Jesus, Aramaic, and Hebrew

Q. What language or languages did Jesus Christ and other Jews commonly speak during the time Jesus lived upon the earth? Was it Aramaic?

A. My initial thought is that God in the New Testament did not intend give us enough information to be overly concerned about the question. Yet, as we study, there is some such information there.

It is generally accepted that Greek and Aramaic (also known as Syriac) were common languages of that time. Hebrew (which is not the same as Aramaic) was known by the Jewish people and may have been especially their “religious” tongue. Official Roman business was probably conducted in Latin. Greek was the international language of trade and business, through which many different language groups communicated with one another. The New Testament manuscripts we have are written in Greek.

Jesus, as God, knows all things – which includes knowing all languages. In his sojourn on Earth, he would have spoken to individual people in a language or languages they could understand, which likely means he at times spoke in Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. “…the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has revealed that Hebrew was still used quite extensively in certain circles [in the first century]” (Jesus the Messiah, Robert H. Stein, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996, p. 86).

Jesus could read and speak Hebrew. In Luke 4:16-21, he read from the book of Isaiah the prophet in the synagogue. Jesus often asked the scribes and Pharisees, “Have ye not read?” (See Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4: 22:31; Mark 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3). The Bible records Jesus speaking Hebrew words (and then translates them to Greek) on some occasions. That a Gospel writer quotes him and then gives the meaning/interpretation in Greek, indicates that on those occasions he must have said the words in Hebrew. For example, Jesus spoke to a dead girl, “Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise” (Mark 5:41). Cf. also Matthew 1:23; 27:46; Mark 15:22, 34; John 1:38, 41; 19:17; Acts 4:36.

Conventional modern scholastic wisdom suggests that when the New Testament writers wrote Hebrew that they meant Aramaic. However, the New Testament authors would have known Aramaic (Syriac). They also would have known the difference between Hebrew and Aramaic. The Great Inspirer of the New Testament knew the difference. God inspired the word εβραιστι (Hebrew), not συριστι (Aramaic). Hear E. A. Knapp, a Messianic Jew, who writes:

Upon closer inspection of the ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, however, every supposed reference to “Aramaic” above actually has some form of the word Εβραιστι which unequivocally means “Hebrew.” Not Συριστι “Aramaic,” which we find in other places in the Bible such as Dan 2:4 (in the Greek OT). In fact, the word Συριστι never appears in the New Testament. This is a case where our translators tried to “help us out” because they were swept along in the wave of conventional wisdom which for many years took for granted that Hebrew couldn’t possibly have been a living language at the time of Jesus.

Open your Bible and notice the following verses in the King James translation that mentions Hebrew/the Hebrew tongue (i.e., language):

• Luke 23:38
• John 5:2
• John 19:13
• John 19:17
• John 19:20
• Acts 21:40
• Acts 22:2
• Acts 26:14
• Revelation 9:11
• Revelation 16:16

Notice John 5:2 as an example. This verse has εβραιστι (Hebrew) in all five Greek texts at Bible Gateway (as well as the Greek TBS and UBS print editions that I have). They do not have συριστι (Aramaic)! Compare also, for example, the Greek LXX with where the New International Version translates an Old Testament word as “Aramaic.” It does not have εβραιστι (Hebrew), but rather συριστι (Aramaic). (The New International Version translation may be compared as representative of most modern translations.) The NIV and other translations in these places in the New Testament interpret rather than translate. Rather than translate εβραιστι as “Hebrew” and then give a footnote that they believe it in such instances means “Aramaic,” they simply give the reader what they think should be there. This is true except in the book of Revelation, where they translate εβραιστι as “Hebrew” rather than “Aramaic.”

NIV in Revelation

• Rev 9:11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew/εβραιστι is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
• Rev 16:16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew/εβραιστι is called Armageddon.

Josephus in his writings (in the Greek language) uses both the word for “Hebrew” (Εβραιστι) and the word for “Syriac/Aramaic” (Συριστι). This shows both words (languages) were in use and understood to be distinct from each other.

In Jerusalem Paul stood before a crowd and spoke to them in Hebrew (Acts 21:40 and Acts 22:2). He expected to be understood, at the least by the Jews present. I will take it on the authority of the Bible rather than the authority of the scholars. Since the New Testament authors said Hebrew was being used, I accept that it was.

Below are some verses I copied from the NIV, the KJV, and the TR, that you might wish to look at for further study and comparison of the words Hebrew and Aramaic.

NIV OT

• 2 Kings 18:26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic (Συριστι), since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
• Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic (Συριστι) script and in the Aramaic (Συριστι) language.
• Isaiah 36:11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic...”
• Cf. also Daniel 2:4 in the KJV and LXX (συριστί). The NIV does not here use the word Aramaic (or Hebrew, for that matter). Some other modern translation do have Aramaic in that place.

NIV NT

• John 5:2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.
• John 19:13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).
• John 19:17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).
• John 19:20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
• John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
• Acts 21:40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
• Acts 22:2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic/εβραιδι, they became very quiet. Then Paul said...
• Acts 26:14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic...

Textus Receptus

• ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 5:2
• εστιν δε εν τοις ιεροσολυμοις επι τη προβατικη κολυμβηθρα η επιλεγομενη εβραιστι βηθεσδα πεντε στοας εχουσα
• ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 19:13
• ο ουν πιλατος ακουσας τουτον τον λογον ηγαγεν εξω τον ιησουν και εκαθισεν επι του βηματος εις τοπον λεγομενον λιθοστρωτον εβραιστι δε γαββαθα
• ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 19:17
• και βασταζων τον σταυρον αυτου εξηλθεν εις τον λεγομενον κρανιου τοπον ος λεγεται εβραιστι γολγοθα
• ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 19:20
• τουτον ουν τον τιτλον πολλοι ανεγνωσαν των ιουδαιων οτι εγγυς ην της πολεως ο τοπος οπου εσταυρωθη ο ιησους και ην γεγραμμενον εβραιστι ελληνιστι ρωμαιστι
• ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ 9:11
• και εχουσιν επ αυτων βασιλεα τον αγγελον της αβυσσου ονομα αυτω εβραιστι αβαδδων και εν τη ελληνικη ονομα εχει απολλυων
• IΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ 16:16
• και συνηγαγεν αυτους εις τον τοπον τον καλουμενον εβραιστι αρμαγεδδων

King James Version

• Luke 23:38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew/εβραικοις, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
• John 19:20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.
• John 20:16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Examples of people using Hebrew words or phrases are found in Mark 7:34 (Ephphatha/Be opened), Mark 14:36 (Abba/Father), Mark 15:34 (Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani/My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me), Matthew 5:22 (Raca), Matthew 27:46 (Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani/My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me), and John 20:16 (Rabboni/Master).

See also:

• https://torahclass.com/did-the-messiah-speak-aramaic-or-hebrew-part-1-by-eaknapp/
• https://torahclass.com/did-the-messiah-speak-aramaic-or-hebrew-part-2-by-eaknapp/
• https://torahclass.com/did-the-messiah-speak-aramaic-or-hebrew-part-3-by-e-a-knapp/
• https://torahclass.com/did-the-messiah-speak-aramaic-or-hebrew-part-4-by-e-a-knapp/