In all our sons’ (?) command

The Canadian national anthem was written originally in French and had no reference to sons. The translation is not particularly literal, and so in English the phrase “in all our sons’ command” does not reflect any similar phrase in French. This anthem was written in 1880 and did not become the national anthem until 1960 when it replaced “God save the queen.”

Now there is a move to make the anthem’s wording closer to the original and remove the word “sons’.” Notable  signers of the petition are the mother of Nichola Goddard, the first Canadian woman killed in combat, and Senator Vivianne Poy, a former student of my sister’s, as it happens. I hope this effort goes forward. We don’t need the rewriting of original texts in order to prioritize men. In a brief reminder, Luther’s Bible, so key in the Reformation, never did use the German equivalent of “sons of God.” His Bible only referred to “children” or “Kinder.” There needs to be a movement to restore the original inclusive language of the Bible.