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Hebrew Streams
www.hebrew-streams.org
Hebrew & Aramaic Transliteration(Academic &
Non-Academic)
The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or Miqrain Jewish tradition; Old
Testament inChristian tradition) was composed andtransmitted in
Hebrew, though portions of itare in Aramaic.
Hebrew
In use from the 2nd millennium BC/E ,Hebrew is one of many
S(h)emitic languages,a name derived after Shem the son of Noahfrom
whom the majority of peoples speaking
these languages were descended (Gen 10:21-31). In the 8th cent.,
it is called the languageof Judah (Yehudit, 2 Kgs 18:26) or
thelanguage of Canaan (Isa 19:18). It is calledHebrew (Greek,
Hebraisti) first in theprologue to Sirach (ca. 130 BC/E).
Aramaic
Aramaic is related to Hebrew as French is toItalian. It dates
back to at least 1,000 BC/E.Its name is taken from the place
nameAram, a region known now as Syria andwestern Iraq. From the 9th
or 8th cent. on,Aramaic became the international medium ofcommerce
and diplomacy in the ancient NearEast, much as Koin Greek did later
in the4th cent. following Alexander's conquests. Inolder reference
books Aramaic is often calledChaldee or Chaldean, after the
ancientGreek name Chaldaios for an area of ancientBabylonia.
Biblical Aramaic occurs in four places: (1)two words in Genesis
31:47 (Y e g a r - sahadutha); (2) one whole verse in Jeremiah
10:11; (3) two sections in Ezra (4:86:18;7:1226); and (4) the
central portion ofDaniel (2:4b7:28). In 2 Kgs 18:26 servantsof the
Judean king Hezekiah (715-687 BC/E)plead with an Assyrian official
not to speakin Hebrew (lit., Judean; Yehudit), but inAramaic
(Aramit), so the common peoplewill not understand.
Aramaic words, expressions, and namesoccur in the Greek New
Testament:Ephphatha (Mark 7:34), Gabbatha (John19:13), Golgotha
(Mark 15:22; John 19:17),Marana tha (1 Corinthians 16:22),
Rabbouni(Mark 10:51; John 20:16), Siloam (John 9:7);Eloi Eloi lama
sabachtani (Matthew 27:46),Talitha cumi (Mark 5:41); Barnabas
(Acts4:36), Kefa or Kephas (=Peter; John 1:42),Tabitha (Acts 9:36,
40).
The Pentateuch and portions of the
Prophets were translated into Aramaic forJews who had lost their
knowledge ofHebrew. This began perhaps in the secondcentury BC/E ,
and these paraphrases arecalled The Targums (translations).
The Talmud is bilingual. Its first portion,the Mishnah, exists
primarily in Hebrew; theGemara, or commentary portion on
theMishnah, is mostly Aramaic. This is true forboth editions:
Babylonian (Bavli; 500C E /A D) and Palestinian or Jerusalem
(Yerushalmi; 400 CE/AD).Scripts & Samples
Over two thousand years ago, the so-calledAramaic Square Script
was adopted forHebrew, so both languages use the sameconsonant
alphabet. Examples of the scriptfrom 2,100-year-old fragments from
Qumrancan be seen at Isaiah 53 at Qumran and TheName at
Qumran(PDF).
See the transliterated and translatedHebrew texts: Numbers
6:2227; Isaiah
55:811; Psalm 103:814 (PDF).The Tables
The following Tables contain two systems oftransliteration.
Academic Symbols is usedby most scholars of Biblical and
AncientHebrew. The second is called General orNon-Academic. This
style is used in non-technical publications and on this
website.
05-10-05
http://www.hebrew-streams.org/frontstuff/madrikh.htmlhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/qumran/isa-53-qumran.htmlhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/qumran/hashem-qumran.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/qumran/hashem-qumran.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/hebrew/3hebrew-texts.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/hebrew/3hebrew-texts.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/hebrew/3hebrew-texts.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/hebrew/3hebrew-texts.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/hebrew/3hebrew-texts.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/qumran/hashem-qumran.pdfhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/qumran/isa-53-qumran.htmlhttp://www.hebrew-streams.org/frontstuff/madrikh.html
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www.hebrew-streams.org HebrewAramaic Transliteration
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Consonants
Hebrew &Aramaic Letter Name Sound
AcademicSymbols
Non-Academic
Symbols
1 alef silent
)vowel only is
voiceda beit b b b
veit v b v
b gimel gas in "God"
g g
c dalet d d d
daleth dh d dh
he h h h
vav v w v
zayin z z z
het h or ch 2 h9 h or ch tet t t[ t
yod y y y
k kaf, final kaf k, kh 3 k k, kh
khaf k k kh
lamed l l l
mem, final mem m m m
nun, final nun n n n
samekh s s s
4 ayin silent ( vowel only isvoicedt peh, final peh p, f p p,
f
feh f p f
tzaddei, finaltzaddei
tz or tsas in cats
s[ tz or ts
qof k or q(not qu-)
q k or q
resh r r r
shin sh s] s h
sin s s8 s
z tav t t t
tav or thav th t t or th
1/Alef has lost its sound over time. Now only its accompanying
vowel is sounded.2Ch as in Lechem, Pesach or Menachemnot as in
cherish, choose, church.3Kh as in Melekh, Malkhut or Mikhtav (also
spelled Melech, Malchut and Michtav).4/Ayin has lost its sound over
time. Now only its accompanying vowel is sounded.
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www.hebrew-streams.org HebrewAramaic Transliteration
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Vowels
Hebrew &Aramaic
VowelName
Sound(AmericanEnglish)
AcademicSymbols
Non-Academic
Symbols
patach a
as in "cat"
a a
qametz ah"far"
a4 ah
final qametzh e
ah a4 ah
segol eh"met"
e e
tzerei e i"day"
e4 ei
tzerei yod e i e= ei
short hiriq ih"bid"
i i
long hiriq e e"bee" i4i
hiriq yod e e i= i
qametzhatuf
oh (in shortunaccented
syllable)
o o
holem oh o4 o
full holem oh o= o
qibbutz uh
ful l
u u
shureq o ofoo l
u= u
hatefqametz
short "ah" o] a
hatef patach short "a" a] a
hatef segol short "eh" e] e
sheva eh or silent e] e or '
Sources
Encyclopdia Judaica(Jerusalem: Keter, 1972), vol. 1, page 90;
vol. 8, column 79
Leslie McFall, Hebrew Language, International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia (rev. ed., Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, 1982), 2:65763
Franz Rosenthal,A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic(6th rev. ed.,
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 1995)
SBL[Society of Biblical Literature] Handbook of Style(Peabody,
Mass.: Hendrickson, 1999)
