Abstract
One source of our knowledge of the Aramaic used in Hellenistic Egypt is the Septuagint, whose translators at times resorted to Aramaic when rendering their Hebrew Vorlage. The present article proposes one such 'Aramaising rendering', in which the Hebrew verb br' pi''el 'to cut down (wood)' was translated as if derived from the Aramaic homonymous root meaning 'to cleanse'. This root, attested in Nabataean, Samaritan, and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and mistakenly seen as an Arabism in these dialects, is recovered as Aramaic.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 155-162 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Aramaic Studies |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- ARAMAIC IN HELLENISTIC EGYPT
- ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY
- SEPTUAGINT
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Religious studies
- Linguistics and Language