| Site Map | Contacts | Links | Newsletter | |
Languages:
Aramaic
Why learn Aramaic?
- About 200 verses of the Old Testament are written in Aramaic, mainly in Ezra 4:6-6:18, 7:12-26, and Daniel 2:4-7:28. There is also a sentence in Aramaic in Jeremiah 10:11 and two words in Genesis 31:17. There are also "Aramaism" like in Judges 5.
- Jesus probably spoke Aramaic which was the common language spoken in Palestine. Some words in the New Testament are Aramaic. Originally the gospel of Matthew was probably written in Aramaic.
- According to Jewish tradition, Adam spoke Aramaic (b. Sanhedrin 38b). This is probably not true.
- The Targums are Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Old Testament. They help us understand how they interpreted scripture.
- The Talmud and other Rabbinic literature was written in Aramaic. Several Dead Sea Scrolls are written in Aramaic. Masoretic notes of the Hebrew Bible are also in Aramaic.
- The Nabateans used Aramaic. Their capital was Petra.
- The later Syrian Church used Aramaic as well as the Gnostic sect the Mandeans (followers of John The Baptist who fled the destruction of Jerusalem to Iraq). The Peshitta (simple) translation of the Bible was written in a dialect of Aramaic called Syriac.
- Aramaic is still a spoken language in small areas of Syria, turkey, Iraq, and Iran.
Introduction
In ancient texts Aramaic was called Chaldean or Syrian. It is named after ancient Arameans who lived in the area of modern day Syria.
Aramaic belongs to the same family of languages as Hebrew called Northwest Semitic languages.
Aramaic is divided into several dialects according to chronology.
- Old or Ancient Aramaic: 900-700 BC.
- Official or Imperial Aramaic: 700-332 BC. This was the official administrative language of the Persian empire (4th-6th centuries BC). The Book of Daniel is in this category. After the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC) the Jews adopted the Aramean form of the originally Phoenician alphabet.
- Middle Aramaic: From the time of the Greeks 332 BC to the 2nd century AD. This is what was spoken at the time of Christ and used in the New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, some Targums, and by the Nabateans.
- Late Aramaic: From the 2nd to 9th centuries AD. This includes the Talmud and other Rabbinic literature. After the Islamic conquest most began to speak Arabic.
- Modern Aramaic: Spoken in some villages in Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.
Targums
Rabbinic Literature
Aramaic and Hebrew words that are the same
| father.......................... | ba^ |
| stone........................... | /b#a# |
| brother........................ | ja^ |
| after............................. | yr}j&a^ |
| eat............................... | lka |
| these........................... | hL\a@ |
| say............................. | rma |
| in................................ | -B= |
| between...................... | /yb} |
| house.......................... | ty]B~ |
| build............................ | hnb |
| bless............................ | irb |
| reveal.......................... | hlg |
| judgment..................... | /yD] |
| he................................ | aWh |
| she............................... | ayh] |
| go................................ | ilh |
| and.............................. | -w= |
| time............................. | /m`z= |
| see.............................. | hzh |
| live.............................. | hyh |
| strength....................... | ly]j~ |
| wisdom........................ | hm`k=j` |
| be gracious.................. | /nj |
| magician....................... | <{fr=j~ |
| consider....................... | bvj |
| seal.............................. | <tj |
| hand............................ | dy~ |
| know........................... | lky |
| day.............................. | <w{y |
| be able......................... | lky |
| sea............................... | <y~ |
| add.............................. | [sy |
| like, as......................... | -K= |
| all................................ | l{K |
| thus.............................. | /K} |
| write............................ | btk |
| to................................. | -l= |
| heart............................ | bl}, bb~l= |
| wear............................ | vbl |
| scroll............................ | hL`g]m= |
| what............................ | hm~ |
| be full........................... | alm |
| word............................ | hL`m] |
| king.............................. | i==l\m\ |
| queen........................... | hK`l=m~ |
| from............................. | /m] |
| count........................... | hnm |
| prophesy(verb)............. | abn |
| prophecy(noun)............ | ha`Wbn+ |
| fall............................... | lpn |
| lift up........................... | acn |
| give............................. | /tn |
| end.............................. | [w{s |
| until.............................. | du~ |
| still............................... | dw{u |
| bird.............................. | [w{u |
| eye.............................. | /y]u~ |
| on................................ | lu~ |
| Most High.................... | /w{ylu\] |
| with............................. | <u] |
| people......................... | <u~ |
| answer......................... | hnu |
| open............................ | jtp |
| rise.............................. | <Wq |
| buy.............................. | hnq |
| call.............................. | arq |
| draw near.................... | brq |
| battle........................... | br`q+ |
| horn............................. | /rq |
| wind............................. | j~Wr |
| height........................... | <Wr |
| ask.............................. | lav |
| praise........................... | jBv |
| dwell........................... | /kv |
| send............................ | jlv |
| hear............................. | umv |
| be low......................... | lpv |
| drink............................ | htv |
| resemble...................... | hmd |
Online Course on Aramaic
Introductory Lessons in Aramaic
For people without previous knowledge of Semitic languages, or training in linguistics. Excellent starting place for beginners. Complete this course for your 2 year Bible program. This is web page is offsite.
Books
Most people who learn ancient Aramaic have learned Hebrew first. If you are interested in Biblical Aramaic, I recommend the study of Hebrew first.
- The Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic. By Alger F. Johns, Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press, 1972.
- Targum Pseudo-Jonathan: Genesis. 1992. Translation by Michael Maher. Collegeville: Liturgical Press. English translation of the Aramaic.
- Targum Pseudo-Neofiti I: Exodus. 1994. Translation by Martin McNamara. Collegeville: Liturgical Press. English translation of the Aramaic. This series has most of the Old Testament targums translated into English.
- The Targums & Rabbinic Literature: An Introduction to Jewish Interpretation of Scripture. (Genesis). By John Bowker. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1969.
- The Bible in Aramaic. Edited by Alexander Sperber. Leiden: Brill, 1959. (Aramaic text of the Hebrew Bible, no English).
- Hebrew Aramaic English Dictionary. Complied by Marcus Jastrow. 2 Volumes. New York: Shalom Publications, 1967. A Dictionary of the Targums, the Talmud, and Midrashic Literature. For Biblical Aramaic most Hebrew Dictionaries include the Biblical Aramaic words.
Key Links
- Aramaic Targum Search It helps if you know Aramaic.
- www.Peshitta.org The Gospels and Acts in Aramaic, including an introduction to the language and an interlinear Aramaic-English text.
- Learn Assyrian Online (Aramaic letters, words, songs, and history)
- Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon
- ARAMAIC -Lord's Prayer in Aramaic