Abba, Father

Biblical Texts

The expression "Abba, Father" occurs three times in the New Testament.

• Mark 14:36: Jesus addresses God this way as he prays in Gethsemane: "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me."
• Romans 8:15: Paul says that believers address God in this way because they have received not "the spirit of bondage again to fear" but "the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
• Galatians 4:6: Paul writes that God has sent forth "the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."

The Korean Revised Version renders the phrase as Abba abeoji ("Abba, Father"), while the New Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Standard Version render it as Appa abeoji.

The Word and Its Background

"Abba" is an Aramaic word meaning "father," used in everyday speech by Palestinian Jews in the time of Jesus. Although the New Testament was written in Greek, all three passages transliterate this Aramaic word and immediately follow it with the Greek word for "father." Many scholars regard this as a trace of the prayer language of the early Aramaic-speaking church, carried over unchanged into Greek-speaking churches. A widely known interpretation reads the term "adoption" in Romans 8 against the background of adoption practices in Greco-Roman society of the time.

Meaning in the Whole of Scripture

The Old Testament also contains passages that portray God as the Father of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 63:16; Jeremiah 3:19). Instances of an individual addressing God directly as "Father" in prayer, however, are rare. In the New Testament, Jesus prays to God as Father and teaches his disciples the Lord's Prayer, which opens by addressing God as Father (Luke 11:2). Paul explains that believers, through the Holy Spirit, have come to share in this form of address that belonged uniquely to Jesus. The expression is therefore connected with the teaching that believers have become children of God.

Interpretation and Debate

The German New Testament scholar Joachim Jeremias argued that "Abba" was an intimate word used by small children to address their fathers, and that addressing God in this way was distinctive of Jesus. This view became widespread in preaching, often expressed as "We can call God 'Daddy.'" In response, James Barr and others pointed out that adults also addressed their fathers as "Abba," and argued that the word cannot be regarded simply as a childish term like "Daddy." Some interpretations also emphasize that the word is used in settings of solemn submission, such as the prayer in Gethsemane.

Doctrinally, the Reformed tradition cites these passages as a basis for the doctrine of adoption. The Westminster Confession of Faith devotes a separate chapter to adoption. The Aramaic abba and the Korean appa ("daddy") merely sound alike; they have no etymological relationship.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, the forms of address "Abba, Father" and "Appa, Father" are commonly used in both public and private prayer. The expression also appears frequently in the lyrics of worship songs. Because the New Korean Revised Version uses the spelling appa, the word is often cited in sermons emphasizing an intimate relationship with God.