Aramaic in the New Testament

Abba

Matthew 21:9, 15; Mark 11:9–10; John 12:13 ὡσαννά Hosanna = “Save us!” — Cf. Psalm 118:25–26 אָנָּ֣א יְ֭הוָה הֹושִׁ֘יעָ֥ה נָּ֑א אָֽנָּ֥א יְ֝הוָ֗ה הַצְלִ֘יחָ֥ה נָּֽא׃ בָּר֣וּךְ הַ֭בָּא בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה בֵּ֝רַֽכְנוּכֶ֗ם מִבֵּ֥ית יְהוָֽה׃ — See Psalm 86:2; Jeremiah 31:7; Didache 10:6.

Akeldama

Matthew 27:16 Βαραββᾶς Barabbas < בַּר אַבָּא

Barnabas

Acts 1:23; 15:22b Βαρσαββᾶν Barsabban = “Barsabbas” < בַּר סָבָא | בַּר שְׁבָא

Bar Jesus

Bar-Jonah

Bartimaeus

Bartholomew

Bethesda

Mark 15:34 ελωι ελωι λεμα σαβαχθανι Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? = “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” > אֱלָהִי אֱלָהִי לְמָה שְׁבַקְתַּנִי — Cf. Ps 22:2 (22:1) אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזבְתָּנִי — See Ezr 6:7a.

Mark 7:34 Eφφαθα (Ephphatha = “Be opened”) < אפתה < פתח Cf. Ezekiel 33:22 וְאִתְפְתַח פוּמִי | וַיִּפָּתַח פִּי; Genesis 49:1 in Targum Neofiti דרתפתח ליה תרעא = “the door was opened to him” > די אפתח ליה תרעא = “the door was opened to him”

Matthew 27:46 ηλι ηλι λεμα σαβαχθανι Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? = “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” > אֵלִי אֵלִי לְמָה שְׁבַקְתַּנִי — Cf. Ps 22:2 (22:1) אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזבְתָּנִי — See Ezr 6:7a.

Golgotha

Kananaios

John 1:42 Κηφᾶς Kepha = Πέτρος Petros = “Peter”

Mammon

1 Corinthians 16:22 Μαρὰν ἀθα Maran•atha¹ | Μαρανα θα Marana•tha² = “Our Lord, come!” > מָרָן אֲתָא | מָרַנָא תָא | מָרָנָה אֳתָא — מָרֵא > κύριος = “Lord” — Cf. 4Q202 = 4QEn^b; אתה (Peal perfect 3rd person masculine singular) | אתה (Peal imperative masculine singular) Cf. Revelation 20:22.

Luke 10:38 Μάρθα Martha

Messiah

Pascha

Rabboni

Raqa

Sikera

Acts 9:36, 40 Ταβιθά (Tabitha = Δορκάς Dorcas = “Gazelle”) Cf. Deuteronomy 12:12a LXX “Just as the gazelle is eaten” and MT “But just as the meat of the gazelle is eaten”, Deut. 12:22a in Targum Onkelos בְּרַם כְּמָא דִי מִתְאֲכֵל בְּשַׂר טַבְיָא = “But just as the meat of the gazelle is eaten”; Acts 9:36 in Peshitta ܐܺܝܬ݂ ܗ݈ܘܳܐ ܕ݁ܶܝܢ ܬ݁ܰܠܡܺܝܕ݁ܬ݁ܳܐ ܚܕ݂ܳܐ ܒ݁ܝܳܘܦ݁ܺܐ ܡܕ݂ܺܝܢ݈ܬ݁ܳܐ ܕ݁ܰܫܡܳܗ ܗܘܳܐ ܛܒ݂ܺܝܬ݂ܳܐ (טבִיתָא) ܗܳܕ݂ܶܐ ܥܰܬ݁ܺܝܪܳܐ ܗ݈ܘܳܬ݂ ܒ݁ܰܥܒ݂ܳܕ݂ܶܐ ܛܳܒ݂ܶܐ ܘܰܒ݂ܙܶܕ݂ܩܳܬ݂ܳܐ ܕ݁ܥܳܒ݂ܕ݁ܳܐ ܗ݈ܘܳܬ݂ ܀

Mark 5:41 ταλιθᾶ κούμ³ | Ταλιθὰ κοῦμι⁴ (Talitha kum | Talitha kumi = “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”) < קוּמִי (Peal imperative feminine singular) | קוּם (Peal imperative masculine singular) — Cf. Genesis 34:4 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁכֶ֔ם אֶל־חֲמֹ֥ור אָבִ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר קַֽח־לִ֛י אֶת־הַיַּלְדָּ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ Genesis 34:4 in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan ואמר שׁכם לחמור אבוי למימר סב לי ית טליתא הדא לאינתו > טַלִיתָא

Bibliography

• Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Universität Münster. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, and United Bible Societies. The Greek New Testament. Fourth revised edition / edited by Barbara Aland … [et al.]. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2001.
• Cook, Edward M. Dictionary of Qumran Aramaic. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 2015, s.v. נא.
• Danker, Frederick W., Walter Bauer, and William Arndt. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000, s.v. ὡσαννά.
• Frank, Yitzḥak, and Yitzḥak Frank. Grammar for Gemara and Targum Onkelos: An Introduction to Aramaic. 2nd ed. Jerusalem, Israel : Nanuet, NY: Ariel, United Israel Institutes ; Feldheim Publishers, 5769.
• Khan, Geoffrey. The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew: Including a Critical Edition and English Translation of the Sections on Consonants and Vowels in the Masoretic Treatise Hidāyat al-Qāriʾ “Guide for the Reader.” Vol. 1. 2 vols., 2020. https://www.doabooks.org/doab?func=fulltext&uiLanguage=en&rid=44530.
• Levine, Amy-Jill, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Annotated New Testament: New Revised Standard Version Bible Translation. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, 52.
• Messmer, Andrew. “Maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22): Reconstruction and Translation Based on Western Middle Aramaic,” JBL 139 (2020): 361–383.
• Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. 2nd ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Biblegesellschaft, 1998, 58.
• NT Aramaic Intro, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpaD5gAjlDc.
• Wellhausen, Julius. Das Evangelium Marci. Berlin: Georg Reimer, 1903), 60.
• “Codex Sinaiticus – See The Manuscript | Mark |.” Accessed July 21, 2024. https://codexsinaiticus.org/en/manuscript.aspx?__VIEWSTATEGENERATOR=01FB804F&book=34&chapter=15&lid=en&side=r&verse=34&zoomSlider=0.
• Cambridge Digital Library. “Western Medieval Manuscripts : Codex Bezae.” Accessed July 21, 2024. https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk//view/MS-NN-00002-00041/671.

1. Μαρὰν ἀθα according to the Η ΚΑΙΝΗ ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ The New Testament: The Greek Text Underlying the English Authorised Version of 1611. Trinitarian Bible Society, 1976. ↩︎
2. Μαρανα θα according to Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Universität Münster. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, and United Bible Societies. The Greek New Testament. Fourth revised edition / edited by Barbara Aland … [et al.]. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2001. ↩︎
3. ταλιθᾶ κούμ according to Holmes, Michael W., and Society of Biblical Literature, eds. Greek New Testament: SBL edition. Atlanta, Georgia : Bellingham, Washington: Society of Biblical Literature ; Logos Bible Software, 2010. ↩︎
4. Ταλιθὰ κοῦμι according to the Η ΚΑΙΝΗ ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ The New Testament: The Greek Text Underlying the English Authorised Version of 1611. Trinitarian Bible Society, 1976. ↩︎