# Hebrew or Aramaic?



## Eoghan (Oct 4, 2009)

From you my other posts some of you will know that this is more than academic interest.

The question is do we have Hebrew words that were spoken slipping through into the New Testament text?

My Good News (paraphrase) says Hebrew, my NIV seems to go with Hebrew and my New American Standard says Hebrew and then says "Jewish Aramaic". 

So from the following examples what are we talking about? I know a vote 

Mathew 27:46 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?
Mark 5:41 Talitha cumi
Mark 7:34 Ephphatha
Mark 15:34 Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?
John 5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the *Hebrew* tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
John 19:13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the *Hebrew*, Gabbatha.
John 19:17 which is called in the *Hebrew* Golgotha
John 19:20 it was written in *Hebrew*, and Greek, and Latin
John 20:16 Rabbonai
Acts 21:40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the *Hebrew* tongue, saying,
Acts 26:14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the *Hebrew* tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

(All quotations from the AV)


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## TimV (Oct 4, 2009)

Why would you want a vote? It's not like it's open to every one's interpretation. Palestine at that time was quadrilingual, and so it stands to reason you'd have examples of all four languages, and there are scores of thousands of people today who speak those languages.

If Scripture says Paul was spoken to in Hebrew, that's what it means. If Christ said _Talitha cumi_ and Scripture doesn't specify what language it is, it's the easiest thing in the world to look it up in a commentary, where you will find that it is Aramaic.

And BTW what are you trying to accomplish using a Good News Bible to research serious questions? You'd get answers faster by throwing it in a dust bin ;-)


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