Chinese Language Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Chinese language. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
Matthew 6:10 of the Bible is translated as the following in the Delegates Version:
爾國臨格、爾旨得成、在地若天、
The context was Jesus was teaching how to pray and gave an example of a prayer.
I fail to understand the meaning of 格 here. It seems to me "爾國臨" is a complete sentence. Why "爾國臨格" and what does "格" mean here?
Edit: The expected English translation is “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.
the verse is chopped wrongly lah, i would read it as "爾" + "國" + "臨格".
"臨格" ought to be read together as a verb, with the meaning of "come / arrive".
the entry of "格" in 國語辭典 explained (the sixth, as verb):
至、來。《書經．堯典》：「光被四表，格於上下。」宋．蘇軾〈賀時宰啟〉：「歡聲格於九天，乖氣消於萬彙。」
http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=W00000003946
for comparison, consider the word "蒞臨", which means ~ "come / arrive / be present"; while the character "蒞" means "to reach / arrive", and "臨" means "come to / arrive / be present".
the main prayer text is translated by mr 王韜, imo, excellent one.
usages of "臨格" in literatures of yore:
in 文忠集 卷八十六
皇帝親詣啓聖禪院告遷明徳元徳章穆皇后赴普安院奉安祝文
嚮者因霖災之為沴・飭殿構以増新・㳙榖旦之惟良・奉神遊而還止・載深感慕・躬薦芬馨・式慰孝思・冀茲臨格
in 廬山太平興動宮採訪真君事實, the 滿散詞:
惟廬嶽之名峰，實天仙之奧宅。夢符晝現，雖自開元之傳；邇遠名彰，邈想真王之始。應世則帝王之佐，在天惟耳目之司。千齡昔紀於元豐，四字首加於徽號。備玆褥禮，屬在休期。鏤玉填金，煥成章於雲漢；臨軒發冊，增偉觀於江山。顧熙事之嘉成，涓良辰而祝告。伏願威神臨格，昭鑒居飲。薰燎揭虔，共仰九霄之邃；厲鴻嘖祉，永言萬壽之期。併敷錫於庶民，俾交欣於百樂。
http://www.ctcwri.idv.tw/CTCW-CMTS/CMT07正乙部/CMT07ALL/CH07094盧山太平興國宮採訪真君事實/CH07094-2卷二宋朝崇奉類.htm
have fun :)
Baidu has that in a more modern form:
愿你的国降临，愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。
They put 降临 where you have 臨格
降临： 来到， 光临
Adveniat regnum tuum (adveniat: 3rd person singular conjunctive of advenī́re)
Go with Drooze: 臨格 = come (subjunctive)
I like the Chinese version that you have!!
