Aramaic

Occurrences in the Bible

Aramaic Passages in the Old Testament

Although most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, several portions are written in Aramaic.

• Ezra 4:8–6:18; 7:12–26: These sections contain official correspondence between Persian officials and royal decrees. Ezra 4:7 states that the letter was "written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue," that is, in Aramaic.
• Daniel 2:4b through 7:28: The Aramaic section begins in Daniel 2:4 with the words "Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack."
• Jeremiah 10:11: A single verse concerning idols is written in Aramaic.
• Genesis 31:47: The heap of stones that Jacob called "Galeed" in Hebrew, Laban called "Jegarsahadutha" in Aramaic. Both names mean "heap of witness."

In 2 Kings 18:26 (Isaiah 36:11), Hezekiah's officials ask the Assyrian commander to speak in Aramaic rather than in the language of Judah, so that the people would not understand. In this scene Aramaic appears not as the language of the common people but as the language of diplomats.

Aramaic Words Preserved in the New Testament

Although the New Testament was written in Greek, in several places it transliterates Aramaic words and supplies their meaning.

• Talitha cumi ("Damsel, I say unto thee, arise," Mark 5:41)
• Ephphatha ("Be opened," Mark 7:34)
• Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani (Mark 15:34): the cry from the cross. Matthew 27:46 renders it "Eli, Eli." See Seven Last Words of Christ.
• Abba (Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6)
• Maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22)
• Cephas (John 1:42): the name given to Peter, meaning "rock."
• Aceldama ("The field of blood," Acts 1:19); Tabitha (Acts 9:36)

The Gospel of John introduces terms such as Golgotha (19:17), Gabbatha (19:13), Bethesda (5:2), and Rabboni (20:16) as being "in the Hebrew tongue." Scholars hold that many of these words are in fact Aramaic. This is generally understood to reflect the usage of the time, when the language spoken by Jews was referred to broadly as "Hebrew." The element "Bar-" in names such as Barnabas, Barabbas, and Bartimaeus is Aramaic for "son."

Background

Aramaic was the language of the Arameans, the people of the Syrian region centered on Damascus. During the Assyrian period it became established as an international language of diplomacy, and in the Persian Empire it was widely used as the official language of administration. Like Hebrew, it belongs to the Semitic language family, and the two languages are closely related in grammar and vocabulary.

After the Babylonian exile, the everyday language of the Jews gradually shifted to Aramaic. In the synagogue a custom arose of reading the Hebrew Scriptures and then rendering them into Aramaic; the written forms of these renderings are known as the Targums. The Dead Sea Scrolls also include Aramaic texts. The Peshitta, a translation of the Bible into Syriac, a branch of Aramaic, remains in use today in the traditions of the Eastern churches.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The Aramaic passages of the Old Testament record the history of Israel living under the rule of Gentile empires. The fact that God's people lived within a foreign linguistic world is thus reflected in the very language of the text. In the New Testament period, Aramaic was the language of daily life for the people of Galilee and Judea. The Gospel writers left some of the words of Jesus untranslated, preserving them as they originally sounded.

Interpretations and Debates

• The language of Jesus: The prevailing scholarly view is that Jesus spoke Aramaic in everyday life. Scholars differ on the extent to which he also used Hebrew or Greek.
• The original language of the New Testament: Some within the Syriac tradition advocate "Aramaic primacy," the view that the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic. Most scholars and the great majority of churches, however, hold that the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Early church writings preserve a tradition that Matthew recorded the sayings of the Lord "in the Hebrew language," but interpretations differ as to its meaning and reliability.
• The cry from the cross: The difference between "Eloi" in Mark and "Eli" in Matthew is commonly explained as a difference between Aramaic and Hebrew forms.

In the Korean Church

Aramaic expressions such as "Talitha cumi," "Ephphatha," "Abba, Father," and "Maranatha" are frequently cited in sermons to explain the meaning of the original language. They are also commonly used as titles of worship songs and as names of gatherings and ministries.