Lead us not into temptation.
I wonder if this mistranslation might be the root of all the problems of the Anglican/Episcopal churches.
If you happen to go to an episcopal/Anglican church this Christmas, I encourage you not to say the ninth line of the version of the Lord’s prayer that they will probably give you to say. It contains a grievous mistranslation, a sort of verbal misdirect, that makes us think the prayer is about the period of tribulation before Jesus returns, or external trials and troubles that beset us from time to time, when actually it is about the daily temptations that beset us.
Here is a good translation:
Our Father in heaven Hallowed 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 sins As we forgive those who sin against us Lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil
“Save us from the time of trial”: a mistranslation
The line “lead us not into temptation” is translated in the Episcopal/Anglican prayer as “save us from the time of trial,” and this is simply a mistranslation.
In fact, I encourage you to say loudly and obnoxiously, “lead us not into temptation,” in the middle of the Christmas service, and if the people in the congregation turn around and look askance at you or the minister makes a comment in the sermon about people who loudly proclaim the old words of the Lord’s Prayer, direct them to this fact check; (haha! not really! Better not do that I guess!)
Better still, just pray “lead us not into temptation” quietly and unobtrusively, then give the minister a copy of this article afterwards.
The Lord’s prayer is more important than all the creeds put together
I wonder if this mistranslation in the most important prayer in the Christian faith, the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, explains why so many Episcopal/Anglican churches are going down the gurgler, morally speaking; for instance our own diocese in Perth recently redefined the sexual faithfulness required of ministers and priests to include more than either an explicitly monogamous marriage between man and woman, or celibacy in singleness, so that an unmarried couple living together might be ‘faithful’ in their new definition. etc.
Perhaps if all these people were saying every week “Lead us not into temptation” they might think twice before registering their approval of marital/sexual unfaithfulness. Or being unfaithful in one way or another.
And I just want to make this point: the Lord’s prayer really is the most important prayer in all creation: this is the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. There is no more important set of words that Christians ought to recite, because all the words of Jesus are eternal: they will never pass away. All the Christian creeds in the world, though they are important, are not as important for forming a living faith, as the Lord’s prayer, and if it translated and recited inaccurately, it is a more serious matter than many heresies and misunderstandings of the faith might be.
Θλιψις, Thlipsis means “Trial” or “Persecution,” “Tribulation”
There are several words in Greek sometimes translated “Trial” - the main Greek word, used many times in Revelation, is Θλιψις, Thlipsis, and it literally means “hard pressed” or “under pressure,” implying suffering or troubles from an external source.
At the bottom of this article I have listed the New Testament verses in which Thlipsis is used; note that it is always translated “trouble”, “persecution” or “tribulation” in the Berean study Bible, which is the version I used, and it is external troubles that beset a person.
Πειρασμος, Peirasmos means “Temptation” (usually) or “Moral Test”
The word Peirasmos is a completely different word, that usually means temptation or test, in the form of a moral test, or a test of character. Where it is (very occasionally) translated “trial” this is what it means: a moral test, a test of character; it is not the sort of test that comes from outside a person: it is the temptation that tests a person’s inner moral and spiritual faithfulness.
Δοκιμαζω Dokimazo A different word meaning test
Dokimazo is another word that is sometimes used in the New Testament, that is more of a straightforward intellectual or factual test, without the moral element.
“Save us from the time of trial” implies not a moral test but a time of suffering
This translation is highly objectionable because it removes the element of moral testing/ temptation that the word Πειρασμος implies.
If you read through the Bible verses below, I think that it is very clear that “Time of Trial” is a grievous mistranslation. Don’t say it! Don’t go along with the practice of agreeing with a mistranslation!
Aunt May in Spiderman
One of the iconic moments in the early Spiderman comic books is when Aunt May is praying the Lord’s Prayer and the Green Goblin arrives just as she is praying, “Deliver us from evil.” Aunt May prays the proper words of the Lord’s Prayer, and so should we. Here is the scene from one of the Spider Man movies; it is mildly disturbing so don’t let the kiddies watch it unless you’ve vetted it first:
BIBLE VERSES
VERSES WHERE PEIRASMOS MEANS TEMPTATION or MORAL TEST.
TEST
Matt 4:7 Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (εκπειρασεις)
Luke 4:12 But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Luke 8:13 The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.
Luke 10:25 One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
John 6:6 But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do.
John 8:6 They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.
Acts 5:9 “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
Acts 15:10 Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
1Cor. 10:9 We should not test Christ,b as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.
Rev. 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Rev. 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
TEMPTATION
Matt. 6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
Matt. 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Mark 14:38 Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
Luke 22:40 When He came to the place, He told them, “Pray that you will not enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:46 “Why are you sleeping?” He asked. “Get up and pray so that you will not enter into temptation.”
1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
Gal. 4:14 And although my illness was a trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus Himself.
1Tim. 6:9 Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
Heb. 3:8 do not harden your hearts,
as you did in the rebellion,
in the day of testing in the wilderness,
Rev. 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
TRIAL
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial ( meaning temptation), because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
Acts 20:19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, especially in the trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews.
1Pet. 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials (temptations)
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,
1Pet. 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.
2Pet. 2:9 if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials (temptations) and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
Luke 22:28 You are the ones who have stood by Me in My trials. (Jesus speaking to the disciples)
NOTE THAT AT NO STAGE does PEIRASMOS mean a TRIAL in the sense of Tribulation or Trouble, without the element of testing and temptation.
VERSES WHERE THLIPSIS MEANS TROUBLE OR EXTERNAL TRIAL
Matt. 13:21 But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Matt. 24:9 Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
Matt. 24:21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.
Matt. 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days:
‘The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.b’
Mark 4:17 But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Mark 13:19 For those will be days of tribulation unmatched from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again.
Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation:
‘The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
John 16:21 A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
Acts 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
Acts 7:11 Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.
Acts 11:19 Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.
Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
Acts 20:23 I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me.
Rom. 2:9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;
Rom. 5:3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
Rom. 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Rom. 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
1Cor. 7:28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
2Cor. 1:4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2Cor. 1:8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia.a We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
2Cor. 2:4 For through many tears I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you but to let you know how much I love you.
2Cor. 4:17 For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison.
2Cor. 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;
2Cor. 7:4 Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.
2Cor. 8:2 In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.
2Cor. 8:13 It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.
Eph. 3:13 So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Phil. 1:16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.c
Phil. 4:14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share in my affliction.
Col. 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.
1Th. 1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.
1Th. 3:3 so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this.
1Th. 3:7 For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith.
2Th. 1:4 That is why we boast among God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of all the persecution and affliction you are enduring.
2Th. 1:6 After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
Heb. 10:33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were partners with those who were so treated.
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Rev. 1:9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.
Rev. 2:9 I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.
Rev. 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Rev. 2:22 Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.
Rev. 7:14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.”
So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
ΔΟΚΙΜΑΖΩ DOKIMAZO A different word meaning test
2Cor. 2:9 My purpose in writing you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.
2Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you actually fail the test? 6 And I hope you will realize that we have not failed the test.
2Cor. 13:7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not that we will appear to have stood the test, but that you will do what is right, even if we appear to have failed.
Gal. 6:4 Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else.
Eph. 5:10 Test and prove what pleases the Lord.
Phil. 1:10 so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
1Th. 5:21 but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
1John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
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In this post I have included a list of Bible verses. I have covered this issue in a previous post as well:
