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As a summary of Dr. Bradford Young’s series on the rabbinic background to the Lord’s Prayer, we present his English transliteration of the conjectured Hebrew original and its English translation.
It is difficult to grasp the full impact of the Lord’s Prayer without an appreciation of its Jewish background. Today’s Christians have quite a different understanding of prayer, Scripture and faith than a Jewish teacher like Jesus. One easily can miss the great depth of Jesus’ message.
Forgiveness is one of the main emphases in Jesus’ teaching. It is no wonder, then, that forgiveness is part of the short prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.
The deceptively simple petition from Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread,” has been a matter of controversy for centuries. The unusual Greek word epiousion, which is translated “daily,” is the root of the controversy. Some scholars have suggested that the original phrase contained the similar-sounding Greek word epeimi, (the next), and so meant “bread for the next day.” Nevertheless, the Latin translation of the New Testament understood the word as meaning bread needed for sustenance.
We noted in a previous article that “Thy will be done” parallels “Thy Kingdom come.” Both phrases mean, “May you continue establishing your Kingship.” Jesus does not instruct his disciples to pray “if it is your will.” It is within God’s purpose that all men should repent and become a part of God’s reign. “May your will be accomplished” is a strong affirmative appeal.
Like Jesus, the rabbis made frequent reference to “the Kingdom of Heaven.” A familiarity with the way “Kingdom of Heaven” is used in rabbinic literature is essential for understanding its use in the Gospels.
Probably no other aspect of Jesus’ teaching has been so greatly misunderstood as the Kingdom of Heaven. Certainly, few themes are more essential for understanding Jesus.
The Lord’s Prayer in Greek at the Church of the Pater Noster. Photographed by Anton 17 courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. “Studying the Lord’s Prayer with Brad Young” is a 10-part series focusing on the Hebraic nuances and Jewish background of the prayer Jesus taught to his disciples. Non-subscribers can purchase access to this series for …
Too often, the importance of the Jewish background of the prayer and of the language that Jesus used has been overlooked or minimized.
How can the name of God be “hallowed”? Actually, the sense of the word might better be expressed in English by “sanctify.” The whole phrase could be translated, “May your name be sanctified.”
