Abbun d'bishmayya

Abbun d'bishmayya

Jewish Aramaic for Our Father who is in heaven, the title and opening words of the version of the Our Father used by Talmidi Jews.

It differs slightly from the Christian version, especially in the second half of the prayer. Whereas the Christian version says, "Give us this day our daily bread", the Jewish Aramaic version reads, "Our bread, which is from the earth, give us day by day".

It is thought that this difference came about because of a possible mistranslation in Koine Greek of just one word of the Jewish Aramaic prayer when written in the Galilean dialect. It is theorised that the word דמרעא d'mer`a ("which is from the earth") was possibly misread by the evangelists as דמערא d'ma`ra ("of the morrow"). The difference in the Aramaic is an interposition of just two letters in the word – the `ayin with the reysh. Whereas the Galilean Aramaic version has לעמן דמרעא "Our bread which is from the earth", the evangelists seem to have misread the two words as לעמן דמערא "our daily bread".

The Jewish Aramaic version of the prayer also clears up the uncomfortable line, "And lead us not into temptation". The English word "temptation" is a translation of the Koine Greek word peirasmon, which in turn is a translation of the Jewish Aramaic word nisayuna. While this can mean "temptation", it also means "trial". The Jewish Aramaic version of the same line therefore reads in English, "And do not bring us to trial". Rather than an image of asking God not to tempt us, the Jewish Aramaic presents an image of the supplicant asking God not to put us on trial for our sins. It continues the "court of justice" imagery (where one cries out to the judge, "Deliver me from my accuser!") with the line, "Deliver us from Evil".

The Abbun d'bishmayya does not end with the line, "For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever". This was a Christian addition to the prayer in the second century, inserted by scribes uncomfortable with the prayer ending with the word "evil".

The Jewish Aramaic version of the prayer results in a prayer with two verses, each with six lines. The first line of the first verse, "Our Father, who is in heaven", is contrasted in the second verse by the line, "Our bread, which is from the earth". These two verses reflect the ancient Jewish division of religion into things which deal with piety (i.e. things which concern the human relationship with God), and things which deal with justice (i.e. things which concern the human relationship with one's fellow human beings).

The prayer in Standard Jewish Aramaic

אבון דבשמייא
יתקדש שמך
תתי מלכותך
תהי רעותך
היכמא דבשמייא
כין אף בארעא

לחמן דמארעא
הב לן יומא דין ומחרא
ושבק לן חובין
היכמא דאף שבקנן לחייבין
ואל תעילן לניסיונא
אלא אצילן מן באשא

Transliteration

abbun d'bishmayya
yitqadesh shmakh
titey malkhutakh
tihey re`utakh
heykhma d'bishmayya
keyn af be’ar`a

lachman d'me’ar`a
hab lan yoma deyn umachra
ushbaq lan chobayn
heykhma de’af sh'baqnan l'chayyabayn
we’al ta`eylan l'nisayuna
ela atseylan min bisha

Translation

Our Father, who is in heaven
Sanctified be your Name!
May your kingdom come;
May your will be done,
Just as it is in heaven,
So also upon the earth.

Our Bread, which is from the earth,
Give us day by day.
And forgive us our sins,
Just as we should forgive our debtors.
And do not bring us to trial,
Rather deliver us from evil.