First Nations Version: Psalms and Proverbs

I wrote about the publication of the First Nations Version of the New Testament when it first came out. The First Nations Version, published by IVP Press, is a translation of the New Testament in the cultural idiom of the indigenous and First Nations peoples of North America. 

This year, thee First Nations Versions of Psalms and Proverbs was released. I've been using the FNV Psalms for my morning and evening prayers this month. 

One of the interesting aspects of the FNV Psalms is their translation for the Hebrew name of God (YHWH). This was something that wasn't an issue for the New Testament. In the FNV translation of the New Testament, the Greek word "God" was typically translated as "Great Spirit" or "Creator." But the Hebrew name of God was a new and different challenge for the FNV translation committee. 

As I expect you're aware, most English translations do not translate the Hebrew name of God. Instead, they use LORD in all caps whenever the Name is used. This is similar to Jewish practice, where the Name is replaced with Adonai ("Lord") or HaShem ("the Name"). So, how would the FNV handle this replacement?

The FNV committee felt that the use of "LORD" would have been inappropriate given the egalitarianism of first nations cultures. But the replacement needed to be term of reverence, honor, and respect. The choice the FNV made was to use the designation "Grandfather." 

In justifying the use of "Grandfather" over "LORD" the FNV shares:

For the FNV Psalms and Proverbs, we followed the Jewish tradition of replacing YHWH with another name. We considered a First Nations name that would be meaningful, honoring, intimate, and intertribal. We needed a unique name we had not used in the New Testament since the New Testament Greek does not translate the name for YHWH.

The title Grandfather was proposed...This title carries the relational weight of the name. This name meets the criteria of intertribal and is often used at powwows and other First Nations gatherings. In all Native cultures, grandfathers and grandmothers are highly honored. Grandfather is a name of honor, dignity, intimacy, and loving authority. Over and over again, Black Elk, a respected elder and author from the Lakota, used Grandfather (Tunkashila in Lakota), often combined with Father and Great Spirit, to make it clear who he was referring to...One example from Black Elk is, "O Father and Grandfather Wakan-Tanka, You are the source and end of everything. My Father Wakan-Tanka, You are the One who watches over and sustains all life."