# God give me strength



## nfranken

Can someone pleas translate "God give me strength" into latin for me?


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## dinis.dinis

I learned my Church Latin during my childhood and adolescence mostly by praying at Lauds, Matins, Vespers, Compline or Mass but we would say:

O DEUS (MEUS), DA MIHI ROBUR / ( or if you prefer: DA MIHI FORTITUDINEM)

I recall singing at Benediction:

"Bella premunt hostilia,: *Da robur*, fer auxilium"
"Hostile wars press (against me) *Give strength,* bring aid!

or, better, if you interpret (the usually adjectival) HOSTILIA as a SUBSTANTIVIZED or NOMINALIZED plural neuter nominative then you could translate the verse as:

"(The) enemy nations/forces press (against me) in war(s). *Give strength,* bring aid!" 
which seems more likely!

Perhaps, someone with more learning in the language can confirm what I have written.



Best Regards,
Dinis


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## dinis.dinis

In the Responsorium _"Si Vis Patronum"_ , the entreaty, 

_*"Lord, give me strength"*_, is rendered:

_*Domine da robur*_

See:

_O firma Petra Ecclesiae,_
_Columna flecti nescia,_
_*Da robur* et constantiam,_
_Error fidem ne subruat..._

In the final oration of this prayer, the appellative _"Domine"_ is used to address God directly:

Oremus.
Apostolicis nos, *Domine*, quaesumus, beati Petri Apostoli tui attolle praesidiis

Notice how this prayer, also, omits the dative pronoun, _'mihi'_, from the more concise supplication _"Da robur"_ (treating "to me" as a superfluous element). We have already seen this same omission in the verse from the "_O Salutaris Hostia"_,
namely, _"*Da robur*; fer auxilium"_ which was quoted in my first post above.

'_Domine'_ is the normal appellative used to call upon _the Lord_ in Christian tradition --- being the vocative form of '_Dominus'_. 


The phrase _"O Deus Meus"_ is also used (though less frequently) for the same purpose.
It is generally found either in the more formal public prayers or in those private ones which place a special emphasis on God's transcendance or on our own lowliness.

Since traditional Christian prayer usually invokes God as '_Domine'_, perhaps, we should too in the simple exclamation:

*Lord give (me) strength *=_ Domine da robur_


--- which is my final suggestion.

(If anyone has a better one, please, share it.)

Best Regards and Happy New Year,
Dinis


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## Fred_C

nfranken said:


> Can someone pleas translate "God give me strength" into latin for me?


 
Hi,
Let me draw your attention on the following point :
Without a comma, ("God give me strength"),  "give" is in the subjunctive mood, and "God" must be translated with the vocative:
"Deus, da mihi robur".

With a comma, ("God, give me strength"), "give" is in the imperative mood, and "God" must be translated with the nominative, because it is the subject:
"Deus det mihi robur" or "Deus mihi robur det".

For the word "Deus", the nominative and vocative cases have the same form.


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## panoramix22

Scholias I have one question more.I looking translate for this sentense "God,give me strenght" and i have found this "DEUS,DA MIHI FORTITUDINEM" this form is correct?What is your opinion.


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## Cagey

Hello panoramix22.  

We allow one topic per threads, so I moved this question to a prior thread on the same sentence.  Please read from the top. 
If you have further questions or comments, you are welcome to add them.

What sort of strength do you mean?  The Latin translation will vary according to what you have in mind. 


Cagey, moderator.


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## Kevin Beach

If "give" in "God give me strength" is the subjunctive, so that it is in effect an abbreviation of "May God give me Strength", then I suggest that  *Ut Deus me robur det* would fit.


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## Scholiast

Kevin writes (#7)



> If "give" in "God give me strength" is the subjunctive, so that it  is in effect an abbreviation of "May God give me Strength", then I  suggest that  *Ut Deus me robur det* would fit.


.

It must at least be _mihi_, not _me_. And I would leave out _ut_.


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## Kevin Beach

Scholiast said:


> Kevin writes (#7)
> 
> .
> 
> It must at least be _mihi_, not _me_. And I would leave out _ut_.



Of course for _mihi_ - silly me. I've often seen constructions of this type with _Ut_ though.


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## Scholiast

Greetings once more



> I've often seen constructions of this type with _Ut_ though.



Kevin is quite right, but the nuance is slightly different, bordering on clauses of unfulfilled volition with _utinam_. It's more "I wish that God would give me strength" or "If only..." than "May God give me strength".


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## Kevin Beach

Scholiast said:


> Greetings once more
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin is quite right, but the nuance is slightly different, bordering on clauses of unfulfilled volition with _utinam_. It's more "I wish that God would give me strength" or "If only..." than "May God give me strength".



Nuances always gratefully received. Thank you!


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