Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Deborah Millier <deborahmillier AT yahoo.com>]

Karl Randolph wrote:

> In conclusion, while 
> almost everyone knew at 
> least a smattering of 
> Hebrew, only few spoke 
> it fluently, and if one 
> wanted to buy something 
> in the market, he ought 
> to know either Aramaic 
> or Greek.

Hi Karl.  We've been over this before so I won't
belabor the point.  But your above conclusion does not
fit the following (and other) evidence:

1. In the *countryside* of Judea decrees of marriage
were written in *Hebrew* while in more cosmopolitan
Jerusalem they were composed in Aramaic (Ketubot
4:12).

2. Traders and Babylonians wanting to communicate
better with Jerusalemites learned *Hebrew* (Yoma 6:4,
B Pesakhim 116).  Presumably they already knew
Aramaic.

3. In one telling recorded instance, some students of
Yehudah Ha-Nasi, the compiler of the MISHNA who lived
in Tziporri in the Galilee (c. 200 C.E.), could not
figure out the meaning of a few *Hebrew* words so they
asked the *maid*, who explained the words to them (B.
Megillah 18).  This lends evidence that Hebrew was
still alive among at least some of the more common
people in the Galilee region at this time.

4. Targumim were not so much translations of the Bible
to explain the “lesser-known” Hebrew, but repositories
of exegetical traditions (Safrai, Ze’ev. 1990. The
origins of reading the Aramaic targum in synagogue.
Immanuel, 24/25.187-93.).  Because of this they had
value to Hebrew speakers (also fluent in Aramaic), but
were always distinguished from the biblical text
itself.  The congregational “translator” of a targum
reading was called a METURGEMAN, but the sermons
following the Scripture readings were, in the 2nd
temple period, given in *Hebrew*.  To the *common
people*.

5. If the Mishna shows us anything about language use
in 2nd temple period Judea and the Galilee, it shows
us that the Pharisees utilized Hebrew (not Aramaic)
for the *oral* transmissions of their traditions. 
They found popularity (except for details on tithing
and a few other minutia) among the *common people*—and
were apparently understood.

B'SHALOM,
-- Michael



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