Introduction to Aramaic I
An Introduction to Aramaic: Part One
By Andrew Missick
Copyright 2005
The Cry from the Cross
Eloi,Eloi, Lama Sabachtani!!
Turn with me in your Bible to the Gospel of Mark 15:34. Here we find Jesus Christ on the cross of Golgotha suffering for the sins of the whole world.
“And at the ninth hour (three o’clock) Jesus cried out with a loud
voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabachtani?” Which, translated
(from the Aramaic), is, “My God, my God why hast thou
forsaken me?”
In Hebrew it is, “Eli, Eli, lama azabtani”. Jesus was not speaking Hebrew but Aramaic, the sister language of Hebrew. [1] Jesus spoke these words shortly before he died. Many have been confused at the meaning of these words. Some people believe that Jesus cried these words in despair as he neared death and realized that his messianic hope was false.[2] Many Christians understand this to mean that God the Father looked away from Christ because, “he who knew no sin became sin on our behalf”- (2 Cor. 5:21). In this understanding God the Father looked away from God the Son when the Son took upon himself the guilt of the sins of all humanity on the cross.
Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 from the cross. This prophetic Psalm was written 1,000 years before the birth of our Lord. It perfectly describes everything Christ endured on our behalf upon the cross.
When comparing Psalm 22 with the story of Jesus’ crucifixion amazing parallels appear:
· Jesus is mocked for his trust in God
Psalm 22:6-8 and Mark 15:29-32
· Jesus suffers thirst
Psalm 22:15 and John 19:28-29
· Jesus’ hands and feet are pierced
Psalm 22:16 and Luke 23:33[3]
· Roman soldiers took Christ’s clothes, divided them up and gambled for them
Psalm 22:18 and Matthew 27:35
Many people wonder why it was necessary for Jesus to die. The answer to this question is found in a prophecy written several hundreds of years before the time of Christ.
Isaiah wrote about Jesus in Isaiah 53:3-12.
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by
his stripes we are healed.”[4]
Jesus took the punishment for our sins that we deserve upon himself when he died on the cross. He made a way for everyone to be saved by trusting in him. He proved that he accomplished this by raising from the dead 3 days after his suffering (Acts 17:31, 1 Peter 1:3).
What Languages Did They Speak?
The Word of God contains two sections, approximately 4/5 of the Bible is the Old Testament, which is the Bible of the Jews, and approximately 1/5 of the Bible is the New Testament, which contains the story of Jesus, the early church and the Christian message. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The New Testament is written in Greek, but it also contains many Aramaic words and phrases.
Aramaic is a Semitic language, which means it is related to Hebrew and Arabic. Aramaic is not Arabic, neither is it a form of Hebrew, nor is Hebrew a form of Aramaic. They are distinct Semitic languages.
At the time of Jesus in the Holy Land, Jesus and the Apostles spoke and taught in Aramaic. They learned Hebrew through schooling and were fully literate in it. Many Jews in the Holy Land at the time of Christ were also familiar with Greek. From many references in the scripture, such as Mark 15:34, we know that Jesus spoke Aramaic as his first language. Biblical archeologist and author Alan Millard stated that, “A Jewish Craftsman’s son brought up in Nazareth, a town on a main road, could be expected to talk in Aramaic, to use Greek when necessary, and to have more than a reading knowledge of Hebrew.”[5]
[1] F.F. Bruce The Books and the Parchments (Pickering & Inglis, London 1978 p. 56
[2] Harry Kemelman Conversations With Rabbi Small (Fawcett Crest, New York) p. 155
[3] Also note John 19:37 and Zechariah 12:10. There was a controversy concerning Psalm 22:16. The Hebrew Masoretic texts reads “Like a lion are my hands and my feet”. Jews accused Christians of altering the text. The true culprits were exposed by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Here the original reading of “They have pierced my hands and my feet” has been preserved. Martin Abegg Jr, Peter Finch & Eugene Ulrich The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: the Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English (Harper, San Francisco, 1999) p. 518-519
[4] Rabbis say the “Suffering Servant” spoken of in Isaiah 53 is the nation of Israel, but the Aramaic Targums identify the Suffering Servant as the Messiah. See Y’shua: The Jewish Way to say Jesus (Moody Press, Chicago) p.69-78
[5] Alan Millard Discoveries From the Time of Jesus p. 194-195
By Andrew Missick
Copyright 2005
The Cry from the Cross
Eloi,Eloi, Lama Sabachtani!!
Turn with me in your Bible to the Gospel of Mark 15:34. Here we find Jesus Christ on the cross of Golgotha suffering for the sins of the whole world.
“And at the ninth hour (three o’clock) Jesus cried out with a loud
voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabachtani?” Which, translated
(from the Aramaic), is, “My God, my God why hast thou
forsaken me?”
In Hebrew it is, “Eli, Eli, lama azabtani”. Jesus was not speaking Hebrew but Aramaic, the sister language of Hebrew. [1] Jesus spoke these words shortly before he died. Many have been confused at the meaning of these words. Some people believe that Jesus cried these words in despair as he neared death and realized that his messianic hope was false.[2] Many Christians understand this to mean that God the Father looked away from Christ because, “he who knew no sin became sin on our behalf”- (2 Cor. 5:21). In this understanding God the Father looked away from God the Son when the Son took upon himself the guilt of the sins of all humanity on the cross.
Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 from the cross. This prophetic Psalm was written 1,000 years before the birth of our Lord. It perfectly describes everything Christ endured on our behalf upon the cross.
When comparing Psalm 22 with the story of Jesus’ crucifixion amazing parallels appear:
· Jesus is mocked for his trust in God
Psalm 22:6-8 and Mark 15:29-32
· Jesus suffers thirst
Psalm 22:15 and John 19:28-29
· Jesus’ hands and feet are pierced
Psalm 22:16 and Luke 23:33[3]
· Roman soldiers took Christ’s clothes, divided them up and gambled for them
Psalm 22:18 and Matthew 27:35
Many people wonder why it was necessary for Jesus to die. The answer to this question is found in a prophecy written several hundreds of years before the time of Christ.
Isaiah wrote about Jesus in Isaiah 53:3-12.
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by
his stripes we are healed.”[4]
Jesus took the punishment for our sins that we deserve upon himself when he died on the cross. He made a way for everyone to be saved by trusting in him. He proved that he accomplished this by raising from the dead 3 days after his suffering (Acts 17:31, 1 Peter 1:3).
What Languages Did They Speak?
The Word of God contains two sections, approximately 4/5 of the Bible is the Old Testament, which is the Bible of the Jews, and approximately 1/5 of the Bible is the New Testament, which contains the story of Jesus, the early church and the Christian message. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The New Testament is written in Greek, but it also contains many Aramaic words and phrases.
Aramaic is a Semitic language, which means it is related to Hebrew and Arabic. Aramaic is not Arabic, neither is it a form of Hebrew, nor is Hebrew a form of Aramaic. They are distinct Semitic languages.
At the time of Jesus in the Holy Land, Jesus and the Apostles spoke and taught in Aramaic. They learned Hebrew through schooling and were fully literate in it. Many Jews in the Holy Land at the time of Christ were also familiar with Greek. From many references in the scripture, such as Mark 15:34, we know that Jesus spoke Aramaic as his first language. Biblical archeologist and author Alan Millard stated that, “A Jewish Craftsman’s son brought up in Nazareth, a town on a main road, could be expected to talk in Aramaic, to use Greek when necessary, and to have more than a reading knowledge of Hebrew.”[5]
[1] F.F. Bruce The Books and the Parchments (Pickering & Inglis, London 1978 p. 56
[2] Harry Kemelman Conversations With Rabbi Small (Fawcett Crest, New York) p. 155
[3] Also note John 19:37 and Zechariah 12:10. There was a controversy concerning Psalm 22:16. The Hebrew Masoretic texts reads “Like a lion are my hands and my feet”. Jews accused Christians of altering the text. The true culprits were exposed by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Here the original reading of “They have pierced my hands and my feet” has been preserved. Martin Abegg Jr, Peter Finch & Eugene Ulrich The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: the Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English (Harper, San Francisco, 1999) p. 518-519
[4] Rabbis say the “Suffering Servant” spoken of in Isaiah 53 is the nation of Israel, but the Aramaic Targums identify the Suffering Servant as the Messiah. See Y’shua: The Jewish Way to say Jesus (Moody Press, Chicago) p.69-78
[5] Alan Millard Discoveries From the Time of Jesus p. 194-195
posted by Andrew Missick at 6:52 AM
1 Comments:
Stephen, you are doing a terrific job in presenting the Aramaic language of Jesus.
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