Debitoribus nostris

[Patricius]

Why does it say "sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris"? Doesn't "dimitto" require a direct object? I assume "debitoribus nostris" is not an object, since we do not want to dismiss our debtors, but rather their debts to us. So is the object implied, and does the ablative or dative "debitoribus nostris" go with an implied verb? How does this work? Thank you.

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

So is the object implied, and does the ablative or dative "debitoribus nostris" go with an implied verb?

Yes. It's dative. You can parse it as equivalent to dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos [debita] dimittimus debitoribus nostris.

 

[Patricius]

Thank you! So we might read it "as we forgive debts on behalf of [pro] our debtors"?

 

[Bitmap]

Thank you! So we might read it "as we forgive debts on behalf of [pro] our debtors"?

No, because then it wouldn't be a dative :> (and it wouldn't make sense either)

It simply means "as we forgive (sins unto) our debitors".

 

[Patricius]

Does not "pro" convey "on behalf of" or "in favor of" and is it not used with dative? I must have some things confused here.

 

[Bitmap]

As far as I know, there are no Latin prepositions that go with the dative.
Pro governs the ablative and can mean a variety of things (including what you said), but since there's no pro in the Latin, there's no point in assuming there is one.

 

[Patricius]

Thank you.