Basics Of Biblical Aramaic [1 ed.] 9780310493914, 2010053411

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Basics ----------- o f------------

Biblical

Aramaic

Other Books by Miles V. Van Pelt

co-author with Gary D. Pratico Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook Charts of Biblical Hebrew Graded Reader of Biblical Hebrew The Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew Old Testament Hebrew Vocabulary Cards Biblical Hebrew Laminated Sheet (Zondervan Get an A ! Study Guides) author English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew

Basics ------------ o f -------------

Biblical

Aramaic C

o m

p l e t e

A N D

G R A M IM A R , A N

N O T A T E D

L E X 1 C O N , T E X T

MILES V.

VAN PELT g ZONDE RV AN* Z O N D E R V A N .com / AUTHORTRACKER fo llo w y o u r / a v o r i t • a u th o r!

ZOND ERVAN

Basics o f Biblical Aramaic C o p y rig h t © 2011 by M ile s V. Van P e lt R eq u e sts fo r in form ation sh ou ld be ad d resse d to: Z o n d erv an , Grand Rapids, Michigan 49 530 L ib ra ry o f C o n g re s s C ata lo g in g -in -P u b lica tio n Data Van P elt, M ile s V., 1969B asics o f b ib lic a l A ram aic: co m p le te grammar, lexicon, and an no ta ted te x t / M ile s V. V an Pelt, p.

cm.

IS B N 978-0-310-49391-4 (softcover) 1. A ra m a ic lang u ag e—G ram m ar. 2 . B ib le. O .T.—Language, style. I. T itle P J 5213 .V 36

2011

4 9 2 ’.2 9 - d c 2 2

2010053411

In ternet a d d re sse s (w ebsites, blogs, etc.) and te le p h o n e nu m b ers p rin te d in th is b o o k are o ffe re d as a re so u rc e to you. T h e se are no t in te n d e d in any way to be o r im p ly an en d o rse m e n t on th e p a rt o f Z o n d erv an , n o r d o we vou ch fo r th e co n te n t o f th e se sites and nu m bers fo r th e life o f th is book. A ll rights rese rve d . N o p a rt o f th is p u b lica tio n may b e rep ro d u ced , sto re d in a retrie va l system , o r tra n sm itted in any fo rm o r by any m e a n s—e le c tro n ic , m echanical, p hotocopy, recordin g, o r any o th e r —e x c e p t fo r b rie f q u o ta tio n s in p rin te d review s, w ith o u t th e p rio r p erm ission o f th e publisher.

Interior design: Miles V. Van Pelt Printed in the United States of America

Dedicated to

Gary D. Pratico archaeologist, curator, professor of the heavenly language, biblical scholar, distinguished educator, mentor, gentleman, friend, and partner-in-crime

‫‪Daniel 2:47‬‬

‫מ ך ק ש ט די א ל ה מ ן ה ו א א ל ה‬ ‫ו מ ר א מ ל כין וג ל ה רזי!‬

Table of Contents ARAMAIC PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM

1

Alphabet

1

2

Vowels

6

3

Syllabification

14

ARAMAIC NOMINAL SYSTEM

4

Nouns: Absolute State

20

5

Nouns: Determined State

26

6

Nouns: Construct State

31

7

Conjunctions and Prepositions

38

8

Pronominal Suffixes

46

9

Pronouns

55

10

Adjectives and Numbers

63

11

Adverbs and Particles

70

ARAMAIC VERBAL SYSTEM: PEAL

12

Introduction to Aramaic Verbs

75

13

Peal Perfect

82

14

Peal Imperfect

91

15

Peal Imperative

101

16

Peal Infinitive Construct

106

17

Peal Participle

112

ARAMAIC VERBAL SYSTEM: DERIVED STEMS

18

The Peil, Hithpeel, and Ithpeel Stems

124

19

The Pael Stem

131

20

The Hithpaal and Ithpaal Stems

138

21

The Haphel Stem

143

22

The Aphel, Shaphel, and Hophal Stems

150 vii

CHARTS AND PARADIGMS

155

Absolute, Construct, and Determined Nouns

157

Independent Personal Pronouns

157

Demonstrative Pronouns / Adjectives

158

Pronominal Suffixes: Type 1 and Type 2 with Alternate Forms

158

Peal Strong Verb Paradigms

159

Pael Strong Verb Paradigms

160

Haphel Strong Verb Paradigms

161

Summary Verb Chart: Strong Verb Diagnostics

162

ANNOTATED BIBLICAL ARAMAIC TEXT

163

Genesis 31:47 and Jeremiah 10:11

165

Daniel 2:4b-49

166

Daniel 3

175

Daniel 4

182

Daniel 5

189

Daniel 6

195

Daniel 7

201

Ezra 4:8-24

206

Ezra 5

209

Ezra 6:1-18

213

Ezra 7:12-26

217

ARAMAIC-ENGUSH LEXICON

221

Acknowledgments The construction of this grammar represents a labor of love for those students who have longed to study the biblical Aramaic text, but have struggled with grammatical works that may lack a measure of pedagogical sensitivity. I am also grateful for the encouragement of my own students who have moved me forward in this work. Thank you, Zondervan! Your commitment to providing the church with resources for the study of biblical languages is unsurpassed. We all recognize that this grammar will not find itself on the national best seller list, appearing in displays at Walmart or Barnes & Noble. Nevertheless, you have invested in its production because of your commitment to God's Word and the training of leaders for the church. Verlyn Verbrugge is the mastermind behind Zondervan's biblical language resources. Thanks again to you, Verlyn, for your encouragement, support, help, and excellent editorial skills over the past decade. Thanks to Reformed Theological Seminary - the board of trustees, administration, and faculty. The board of trustees granted my sabbatical request so that I could take the time necessary to write this grammar. The administration covered or exempted me from many of my duties as academic dean. Special thanks to Guy Richardson, RTS-Jackson president, for his constant support, and Kim Lee, RTSJackson registrar, for her excellent administrative work. The faculty, particularly Dan Timmer and Brian Gault, shouldered my teaching load during this time. I am also grateful to Jonathan Kiel, Josh Walker, and Justin Richardson for their reading and editing of various drafts of the grammar. They are friends and fellow biblical language enthusiasts. Special thanks to my friend and colleague, Peter Lee, for his editorial assistance and expertise in Aramaic. I am ever grateful for the gift of my family. My wife has endured over twenty years of biblical language mania, and she still loves me! My children are a constant source of joy. They all support my calling and express genuine interest in the biblical languages. I am thankful for Max, whose favorite subject in kindergarten is Bible. I am thankful for Kacie and Madie, who know so much of the Bible and love the Bible question game. I am thankful for Ben, who has learned biblical Greek and looks forward to biblical Hebrew this next summer. I am thankful for Laurie, who holds us all together and reminds us of the gospel at just the right moments in life. We give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His steadfast love endures forever! Miles V. Van Pelt January 2011

Introduction Aramaic is the neglected biblical language. It does not enjoy the status of a classical language like Greek, nor can it boast of being the language of approximately 75 percent of the Christian Bible, as Hebrew does. But we must not allow either status or statistics to preclude our commitment to teach and study this biblical language in Bible colleges and seminaries as a regular part of training candidates for the ministry of God's word. Faithfulness in the littlest thing is no little thing (Luke 16:10a). This grammar was not written for Aramaic scholars or for students interested in comparative Semitic grammar. Rather, the purpose and design of this grammar is to provide the average student with a working knowledge of the Aramaic language appearing in the Old Testament. It was written for those students who desire to study, teach, and preach faithfully from those portions of the Bible that appear in Aramaic. There are, in fact, 269 verses in the Old Testament that contain Aramaic. These texts are located in Genesis 31:47 (two words), Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:4b7:28‫ ;־‬and Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26.1Though it is not uncommon to refer to the Aramaic of this corpus as "biblical" Aramaic, the official label for this dialect is Jewish Literary Aramaic.2 There were many other Aramaic dialects too, such as Palestinian and Egyptian Aramaic. But the single purpose of this grammar is to provide a descriptive introduction to the Jewish Literary Aramaic located in the biblical text. For this reason, all vocabulary, examples, and exercises are derived from the biblical text. The grammatical presentation in this text follows the model of Basics of Biblical Hebrew.3 It begins with the alphabet and vowels, moves to the nominal system, and then progresses to the verbal system - covering first the Peal stem in each conju­

1.

It is true that this corpus of material constitutes less that two percent of the Old Testament. Consider, however, that 269 verses are equivalent to Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Psalm 1. Compared to the New Testament, the Aramaic material of the Old Testament would be equivalent to 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Certainly none of us would want to be without the required skills to faithfully interpret these portions of the biblical text.

2.

For further study on the classification of Aramaic and the particular dialect(s) that appear in the biblical text, see Jerome Lund, "Aramaic Language," The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 50-60. See also Greenspahn, 5-12, Johns, 1-3, and Rosenthal, 5-6).

3.

Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Grammar (2nd ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007).

gation and then the derived stems in the same manner. Weak verb morphology is emphasized throughout given its ubiquity in the biblical Aramaic text. Other important features of the grammar include the following: 1. Hebrew First. It is assumed that students will have studied at least one year of biblical Hebrew before working with this grammar. The presentation of vocabulary, pace of instruction, and grammatical explanations assume this prior study. One of the benefits of studying biblical Aramaic is that it can improve your knowledge and understanding of biblical Hebrew. Thus, in many instances, Aramaic is taught in opposition to, or in comparison with, Hebrew. 2. Vocabulary. There are just over 700 different Aramaic words in the biblical text occurring just over 7,000 total times. In the vocabulary lists that appear at the end of chapters 1-17, students will memorize all 268 Aramaic words that appear four or more times in the biblical text. This will give students access to approximately 91 percent of the biblical text without significant recourse to the lexicons. Aramaic vocabulary corresponding to previously memorized Hebrew vocabulary is grouped together for ease of memorization or simple review (chapters 1, 2, and 12). When possible, grouping by semantic domain (chapters 3 and 8) or part of speech (chapters 7, 9,10, and 11) is utilized. 3. Aramaic-English Lexicon. The lexicon that appears at the back of this textbook contains all Aramaic words that appear in the biblical text. The definitions are helpfully derived from HALOT. Students will certainly want to have their own copy of HALOT for additional morphological information and lexical analysis. 4. Exercises. At the end of each chapter (excluding chapters 1 and 12), brief exercises are provided for the student to practice and reinforce the material presented in a given chapter. All exercises are derived from the biblical text. Nothing has been "made up." When possible, the vocabulary from each chapter is utilized in that chapter's exercises. In some instances, however, the student will need to use the grammar's lexicon to complete the homework. The answer key for the exercises is located at basicsofbiblicalhebrew.com or textbookplus.zondervan.com. 5. Annotated Biblical Text. At the end of this volume there appears a complete biblical Aramaic text with annotation. This annotation is intended to reinforce the material presented in the grammar, assist with textual difficulties, and introduce students to helpful secondary resources (e.g., HALOT, Rosenthal, Jerusalmi). The selection of notes was a difficult task. Some will prefer more annotation, others less, and still others would have made different selections altogether. The current selection of notes is largely derived from my experience with students in the classroom over the past several years. I am always happy to receive feedback in this area. With a forthcoming electronic version, modification of the annotated text will be possible. Additionally, if requested, I would be willing to send out an electronic version of the annotated text so that instructors or students may customize the notes to suit their own particular needs.

6. Kethiv/Qere. The Kethiv/Qere phenomenon appears throughout the biblical Aramaic text with well over one hundred instances. To aid the beginning student, it was decided to follow the convention adopted by Accordance (BHSW4) and provide both readings. The Kethiv appears first in the text with pointing indicative of its consonantal makeup. The Qere follows the Kethiv and is identified with square brackets (e.g.,[‫ ] לעב דך‬at Daniel 2:4). 7. Statistics. The number counts and statistics appearing throughout this grammar have been derived from Accordance (9.1, BHS-W4). No software is perfeet, but none is better than Accordance. Additionally, in matters of counting, both Qere and Kethiv forms are counted independently for the sake of consistency. On a few occasions, some minor corrections were necessary. These do not account for any major statistical variance. There is one final point to make. In my opinion, learning biblical Aramaic is a four step process. First, study the grammar and work through the exercises. Second, carefully work through the annotated text included in this grammar. Third, carefully work though a biblical text without annotation, using HALOT and other secondary resources when necessary. Fourth, never stop reading the biblical Aramaic text. If you want to keep the language, then you must use it regularly. If you translate just one verse per day, five or six days per week, you will be able to read through the entire biblical Aramaic corpus each year. In the course of a regular academic semester, you may be able to accomplish the first two steps. Completion of steps three and four will normally require special determination, commitment, and accountability outside of the classroom.

Abbreviations BBA

Basics of Biblical Aramaic: Complete Grammar, Annotated Text, and Lexicon, Miles V. Van Pelt (Zondervan, 2011).

BBH

Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Grammar, second edition, Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt (Zondervan, 2007).

ESV

English Standard Version

Greenspahn

An Introduction to Aramaic, second edition, Frederick E. Greenspahn (Brill, 2003).

HALOT

The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Ludwid Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, revised by Baumgartner and Stamm, translated and edited by Richardson with Jongeling-Vos and Regt (Brill, 2000).

Jerusalmi

The Aramaic Sections of Ezra and Daniel: A Philological Commentary with Frequent References to Talmudic Aramaic Parallels and Synopsis of the Regular Verb, second revised edition, Rabbi Isaac Jerusalmi (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 1982).

Johns

A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, revised edition, Alger F. Johns (Andrews University Press, 1972).

Jumper

An Annotated Answer Key to Alger F. Johns's A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, James N. Jumper (Andrews University Press, 2003).

NASB

New American Standard Bible

NET

New English Translation

NIV

New International Version

Rosenthal

A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, Franz Rosenthal (Otto Harrassowitz, 1961).

Steinmann

Fundamental Biblical Aramaic, Andrew E. Steinmann (Concordia, 2004).

‫חד‬

1 ‫חד‬

Alphabet 1.1

The Aramaic alphabet is identical to the Hebrew alphabet. It consists of twenty-three consonants, and it is written from right to left. For the purpose of review, this alphabet is presented below. Consonant ‫א‬ ‫ב‬ ‫ג‬ ‫ד‬ ‫ה‬ ‫ו‬ ‫ז‬ ‫ח‬ ‫ט‬ ‫י‬ ‫כ‬ % ‫ל‬ ‫מ‬ ‫נ‬ ‫ם‬

‫ע‬ ‫פ‬ ‫צ‬

‫ק‬ ‫ר‬ ‫ש‬ ‫ש‬ ‫ת‬ Chapter 1 ‫ ־‬Alphabet

Name

Pronunciation

Alef Bet Gimel Dalet He Waw Zayin Chet Tet Yod Kaf Lamed Mem Nun Samek Ayin Pe Tsade Qof Resh Sin Shin Taw

(silent) b as in boy g as in God d as in day h as in hay w as in wow z as in Zion ch as in Bach t as in toy y as in yes k as in king 1 as in lion m as in mother n as in now s as in sin (silent) p as in pastor ts as in boots k as in king r as in run s as in sin sh as in ship t as in toy 1

1.2

1.3

Final Forms. Like Hebrew, five of the Aramaic consonants have final forms. Remember, when one of these letters occurs at the end of a word, it is written differently than when it appears at the beginning or in the middle of a word. The changing of a letter's form does not change its pronunciation. The five final forms are listed below. Regular

Final

Example

Form

Form

‫כ‬

‫ד‬

‫מלד‬

‫מ‬

‫ם‬

‫יו ם‬

‫נ‬

‫ן‬

‫ש מלן‬

‫פ‬

‫ף‬

‫כסף‬

money, silver

‫צ‬

‫ץ‬

‫קרץ‬

charge, accusation

Translation

king day heaven

Begadkephat Letters. Like Hebrew, six of the Aramaic consonants have two possible pronunciations. These are the so-called begadkephat consonants (‫)ב גד־כפת‬. To distinguish between the two pronunciations, a dot called a Daghesh Lene is inserted into the consonant. The presence of the Daghesh Lene indicates a hard pronunciation, and its absence denotes a soft pronunciation. A Daghesh Lene will only appear in begadkephat letters. adlcephat

Pronunciation

Letter ‫ב‬ ‫ב‬ ‫ג‬ ‫ג‬ ‫ד‬ ‫ד‬ ‫כ‬ ‫כ‬ ‫פ‬ ‫פ‬ ‫ת‬ ‫ת‬

2

b as in boy v as in vine g as in God gh as in aghast d as in day dh as in the k as in king ch as in Bach p as in pastor ph as in alphabet t as in toy th as in thin Chapter 1 ‫ ־‬Alphabet

1.4

Guttural Consonants. The Aramaic gutturals are identical to the Hebrew gutturals. The four main guttural consonants are ‫א‬, ‫ה‬, ‫ ח‬, and ‫ ע‬. The consonant ‫ר‬ is considered a semi-guttural. It will not double with Daghesh Forte (like a guttural), but it may appear with Vocal Shewa (unlike a guttural).

1.5

Consonantal Variation. So far, everything that you know about the Hebrew alphabet has applied to the Aramaic alphabet system. There is, however, one interesting point of variation that requires our attention. This variation occurs at the level of phonetic representation, or how words sound. At times, some of the Aramaic words that share a common Hebrew root may be spelled, at the consonantal level, with slight variation. A knowledge of the possible changes will help you to see a connection between these two Semitic dialects and aid in your memorization and recall of Aramaic vocabulary. Some of the more common types of variation are presented below with examples. You will also observe variations in vocalization or vowel patterns. The changes in vocalization will be explained in chapter 2. 1.

Hebrew Tmay be represented in Aramaic by ‫ ד‬. Hebrew

Aramaic

Translation

‫דהב‬ ‫דבח‬

‫זהב‬ ‫זב ח‬

gold to sacrifice

‫־‬

2.

t

3‫ןיט‬ ‫טור‬

Aramaic

‫לן?ץ‬ ‫צור‬

Translation

summer mountain

Hebrew ‫ צ‬may be represented in Aramaic by ‫ ע‬. Hebrew

‫אך ^ ה‬ ‫אע‬ 4.

:

Hebrew ‫ צ‬may be represented in Aramaic by ‫ ט‬. Hebrew

3.

*‫־‬

Aramaic

‫ארץ‬ ‫עץ‬

Translation

land, earth1 tree2

Hebrew $ may be represented in Aramaic by ‫ ת‬. Hebrew

‫תור‬ ‫י תב‬ ‫־‬

T

Aramaic

‫ ר‬1‫ש‬ ‫י שב‬ * t

Translation

bull to dwell

1.

On one occasion, in Jer 10:11, the Aramaic noun ‫יה‬0‫ א ך‬is spelled ‫אךלןה‬, with p in the third root letter position. This spelling variation preserves another phonetic option that derives from proto-Semitic and it is well represented in Old Aramaic (cf. Steinmann, 292; Johns, 6).

2.

The Hebrew noun ‫ עץ‬should have been spelled as in Aramaic, with Hebrew ‫צ‬ represented by Aramaic ‫ ע‬in the second root letter position. The shift from ‫ ע‬to ‫ א‬in the first root letter position (‫ ) א ע‬was a secondary development in Aramaic.

Chapter 1 ‫ ־‬Alphabet

3

In addition to the types of possible variations detailed above, certain Aramaic consonants appear to be used interchangeably, principally ‫ א‬and ‫ה‬, and ‫ש‬ and 0. A few examples appear below by way of illustration. 5.

The consonants ‫ א‬and ‫ ה‬are sometimes used interchangeably. Option 1

Option 2

‫לא‬ ‫נה ר א‬

‫לה‬ ‫נהרה‬ T

T

T ‫־‬: ‫־‬

T ‫־‬: ‫־‬

6.

Option 2

‫ שתא‬$‫ארתח שסתא אךתח‬ ‫שבבא‬ ‫סבכא‬ i

T

:

‫־‬

t

-

:

‫־‬

T

: ‫־‬

:

*

Translation

Artaxerxes harp

Before You Move On. At the end of each chapter, I have included a brief section identifying what you need to do or know before moving on to the next chapter. Pay special attention to these sections. They will help to focus your study of the information presented in each chapter. Sometimes information is presented for memorization. At other times, however, data appears for orientation, reference, or review. It will be helpful to know which is which.

3.

4

no, not the river3

The consonants ‫ ש‬and ‫ ם‬are sometimes used Option 1

1.6

Translation

1f

Review the alphabet, including final forms, begadkephat consonants, and guttural consonants. This is the easy stuff.

1f

Study carefully the issue of consonantal variation presented in 1.5. Understanding this section will help with Aramaic vocabulary and reduce the workload of memorizing "new" vocabulary.

In Hebrew, the definite article is • ‫( ה‬He-Pathach-Daghesh Forte) and it appears as a prefix on the word it determines. In Aramaic, the definite article is ‫( ז א‬Qamets-Alef) and it appears as a suffix on the word it determines. See BBA 5. The Aramaic definite article occurs almost 900 times in the biblical Aramaic text. It is spelled as ‫ ה‬t (Qamets-He) 66 times. Chapter 1 - Alphabet

1.7

Vocabulary. In the first three chapters, vocabulary lists will be longer than normal. In this first list, the Aramaic vocabulary words are identical, or closely correspond, to common Hebrew words. There are no homework exercises for this chapter. ‫אב‬ !‫אב‬ ‫אל ה‬ ‫אמה‬ ‫אךיה‬ ‫בית‬ T

‫־־‬

‫גבר‬ ‫דיז‬ ‫דת‬ T

‫היכל‬ ‫חיל‬ ‫חכים‬ ‫חכמה‬ ‫ז‬

t

t

‫חלם‬ ‫חנכ ה‬ •‫ן‬

t

‫נזל‬ T ‫ייום‬ !‫כה‬ ‫כל‬ ‫כסף‬ ‫כתב‬ T

:

‫לבב‬ ‫מדינ ה‬ ‫מלה‬ T

•

!

T

*

‫מלד‬ ‫מ שכב‬

father, ancestor stone God, a god; (plural) ‫אלהיז‬ cubit lion house, temple man judgment, justice law, command, decree palace, temple strength, army wise, wise man wisdom dream dedication dew hand, paw; might, power day priest all, every, whole silver writing, inscription, document heart; also spelled ‫לב‬ province, city word, matter, affair king bed

Chapter 1 ‫ ־‬Alphabet

‫{ביא‬ ‫נהר‬ ‫ספ ר‬ ‫ספ ר‬ ‫ע בד‬ ‫־‬

T

‫עבר‬ ‫עלז‬ ‫?לם‬ ‫עם‬ ‫ע שב‬ ‫פחה‬ ‫צלם‬ ‫צפר‬ T

V

Hi? ‫רא ש‬ ‫הל‬ ‫רוח‬ ‫ש אר‬ T

:

‫לם‬$ T

:

‫שם‬ ‫שמלן‬ !‫ש‬ ‫שנה‬ T

:

prophet stream, river book scribe servant, slave opposite, beyond eye eternity, forever people, nation plants, grass, herbage governor statue, image bird horn (of animal or musical instrument) head, top, chief foot wind, spirit, mind rest, remains, remainder, remnant peace, welfare, health, greetings! name heaven, sky tooth year

5

‫וזריז‬ ♦

2

‫תךיז‬ *

Vowels 2.1

Aramaic Vowels. Like the alphabet, the vowel symbols (or "pointing") used for the Aramaic portions of the Old Testament are identical to the vowel symbols used in biblical Hebrew. Thankfully, the Masoretes who created and employed this system of vowel representation used a single system for both languages. A brief summary of this system is presented below for review.

2.2

Aramaic Vowel Charts. In the following charts, Aramaic vowels are presented in three major categories: long, short, and reduced. Within these vowel types/there are five vowel classes (a, e, i, o, u), though not all are attested in each of the vowel types. Each vowel will appear with the consonant ‫ ב‬in order to show the position of the vowel with respect to its consonant.

2.3

Vowel Chart 1: Long Vowels. In this type, i-class and u-class vowels are not attested. Symbol

2.4

Pronunciation

a-dass

‫ב‬

Qamets

a as in father

e-class

‫ב‬

Tsere

e as in they

o-cfass

‫ב‬

Holem

o as in role

T

Vowel Chart 2: Short Vowels. In this type, all five classes of vowels (a, e, i, o, u) are attested. Symbol

6

Vowel Name

Vowel Name

Pronunciation

a-dass

‫ב‬

Pathach

a as in bat

e-class

‫ב‬

Seghol

e as in better

i-class

‫ב‬

Hireq

i as in bitter

o-class

‫ב‬

Qamets Hatuf

o as in bottle

u-class

‫ב‬

Qibbuts

u as in ruler

T

Chapter 2 ‫ ־‬Vowel System

2.5

Vowel Chart 3: Reduced Vowels. In this type, i-class and u-class vowels are not attested. Symbol

2.6

Vowel Name

Pronunciation

a-class

‫ב‬

Hateph Pathach

a as in amuse

e-class

‫ב‬

Hateph Seghol

e as in metallic

o‫־‬class

‫ב‬ t:

Hateph Qamets

o as in commit

Summary Vowel Chart: Long, Short and Reduced Vowels. e

‫ב‬

T

‫ב‬

‫ב‬

Qamets

Tsere

Holem

‫ב‬ Pathach

‫ב‬ Seghol

‫ב‬

‫ב‬

‫ב‬

Hateph Pathach

Hateph Seghol

Hateph Qamets

Long

Short

Reduced

i

0

a

‫ב‬ Hireq

u

‫ב‬

T

‫ב‬

Qamets Hatuf

Qibbuts

TS

2.7

Aramaic Vowel Letters. In addition to the system of vowels presented above, the Masoretic scribes responsible for the preservation and transmission of the biblical text also employed a system of vowel letters. This is the same basic system used in the Hebrew portions of the Old Testament. For the purposes of review and reference, this system of vowel letters is presented below.

2.8

Vowel Letters Written with ‫( ה‬He). Note that ‫ ה‬is used as a vowel letter only at the end of a word, as in ‫( מלה‬word) and ‫( או־יה‬lion). The name of each is a combination of the name of the vowel (e.g., "Qamets") and the name of the consonant (e.g., "He"). Symbol

Vowel Name

Pronunciation

a-class

‫בה‬

Qamets He

a as in father

e-class

‫בה‬

Tsere He

e as in they

‫בה‬

Seghol He

e as in better

‫בה‬

Holem He

o as in role

o-class

Chapter 2 ‫ ־‬Vowel System

T

7

2.9

Vowel Letters Written with 1 (Waw). Note that the name of the u-class vowel in this type is unique. Its name is not a combination of any vowel or consonant as is the case with all other vowel letters.

2.10

Symbol

Vowel Name

Pronunciation

o-class

‫ביו‬

Holem Waw

o as in role

u-class

•‫בו‬

Shureq

u as in ruler

Vowel Letters Written with ‫( י‬Yod). The name of each vowel letter is a combination of the name of the vowel (e.g., "Hireq") and the name of the consonant (e.g., ‫״‬Yod1.(‫״‬ Vowel Name

Pronunciation

‫בי‬

Tsere Yod

e as in they

‫בי‬

Seghol Yod

e as in better

‫בי‬

Hireq Yod

i as in machine

Symbol e‫־‬class

i-class

2.11

Summary Vowel Chart: Vowel Letters.

With ‫ה‬

‫בה‬

‫בה‬/‫בה‬

‫בה‬

Qamets He

Seghol H e/ Tsere He

Holem He

With ‫ו‬

‫די‬

With

Seghol Yod / Tsere Yod

2.12

8

‫בו‬

Holem Waw

Shureq

‫בי‬ Hireq Yod

Additional Pointing Symbols. 1.

1,

‫בו‬

Shewa. In addition to both the regular vowels and the vowel letters, Aramaic also employs the Shewa, both Silent and Vocal. The Silent Shewa has a zero value and is never pronounced. The Vocal Shewa

Some grammarians consider Qamets Yod and Pathach Yod to be vowel letters; others consider them diphthongs. Chapter 2 ‫ ־‬Vowel System

maintains a brief, hurried pronunciation. The Shewa is not listed in the above vowel charts because it is not like any other vowel. It does not belong to any vowel class (a, e, i, o, u) nor does it belong to any vowel type (long, short, reduced). The form of the Shewa is the same in both Hebrew and Aramaic. It appears as two vertical dots below the consonant to which it is associated, as in ‫( א נח נא‬we) with a Silent Shewa or ‫( בעל‬lord, owner) with a Vocal Shewa. In the next chapter, we will review how to distinguish between Silent and Vocal Shewa.

2.13

2.

Daghesh Forte. In addition to the Daghesh Lene studied in the last chapter, Aramaic also employs the Daghesh Forte. In chapter I, you learned that six Aramaic consonants (the begadkephat letters) have two different pronunciations. In order to distinguish between the two pronunciations, a small dot (Daghesh Lene) was inserted into the consonant (‫ ב‬for the hard b and ‫ ב‬for the soft v). The Daghesh Forte looks exactly like the Daghesh Lene, a single small dot. The effect of the Daghesh Forte, however, is to double the consonant in which it occurs. In other words, instead of writing two identical consonants, side by side (‫) מ ם‬, Aramaic will write the consonant once and place the Daghesh Forte inside that consonant (‫ ) מ‬in order to indicate the vocalization of the second consonant, as in ‫( א מ ה‬cubit). Note that: (1) neither the Daghesh Forte nor the Daghesh Lene will appear in a guttural consonant (including ‫ ;)ר‬and (2) both the Daghesh Forte and the Daghesh Lene can occur in a begadkephat consonant. When a Daghesh Forte does occur in a begadkephat consonant, it doubles the hard pronunciation, not the soft. In the next chapter, we will review how to tell the difference between the Daghesh Lene and the Daghesh Forte when they appear in begadkephat letters.

3.

Furtive Pathach. Both Hebrew and Aramaic employ the Furtive Pathach. When a word ends in ‫ ח‬or ‫ ע‬and this guttural consonant is not immediately preceded by an a-class vowel, a Pathach will appear beneath the guttural, as in ‫( ח ח‬spirit, wind). The Furtive Pathach is pronounced before the guttural. In terms of syllabification, the Furtive Pathach is not considered to be a full vowel, nor is it counted in syllabification.

Notes on Aramaic Vocalization and Spelling. Most of the information presented above should be familiar to students who have studied biblical Hebrew. The few notes that follow, however, detail features of biblical Aramaic that do not exactly correspond to biblical Hebrew.

Chapter 2 ‫ ־‬Vowel System

9

Hateph Vowels w ith non gutturals. In biblical Hebrew, you will recall that Hateph vowels appear with guttural consonants. In biblical Aramaic, however, Hateph vowels are not restricted to guttural consonants. They may also appear with certain non-guttural consonants. In Aramaic, Hateph vowels may be used before or after the consonants ‫ג‬ and p, as in “Up (he locked) or ‫( לןךי‬it was read). Additionally, these vowels may be used before ‫ל‬, ‫ נ‬, or ‫ר‬, as in ‫( גלי‬it was revealed) or ‫צ פדי‬ (birds). It is not necessary to memorize the various environments in which the Hateph vowels occur in Aramaic. Simply be prepared to encounter these vowels in contexts previously unknown from Hebrew. Quiescent ‫ א‬. When the consonant ‫ א‬appears without a vowel it is said to be "quiescent," as in ‫( ר א ש‬head) or ‫( דניאל‬Daniel). Sometimes the quiescent ‫ א‬will drop out of the spelling. For example, both ‫ל מ א מ ר‬ (saying) and ‫( ל מ מ ר‬saying) exist as spelling options. The first form preserves the quiescent ‫ א‬in its spelling. The second form drops the quiescent ‫ א‬from its spelling. A similar phenomenon also occurs in biblical Hebrew. For example, the Imperfect lcs form of ‫ א מ ר‬is not spelled as ‫ א א מ ר‬, but as ‫( א מ ר‬I will say). The ‫ א‬in the spelling of ‫ א מ ר‬is the ‫ א‬of the lcs Imperfect preformative. The ‫ א‬of the verbal root became quiescent and does not appear in the spelling. Canaanite Shift. Both Hebrew and Aramaic are classified as Northwest Semitic languages. The Northwest Semitic group of languages ineludes both Aramaic and Canaanite dialects. Prior to the time of biblical Hebrew, originally long a-class vowels "shifted" to o-class vowels in the Canaanite family of dialects. This shift from a long a-class vowel to a long o-class vowel is called the "Canaanite shift." The Aramaic dialects did not adopt the Canaanite shift and this impacted the vocalization of certain Hebrew and Aramaic words that share a common root. In Hebrew, words normally spelled with the long o-class vowel, Holem Waw (‫ ם‬1‫) ש ל‬, may be spelled with the long a-class vowel, Qamets (‫)ש לם‬, in Aramaic. Understanding the Canaanite shift will help when identifying and memorizing certain Aramaic vocabulary. The following list contains some of the more common examples of Hebrew and Aramaic words that share a common root but differ in vocalization because of the Canaanite shift. Hebrew

Aramaic

‫אמ־ש‬ ‫דזר‬

‫אנ ש‬ ‫דר‬

‫ב‬1‫ט‬

‫טב‬

T V:

T

T

Translation

man generation good

Chapter 2 ‫ ־‬Vowel System

Hebrew

Aramaic

‫לא‬

‫לא‬

‫לם‬1‫ע‬

‫לם‬£

‫קול‬

‫ ל‬1?

‫שלום‬

‫שלם‬

‫ןלוש‬2
י יח־‬: \‫טל‬ 26‫־ש ב^ה‬1••;‫ח״•ד‬::j*‫לאת ולא‬ ‫ •י‬: - j • ‫־‬ ‫•י‬ • { 5‫ ד‬: it

‫ באד י ז‬2 1 : ‫אמ ר לכפ ו זה לש ד ר ך מ יש ך ועבד נג ו למ רמא לאת ו ן נ ורא יקדתא‬ ‫״‬

-

.«

IT

: M ‫״‬T

IT

i

“

t

**

•

*

*

A 5

j « * { -

I

r

».

I

•

-

.

j

T

-

.

-

-J

‫ ן ו ל ב שי ה ח‬1‫ ב ם ך ב לי ה ח פ טי שי הז־ן [ פ ט ש י ה ח ] ן כ ך ב ל ת ה‬30•‫ג בו־י א א ל ך כפתו‬

20. Shaphel Infinitive Construct from ‫זיב‬$ (BBA 22.3) with prefixed preposition ‫ ל‬and a lcp pronominal suffix. 21. Shaphel Imperfect 3ms from ‫( שזיב‬BBA 22.3). 22. The expression ‫ יז״יע להוא״לך מל כ א‬translates "let it be known to you, O King." For a similar construction, see Ezra 4:12,13; 5:8. 23. The verbal root is ‫( מל א‬BBA 18.4.1). 24. Ithpaal Perfect 3mp (Qere 3ms) from ‫( שנה‬BBA 20.3). Note the presence of metathesis in both Kethiv and Qere forms. 25. The verbal root is ‫( אזה‬BBA 16.4.2). 26. The meaning of ‫ ב ע ה‬$ ‫ ד ״‬1‫ ך‬is multiplacative, "seven times" (Rosenthal, 33 [section 70]). 27. Passive Peal Participle ms from ‫ חז ה‬. According to HALOT, the meaning of the verb in this context is "proper" or "customary/‫ ׳‬Translate ‫ חד״(צבעה על די חז ה‬as "seven times more than what is customary." 28. The verbal root is ‫( אזה‬BBA 16.4.2). 29. The preposition ‫ ל‬identifies what follows as the object of the verb ‫ א מ ר‬. 30. Peil Perfect 3mp from 1133 (BBA 18.3.1). The diagnostic feature of the Peil stem is a Hireq Yod stem vowel. On two occasions in the biblical Aramaic text, this Hireq Yod stem vowel is written defectively as Hireq (Dan 3:20; 7:22 [‫ ב‬1‫)]ןר‬. 178

Daniel 3

‫״‬

‫־־‬

t

-

:

‫צ^ה‪33‬‬ ‫מ ‪:‬ל‪T‬כא מח‬ ‫>לת‬ ‫מ‬ ‫מז־ד־י‪32.‬‬ ‫־קבל ‪.‬ד‪T‬נה‬ ‫כל‬ ‫־את ו ז נ ורא יקדתא ‪2 2 :‬‬ ‫ורמ יי ו‪IT31‬לג‪1‬א‬ ‫־ { ‪T J‬‬ ‫״‪1‬‬ ‫י ־‬ ‫• י‬ ‫‪j.. P‬‬ ‫‪T.‬‬ ‫‪T‬‬ ‫ץ‬ ‫‪ •I fy‬־!‬ ‫‪J‬‬ ‫‪I:J‬־‬

‫ואת ו נא א זה‪ 34‬לת יךא ג ב ת א אלך־ ד י הסק י‪ 35‬לש ד ר ך מ יש ן ־’ ועבד ‪ i Jb‬קט ל‪ 36‬הפזיון‬

‫!•‬

‫‪23‬‬

‫שב יבא ד י נ ורא ‪:‬‬ ‫‪IT‬‬

‫‪r KT‬‬

‫ו נבר יא א לך תלתר ז ו ן ש ד ר ך מ ישך ועבד ע ו נפל ו‬

‫' ן ־* ‪S .‬‬

‫!‬

‫‪ - ' 7‬״ י‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫‪1 :‬‬

‫־‬

‫}‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫״‬

‫־ •‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫־‬

‫‪i t‬‬

‫־ ‪t :‬‬

‫‪i‬‬

‫‪.‬״* ‪J‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪25‬‬

‫י‬

‫״‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪I‬‬

‫‪S‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫״״ ft T

J*

*'

, TJ

T‫־ ־ ״‬

M

J

•

*

J*

T

30

‫ פ‬: ‫באד י ן מ ל כא הצ לח לשדר ־ד מ ישך ועבד עיו במד י נת בבל‬

: ‫להצלה כד נה‬

‫ [ד ירץ ] בכ ל ־א רעא‬51‫א ד י ־דאר י ן‬-‫ נב וכד נצר מ ל כא לכל ־עממ יא אמ י ־א ולשנ י‬3 ! 50 \ T

J ‫־‬

T

J

L 1

J* J

T ‫י־‬

1

‫ “ ״‬J

T

I*

•JT‫־‬

T

‫״‬

J

*T ‫־‬

‫*״‬.

T ‫־‬

t

‫־ ר‬

T

1•

T

S

*‫״‬

J‫ ־‬V

! ‫־‬

*

42. The verbal root is ‫( שנה‬BBA 13.4.4). 43. The verbal root is ‫( ע ד ה‬BBA 13.4.4). 44. Shaphel Perfect 3ms from ‫( שזיב‬BBA 22.3.1). 45. The verbal root is ‫( שנה‬BBA 19.4.1). 46. Peil Perfect 3ms from ‫ שים‬. The expression ‫ מני שים ט ע ם‬is literally translated, "from me a decree is made." However, an active translation is usually preferred, "I decree" or "I make a decree." Similar constructions occur at Dan 4:3; 6:27; Ezra 4:19; 6:8,11; and 7:13. 47. This form is listed in the lexicon under the entry •‫ שלו‬. Thus , ‫ ד י״ יאמר שלה [ שלו] על‬is literally translated, "who speaks negligence against." Other translations include: "that speaks anything against" (ESV), "who say anything against" (NIV), "that speaks anything offensive against" (NASB), or "that blasphemes" (NET). 48. The expression ‫ הדמין י תעבד‬may be translated, "he will be tom to pieces" (cf. Dan 2:5). 49. Hithpaal Imperfect 3ms from ‫ ה‬1‫ ש‬. Note the presence of metathesis in this verbal form (BBA 20.2 .2 ). 50. Aramaic Dan 3:31-33 corresponds to English Dan 4:1-3. 51. The verbal root for both Kethib and Qere spellings is ‫ דו ר‬. The Qamets under the first root letter is diagnostic of the active Peal Participle. 180

Daniel 3

*

ITJ

1


א מ‬‫־‬:

T

S V S

‫וחלמא‬ AT

‫ומר י־א‬

T ‫ ״‬ST S

‫־אלה י ן‬ ‫אל ו ז י וד י ר וח‬ ‫ זם‬2 •

8

‫־‬

“

8

‫ ־‬-

8

♦‫״‬

. *•

ITT

J“

T

29

:

27 ‫״‬

:55‫למה‬ ‫ותך והש‬ ‫מלכ‬ r 8 8 - 8 1 IT 8 “

: ‫פר יסת מלכ ותך ו יה יבת למד י ופרם‬

J ” *** S J -

8

1‫־‬

‫״‬

*

‫• יט‬J*‫ש ל‬ ‫וא‬J ‫־לה־״‬ ‫ד י‬I‫ה י ״‬ ‫על י ו‬I J‫והכר ז ו‬ ‫וארה‬ ‫על ־צ‬ ‫־דהבא‬ ‫ד י‬I* ‫]י‬- ‫יכא‬ ‫כא [ והמ נ‬T ‫והמת‬ ‫נא‬T ‫ו‬T 8‫אח ־‬ • V8 V * 8‫ ״‬8 ‫ ־‬A 8‫״״‬ 8‫־‬ T‫־‬ IT ‫ ־‬8 ‫״‬ JT * 8 1‫ ־‬8 J 8 • 8 8 ‫־‬

‫] פ‬L : ‫[כשדאה‬ ‫יא‬T ‫ד‬ ‫כא כש‬ ‫ יב ילאש צ ר מ ל‬T 8‫יל‬J ‫קט‬8‫ א •״‬4‫יל‬ ‫בה בל‬ IT T 8 ‫ ־‬J T 8 ‫־‬ JT 8 ‫ ־‬1‫ “ ־‬8 *‫״‬ T | ^ ‪1‬‬

‫“ ‪1‬‬

‫״‬

‫‪J‬‬

‫‪TJT‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T J‬‬

‫* ‪J‬‬

‫‪I‬‬

‫“‬

‫־‬

‫‪P‬‬

‫*‬

‫י‬

‫״ ־‬

‫״‬

‫*‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪I‬‬

‫‪VJT‬‬

‫מ ל כא ' כתב לכל ־עממ י ‪-‬א אמ יא ולש נ יא ד י ־דאר י ז‪[ 47‬ד יר ין] ב כ ל ־א רעא שלמכ י‪ s‬ו ן‬ ‫‪-‬‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪j‬‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫לש גא ‪:‬‬

‫־‬

‫‪27‬‬

‫‪k‬‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫‪r‬‬

‫!‬

‫־‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫\‬

‫־‬

‫‪j t‬‬

‫‪♦ j‬‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫־ »‬

‫‪r‬‬

‫‪ j t‬־ •‬

‫״‬

‫‪t j‬‬

‫‪L l‬‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫־ ן‬

‫ז ג‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫;‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪t‬‬

‫מךל ןךמ י ׳ש ים ט עם ד י ן בכל ־שלט ן מלכ ות י לה ו ן זאע י ן [זלע ין] ודחל י ז‬

‫־לא‬ ‫ותה ״!ד י‬ ‫ומלכ‬ ‫לעלל‪ /‬י ״ז‬ ‫וק ‪T‬ים‬ ‫ח ‪T‬יא‬ ‫להא‬ ‫־ה וא‪ 1 48‬א‬ ‫־ד נ יאל *ד י‬ ‫להה *ד י‬ ‫־קדם א‬ ‫מז‬ ‫‪JT‬‬ ‫‪M‬‬ ‫־ ‪5‬‬ ‫‪* } JT J‬‬ ‫‪ J‬־״‬ ‫“‬ ‫‪J T T VJ‬‬ ‫‪J‬‬ ‫‪IT‬‬ ‫‪J** T VJ‬‬ ‫״ י ‪T5‬״ ‪I T‬‬

‫‪ $ . Note the presence of metathesis in the spelling of this inflected form.‬כ ח ‪37. The verbal root is‬‬ ‫‪.‬זכו ‪The subject of this 3fs verb is the fs noun‬‬ ‫"‪ as "then the king was very pleased.‬באדין מל כ א שגיא ט א ‪ 1‬על‪ 1‬הי ‪38. Translate‬‬ ‫‪ (Jerusalmi, 135; Johns, 71-72).‬ס ל ק ‪39. Haphel Infinitive Construct from‬‬ ‫‪ erusalmi, 135; Johns, 71-72).‬ס ל ק ‪40. Hophal Perfect 3ms from 0‬‬ ‫‪ .‬א מן ‪41. The verbal root is‬‬ ‫‪ .‬א ת ה ‪42. The verbal root is‬‬ ‫‪43. The idiom "who ate his pieces" means "who accused him" (cf. Dan 3:8).‬‬ ‫‪ .‬ר מ ה ‪44. The verbal root is‬‬ ‫‪ .‬מ ט א ‪45. The verbal root is‬‬ ‫‪ (BBA 21.4.7).‬ד ק ק ‪46. The verbal root is‬‬ ‫‪ .‬דו ר ‪47. The verbal root is‬‬ ‫‪48. The 3ms independent personal pronoun is used as the copula in this context (BBA 9.3.2).‬‬ ‫‪199‬‬

‫‪Daniel 6‬‬

‫תתח^ ל ושלט נה עד ־ס ופא‪:49‬‬

‫‪28‬‬

‫מש י זב‪ 50‬ומצל‪ 51‬ה\בד את י ן ותמר ז י ן בשמ יא‬

‫ובא רעא ד י ש י ז יב לד נ יאל מ ז ־ יד אר י ותא ‪:‬‬ ‫‪:‬‬

‫־‬

‫‪Js t‬‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫•*‬

‫‫־‬

‫״‬

‫י־‬

—

•

T

* -

JT

‫״‬

L *

J

A*• :

T

J

‫י‬

J

T

‫י‬

*

‫ ועל ־קר נ יא עש ר ד י בראע זה ואחר י ד י‬2 0 : ‫ ושא רא בר גל יה רפסה‬35‫מ דאה‬ J ‫־‬

‫ ״‬T!

T

:

‫־‬

•• J

J *‫־‬

.

> ! - ; ‫ ״‬-

‫־‬

:

IT

:

IT

J- S

‫־‬

S

IT T

J

,T

‫ ־‬1 ‫־‬

‫ קךמה ] ת לת ןקל נא לכ ן ועינין לה ופם ממ ל ל‬:[ ‫םלל ןת ונפל ו [ ו נפלה ] מ ן ־קךמ יה‬

‫ ח זה ה [ ית וקל נא לכ ן ^בדה ק רב עם ־קל יש י ן‬21 : ‫ רב מ ךח ב רתה‬36‫רב ו ־צ ן וח ז וה‬

‫ לקד יש י על י ונ ין ו זמ נא מ נ זה‬37‫ע ד ד י ־אתה עת יק י ומ*א וד ינא ירזב‬ 2 2 : ‫ו יכלה לה ו ן‬ 5‫־‬ T

:

JT

•

* •

‫י‬

A*

J

•

‫י‬.*‫״‬

‫ ״‬,‫־‬

J

*

*

JT

‫׳‬

J

T ‫־‬

I

‫י‬

‫ א מלכ ו ךב י^ יא‬1‫כ ןאמ ל יח ץת א לבמ{ י ו‬

* ‫־=״‬

23

T

‫ ־‬J

I*

,

I S

IT :

T t

: ‫ ומלכ ותא החס נ ו קד יש י ן‬38

29. The verbal root is ‫ קו ם‬. 30. The determined adjective ‫ יציב‬functions as the object of the verb ‫( א ב ע א‬BBA 10.3.3), "and I sought what is certain," or "I asked the true meaning" (cf. NIV, ESV). 31. This fp demonstrative pronoun is used as the copula (BBA 9.3.2). 32. Aphel Imperfect 3mp from ‫ ח סן‬. 33. Peal Perfect lcs from ‫( צבה‬BBA 13.4.4). With 111‫ ה־‬verbs, the vowel letter appearing between the verbal root and the lcs Perfect sufformative is normally Tsere Yod. In this one instance, the spelling is Hireq Yod (BBA 13.4.4). 34. In this context, the verb ‫ שנה‬means "to be different" (cf. Dan 7:3,23, 24). 35. Aphel Participle fs from ‫ ד ק ק‬. 36. The noun 1TF1 ends with Shureq, but it is considered masculine. This Shureq becomes the consonant ‫ ו‬before a pronominal suffix. See also Dan 7:2 (BBA 8.6.2, footnote 3). 37. Peil Perfect 3ms from ‫ יהב‬with defective spelling of the Hireq Yod stem vowel. 38. The verbal root is ‫ מ ט א‬. 204

Daniel 7

‫א‬£ ‫ מךכ ל ־מ לכ ותא ותאכל ' כ ל ־אך‬40‫ א ד י תש נא‬£ ‫ ב א ך‬39‫[רב יעאה ] תה וא‬

‫וק ו־ג יא עש ר מ נה מלכ ו וגה עש ר ה מלכ י ן לקמ ו ן ואחר־ן‬

25

43‫ומל י ן לצד‬

2 4 :42‫ןתךק נה‬

41‫ותד וש נה‬

: ‫יק ום אחר יה ו ן וה וא יש נא מ ן ־קךמ יא ותלתה מלכ י ן יהשפל‬

‫ ן יסבר לה ש ר ה זמנ ין ו ז־ת ןלתלהב ון‬44‫עללא [עלאה ] למלל ולקד יש י על י ונ ין יבלא‬

‫ להשמ ד ה‬46‫ ןשלט נה יהעד ו ן‬45‫ ןך ינא לתב‬2 6 : ‫ב י ז־ה עד ־עד ן ןעךנ ין ופלג עד ן‬

‫ומלכ ותה ושלט נא ורב ותא ד י מלכ ות תח י ות כל ־שמ יא‬ JJT •J T T

-

J

‫>* ־‬

T

T

J

T

J

T

i

iT

27 ‫־‬

: ‫ולה י ובדה עד ־ס י ופא‬ ‫״‬

IT

I T T

‫ לפלח ו ן‬47‫לה יבת לעם קד יש י עלייונין מ לכ ותה מלכ ות עלם וכליש לט נ ;א לה‬

‫עד ־כה ס י ופא ד י ־מלתא א נה ד נ יאל ש ג יא ן רע י ונ י יבהלננ י ח י ו י‬ ‫־‬

* J

‫־ ״‬

‫»״‬. ‫ ־‬:

-

:

J-

‫;״‬

*

J* ‫־‬

‫ ״ * ״‬IT

T “ J

AT

t

*

I‫״‬

JT

IT

‫־‬

28

:48‫ו ישתמע ו ן‬ •

‫ ״‬I

j

-

:

r :

‫ פ‬: ‫ על י ומלתא בלב י נטרת‬49‫ישתנ י ון‬

39. The subject of this verb is ‫ חיו ת א ךבי^יתא‬at the beginning of the verse. The predicate nominative is [ ‫ןיא [ךב מן אה‬/‫! מל כו ךבי‬ 40. In this context, the verb ‫ )צנה‬means "to be different" (cf. Dan 7:3,19, 24). 41. Peal Imperfect 3fs from ‫ דור‬with a 3fs pronominal (object) suffix. The antecedent of the pronominal suffix is the fs noun ‫ א ר ע‬. 42. Aphel Imperfect 3fs from ‫ ד ק ק‬with a 3fs pronominal (object) suffix. 43. The combination of the preposition ‫ ל‬and the noun ‫ צד‬is translated "against." 44. The verbal root is ‫ ב ל ה‬. 45. Peal Imperfect 3ms from ‫ י ת ב‬with defective spelling (BBA 14.4.3). The expression ‫ ודינא י ת ב‬is literally translated, "the judgment will sit" (cf. Dan 7:10). Other translations include: "But the court shall sit in judgment" (ESV; cf. NASB), "But the court will sit" (NIV), "But the court will convene" (NET). 46. The verbal root is ‫ ע ד ה‬. 47. This 3ms pronominal suffix, affixed to the preposition ‫ ל‬, functions as the direct object for the following two verbs (BBA 7.7.1). 48. The verbal root is ‫)צמע‬. Note the presence of metathesis in the spelling of this inflected form. 49. The verbal root is ‫עונה‬. Note the presence of metathesis in the spelling of this inflected form. Daniel 7

205

J

Ezra 4:8-24

‫ת א‬IT ‫חשש‬ ‫ר ת‬S ‫א‬J T‫ושלם \ ל‬ ‫־ יר‬AV‫על‬ ‫דה‬ ‫ ושמש י ספר ־א כתב ו א גרה ח‬1‫•־טעם‬r‫בע ל‬ ‫ום‬ ‫ רח‬8 “t JTJ J “ S : :: ‫״‬ J T J IT ‫־‬

‫״‬

J

J

‫״‬5‫״‬

:

‫״‬5‫״‬

‫נ••יא‬T ‫ותה ו ז^ד י‬ ‫ר כנ‬ ‫רא ושא‬ ‫פ‬ ‫בע ל ־טעם ושמש י ־ ס‬ ‫ום‬ ‫רח‬ ‫ א ד ץ‬9 :IT ‫מ ל כא כ נמא‬ TT IT T t IT • J • ‫״‬

‫י‬

A

J

5

J

J

*

J

J

‫• י‬

3‫נכ^א דה וא‬ ‫בבל יא ש וע ז‬ ] ‫יא‬ ‫[ארכ ו‬ ‫ארכ ו י‬ ‫יא‬J ‫רס‬ ‫אפ‬ •• T J ‫־‬ I ‫ ־״‬T T‫־י‬ >**T ‫ ־‬T ! ‫־‬ S

S

S

S

‫ •י‬T

“ T I “

S

J

S

IT ‫ ־‬J MT

S

S

16 ‫ו־תב ה‬ ‫וה‬T s 6‫יקי יר־א‬ ‫נפר* ־רבא ו‬ ‫הגל י אס‬ ‫די‬ ‫א‬-T‫י‬-‫אמ‬ ‫ושא ר‬ 10 : ‫יא‬l**T‫עלמ‬ 4]‫יא ־ י‬V ‫[דה‬ J *‫״‬ •‫ ־‬JT S ---------• T * S “ על‬ ‫ל‬ ‫ח מ‬ ‫גמא ש ל‬ ‫‪ T 17‬פת‬ ‫*‪J‬‬ ‫‪JTT S‬‬ ‫‪T :‬‬ ‫‪fT‬‬ ‫‪* S‬‬ ‫‪t‬‬ ‫‪:‬‬ ‫‪S‬‬ ‫־‪ 1‬׳‬ ‫“ ‪T :‬‬ ‫‪ :‬־‪J‬‬ ‫‪T J‬‬

‫״‬

‫‪J‬‬

‫יתב י ז בשמר י ז ושא ר עבר ־ נהרה ש לם וכעת ‪ :‬ם‬

‫‪S T‬‬

‫*‪I‬‬

‫‪S‬‬

‫י‬

‫‪IT‬‬

‫!‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪ AT‬י י‬

‫‪ST‬‬

‫מ פ רש‪ 21‬ק ר י קדמ י ‪:‬‬

‫‪ :‬־ ^ ־‪1‬‬

‫‪19‬‬

‫־ ‪ :‬־ ‪•JT‬‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪IT‬‬

‫‪ :‬־ ‪.‬״ר‬

‫‪18‬‬

‫י‬

‫נשת ו נא ד י שלחת ו ז על י נא‬ ‫י‬

‫!‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪T T‬‬

‫״‪J‬‬

‫”‬

‫‪J‬‬

‫‪J‬‬

‫*‬

‫‪l‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪AV‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫ומנ י‪ 22°‬ש ים טעם ובקר ו והשצח ו ד י קך יתא ז־ך מך י י ומת‬

‫‪£‬לל וא על ־מלכ ץ מת נשאה ומרד ואשתד ו ר מתעבד ־בה ‪ 2 0 :‬ומלכ ץ תק יפ ץ ה ו ו‬

‫ע ל ־ לתש לם ושל יט י ן בכל עב ר נהרה ומדה בל ו והלל מת יהב לה ון ‪ 21 :‬כעץ‬

‫יתשם ‪:‬‬ ‫עמא‬ ‫־מ נ•‪ 1‬י ט‬ ‫עד‬ ‫תתב •*נא‬ ‫לא‬ ‫דך‬ ‫יתא‬ ‫לך וקר‬ ‫גבר ‪J T‬יא א‬ ‫לבט ‪IT‬לא‬ ‫ש ימ ו‪S 23‬טעם‬ ‫• ‪fT 5‬‬ ‫“ ‪JT .‬‬ ‫•‬ ‫^‬ ‫* ‪J J‬‬ ‫‪JT‬‬ ‫‪’ T‬‬ ‫‪JT : I * ‘ J‬‬ ‫* ”‪ A‬״‬ ‫‪ J‬־‬ ‫‪T " J‬‬ ‫״‪J‬‬ ‫מלכ‪ T‬י ״‪I‬ן ‪ :‬ס‬ ‫חב לא לה ‪T‬נ ‪T‬זקת‪24‬‬ ‫‪ 22‬ו זה יר י ז הו־ו של ו למעב ד על ־ד נה למה יש נא‬ ‫‪J - 11‬‬ ‫‪J~ J‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫״‪5‬‬

‫‪23‬‬

‫‪J‬‬

‫; ־‬

‫־‬

‫־‪ 5‬י‬

‫אד י ן מךך ־ י פךש ג ן נשת ו נא ד י א ך ת ח ש ש ת א [א ךתחששת ] מ ל צא קר י‬

‫שלו■‬ ‫וד*א וב‬ ‫יה‬ ‫על ־‬ ‫ושלם‬ ‫יל ו ״ל ‪I‬יר‬ ‫בבה‬ ‫ותה ו ין ‪s‬א• “זל ו‬ ‫ס ‪S‬פ ‪IT‬רא וכנ‬ ‫ושמש י‬ ‫־רח ום‬ ‫קדם‬ ‫ ‪r‬‬‫‪* T‬״‬ ‫‪J :‬‬ ‫־‪r‬‬ ‫‪V S‬‬ ‫>‬ ‫״ ‪ :‬״‬ ‫‪A S TT S‬‬ ‫‪T‬‬ ‫‪J- J‬‬ ‫‪• 5‬‬ ‫‪•J‬‬ ‫‪S‬‬ ‫! ‪T PT‬‬ ‫וח יל ‪ :‬ס‬ ‫בא ד רע‬ ‫המ י ו‪25‬‬ ‫{ ‪• IT‬‬ ‫‪:‬‬

‫״‬

‫‪S IT‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪J‬‬

‫‪V‬‬

‫‪i T‬‬

‫‪r‬‬

‫י‬

‫‪24‬‬

‫וה “ות‬ ‫ושלם‬ ‫־אלהא ד ״י ב יר‬ ‫ידת ב ית‬ ‫עב‬ ‫באד י ז בט לת‬ ‫‪ST‬‬ ‫‪I AV‬‬ ‫‪T T‬‬ ‫“‬ ‫‪J‬־‪ 5‬׳ ״ ‪J -‬‬ ‫! ‪V‬‬

‫*‪I‬‬

‫־‬

‫־פרס ‪ :‬פ‬ ‫תרת ‪J‬י ‪.‬יז למלכ ות ד ר י וש מלך‬ ‫נת‬ ‫לא “ ‪J‬עד ש‬ ‫בט‬ ‫‪S T VJ T IVV *TfT‬‬ ‫‪“ S‬‬ ‫־ ‪* J‬״‬ ‫‪S‬‬ ‫י‬

‫‪ (cf. Ezra 4:13).‬כ ל ל ‪19. Hishtaphel Imperfect 3mp from‬‬ ‫‪ (associate, colleague) with a 3mp pronominal suffix (cf. Ezra 4:9).‬כנ ת ‪20. The (irregular) mp of‬‬ ‫‪ ), this‬ק ר א ‪ (Peil Perfect 3ms from‬לןךי ‪ . Followed by‬פ ר ש ‪21. Passive Pael Participle ms from‬‬ ‫"‪compound verbal construction may be translated, "fit] was carefully read.‬‬ ‫;‪ ) occur at Dan 3:29; 4:3‬מני שים ט ע ם ‪ . Similar constructions (i.e.,‬שים ‪22. Peil Perfect 3ms from‬‬ ‫‪6:27; Ezra 6:8,11; and 7:13.‬‬ ‫‪ .‬שים ‪23. Peal Imperative 2mp from‬‬ ‫‪ (cf. Jerusalmi, 12).‬מ ק ‪24. Haphel Infinitive Construct from‬‬ ‫‪25. This 3mp pronoun functions as the object of the preceding verb (BBA 9.3.3).‬‬ ‫‪Ezra 4:8-24‬‬

‫‪208‬‬

Ezra 5

1 ‫ יה ול^א ד י‬- ‫א] ו זכר יה בר ־עד י וא גב יא יא [גב^א ] על‬-; ‫ןהתגב י חג י נב יאה [גב‬

‫ באד י ן 'קמ ו זרבבל‬2 ‫ ם‬: ‫ב יה וד וב יר ושלם בש ם א לה יש רא ל על יה ו ן‬

‫י‬

*

-

IT

*‫־‬

‫ >* ״‬J

V

‫״״‬

‫ ס‬:‫ ע ל־ א ת ר ה‬30‫יתבנא‬

:‫ מ תבנ א ולא של ם‬$ ‫בירו של ם ומך־אדיז ן ע ד־ פ‬

34‫די־ מלכ א תמה די בבבלי‘ הז איתי די־מז־כיורש מלכא שי ם‬ J*

T‫־‬

.

Ij..

V

T

•

J*

T I*

‫ ־‬JT

J

‫בבי ת גנזיא‬

‫־‬

*

T “ S ‫*״ ״‬

S

‫ ס‬:‫ עלינא‬35‫טעם למבנא בי ת־ אלה א דך בירו של ם ור עו ת מלכא על־דנה י של ח‬ r

:

•

IT

S

T

IV

8‫ ׳‬1 ‫־‬

•J T

S

‫־‬

AV

S

*

* I••

JT T

VS i

S*‫״‬

•*

S

29. Aphel Imperative 2ms from ‫( נ ח ט‬BBA 22.2.3). 30. Translate this Imperfect verb with a volitional nuance (BBA 14.5). 31. In this context, the verb ‫( יהב‬to give) is best translated as "to lay [the foundations]." 32. The expression ‫ הן על״מלכא ט ב‬is literally translated, "if [it is] good to the king." It may also be rendered, "if it pleases the king." For the Hebrew equivalent of this expression, see Esth 1:19; 3:9; 5:4, 8; 7:3; 8:5; 9:13; Neh 2:5, 7. 33. Translate this Imperfect verb with a volitional nuance (BBA 14.5). 34. See footnote 22 at Ezra 4:19. 35. Translate this Imperfect verb with a volitional nuance (BBA 14.5). 212

Ezra 5

Ezra 6: 118‫־‬

‫ “תמה‬2‫תיז‬ ‫מה ח‬ ‫גגזיא‬ ‫ *ת־ ס פרי א די‬J ‫ב בי‬ 1 J•‫רי ועז מלכא ש ם טעם ובקרו‬ ‫♦ י באדין ד‬1 1 * *‫־‬ J * ft** ‫־‬ IT

J*

“ t

S

*JT“

S*

‫ ״‬IT J T X

T

, J “ *“ J ' *

VJT

X T

•J -

‫תיב‬ ‫וכז־כ‬ ‫חד ה‬ ‫מגלה‬ ‫ת א ב ביר ת א די ב מ די מדינתה‬IT‫מ‬J ‫א ח‬ ‫ ב‬3 ‫שתכח‬ ‫• ו ה‬JT2 : :‫בבבל‬ y X ‫ ״* י‬: AT ‫ ־‬: JT ‫ י‬: * J J- T : •J* 1• : T

‫הא‬ ‫ת־ א ל‬X ‫ם ט ע כו בי‬ ‫ ב שנ ת חדה לכו־רש מלכא כו־רש מלכא ש‬3 ‫ פ‬:‫בגוה “ד כ ת ג ה‬ > X * * **

JT

T

V JT T

‫־‬

JT J V

‫־‬

V

J

J

T “ J

‫יז‬1‫ רו מ ה אמין עזר‬5‫ואעזוהי מםו־בליז‬ ‫ א ת ר די־ ד ב חיז דברזיז‬4‫בירועזלם בי ת א יתבגא‬1* 1 I

‫י‬

‫י‬

I

j •

■

»*

*

‫•א‬

x

i x

*

‫•״‬.

:

‫י‬

•

:

•

‫י‬

j*

:

t

r

‫־‬

‫ ־‬:

-

:

:

•

j t

: ‫־‬

v

:

‫ א‬1‫ א ןגךבך־ די־ א ע ח ד ת וגפקר‬1‫ די־ א בן גללי תלר‬6‫ גךבכין‬4 :‫פתיה אמין עזתין‬

‫גבוכדגצר‬ ‫די‬ ‘[‫וכספא‬ ‫דהבה‬ ‫די‬ ‫בית־אלה א‬ ‫מאגי‬ ‫סואף‬5 :‫מ ך בי ת מלכא ת תי הב‬ - V : I : J* T : : JT “ • “ J* T T V : ‫ ״‬J ** ‫ד‬ ‫ “ ״‬I5‫ ״‬J

1.

Aramaic Dan 6:1-29 corresponds to English Dan 5:31-6:28.

2.

The prefix D and the mp inflectional ending (‫ ) ין‬identify this form as a Participle in one of the derived stems. The prefix ‫ ה‬is diagnostic of the Haphel stem. The verbal root is ‫ נ ח ת‬. The ‫ נ‬of the verbal root has assimilated, but the guttural in the second root position has rejected the expected Daghesh Forte that would normally identify the 1‫ נ־‬weak verbal root. Additionally, this Participle is passive. In the mp, the active and passive Haphel Participles are identical in form. It is the semantic context that prefers the passive Participle, "where the treasures were deposited." See BBA 21.4.6.

3.

Note the presence of metathesis in this verbal form (BBA 18.4.1).

4.

Translate this Imperfect verb with a volitional nuance (BBA 14.5).

5.

This verb is a passive Participle mp. Rosenthal (48 [section 130]) identifies this verb as S[h]aphel from the verbal root ‫יבל‬. HALOT also suggests the Poel stem from the verbal root ‫ ס ב ל‬. Translate as "[let its foundations] be set in place" (NET).

6.

There is only one verb in this verse. It is the last word of the verse, ‫ ת ך ר ה ב‬.

Ezra 6:1-18

213

i

t

“

{

IT

J“

X

‘

X

X

I—

‫ד> די־ בי רו ש ל ם‬ ‫ להיכלא‬8‫לבבל יהתיבו־ץ ״ויהך‬ . . .

‫ן‬

.

.

.

.

j

I

T

.

1

•

-

a v

t

• ••

•‫״‬

•

♦

n

j

iv

j :

‫ש ת ר בהני‬s ‫הר ה‬ ‫ע בר־נ‬S ‫ כעז ״תתני פ ח ת‬6 ‫ ס‬:‫הא‬IT ‫אל‬ ‫ב בי ת‬S 9‫לאתו־ה ו ת ח ת‬ T-S T VS ‫־‬

:

> ‫־‬

I

‫־‬

“

‫־‬

:

‫־‬

‫־ ״‬

:

J"

I ••

-

:

‫ ש ב קו לעביד ת‬7 :‫ וזוז־ מ ך ת מ ה‬11‫ אפךםכ?א די ב ע ב ר נהרה ךרזילןץ‬10‫וכנו תה ח‬

:‫ת•״!ר ה‬s ‫א‬- ‫ע ל־‬ 12‫יבנה‬ ‫דך‬ ‫אלה א‬ ‫בי ת־‬ ‫יהוד*א‬ ‫ל ש ״״בי‬s ‫ א ו‬-‫י הו די‬s ‫ח ת‬ ‫דך פ‬ ‫בית־אלה א‬ ‫ ׳‬1‫־‬ * ( s * 1 r vs •* ‫״״‬ s >‫״ ־‬ a 1•‫״‬ vs •‫י‬ jt

t

t

j

t

t

‫דך‬ ‫אלה א‬ ‫למבנא•״ ~בי ת־‬ ‫א אלך‬ ‫הו די‬ ‫ ע ס־ ש בי*•< י‬1 ‫די־תעבדוץ‬ ‫ י‬A‫*״‬ I VS S ‫ ״‬S ‫* ״״ י‬ ‫‘״‬ . 5 JT

T

T

T

j t

t

13‫ט ע ס ל מ א‬

1“

!‫״‬

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‫לאלה‬ ‫ ן‬16‫ודכריז ו א מריז ן ל על ה‬ ‫ ובני תוריז‬15 ‫ ומה חשחץ‬9 :‫אלך די־ל א לבטלא‬ VS V S S VT

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‫להם‬S S‫של ם להו א מ תי ה ב‬ ‫בירו‬V‫די־‬ ‫ כהני־א‬17‫ח מ ר ו מ ש ח כ מ א מ ר‬S ‫חנטיז מלח ן‬S ‫שמ^א‬ VSV S J* *

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7.

Haphel Perfect 3ms from ‫יבל‬. See the note for this same verb at Ezra 5:14 (cf. Rosenthal, 49 [section 130]).

8.

See BBA 14.4.7.

9.

Aphel Imperfect 2ms from ‫( נ ח ת‬cf. footnote 1 at Ezra 6:1).

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10. See footnote 2 and Ezra 4:9. 11. The expression ‫( ךחיקין הוו‬mp adjective followed by the Peal Imperative 2mp from ‫ ) הו ה‬may be translated as "keep away" (ESV) or "stay [far] away" (NIV, NET). 12. With ‫ ח‬1-‫ ה‬verbs, the expected Shureq in the spelling of an Imperfect 3mp sufformative becomes Holem Waw. Additionally, the final ‫ ה‬drops out before the sufformative. Compare the Peal Imperfect 3mp strong verb ‫ יכתבון‬with the 111-‫ ה‬form ‫( יבגיון‬BBA 14.4.6). 13. The interrogative pronoun ‫( מ ה‬what?) appears 14 times in the biblical Aramaic text. It is spelled with ‫ א‬this one time. Translate ‫ ל מ א ז*י ת עבדון‬as "with regard to what you will do." 14. See BBA 17.5.4. 15. This verse contains a list of several items necessary for the service of the temple. 16. The Qamets Nun ending is the feminine plural inflectional ending. 17. This is the noun ‫( מ א מ ר‬word, command), not the Infinitive Construct of ‫ א מ ר‬. It also occurs in Dan 4:14. 214

Ezra 6:1-18

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19‫ומצלין‬ ‫ש מי א‬ ‫ מהקרבין ניחוחין לאלה‬18‫ די־ל הון‬1 0 :•‫שלו‬ ‫לא‬ ‫ ביום די־‬1 ‫י*ום‬J ATJT I T JT ‫ • י‬-:

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‫ ומני שי ם טעם די כל־ אנ ש די י ה שנ א פ תג מ א דנה יתנסח‬11 :‫ל חיי מלכא ובנוהי‬ J‫־‬

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‫די‬ ‫ ו אלה א‬12 J :‫על־דנה‬ ‫נולו י תעבד‬ ‫וביתה‬T ‫ י ת מ ח א עלהי‬20‫אע מן־ביתה וז קיף‬ T T J* ‫•״ו‬IT : 1“ € } : ‫״‬ T: *j*• : ‫ *־‬A ‫ז‬ j •• : : • ‫ י •י‬r

‫לחבלה‬ ‫לה שניה‬J S“‫ידה‬ ‫ כל־ מלך ועם די ן י של ח‬22‫ ר‬5‫ ש מ ה ת מ ה ימ‬21‫שפן‬ ‫״‬: •JTT - T JT !‫• ** ־‬ : ‫י‬

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‫ פ‬:‫יתעבד‬T ‫א‬I*‫ס פרנ‬ ‫ ט(ןם א‬23‫ת‬ ‫ש שמ‬ ‫ריו‬T ‫< ד‬T‫ אנה‬AV‫ בי רו של ם‬J ‫בית־אלהא דך די‬ T V JT VT JT T V5 :

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‫ריו ש‬ ‫ ד‬25‫די־ ש ל ח‬ 24‫בל״״‬ ‫וכנותהון ״ל ק‬ ‫ר־נ הר ה ש ת ר ביוזני‬ ‫ ע ב‬I‫ת־‬ ‫ פ ח‬5‫י‬-----------5‫ ־ת ת‬J‫*דמ‬£ J “ T : VST 1• ‫״‬T : T J“ I : T T : A » * } ‫־‬ *} ‫־‬ ‫־ •י‬

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:‫עבדו‬ ‫ ס פרנ א‬:‫א‬ ‫פנמא‬ ‫מלכא‬ I‫ ־‬T : J - : T 6 ‫ ז‬lM : •JT : -

‫[נב*א] וז כרי ה ב ר־ ע דו א ובנ׳ו ן שכללו מן־טעם אלה י ש ר א ל ו מ טע ם כיורש‬

18. See BBA 14.4.6. 19. Pael Participle mp from ‫ צלה‬. 20. This passive Peal Participle (ms) is being used adverbially, modifying the Imperfect verb that follows. Try using a translation like, "after being lifted up." The adverbially use of the passive Participle is rare in the biblical Aramaic text. This may be the only clear example. 21. The Pathach under the first root letter and the Daghesh Forte in the second root letter are the diagnostic spelling features for this verbal form. 22. The explicit subject of this verb is the noun ‫( ו אל ה א‬with conjunction 1) appearing at the beginning of the verse. 23. Peal Imperfect lcs from ‫( שים‬BBA 13.4.2). 24. The construction ‫ לנןבל !יי‬ar>pears only one time in the biblical Aramaic text. The more common construction is 3 ‫( ל־לןבל די‬BBA 9.7.3). 25. Literally translated, "just as Darius the king had sent." More idiomatic translations include: "had ordered" (ESV) or "had given instructions (NET). Ezra 6:1-18

215

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‫די‬r ‫אלהכם‬ ‫ ת‬r‫די• בי‬ ‫ה‬t ‫מדבח‬ ‫על־‬r ‫הפן ו‬ ‫ת קר ב‬: ‫ונסכיהון ו‬ ‫ומנחתהון‬ ‫מריז‬ ‫דכריז •א‬ 1 ‫־‬ v: r 1 : * ♦ : ‫ ״‬: t : 1 1 1 • 1 • ‫י‬ * : * ‫ז‬

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‫ומה דייעללך [עלך] ןעל־אחלך [ א חך] ליטב ב ש א ר כספא וז־הבה‬

:‫בי רו ש ל ם‬

‫אלהך‬ ‫בי ת‬ ‫לך לפלחז‬ ‫ביז‬ ‫די־ *מ תי ה‬I* ‫אני א‬ ‫מ‬IT‫ ׳ ־ ־ו‬19‫ י‬:‫תעבדון‬ ‫למעבד כר עו ת אלהכם‬ ‫ י‬AT T V : J M 1 IT J T J ‫ י‬T • J* ‫ ״‬:* : T‫־‬ I

‫למנתז‬ ‫יפל־לך‬ ‫די‬J ‫ בית אלווך‬11‫ ו ש א ר ח ש חו ת‬2 0 ‫־‬:‫ל ם‬JT‫ {אלה י רו ש‬J‫קדם‬ 10‫העזלם‬ ‫ י ״‬IT T T T A 1‫ ־‬I J V

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‫ עזר א כהנה ספ ר ד ת א די־ אל ה‬12‫גזבר*א די ב ע ב ר נהרה די כ ל־ די'י ש א לנ כון‬ J T VS

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‫כל־די‬

2 3 :14‫כ ת ב‬

‫ן עד־ ח מר בתין מ&ה ןעד־בתין מעזח מ א ה ומלח די־ ל א‬

8.

A fs noun ‫( ה תנ ד בו‬gift, donation). Feminine singular nouns that end with ‫ ו‬in the absolute state add ‫ ת‬in the construct state.

9.

Literally translated as "silver," but more generically, in this context, it may be rendered as "money."

10. In the Haphel stem, the verb ‫ שלם‬may be translated "to deliver" (NIV, ESV, NET) or "to deliver in full" (NASB). HALO T suggests "to make complete, deliver completely." 11. Feminine singular nouns that end with ‫ ו‬in the absolute state add ‫ ת‬in the construct. 12. See BBA 14.6 (example 3). 13. The preposition occurs four times in this verse. In each instance it is used quantitatively, designating a specified limit. It may be translated as "as much as" or "up to" (e.g., "as much as one hundred talents of silver." 14. Literally translated as "salt without writing," this expression indicates that there was no specified limit for the amount of salt to be supplied by the king. 218

Ezra 7:12-26

‫ף‬$‫ ל הו א ק‬15‫ש מי א די־ל מ ה‬

‫מך ט ע ם אלה שמ*א י תעבד אדרזז־ א לבית אלה‬

‫ולכם מה׳ודעיז די כל־כהניא }לויא ז מ רי א תר עי א‬ T

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