Did you know that Jesus didn't speak Hebrew?

Question

I was always taught in school that Jesus spoke Hebrew, but the language of Judea/Israel in those days was Aramaic. And most scholars agree that he spoke Aramaic. So why was I always told he spoke Hebrew.

Well he may of spoken Hebrew as a second language, but that still doesn't explain it

Answer 1

True, and most scholars acknowledge this as fact nowadays. But Yeshua would also have been familiar with Hebrew and Greek.

By the way, for those who don't know anything about Semitic languages, Aramaic and Hebrew are not simply dialects of another language. Aramaic was the language of Abraham's homeland, whereas Hebrew was derived from Canaanite, the language of the land promised to Abraham. They have similarities, but they are not the same language...and they certainly are not mutually understandable.

Side note: Did you know that not only did Abraham originally speak Aramaic, but his entire family did?.---Laban, Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel. Jacob spoke Aramaic fluently and married Aramaic speaking wives and had Aramaic speaking concubines. Furthermore, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel were conquered by Aramaic speaking empires...and the Messiah himself spoke Aramaic. It's a wonder how Hebrew became more "sacred" than Aramaic, considering how integral Aramaic has been in Israel's history.

Answer 2

Luke (Luke 4: 16-30) helps us understand that the Hebrew language was familiar to Jesus. In this passage, it says that Jesus read the Scroll of the Law (from the Prophet Isaiah) in the Synagogue at Nazareth. Certainly this Reading was done in Hebrew. The few words that Jesus added by way of comment were most probably spoken in Aramaic.
This, therefore, was the atmosphere in which Jesus grew up. It was a multi-lingual environment in which Hebew and Aramaic had to at least have the advantage of usage in the ordinary conversations of daily life.

Answer 3

As a jew he would have learnt both. Aramaic was popularised by the surrounding tribes, and the persian occupation of most of eastern Europe and asia. This would have been the trade language (along with greek) and he would have known Hebrew also, as he was able to read from the old testament. it is not known for sure whether he spoke greek and used the LXX, but it is most likely he would have spoken at least some hebrew, and some aramaic...

Answer 4

Jesus spoke Aramaic, a language still spoken by a tiny minority in Syria. Like Arabic and Hebrew, it is a Semitic language but it is distinct from both.

Answer 5

Actually Jesus was a Greek speaking Jew.

From about 300 B.C.E. to about 500 C.E. was the age of Koine, or common Greek, a mixture of differing Greek dialects of which Attic was the most influential. Koine became the international language. It had a very distinct advantage over the other languages of the day, in that it was almost universally known. Koine means common language, or dialect common to all. How widespread the use of Koine was can be seen from the fact that the decrees of the imperial governors and of the Roman senate were translated into Koine to be distributed throughout the Roman Empire. Accordingly, the charge posted above Jesus Christ’s head at the time of his impalement was written not only in official Latin and in Hebrew but also in Greek (Koine)

Since the writers of the inspired Christian Scriptures were concerned with getting their message across with understanding to all the people, it was Koine that they used. All these writers themselves were Jews. And the so called "New Testement" is better known as The Christian Greek Scriptures.

Answer 6

I don't know what morons taught you, but Aramaic being his main language has never been a secret.

And no, he did not SPEAK Hebrew. He KNEW it. As in, he could read the Books that were written in that language, but it is doubtful he ever spoke a word in it, except in quotation.

Mmmh, Ya'qub? My sources identify Aramaic as the language of Aramaeans, who surface around 1200 BCE, that is, shortly before the reign of Saul, during the time of the Judges. There is little doubt that Abraham and his people, who came from Ur, spoke a Semitic language, possibly Akkadian, but Aramaic seems a doubtful contestant for the title..

Answer 7

Yes he did speak Hebrew so school was correct. He also spoke Aramaic, probably some Latin, and possibly a little Greek.

Answer 8

Aramaic is just a variant form of Hebrew....It's kind of like the different between New Englander and Southern accents.

Answer 9

Jesus would have been able to speak any language if he was God or the son of God. If he had been able to heal and see the future than he could have spoken many languages. Even the Pope spoke several languages.

Answer 10

He spoke Hebrew, since he was capable of deciphering the Torah and other texts in the synagogue