Is the Lord’s Prayer based on David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29? It’s hard to miss the similarity of the doxology at the end: “Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty…” (1Chron 29:10) and the rest has interesting similarities & parallels. Below is a comparison with common ideas & themes from 1 Chronicles 29 following the Lord’s Prayer with verses noted in parenthesis.

Our father which art in heaven | Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our Father… (10) …thou art exalted as head above all. (10)

“Our Father” who is above All.

Hallowed be thy name | Blessed be thou, Lord God ; O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. (10) …We…praise thy glorious Name. (13) …thine holy Name cometh of thine hand…(16)

“Thy Name”, like “Our Father” is also holy, blessed, exalted & glorious. His Name is exalted & unlike (holy/hagios) any other name (Philippians 2:9) and comes entirely from Himself.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven | Thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. (12) …all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom… (11)

“Thy Kingdom” will come because God’s reigns over everything. Thine is the Kingdom.

Give us this day our daily bread | all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. (14) …Both riches and honor come of Thee…(12)

Everything comes from God from the daily necessity to “riches & honor”.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors | For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers (15)

Debtors & Strangers: This might be the theme that is the most tentative. But remember that God persistently reminds us to treat the stranger as we would want to be treated. Why? Because we are also a stranger. The rationale that one ought treat someone who is in an disadvantaged state  well because they also are or were in that same disadvantaged state. See Exodus 22:21 “You shall not wrong a [debtor/stranger]… for you were [debtors/stranger]…”

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil | (17-19) …Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness… prepare their heart unto thee… And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes

“Temptation” & “Deliverance”. Temptation is a test. God “tests” the heart. God searches the…heart. (Revelation 2:23).  God tries the reigns & heart.” (Jeremiah 11:20) And God delivers from every test & trouble (Psalm 34:19), that is, “gives…a perfect heart”.

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. | Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty… (11) …for ever and ever. (10)

“Thine is the Kingdom” needs no comment as it is essentially identical.

The contextual parallels are also interesting.

• A Son is looking forward to building the great “Temple of God”
• A Son establishing the eternal Kingdom of God on earth
• A Son who would soon sit on the throne
• A prayer to prepare a People to build God’s Temple & Kingdom