DID YOU KNOW: Abba

In Galatians 4, there is an interesting word in verse 6.

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
Galatians 4:6

Abba is a semitic word for "father" used in Hebrew, Arabic, Ethiopian, Aramaic, and other languages of the region around Israel. But it is not just "father", but more like the English word "Dad" or "Daddy". It is a term of affection and closeness. Thus, the fact that Paul tells us that we can now call God "Abba" means that God not only knows who we are but loves us and cares for us like his own.

But there is more. Have you noticed that many characters in the Old Testament have names that start or end with "Ab"? Abraham, Absolom, Ahab, Joab, etc.? The "Ab" in all of these names means "Father." So "Abraham" is "Father of many nations." Abba is an important word for understanding scripture.