Day 2 of 75 · The reign foundations

ʾ-B

abba / abun: father, our Father

אבון · אבא

ܐܰܒ݂ܽܘܢ · ܐܒܐ

The feel

ʾAb means father, and it carries family origin, household authority, and a child's belonging. The word for father appears 292 times in the Gospels. Aramaic attaches the possessive to the noun, so a single word says whose father, as in abun, our Father.

The root family

Form	Pattern	Script	Standard	Qala rendering
ʾabā / abba	base noun (emphatic)	אבא ܐܒܐ	father	Father, the Father
ʾabun	noun + -un "our"	אבון ܐܰܒ݂ܽܘܢ	our father	our Father (Matthew 6:9)
labuk	l- "to" + noun + -uk "your"	לאבוך ܠܰܐܒ݂ܽܘܟ݂	to your father	to your Father (Matthew 6:6)
wabukun	w- "and" + noun + -ukun "your (pl.)"	ואבוכון ܘܰܐܒ݂ܽܘܟ݂ܽܘܢ	and your father	and your Father (Matthew 6:26)
ʾAbiā	proper name	אביא ܐܒܝܐ	Abijah	Abijah: a name in the genealogy, built on the father-word (Matthew 1:7)

In the Gospels this family appears only as nouns, which change by taking possessive endings such as -i (my), -uk (your), -un (our), and -ukun (your, plural).

In his voice

Matthew 6:9

So pray like this: Our Father of the heavens, your name be honored.

ʾabun, "our Father." The Prayer opens with this word. The ending -un means our, so one word names the Father and says he is ours.

Matthew 6:6

But you, when you pray, go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is there in secret. And your Father, who sees what is hidden, will repay you.

labuk, "to your Father." The prefix l- means to, and the ending -uk means your. The prayer behind the shut door is spoken to someone who is there.

Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the heavens. They don't plant, they don't harvest, they don't gather into barns, and your Father in the heavens feeds them. Aren't you worth far more than they are?

wabukun, "and your Father." The ending -ukun is the plural your. The argument against worry rests on whose household the listeners belong to.

Practice

Before you pray today, say the Prayer's first word, abun, our Father, aloud once on a slow out breath.

Connections

M-L-K, the reign Sh-M-Y, the heavens ʾabā: Father ʾAbiā: Abijah

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