The Lord's Prayer

See also: Translating Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is the most-recited prayer in the world. This prayer was expressly established by Jesus himself. It is also known as the Our Father or Pater noster. d in

This prayer can be recited in a personal form using the words "paradise" and "here", or in a more traditional form that using the words "kingdom" and "earth". See Translating Lord's Prayer.

Its most familiar English form, in the King James translation of the Bible, is as follows, but the monarchical, impersonal word "kingdom" could be better translated today as "paradise", and the globalist term "earth" is better translated today as "here":

Our Father Who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom [better: "paradise"] come. Thy will be done on earth [better: "here"], as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

Amen

(Matthew 6:9-13 KJV, see also CBP)

The Lord's Prayer is by far the best known prayer among Christians worldwide, and has been translated into hundreds of different languages. It is worth remarking, however, that while Jesus Himself specifically instructs His followers to pray in private, this prayer is frequently recited in public, and has been incorporated into the services and liturgy of many Christian denominations:

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

(Matthew 6:5-7 KJV)

A parallel account at Luke 11:2-4 (see also CBP) follows a similar pattern. The fact that it is not identical indicates that Christ's intention was not to provide a static prayer that would be repeated verbatim but rather a model, or outline, of appropriate topics to be prayed for. This is supported by Christ's admonition to his listeners:

"And whenever you pray, you must not keep on repeating set phrases, as the heathen do, for they suppose that they will be heard in accordance with the length of their prayers." (Matthew 6:7 The New Testament in the Language of the People Charles B. Williams)

Both prayers include the following elements:

• Request for God's name to be hallowed, or sanctified
• Request for God's Kingdom to come
• Request for personal needs to be met
• Request for forgiveness of sins
• Request for avoiding temptation, falling prey to Satan

This prayer would not have been innovative or revolutionary to Christ's listeners as these would have been things they should have already been praying for, each element being solidly based on the Scriptures then available to the Jews.

According to Harper's Bible Dictionary, the doxology at the end of the prayer is missing the oldest and best manuscripts and is not original to the Lord's prayer. Translations that do not add the doxology include:

• The Holy Bible - Douay-Rheims
• The New Testament in the Language of the People
• The Oxford Annotated Bible - Revised Standard Edition
• The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
• Good News Bible - Today's English Version
• Holy Bible - American Standard Version
• The Emphatic Diaglott Interlinear Translation of Vatican Manuscript #1209
• The Complete Bible - An American Translation

Greek version

In Greek the Lord's Prayer is called Πάτερ Ἡμῶν; in Latin its name is Pater Noster. Two versions are found in the New Testament: one in the Gospel of Matthew and the other in the Gospel of Luke.

Though both are substantially the same there are slight differences.

The prayer as found in Ἐυαγγελίον κατὰ Μαθθαίον (Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece et Latine):

6:9 Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς:

Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐω τοῖς οὐρανοῖς

ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου

6:10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου

γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου

ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς

6:11 τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον

6:12 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,

ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν¹ τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν

6:13 καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,

ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.

1. sometimes the present form ἀφίεμεν is found in place of the perfective ἀφήκαμεν.

Latin version

Pater noster, qui es in caelis:

sanctificetur Nomen Tuum;

adveniat Regnum Tuum;

fiat voluntas Tua,

sicut in caelo, et in terra.

Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;

et dimitte nobis debita nostra,

sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;

et ne nos inducas in tentationem;

sed libera nos a Malo

The Interlineal transliterated Aramaic and Hebrew Versions

Aramaic: Avvon d-bish-maiya, nith-qaddash shim-mukh.

Hebrew: Avinu shebaShamayim, yitqaddesh shmekha

English: Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name

Aram. Tih-teh mal-chootukh. Nih-weh çiw-yanukh:

Heb. Tavo Malkhutekha. yei'aseh r'tzonekha

Eng. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done

Aram. ei-chana d'bish-maiya: ap b'ar-ah.

Heb. kmoshebaShamayim 'af baAretz

Eng. In Heaven, so on earth

Aram. Haw lan lakh-ma d'soonqa-nan yoo-mana.

Heb. Et lekhem khukeinu, ten lanu haYom

Eng. The bread we need, give us this day

Aram. O'shwooq lan kho-bein:

Heb. uslakh lanu et khata'einu

Eng. And forgive us our sins

Aram. ei-chana d'ap kh'nan shwiq-qan l'khaya-ween.

Heb. kfi shegam anakhnu salakhnu laKhayaveinu

Eng. as we also have forgiven those in debt to us

Aram. Oo'la te-ellan l'niss-yoona:

Heb. Ve'al t'vi'einu lidei nisayon

Eng. and do not bring us into the hands of trial

Aram. il-la paç-çan min beesha.

Heb. el-la khalletzeinu min haRa'

Eng. But save us from Evil

Aram. Mid-til de-di-lukh hai mal-choota

Heb. ki lkha haMalkut

Eng. for yours is the Kingdom

Aram. oo khai-la oo tush-bookh-ta

Heb. veha'Autzma vehaTif'eret

Eng. and Might and the Majesty

Aram. l'alam al-mein. Aa-meen.

Heb. Le'Olam va'ed. Amen.

Eng. Worlds without End. Amen

Matthew 6:9-13

See also

• Rosary
• Hail Mary
• Jesus Christ
• First Century Aramaic Jewish Christian Gospel and poetry
• Translating Lord's Prayer

External links

• Harper's Bible Dictionary (p. 574-576)