
so be it
281x firm
(H543 sure;faithfulness)
AMEN

LEAD: I confess that just looking up the definiton of the word and its derivitives in Strong's doesn't "lead" us to the idea of abandonment. I even looked in my big “Word Meanings in the New Testament”, by Ralph Earle. He doesn’t give “lead” one word. The ASV says “bring…us not.” Phillips says, “keep us clear.” The Basic English Bible has, “not be put to the test.” And Goodspeed says, “do not subject us.” I believe that the idea of abandonment lies at a deeper level. My original source for this idea was a diaglot interlinear New Testament. Diaglot just means two-tongues. It has the Greek with the transliterated English below. Well, Strong's has referenced the word, eisphero, which means "inward carry". My Diaglot version has the Greek word, eisenegkes, and is translated "abandon." Some circumstantial evidence that helps me is, the puzzlement that comes on most folks when they really think about God leading them into temptation. We don't like a God like that. We can tolerate His allowing temptation to come at us, so we'll turn to Him in trust, get stronger, but we don't want that tempting to come from God, Himself. This reconciles nicely with 1Cor 10:13, which says God will not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we're able; and with the temptation make a way of escape.




Now it’s time to take all those definitions and substitute them for the translated English words in the KJV. My hope and expectation is that you will have a fuller understanding of what Jesus told us about praying to God.

TRANS-SUBSTITUTION


6-But when you pray to God go in a storage chamber, and when
you've shut the door, pray to your heavenly parent which is
concealed; and your Father who looks at the concealed will
give away to you in a fixed apparent place.

7-But when you pray to God, prate not tediously like the Gentiles;
for they think they will be heard because of their excessive talk.

9-Pray to God in this way: Our parent which is in the eternal
sky, venerated and holy be your authority and character.

10-Please establish you realm. Let your determination govern the
earth, as it does the heavenly eternity.

11-Bestow and grant us today our needed subsistence; bread.

12-And discharge our dues/faults, as we discharge that
owed to us by others.

13-And don't abandon us in the times of our proving or adversity,
but rescue us, for yourself, from hurtful, culpability & malice
(the Evil One). You are the ruler, with the force and
apparent glory
forever. Surely, so be it.



Was that worth while? If you said yes, you can get a bunch more of this kind of satisfaction by doing the same process with your own "important" verses. and if you really had fun, email me at the link below.







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