ἀββά

Ἀββᾶ — Abbâ

Ἀββᾶ (WH (βά), Hebrew אָב father, in the Chaldean emphatic state, אַבָּא i. e. ὁ πατήρ, a customary title of god in prayer. Whenever it occurs in the N. T. (Mar 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6) it has the greek interpretation subjoined to it; this is apparently to be explained by the fact that the Chaldee אַבָּא, through frequent use in prayer, gradually acquired the nature of a most sacred proper name, to which the greek-speaking Jews added the appellative from their own tongue.