It isn’t quite right to say that the Aramaic “abba” means “daddy.” In other words, to call the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “daddy” at the outset of our prayers is a bit too casual and irreverent. Philip Ryken explains.
“To call God ‘Abba, Father’ is to speak to him with reverence as well as confidence. Abba does not mean ‘Daddy.’ To prove this point, the Oxford linguist James Barr wrote an article for the Journal of Theological Studies called ‘Abba isn’t “Daddy”.’ What Barr discovered was that abba was not merely a word used by young children. It was also the word that Jewish children used for their parents after they were fully grown. Abba was a mature, yet affectionate way for adults to speak to their fathers.”
“The New Testament is careful not to be too casual in the way it addresses God. The Aramaic word abba…
View original post 146 more words
It’s also interesting to observe that abba has the definite article and could be translated “the Father” (alluding to the distinctness of God as the Father in contrast to our earthly Father) and has the same root as the Hebrew word for Father, av, but unfortunately the tradition to translate it as “daddy” continues to be perpetuated despite the clear evidence to the contrary.
LikeLike
They *did* have a number of hit singles in the ’70s & ’80s, however.
LikeLike