Lord’s Prayer, The

The traditional name for a prayer given by Jesus to his followers. It is found in different versions in (Matt 6:9-13) and (Luke 11:2-4). The version in Matthew is longer, consisting of an address and seven petitions. It is embedded in the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 5:1-7:29), where Jesus cites it as an example of prayer that is devoid of the “empty phrases” and “many words” that characterize the prayers of the Gentiles (Matt 6:7). In Luke, Jesus’s disciples ask him to teach them to pray, and Jesus recites the Lord’s Prayer in response. This version is shorter, consisting of an address and only five petitions.