Guide
Noncanonical Petitions of Biblical Characters
3rd Century BCE–4th Century CE
Restricted
By Carol Bakhos
Personal petitions attributed to biblical characters include the standard elements of petitionary prayers: praise of God, often with an emphasis on God’s kindness or mercy; a description of the petitioner’s plight; and a plea for help (see Petitionary Prayer). For more examples of petitionary prayers attributed to biblical characters, see Prayers of and about Women.
Related Primary Sources
Primary Source
Enoch’s Prayer before the Flood
Then I raised up my hands in righteousness and blessed the Holy and Great One; and I spoke with the breath of my mouth and the tongue of flesh which God has made for the children of the flesh, the…
Primary Source
Noah’s Prayer for His Sons
During the third week of this jubilee [1583–1589], impure demons began to mislead Noah’s grandchildren, to make them act foolishly and to destroy them. Then Noah’s sons came to their father Noah and…
Primary Source
Abraham’s Prayer for Protection and Good Counsel
That night he prayed and said:
My God, my God, God Most High,You alone are my God.You have created everything:Everything that was and has been is the product of your hands.You and your lordship I…
Primary Source
Abraham’s Prayer for Isaac’s Descendants
And Abraham worshipped and prayed in the name of the Memra of the Lord and said: “I beseech by the mercy that is before you, O Lord:—everything is manifest and known before you—that there was no…
Primary Source
Moses’ Prayer to See the Land
And I prayed and besought mercy from before the Lord in that hour saying:
“Lord, I beseech you, by the mercy that is before you, Lord, you have begun to show your servant…
Primary Source
Baruch’s Prayer for Enlightenment
And I asked the Mighty One and said:
You alone, O Lord, knew the heights of the world beforehand and that which will happen in the times which you bring about by your word. And…