Jesus Tongue

The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, word by word

Jesus grew up speaking Aramaic, the everyday language of first-century Galilee. Here are the first lines of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-12) in Aramaic, with the pronunciation, the meaning of each line, and audio you can play.

The prayer, line by line

  1. אבון דבשמיא

    ʾabwūn d-ḇašmayyā

    Sounds like: a-VOUN d-vach-MA-ya

    Our Father in heaven,

    Matthew 6:9

  2. נתקדש שמך

    nethqaddaš šmāk

    Sounds like: net-qa-DACH chmakh

    hallowed be your name,

    Matthew 6:9

  3. תאתא מלכותך

    tēṯē malkūṯāk

    Sounds like: té-TÉ mal-kou-TAKH

    your kingdom come,

    Matthew 6:10

  4. הב לן לחמא דסונקנן יומנא

    haḇ lan laḥmā d-sūnqānan yawmānā

    Sounds like: hav lan LAKH-ma d-soun-qa-NAN yau-ma-NA

    give us today the bread we need,

    Matthew 6:11

  5. ושבוק לן חובין

    wa-šḇoq lan ḥawbayn

    Sounds like: ou-CHVOUQ lan kho-VAÏN

    and forgive us our debts.

    Matthew 6:12

Three details that change how you read it

  1. Debts and sins. The Aramaic word ḥawbayn, “debts”, is the same word used for a fault or sin. That is why some English versions say “forgive us our debts” and others “forgive us our sins”.
  2. The same verb on the cross. The verb for “forgive”, šḇoq, literally means “to leave, to let go”. It comes from the same root as sabachthani in Mark 15:34 (“why have you forsaken me?”).
  3. The bread we need. “Give us today the bread we need” translates laḥmā d-sūnqānan, literally “bread of our need”. The Greek word behind the familiar “daily bread”, epiousios, is very rare, and its exact meaning is still debated.

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Questions

Did Jesus say the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic?
Most scholars think Jesus spoke Aramaic in daily life, so he probably taught the prayer in Aramaic. But the Gospels record it in Greek, and no Aramaic version from his time survives.
What does “Abwun” mean?
Abwun (ʾabwūn) means “our Father”. In Mark 14:36, Jesus is recorded calling God “Abba”, an Aramaic word the Gospel keeps untranslated.
Is this the original Aramaic text?
No. It is the Peshitta version, a later Syriac translation. It is the best-known Aramaic form of the prayer, but not a recording of Jesus’ own words.

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