Last week I again finished reading the Book of Mormon in English and started over in Finnish. I read through 1 Ne. 3:7 about Nephi's willingness to be perfectly obedient; then in verse 8 we are told that Lehi was "exceedingly glad" because of Nephi's obedience. In Finnish the choice of words for "exceedingly glad" was just enough different that it caught my attention, and I have been pondering these words ever since. The Finnish translation reads that Lehi was "tavattoman iloinen." Iloinen directly translates as joyful which, to me, is a little stronger emotion than just being glad. The adverb tavattoman adds even more intensity. Exceedingly is a good match in English, but we could also use uncustomarily or even without comparison. The very best match for tavattoman comes from the definition #2 of quintessential: "the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form."
Lehi experienced joy in its purest and most concentrated form due to Nephi's obedience. I relate to Lehi's feelings as I reflect on the obedience and testimonies of my children, sons-in-law, and daughter-in-law. Thank you all for holding so firmly to the iron rod. Thank you for continuing the patterns we established in our younger family: prayer, family home evening, scripture study, church attendance, temple attendance, service, and for bringing up your children in an environment of love. Thank you each for your deep and fervent feelings for our Lord and Savior. And thanks for so frequently making Grandpa tavattoman iloinen.
5 comments:
Thanks, Dad. I feel "tovattoman iloinen" because of you. Even as a young child, I had a sense of how blessed I was and would often weep with joy as I thanked my Heavenly Father for my mom and dad. Thank you for loving and nurturing us so well. The love I felt in our home made it so easy to learn to feel our Heavenly Father's love and to recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Thank you for teaching us the Gospel. I am exceedingly grateful for that marvelous blessing in my life. Dad, I want you to know that although it's Mom I usually call and talk to on the phone, I think about you a lot and miss you terribly sometimes. I love you so very, very much. Thank you for being my Daddy.
非常高興. The literal translation is "unnaturally happy".
Kiitos paljon siitä, että ihana isä. Minä rakastan sinua!
Oh, and just for fun (since I have just a few Books of Mormon on my shelves and I love languages):
French: extrêmement réjoui
Italian: sommamente lieto
Spanish: altamente complacido
German: überaus froh
Thank you, dad. As I see my children making good choices, I can relate. There certainly is unnatural joy in seeing your children choosing the right!
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