Language Studies

Aramaic Thoughts

Dealing With Cognate Languages

Aramaic is a Semitic language, as are many other languages significant for the study of the Scriptures. Hebrew and Akkadian are both Semitic languages, as is Ugaritic. Both Akkadian and Ugaritic are much more significant for the study of the Old Testament than the New Testament. Other ancient Near Eastern languages, such as Middle Egyptian (hieroglyphics) and Sumerian, are not Semitic. Some early studies dealing with Sumerian assumed that it was a Semitic language, and hence made serious mistakes in the analysis of the language.

This is a roundabout way of introducing the topic of cognate languages. Briefly, and perhaps too simply, cognate languages are languages that share certain characteristics regarding morphology (the formation of words) and syntax (the order and arrangement of words in phrases, clauses, and sentences). They also share elements of vocabulary. An example perhaps more familiar to some of you readers would be the classification of Spanish, French, and Portuguese as Romance languages, all going back more or less directly to Latin. In general, someone who knows one of the languages will have an easier time learning the others, because of the family characteristics they share.

It is at this point, however, that a beginning student may make a mistake. Just because there are general similarities between the languages of a family in morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, does not mean that these similarities hold up in every case. Three examples may help here. Spanish and Portuguese share quite a bit of vocabulary. So the word for “stop” (as would appear on a stop sign) is exactly the same in both languages—pare. But such similarities may not be extended without careful study. The word iglesia in Spanish means “church.” The Portuguese word is igreja. The alert student might note the similarities between the two terms, and rightly conclude that they both mean the same thing. However, the Spanish word exquisito and the Portuguese word exquisito, while seeming to be related, have nothing really in common. The former means “delicious” while the latter means “strange” or “weird.”

A second example comes from English. In our modern parlance, prevent means to stop, or to hinder. Originally, however, it meant to go before. Thus, a reader of the KJV might be puzzled in Matthew 17:25, when he reads, “when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him.” It sounds as if Jesus was stopping Peter from coming into the house. Instead, as the ESV has it, “when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first.”

A third example comes from Modern Hebrew and the Hebrew Bible. Speakers of Modern Hebrew will sometimes mistakenly read the Hebrew of the Old Testament. They recognize a particular word, and assign it the meaning they are familiar with from their Modern Hebrew. But in fact, as with “prevent,” the meaning of the word has changed over the centuries, and Modern Hebrew speaker must be careful to note those things that have changed about the Hebrew language between the time the Scriptures were written, and the appearance of Modern Hebrew.

This lesson may be summed up in three statements. First, words that seem to be obviously cognate do not always have the same meaning in the two different languages. Second, words in two cognate languages that at first glance do not seem to be related may in fact be related. Third, a single language changes over time, and over location. Anyone who does not believe that last statement needs only to ask for a “biscuit” in London, England, and in London, Kentucky for a clear demonstration of its truth.

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