Luke 11:2-4

The Fuller Lord's Prayer

KJV Reading Defended

Our Father which art in heaven... Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth... but deliver us from evil.

Why the KJV Reading Is Retained

The KJV/TR preserves the fuller traditional form of the Lord's Prayer in Luke, while several early witnesses support shorter wording across multiple phrases rather than one simple omission.

Disputed unit

Three independent additions — the address, “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth”, and “but deliver us from evil” — together with the alternative Holy-Spirit petition.

Short omitted phraseComplex evidenceMajority Greek supportLatin supportSyriac supportCoptic supportLectionary support

Evidence assessment

Each clause of the fuller prayer travels separately. The address expansion stands in Alexandrinus, Ephraemi, Bezae, Guelferbytanus, Washingtonianus, Zacynthius, Sangallensis, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 070, Family 13, four further minuscules and the Byzantine tradition; “Thy will be done” adds Sinaiticus and 700; and the deliverance clause is carried by a further broad Greek, Latin and Syriac group.

Primary support for the KJV reading

Byzantine tradition across all three clauses

King James Bible reading

Our Father which art in heaven... Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth... but deliver us from evil.

Open in Research Desk

Evidence sources

Where the evidence on this page comes from.

Sources used for the witnesses, readings, dates, and notes on this page. Complete citations appear in the References section at the end of the page.

Governing apparatus and count scope

Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.

Full witness information

Earliest KJV-supporting evidence

The earliest reviewed support at a glance.

Fourth–fifth century — Old Latin and Greek transmission. The fuller clauses are ancient, although individual witnesses vary by clause.

Earliest surviving Greek support: Fifth century — Codices A, C, D, and W support parts of the fuller form.

Primary support for the KJV reading

Byzantine tradition across all three clauses

The sections below preserve each supporting, competing, and related record under its proper evidence type.

Majority Text standing

The fuller traditional clauses in the Lord's Prayer

Each of the fuller KJV/TR clauses marked Maj is the numerical Majority Text reading at its own variation unit.

Estimated Greek support: More than 1,500 Greek manuscripts for the fuller clauses where Majority support is listed

Unit qualification: The address, will petition, and deliverance clause are separate units and do not share one mechanically identical witness list.

This is a conservative working estimate based on the published Majority or Byzantine designation and the approximate number of continuous-text manuscripts that preserve the book. Lacunae and collation scope make the exact denominator vary by verse.

Source scope and denominator

Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.

Greek support in the cited corpus

15 named Greek witnesses at the address, 16 at “Thy will be done”, and 18 at the deliverance clause, plus Family 13 and the Maj group

Greek competing evidence in the cited corpus

7 named Greek witnesses plus Family 1

Lectionary evidence

Lectionaries support fuller traditional wording

Principal competing witnesses named in the snapshot

P75
Codex Vaticanus (03)
Codex Regius (019)
Family 1

Evidence represented on this page

Greek manuscripts

Represented

Ancient versions

Represented

Church fathers

Represented

Printed editions

No entry listed

Complete source-scoped roster

Complete roster within the stated source scope.

This roster preserves every named or grouped state recovered in the governing sources, including exact readings, competing readings, corrections, related forms, lacunae, versions, and aggregate traditions. When Maj or Byz appears on the KJV side, it marks the numerically dominant Greek transmission at that unit. The green Majority Text card above supplies the best available passage-specific estimate. The grouped siglum is then retained so it is not mistaken for one individual manuscript.

Apparatus and roster scope

Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.

Greek support in cited scope: 15 named Greek witnesses at the address, 16 at “Thy will be done”, and 18 at the deliverance clause, plus Family 13 and the Maj group
Greek competing evidence in cited scope: 7 named Greek witnesses plus Family 1
Evidence classification: Byzantine tradition across all three clauses

Clause A — “Our Father which art in heaven”

KJV/TR unit: Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς

Greek manuscripts

Supports the KJV/TR form

02 04 05 024 032 037 038 040 044 070 157 579 892 1241 33V

Grouped evidence: Family 13 · Maj

Latin, Syriac and Coptic

Supports the KJV/TR form

Curetonian Peshitta Harklean

Grouped evidence: Old Latin evidence on this line · Coptic evidence on this line

Greek manuscripts

Related or qualified evidence

Πάτερ ἡμῶν only

019 Armenian

Grouped evidence: several further manuscripts cited collectively

Greek manuscripts

Competing reading

Πάτερ

P75 01 03 019 22 700 1342

Grouped evidence: Family 1 · several further manuscripts cited collectively

Latin and Syriac

Competing reading

aur (VL15) Sinaitic

Grouped evidence: Vulgate tradition

Clause B — “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth”

KJV/TR unit: γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς

Greek manuscripts

Supports the KJV/TR form

01 02 04 05 024 032 037 038 040 044 070 157 579 700 892 33V

Grouped evidence: Family 13 · Maj

Latin, Syriac and Coptic

Supports the KJV/TR form

Peshitta Harklean Bohairic

Grouped evidence: Old Latin evidence on this line

Old Latin and Coptic

Related or qualified evidence

“Thy will be done” only

a (VL3) Sahidic Bohairic-manuscripts

Grouped evidence: some Vulgate manuscripts

Greek manuscripts

Competing reading

P75 03 019 22 1342

Grouped evidence: Family 1 · several further manuscripts cited collectively

Syriac and other versions

Competing reading

Sinaitic Curetonian Armenian

Grouped evidence: Vulgate tradition

Clause C — “but deliver us from evil”

KJV/TR unit: ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ

Greek manuscripts

Supports the KJV/TR form

02 04 05 07 010 011 012 013 017 032 037 038 041 044 070 33 565 892

Grouped evidence: Family 13 · Maj · lectionary evidence grouped in the apparatus

Old Latin

Supports the KJV/TR form

b (VL4) d (VL5) ff2 (VL8) i (VL17) f (VL10) q (VL13) aur (VL15) r1 (VL14) l (VL11)

Syriac, Coptic and other versions

Supports the KJV/TR form

Curetonian Peshitta Harklean Bohairic-part Ethiopic Slavonic Diatessaron-Arabic

Grouped evidence: some Vulgate manuscripts

Greek manuscripts

Related or qualified evidence

the clause placed after “earth” in verse 2

01C1

Greek manuscripts

Competing reading

P75 01* 01C2 03 019 700 1342

Grouped evidence: Family 1

Syriac, Coptic and other versions

Competing reading

Sinaitic Sahidic Bohairic-part Armenian Georgian

Grouped evidence: Vulgate tradition

The alternative second petition

KJV/TR unit: ἐλθέτω τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμά σου ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς καὶ καθαρισάτω ἡμᾶς

Greek manuscripts

Related or qualified evidence

700 162

Greek manuscripts

Related or qualified evidence

a related “upon us let your kingdom come” form

Old Latin

Related or qualified evidence

a related “upon us let your kingdom come” form

d (VL5)

Church Fathers and literary witnesses

Precisely located citations and additional names reported by the controlling apparatus are kept separate. An apparatus-level attribution is not presented as an independently verified exact quotation.

Tertullian

AD 201–233

Against Marcion 4

Competing witnessCitation type: Indirect report

Indirect report in Against Marcion 4.

Locator: Adversus Marcionem 4

Open source

Gregory of Nyssa

AD 367–400

Three passages contrasting Luke's petition with Matthew's

Competing witnessCitation type: Textual comment

Textual comment in Three passages contrasting Luke's petition with Matthew's.

Locator: Willker Luke, PDF p. 303

Open source

Evidence assessment

Why the KJV reading is retained

Primary support for the KJV reading

Byzantine tradition across all three clauses

Evidence represented on this page

Evidence types, without turning rows into votes.

GreekRepresented

LatinRepresented

Other versionsRepresented

FathersRepresented

Printed editionsNot listed

References

Editions and works cited.

Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung. New Testament Virtual Manuscript Room. Münster: University of Münster.
New Testament Virtual Manuscript Room
Aland, Barbara, et al., eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th rev. ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.
Robinson, Maurice A., and William G. Pierpont. The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2018. Nürnberg: VTR Publications, 2018.
The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2018
Tyndale House, Cambridge, ed. The Greek New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017.
Wieland Willker, A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels, Vol. 3: Luke. Luke 11:2–4, PDF pp. 301–303.
Open source
IGNTP, The New Testament in Greek: The Gospel According to St Luke, Parts 1–2 (OUP 1984, 1987). Comprehensive Luke collation.
Open source
INTF Kurzgefasste Liste / NTVMR manuscript metadata. Physical dates for the named Greek manuscripts.
Open source
Vetus Latina Gospel manuscripts register (ITSEE, University of Birmingham). Identity and physical date of the named Old Latin manuscripts.
Open source

Previous contested passage

Luke 9:55-56

The Rebuke and Saving Mission

Next contested passage

Luke 22:43-44

The Angel and Bloody Sweat

The Fuller Lord's Prayer

Luke 11:2-4 in the King James Bible

Where the evidence on this page comes from.

The earliest reviewed support at a glance.

Byzantine tradition across all three clauses

Complete roster within the stated source scope.

Clause A — “Our Father which art in heaven”

Greek manuscripts

Latin, Syriac and Coptic

Greek manuscripts

Greek manuscripts

Latin and Syriac

Clause B — “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth”

Greek manuscripts

Latin, Syriac and Coptic

Old Latin and Coptic

Greek manuscripts

Syriac and other versions

Clause C — “but deliver us from evil”

Greek manuscripts

Old Latin

Syriac, Coptic and other versions

Greek manuscripts

Greek manuscripts

Syriac, Coptic and other versions

The alternative second petition

Greek manuscripts

Greek manuscripts

Old Latin

Church Fathers and literary witnesses

Tertullian

Gregory of Nyssa

Why the KJV reading is retained

Evidence types, without turning rows into votes.

Editions and works cited.