Old Testament verses in Syriac/Aramaic

Q. Are there verses in the Old Testament that are written in a language other than Hebrew?

A. Yes. Some texts in the Old Testament are in Syriac, more commonly called Aramaic today.

According to language experts, the earliest inscriptions in the Syriac or Aramaic language use the Phoenician alphabet. Over time it developed into the square style we know as the Hebrew alphabet. I would illustrate the biblical Syriac as somewhat like our reading something in English, then running across a portion in Latin, Spanish, or such like – using the same alphabetical letters but with different vocabulary.

There are four undisputed passages of the Old Testament written in Syriac/Aramaic:

• Ezra 4:8–6:18. This passage begins with a letter written to King Artaxerxes (“Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king”), followed by other letters and official documents. Ezra includes some of the narrative in this language as well. 
• Ezra 7:12-26. This writing in Syriac is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra, which Ezra inserted into the record.
• Jeremiah 10:11. This is the only verse in Syriac in the book of Jeremiah. This warning is one sentence that occurs in the midst of Hebrew text. This certainly would have grabbed their attention.
• Daniel 2:4b–7:28. This section includes five stories about Daniel and his friends, as well as a prophetic vision (chapter 7).

In addition, these words are considered Syriac/Aramaic words, and some researchers might suggest and include a few others.

• Genesis 31:47 – translation of a Hebrew place name, Jegar-sahadutha (Syriac) versus Galeed (Hebrew).
• Proverbs 31:2 – the Syriac word “bar” is used instead of the Hebrew word “ben”, both of which mean “son”.

It is correct that some of the Old Testament is written in Syriac/Aramaic rather than Hebrew – though this constitutes only a small portion of the total. Though no passages (sentences, paragraphs, chapters) of the New Testament are written in Syriac/Aramaic, it does include some words and phrases – including Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani (Matthew 27:46), Talitha cumi (Mark 5:41), and Maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22). This creates an appealing affinity of Syriac as a “second language” of both the Old and New Testaments.