Abide with me

μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί (John 15:4)

These words from today's Gospel are translated in many ways: most popular are remain in me and trwajcie we Mnie. True, one of the mening of the Greek verb μένω is to remain, trwać, pozostawać gdzieś. (It's a very important word for St John, it appears several dozen times in his writings, the most famous fragment is 1 John 4:16.) I think, however, that there are better words that can render it in this context.

Wulfila translated wisaiþ in mis. An Old English translator wrote wuniað on me. Both mean dwell in me, zamieszkajcie we Mnie. Perhaps King James version with its abide in me (despite the etymology of the verb) is closer to the original than remain in me. Translation used in the liturgy has make your home in me but then, in verse 5, returns to the 'sanctified' remains in me whereas in the Greek text the same verb, μένω, is used. Then, in the Communion Antiphon, there is yet another translation: He who lives in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit, alleluia!

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. Whoever dwells in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty.

Zamieszkajcie we Mnie, a Ja w was. Kto mieszka we Mnie, a Ja w nim, przynosi owoc obfity.