English translation or equivalent of Unetane Tokeff (title/phrase)

[hagar_972]

This is a bit of a strange question. It's for a story though, and it's not exactly google-able.

I am trying to translate - or find an English equivalent of - the name of the Hebrew Atonement Day chant, ונתנה תוקף. (On Wikipedia.) It's old and weird Hebrew, and I need a translation that will both preserve the original sense (rather than, say, using

Comments

[evilstorm]

Ooh, interesting. I'm not sure how helpful this is, but I'm getting pings for the phrase "deliver us from evil", which I think has a similar bombastic religious feeling. Or anything about deliverance, really. Along similar lines, "let me not be confounded".

[hagar_972]

Hm, playing on "Deliverance" could work. It's a bit generic, but it can be used to mean both giving up and being saved, which is a plus. Thanks!

ETA: having just traced the origin of the phrase in Christian tradition - I like it and I might use more elements from this prayer, though the phrase itself is probably too ubiquitous to be used as-is. Thanks again!

[evilstorm]

No prob! It is rather common--commonest Christian prayer, heck--but it seemed to fit.

[blueleaves_]

Hi, just chipping in. Looking at your scenario, I'm not sure if this is really what you're looking for, but the best thing I can find being used for an English 'title' of the prayer is "U'Netaneh Tokef Kedushat Hayom" / "Let Us Tell How Utterly Holy This Day Is". ( source: http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshhashannah/unetanehtext.htm... )

[hagar_972]

I tried looking at some English translations of Hebrew prayers, but it's just - too daily? It's too much like regular everyday English, while the Hebrew is so not. (It's more understandable to a modern-day than, say, medieval English would be to modern-day speaker, but it's quite distinc.)

The more I dig into it the more I realize that, yes, a literal translation of ונתנה תוקף won't carry the overtones I want. Trying to find a cultural parallel for something as laden isn't ambitious at all *makes a face*.

not sure that it matters for your story, but I associate "Deliver us from evil" much more closely with church and reaffirmation of faith than ונתנה תוקף

I'm completley lacking in context on Christian phrases so yeah, this helps. I intuitively interpret "Deliver us from evil" unto "ותצילנו מכל רע", which does have that carryover tone of doom and death, so.

Thanks!