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{{Short description|Variety of Aramaic used in the Hebrew Bible}}
{{Short description|Variety of Aramaic used in the Hebrew Bible}}
{{about|the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible|the use of Aramaic in the New Testament|Aramaic of Jesus}}
{{About|the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible|the use of Aramaic in the New Testament|Aramaic of Jesus}}
{{Bible related}}
{{redirect|Chaldaic language (misnomer)|other uses|Chaldean (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Chaldaic language (misnomer)|other uses|Chaldean (disambiguation)}}
{{Bible related}}


'''Biblical Aramaic''' is the form of [[Aramaic]] that is used in the books of [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] and [[Book of Ezra|Ezra]]<ref>and Gen. 31:47, Jer. 10:11</ref> in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. It should not be confused with the Aramaic paraphrases, explanations and expansions of the Hebrew scriptures, which are known as ''[[targum]]im''.
'''Biblical Aramaic''' is the form of [[Aramaic]] that is used in the books of [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] and [[Book of Ezra|Ezra]]<ref>and Gen. 31:47, Jer. 10:11</ref> in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. It should not be confused with the [[Targum]]s – Aramaic paraphrases, explanations and expansions of the Hebrew scriptures.


==History==
==History==
During the [[Babylonian captivity]] of the Jews, which began around 600 BC, the language spoken by the Jews started to change from [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] to [[Aramaic]], and [[Aramaic alphabet|Aramaic square script]] replaced the [[Paleo-Hebrew alphabet]].<ref>Moshe Beer, "Judaism (Babylonian)" Anchor Bible Dictionary 3 (1996), p. 1080.</ref> After the [[Achaemenid Empire]] annexed the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] in 539 BC, Aramaic became the main language of public life and administration. [[Darius the Great]] declared<ref>Saul Shaked, "Aramaic" Encyclopedia Iranica 2 (New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987), p. 251</ref> [[Imperial Aramaic]] to be the [[official language]] of the western half of his empire in 500 BC, and it is that Imperial Aramaic that forms the basis of Biblical Aramaic.{{sfn|Gzella|2015|p=206}}
As [[Imperial Aramaic]] had served as a ''[[lingua franca]]'' throughout the [[Ancient Near East]] from the second half of the 8th century BCE to the end of the 4th century BCE,{{sfn|Bae|2004|p=1–20}}{{sfn|Gzella|2015|p=104-211}} [[Areal linguistics|linguistic contact]] with even the oldest stages of [[Biblical Hebrew]], the main language of the Hebrew Bible, is easily accounted for.


[[Biblical Hebrew]] was gradually reduced to the status of a [[Sacred language|liturgical language]] and a language of theological learning, and the Jews of the [[Second Temple period]] that started in 516 BC would have spoken a western form of [[Old Aramaic]] until their partial [[Hellenistic Judaism|Hellenization]] from the 3rd century BC and the eventual emergence of [[Middle Aramaic]] in the 3rd century BC.
During the [[Babylonian exile]] of the Jews, which began in the early 6th century BCE, the language spoken by the Jews started to change from Hebrew to Aramaic, and [[Aramaic alphabet|Aramaic square script]] replaced the [[Paleo-Hebrew alphabet]].<ref>Moshe Beer, "Judaism (Babylonian)" Anchor Bible Dictionary 3 (1996), p. 1080.</ref> After the [[Achaemenid Empire]] annexed the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] in 539 BCE, Aramaic became the main language of public life and administration. King [[Darius the Great]] declared<ref>Saul Shaked, "Aramaic" Encyclopedia Iranica 2 (New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987), p. 251</ref> [[Imperial Aramaic]] to be the [[official language]] of the western half of his empire in 500 BCE, and it is that Imperial Aramaic that forms the basis of Biblical Aramaic.{{sfn|Gzella|2015|p=206}}


As [[Imperial Aramaic]] had served as a ''[[lingua franca]]'' throughout the [[Ancient Near East]] from the second half of the 8th century BC to the end of the 4th century BC,{{sfn|Bae|2004|p=1–20}}{{sfn|Gzella|2015|p=104-211}} [[Areal linguistics|linguistic contact]] with even the oldest stages of Biblical Hebrew, the main language of the Hebrew Bible, is easily accounted for.
Biblical Hebrew was gradually reduced to the status of a [[liturgical language]] and a language of theological learning, and the Jews of the [[Second Temple period]] that started in 516 BC would have spoken a western form of Old Aramaic until their partial [[Hellenistic Judaism|Hellenization]] from the 3rd century BC and the eventual emergence of [[Middle Aramaic]] in the 3rd century AD.


Biblical Aramaic's relative chronology has been debated mostly in the context of [[Book of Daniel#Dating|dating the Book of Daniel]]. In 1929, Rowley argued that its origin must be later than the 6th century BC and that the language was more similar to the [[Targums]] than to the Imperial Aramaic documents available at his time.<ref>{{Cite book| first= Harold Henry |last=Rowley |title= The Aramaic of the Old Testament: A Grammatical and Lexical Study of Its Relations with Other Early Aramaic Dialects |year=1929 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London |oclc=67575204}}{{Page needed| date = September 2010}}</ref>
Biblical Aramaic's relative chronology has been debated mostly in the context of [[Book of Daniel#Dating|dating the Book of Daniel]]. In 1929, Harold Rowley argued that its origin must be later than the 6th century BC and that the language was more similar to the [[targum]]s than to the Imperial Aramaic documents available at his time.<ref>{{Cite book| first= Harold Henry |last=Rowley |title= The Aramaic of the Old Testament: A Grammatical and Lexical Study of Its Relations with Other Early Aramaic Dialects |year=1929 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London |oclc=67575204}}{{Page needed| date = September 2010}}</ref>


Others have argued that the language most closely resembles the 5th-century BC [[Elephantine papyri]], and so is a good representative of typical Imperial Aramaic, including Jongtae Choi's Ph.D. dissertation at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.<ref>Choi, Jongtae (1994), "The Aramaic of Daniel: Its Date, Place of Composition and Linguistic Comparison with Extra-Biblical Texts," Ph. D. dissertation (Deerfield, IL: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) [http://www.worldcat.org/title/notes-on-some-problems-in-the-book-of-daniel/oclc/OCLC 33125990] xvii, 288 pp.</ref> [[Kenneth Kitchen]] takes an agnostic position and states that the Aramaic of the Book of Daniel is compatible with any period from the 5th to early 2nd century BC.{{sfn|Kitchen|1965|p=31–79}}
Others have argued that the language most closely resembles the 5th-century BC [[Elephantine papyri]], and so is a good representative of typical Imperial Aramaic, including Jongtae Choi's doctoral [[Thesis|dissertation]] at [[Trinity Evangelical Divinity School]].<ref>Choi, Jongtae (1994), "The Aramaic of Daniel: Its Date, Place of Composition and Linguistic Comparison with Extra-Biblical Texts," Ph. D. dissertation (Deerfield, IL: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) [http://www.worldcat.org/title/notes-on-some-problems-in-the-book-of-daniel/oclc/OCLC 33125990] xvii, 288 pp.</ref> [[Kenneth Kitchen]] takes an agnostic position and states that the Aramaic of the Book of Daniel is compatible with any period from the 5th to early 2nd century BC.{{sfn|Kitchen|1965|p=31–79}}


==Aramaic and Hebrew==
==Aramaic and Hebrew==
Biblical Hebrew is the main language of the Hebrew Bible. Aramaic accounts for only about 250 verses out of a total of over 23,000. Biblical Aramaic is closely related to Hebrew, as both are in the [[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]] language family. Some obvious similarities and differences are listed below:<ref>The following information is taken from: Alger F. Johns, ''A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic'' (Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press, 1972), pp. 5-7.</ref>
Biblical Hebrew is the main language of the Hebrew Bible. Aramaic accounts for only 269<ref>{{Cite book |last=Van Pelt |first=Miles V |title=Basics of Biblical Aramaic: Complete Grammar, Lexicon, and Annotated Text |publisher=Zondervan |year=2011 |isbn=9780310493914 |edition=2nd |location=Grand Rapids |pages=x}}</ref> verses out of a total of over 23,000. Biblical Aramaic is closely related to Hebrew, as both are in the [[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]] language family. Some obvious similarities and differences are listed below:<ref>The following information is taken from: Alger F. Johns, ''A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic'' (Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press, 1972), pp. 5-7.</ref>


===Similarities===
===Similarities===
Hebrew and Aramaic have simplified the inflections of the noun, adjective and verb. These are more highly inflected in [[classical Arabic]], [[Akkadian language|Babylonian]] and [[Ugaritic]].

Hebrew and Aramaic have simplified the inflections of the noun, adjective and verb. These are more highly inflected in classical Arabic, Babylonian and Ugaritic.


===Differences===
===Differences===
* The definite article is a suffixed -ā (א) in Aramaic (an emphatic or determined state), but a prefixed h- (ה) in Hebrew.
* The [[Article (grammar)#Definite article|definite article]] is a [[suffix]]ed -ā (א) in Aramaic (an emphatic or determined state), but a [[prefix]]ed h- (ה) in Hebrew.
* Aramaic is not a [[Canaanite languages|Canaanite language]] and so did not experience the [[Canaanite vowel shift]] from *''ā'' to ''ō''.
* Aramaic is not a [[Canaanite languages|Canaanite language]] and so did not experience the [[Canaanite vowel shift]] from *''ā'' to ''ō''.
* In Aramaic, the preposition [[dalet]] functions as a conjunction and is often used instead of the construct to indicate the genitive/possessive relationship.
* In Aramaic, the preposition [[dalet]] functions as a conjunction and is often used instead of the construct to indicate the genitive/possessive relationship.
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|-
|-
!Proto-Semitic
!Proto-Semitic
!Arabic
!Hebrew
!Hebrew
!Aramaic
!Aramaic
|-
|-
|ð, δ || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ז</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ד</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ذ]]}}</big>|| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ז</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ד</span>}}
|-
|-
|z
|z || colspan=2 | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ז</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ز]]}}</big>|| colspan="2" | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ז</span>}}
|-
|-
|t
|t || colspan=2 | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ת</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ت]]}}</big>|| colspan="2" | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ת</span>}}
|-
|-
|θ ||{{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׁ</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ת</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ث]]}}</big>||{{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׁ</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ת</span>}}
|-
|-
|ś || colspan=2 | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׂ</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ش]]}}</big>|| colspan="2" | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׂ</span>}}
|-
|-
|š || colspan=2 | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׁ</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[س]]}}</big>|| colspan="2" | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׁ</span>}}
|-
|-
|s
|s || colspan=2 | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ס</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[س]]}}</big>|| colspan="2" | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ס</span>}}
|-
|-
|ṣ
|θ̣ || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">צ</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ט</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ص]]}}</big>|| colspan="2" | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">צ</span>}}
|-
|-
|ṣ́
||| colspan=2 | {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">צ</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ض]]}}</big>|| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">צ</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ק</span>}}, {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ע</span>}}
|-
|-
|θ̣
|ṣ́ || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">צ</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ק</span>}}, {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ע</span>}}
|<big>{{Script/Arabic|[[ظ]]}}</big>|| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">צ</span>}} || {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">ט</span>}}
|}
|}


==Aramaic in the Hebrew Bible==
==In the Hebrew Bible==


=== Undisputed occurrences ===
=== Undisputed occurrences ===
* [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 31:47{{spaced ndash}}translation of a Hebrew placename, Jegar-Sahadutha Strong's #H3026
* [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 31:47{{spaced ndash}}translation of a Hebrew placename, Jegar-Sahadutha (Strong's #H3026)
* [[Book of Proverbs|Proverbs]] 31:2{{spaced ndash}} the Aramaic word ''bar'' is used instead of the usual Hebrew ''ben'', (both meaning "son").
* [[Book of Proverbs|Proverbs]] 31:2{{spaced ndash}} the Aramaic word ''bar'' is used instead of the usual Hebrew ''ben'', both meaning "son"
* [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] 10:11{{spaced ndash}}a single sentence denouncing [[idolatry]] occurs in the middle of a Hebrew text.
* [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] 10:11{{spaced ndash}}a single sentence denouncing [[idolatry]] occurs in the middle of a Hebrew text.
* [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] 2:4b&ndash;7:28{{spaced ndash}}five stories about [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] and his [[Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego|colleagues]], and an [[apocalyptic literature|apocalyptic]] vision.
* [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] 2:4b&ndash;7:28{{spaced ndash}}five stories about [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] and his [[Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego|colleagues]], and an [[apocalyptic literature|apocalyptic]] vision.
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===Other suggested occurrences===
===Other suggested occurrences===
* [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 15:1{{spaced ndash}}the word במחזה (''ba-maħaze'', "in a vision"). According to the [[Zohar]] (I:88b), the word is Aramaic, as the usual Hebrew word would be {{Script/Hebrew|במראה}} (''ba-mar’e'').
* [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 15:1{{spaced ndash}}the word במחזה (''ba-maħaze'', "in a vision"). According to the [[Zohar]] (I:88b), the word is Aramaic, as the usual Hebrew word would be {{Script/Hebrew|במראה}} (''ba-mar’e'').
* [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 23:10{{spaced ndash}}the word רבע (''rôḇa‘'', usually translated as "stock" or "fourth part"). [[Joseph H. Hertz]], in his commentary on this verse, cites [[Friedrich Delitzsch]]'s claim (cited in William F. Albright' JBL 63 (1944), p. 213, n.28) that it is an Aramaic word meaning "dust".
* [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 23:10{{spaced ndash}}the word רבע (''rôḇa‘'', usually translated as "stock" or "fourth part"). [[Joseph H. Hertz]], in his commentary on this verse, cites [[Friedrich Delitzsch]]'s claim (cited in William F. Albright' JBL 63 (1944), p.&nbsp;213, n.28) that it is an Aramaic word meaning "dust".
* [[Book of Job|Job]] [https://biblehub.com/interlinear/study/job/36.htm 36:2a] ("כַּתַּר־ לִ֣י זְ֭עֵיר וַאֲחַוֶּ֑ךָּ"){{spaced ndash}}[[Rashi]], in his commentary on the verse, states that the phrase is in Aramaic.
* [[Book of Job|Job]] [https://biblehub.com/interlinear/study/job/36.htm 36:2a] ("כַּתַּר־ לִ֣י זְ֭עֵיר וַאֲחַוֶּ֑ךָּ"){{spaced ndash}}[[Rashi]], in his commentary on the verse, states that the phrase is in Aramaic.
* [[Book of Psalms|Psalm]] 2:12{{spaced ndash}}the word בר (''bar'') is interpreted by some Christian sources (including the [[King James Version]]) to be the Aramaic word for "son" and renders the phrase נשקו-בר (''nashəqū-bar'') as "kiss the Son," a reference to [[Jesus]]. Jewish sources and some Christian sources (including Jerome's [[Vulgate]]) follow the Hebrew reading of {{Script/Hebrew|בר}} ("purity") and translate the phrase as "embrace purity." See [[Psalm 2#Controversy|Psalm 2]] for further discussion of the controversy.
* [[Book of Psalms|Psalm]] 2:12{{spaced ndash}}the word בר (''bar'') is interpreted by some Christian sources (including the [[King James Version]]) to be the Aramaic word for "son" and renders the phrase נשקו-בר (''nashəqū-bar'') as "kiss the Son," a reference to [[Jesus]]. Jewish sources and some Christian sources (including Jerome's [[Vulgate]]) follow the Hebrew reading of {{Script/Hebrew|בר}} ("purity") and translate the phrase as "embrace purity." See [[Psalm 2#Controversy|Psalm 2]] for further discussion of the controversy.


==Chaldean misnomer==
==Chaldean misnomer==
For many centuries, from at least the time of [[Jerome of Stridon]] (d. 420), Biblical Aramaic was misnamed as "Chaldean" (Chaldaic, Chaldee).{{sfn|King|2009|p=216-217}}{{sfn|Gallagher|2012|p=123-141}}{{sfn|Gallagher|2015|p=356-375}} That label remained common in early [[Aramaic studies]], and persisted up to the nineteenth century.{{sfn|Gesenius|Prideaux-Tregelles|1859|p=}}{{sfn|Fürst|1867|p=}}{{sfn|Davies|1872|p=}} The "Chaldean" [[misnomer]] was consequently abandoned, when further research showed conclusively that Aramaic dialect used in Hebrew Bible was not related with [[ancient Chaldeans]] and their language.{{sfn|Nöldeke|1871|p=113-131}}{{sfn|Kautzsch|1884a|p=17-21}}{{sfn|Kautzsch|1884b|p=110-113}}
For many centuries, from at least the time of [[Jerome of Stridon]] (d. 420), Biblical Aramaic was misnamed as "Chaldean" (Chaldaic, Chaldee).{{sfn|King|2009|p=216-217}}{{sfn|Gallagher|2012|p=123-141}}{{sfn|Gallagher|2015|p=356-375}} That label remained common in early [[Aramaic studies]], and persisted up to the nineteenth century.{{sfn|Gesenius|Prideaux-Tregelles|1859|p=}}{{sfn|Fürst|1867|p=}}{{sfn|Davies|1872|p=}} The "Chaldean" [[misnomer]] was consequently abandoned, when further research showed conclusively that the Aramaic dialect used in the Hebrew Bible was not related to the [[ancient Chaldeans]] and [[Chaldea#Language|their language]].{{sfn|Nöldeke|1871|p=113-131}}{{sfn|Kautzsch|1884a|p=17-21}}{{sfn|Kautzsch|1884b|p=110-113}}


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Israelian Hebrew]]
* [[Language of Jesus]]
* [[Aramaic studies]]
* [[Aramaic studies]]
* [[Biblical studies]]
* [[Biblical studies]]
* [[Israelian Hebrew]]
* [[Language of Jesus]]


==References==
==References==
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==Sources==
==Sources==
{{Refbegin|2}}
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Bae|first=Chul-hyun|title=Aramaic as a Lingua Franca During the Persian Empire (538-333 B.C.E.)|journal=Journal of Universal Language|year=2004|volume=5|pages=1–20|url=http://www.sejongjul.org/archive/view_article?pid=jul-5-1-1}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Bae|first=Chul-hyun|title=Aramaic as a Lingua Franca During the Persian Empire (538-333 B.C.E.)|journal=Journal of Universal Language|year=2004|volume=5|pages=1–20|doi=10.22425/jul.2004.5.1.1 |url=http://www.sejongjul.org/archive/view_article?pid=jul-5-1-1|doi-access=free}}
* {{Cite book|last=Davies|first=Benjamin|author-link=Benjamin Davies (Hebraist)|title=A Compendious and Complete Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament|year=1872|location=London|publisher=Asher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THIOAAAAYAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Davies|first=Benjamin|author-link=Benjamin Davies (Hebraist)|title=A Compendious and Complete Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament|year=1872|location=London|publisher=Asher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THIOAAAAYAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fürst|first=Julius|author-link=Julius Fürst|title=A Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament: With an Introduction Giving a Short History of Hebrew Lexicography|year=1867|location=London|publisher=Williams & Norgate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ELwsAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fürst|first=Julius|author-link=Julius Fürst|title=A Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament: With an Introduction Giving a Short History of Hebrew Lexicography|year=1867|location=London|publisher=Williams & Norgate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ELwsAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Gallagher|first=Edmon L.|title=Hebrew Scripture in Patristic Biblical Theory: Canon, Language, Text|year=2012|location=Leiden-Boston|publisher=Brill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aWkyAQAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Gallagher|first=Edmon L.|authorlink=Edmon L. Gallagher|title=Hebrew Scripture in Patristic Biblical Theory: Canon, Language, Text|year=2012|location=Leiden-Boston|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004228023 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aWkyAQAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Gallagher|first=Edmon L.|title=Why did Jerome Translate Tobit and Judith?|journal=Harvard Theological Review|year=2015|volume=108|number=3|pages=356-375|url=https://www.academia.edu/14345165}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Gallagher|first=Edmon L.|authorlink=Edmon L. Gallagher|title=Why did Jerome Translate Tobit and Judith?|journal=Harvard Theological Review|year=2015|volume=108|number=3|pages=356–375|doi=10.1017/S0017816015000231 |s2cid=164400348 |url=https://www.academia.edu/14345165}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Gesenius|first1=Wilhelm|author-link1=Wilhelm Gesenius|last2=Prideaux-Tregelles|first2=Samuel|author-link2=Samuel Prideaux Tregelles|title=Gesenius's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures|year=1859|location=London|publisher=Bagster|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dOsCrozzTikC}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Gesenius|first1=Wilhelm|author-link1=Wilhelm Gesenius|last2=Prideaux-Tregelles|first2=Samuel|author-link2=Samuel Prideaux Tregelles|title=Gesenius's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures|year=1859|location=London|publisher=Bagster|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dOsCrozzTikC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Gzella|first=Holger|title=A Cultural History of Aramaic: From the Beginnings to the Advent of Islam|year=2015|location=Leiden-Boston|publisher=Brill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y9UuBgAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Gzella|first=Holger|title=A Cultural History of Aramaic: From the Beginnings to the Advent of Islam|year=2015|location=Leiden-Boston|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004285101 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y9UuBgAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kautzsch|first=Emil F.|author-link=Emil Friedrich Kautzsch|title=Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen: Mit einer Kritischen Erörterung der aramäischen Wörter im Neuen Testament|year=1884a|location=Leipzig|publisher=Vogel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OU09AAAAYAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kautzsch|first=Emil F.|author-link=Emil Friedrich Kautzsch|title=Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen: Mit einer Kritischen Erörterung der aramäischen Wörter im Neuen Testament|year=1884a|location=Leipzig|publisher=Vogel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OU09AAAAYAAJ}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Kautzsch|first=Emil F.|author-link=Emil Friedrich Kautzsch|title=The Aramaic Language|journal=Hebraica|year=1884b|volume=1|number=1-2|pages=98-115|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/527111}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Kautzsch|first=Emil F.|author-link=Emil Friedrich Kautzsch|title=The Aramaic Language|journal=Hebraica|year=1884b|volume=1|number=1–2|pages=98–115|doi=10.1086/368803 |jstor=527111 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/527111}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kautzsch|first=Emil F.|author-link=Emil Friedrich Kautzsch|title=Die Aramaismen im Alten Testament untersucht|year=1902|location=Halle|publisher=Niemeyer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=srZJAQAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kautzsch|first=Emil F.|author-link=Emil Friedrich Kautzsch|title=Die Aramaismen im Alten Testament untersucht|year=1902|location=Halle|publisher=Niemeyer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=srZJAQAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=King|first=Daniel H.|chapter=Vir Quadrilinguis? Syriac in Jerome and Jerome in Syriac|title=Jerome of Stridon: His Life, Writings and Legacy|year=2009|location=Farnham|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|pages=209-223|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__uiF8CVWVkC}}
* {{Cite book|last=King|first=Daniel H.|chapter=Vir Quadrilinguis? Syriac in Jerome and Jerome in Syriac|title=Jerome of Stridon: His Life, Writings and Legacy|year=2009|location=Farnham|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|pages=209–223|isbn=9780754664079 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__uiF8CVWVkC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kitchen|first=Kenneth A.|author-link=Kenneth Kitchen|chapter=The Aramaic of Daniel|title=Notes on Some Problems in the Book of Daniel|year=1965|location=London|publisher=Tyndale Press|pages=31–79|chapter-url=http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/daniel_kitchen.pdf|access-date=2008-11-02|archive-date=2020-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031201608/https://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/daniel_kitchen.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kitchen|first=Kenneth A.|author-link=Kenneth Kitchen|chapter=The Aramaic of Daniel|title=Notes on Some Problems in the Book of Daniel|year=1965|location=London|publisher=Tyndale Press|pages=31–79|chapter-url=http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/daniel_kitchen.pdf|access-date=2008-11-02|archive-date=2020-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031201608/https://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/daniel_kitchen.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Nöldeke|first=Theodor|author-link=Theodor Nöldeke|title=Die Namen der aramäischen Nation und Sprache|journal=Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft|year=1871|volume=25|number=1-2|pages=113-131|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43366019}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Nöldeke|first=Theodor|author-link=Theodor Nöldeke|title=Die Namen der aramäischen Nation und Sprache|journal=Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft|year=1871|volume=25|number=1–2|pages=113–131|jstor=43366019 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43366019}}
* {{Cite book|last=Rosenthal|first=Franz|author-link=Franz Rosenthal|year=2006|orig-year=1961|title=A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic|edition=7th expanded|location=Wiesbaden|publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YI5QiMWNougC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Rosenthal|first=Franz|author-link=Franz Rosenthal|year=2006|orig-year=1961|title=A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic|edition=7th expanded|location=Wiesbaden|publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=9783447050210 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YI5QiMWNougC}}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


{{Jewish languages}}
{{Jewish languages}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biblical Aramaic}}
[[Category:Aramaic languages]]
[[Category:Language of the Hebrew Bible|Aramaic]]
[[Category:Languages attested from the 5th century BC]]
[[Category:Languages attested from the 5th century BC]]
[[Category:Languages extinct in the 3rd century]]
[[Category:Languages extinct in the 3rd century]]
[[Category:Aramaic languages|Biblical]]
[[Category:Language of the Hebrew Bible|*]]

Latest revision as of 19:14, 1 November 2024

Biblical Aramaic is the form of Aramaic that is used in the books of Daniel and Ezra[1] in the Hebrew Bible. It should not be confused with the Targums – Aramaic paraphrases, explanations and expansions of the Hebrew scriptures.

History

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During the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, which began around 600 BC, the language spoken by the Jews started to change from Hebrew to Aramaic, and Aramaic square script replaced the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet.[2] After the Achaemenid Empire annexed the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 539 BC, Aramaic became the main language of public life and administration. Darius the Great declared[3] Imperial Aramaic to be the official language of the western half of his empire in 500 BC, and it is that Imperial Aramaic that forms the basis of Biblical Aramaic.[4]

Biblical Hebrew was gradually reduced to the status of a liturgical language and a language of theological learning, and the Jews of the Second Temple period that started in 516 BC would have spoken a western form of Old Aramaic until their partial Hellenization from the 3rd century BC and the eventual emergence of Middle Aramaic in the 3rd century BC.

As Imperial Aramaic had served as a lingua franca throughout the Ancient Near East from the second half of the 8th century BC to the end of the 4th century BC,[5][6] linguistic contact with even the oldest stages of Biblical Hebrew, the main language of the Hebrew Bible, is easily accounted for.

Biblical Aramaic's relative chronology has been debated mostly in the context of dating the Book of Daniel. In 1929, Harold Rowley argued that its origin must be later than the 6th century BC and that the language was more similar to the targums than to the Imperial Aramaic documents available at his time.[7]

Others have argued that the language most closely resembles the 5th-century BC Elephantine papyri, and so is a good representative of typical Imperial Aramaic, including Jongtae Choi's doctoral dissertation at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.[8] Kenneth Kitchen takes an agnostic position and states that the Aramaic of the Book of Daniel is compatible with any period from the 5th to early 2nd century BC.[9]

Aramaic and Hebrew

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Biblical Hebrew is the main language of the Hebrew Bible. Aramaic accounts for only 269[10] verses out of a total of over 23,000. Biblical Aramaic is closely related to Hebrew, as both are in the Northwest Semitic language family. Some obvious similarities and differences are listed below:[11]

Similarities

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Hebrew and Aramaic have simplified the inflections of the noun, adjective and verb. These are more highly inflected in classical Arabic, Babylonian and Ugaritic.

Differences

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  • The definite article is a suffixed -ā (א) in Aramaic (an emphatic or determined state), but a prefixed h- (ה) in Hebrew.
  • Aramaic is not a Canaanite language and so did not experience the Canaanite vowel shift from *ā to ō.
  • In Aramaic, the preposition dalet functions as a conjunction and is often used instead of the construct to indicate the genitive/possessive relationship.

Sound changes

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Proto-Semitic Arabic Hebrew Aramaic
ð ذ ז ד
z ز ז
t ت ת
θ ث שׁ ת
ś ش שׂ
š س שׁ
s س ס
ص צ
ṣ́ ض צ ק‎, ע
θ̣ ظ צ ט

In the Hebrew Bible

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Undisputed occurrences

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  • Genesis 31:47 – translation of a Hebrew placename, Jegar-Sahadutha (Strong's #H3026)
  • Proverbs 31:2 – the Aramaic word bar is used instead of the usual Hebrew ben, both meaning "son"
  • Jeremiah 10:11 – a single sentence denouncing idolatry occurs in the middle of a Hebrew text.
  • Daniel 2:4b–7:28 – five stories about Daniel and his colleagues, and an apocalyptic vision.
  • Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12–26 – quotations of documents from the 5th century BCE on the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Other suggested occurrences

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  • Genesis 15:1 – the word במחזה (ba-maħaze, "in a vision"). According to the Zohar (I:88b), the word is Aramaic, as the usual Hebrew word would be במראה‎ (ba-mar’e).
  • Numbers 23:10 – the word רבע (rôḇa‘, usually translated as "stock" or "fourth part"). Joseph H. Hertz, in his commentary on this verse, cites Friedrich Delitzsch's claim (cited in William F. Albright' JBL 63 (1944), p. 213, n.28) that it is an Aramaic word meaning "dust".
  • Job 36:2a ("כַּתַּר־ לִ֣י זְ֭עֵיר וַאֲחַוֶּ֑ךָּ") – Rashi, in his commentary on the verse, states that the phrase is in Aramaic.
  • Psalm 2:12 – the word בר (bar) is interpreted by some Christian sources (including the King James Version) to be the Aramaic word for "son" and renders the phrase נשקו-בר (nashəqū-bar) as "kiss the Son," a reference to Jesus. Jewish sources and some Christian sources (including Jerome's Vulgate) follow the Hebrew reading of בר‎ ("purity") and translate the phrase as "embrace purity." See Psalm 2 for further discussion of the controversy.

Chaldean misnomer

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For many centuries, from at least the time of Jerome of Stridon (d. 420), Biblical Aramaic was misnamed as "Chaldean" (Chaldaic, Chaldee).[12][13][14] That label remained common in early Aramaic studies, and persisted up to the nineteenth century.[15][16][17] The "Chaldean" misnomer was consequently abandoned, when further research showed conclusively that the Aramaic dialect used in the Hebrew Bible was not related to the ancient Chaldeans and their language.[18][19][20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ and Gen. 31:47, Jer. 10:11
  2. ^ Moshe Beer, "Judaism (Babylonian)" Anchor Bible Dictionary 3 (1996), p. 1080.
  3. ^ Saul Shaked, "Aramaic" Encyclopedia Iranica 2 (New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987), p. 251
  4. ^ Gzella 2015, p. 206.
  5. ^ Bae 2004, p. 1–20.
  6. ^ Gzella 2015, p. 104-211.
  7. ^ Rowley, Harold Henry (1929). The Aramaic of the Old Testament: A Grammatical and Lexical Study of Its Relations with Other Early Aramaic Dialects. London: Oxford University Press. OCLC 67575204.[page needed]
  8. ^ Choi, Jongtae (1994), "The Aramaic of Daniel: Its Date, Place of Composition and Linguistic Comparison with Extra-Biblical Texts," Ph. D. dissertation (Deerfield, IL: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) 33125990 xvii, 288 pp.
  9. ^ Kitchen 1965, p. 31–79.
  10. ^ Van Pelt, Miles V (2011). Basics of Biblical Aramaic: Complete Grammar, Lexicon, and Annotated Text (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan. pp. x. ISBN 9780310493914.
  11. ^ The following information is taken from: Alger F. Johns, A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic (Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press, 1972), pp. 5-7.
  12. ^ King 2009, p. 216-217.
  13. ^ Gallagher 2012, p. 123-141.
  14. ^ Gallagher 2015, p. 356-375.
  15. ^ Gesenius & Prideaux-Tregelles 1859.
  16. ^ Fürst 1867.
  17. ^ Davies 1872.
  18. ^ Nöldeke 1871, p. 113-131.
  19. ^ Kautzsch 1884a, p. 17-21.
  20. ^ Kautzsch 1884b, p. 110-113.

Sources

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