I remember, as a boy in senior school, being required to learn both French and German, this continued for three years until I was allowed to make my own choices of what I would study for my ‘O’ level exams. Even after I was allowed to choose, I was still required to study English (language and literature) and Math.

I only remember snippets of French and German now, not enough to really carry on much of a conversation. “Use it or lose it” as the saying goes, this is definitely true!

I thank and praise God that the Bible is available to us in English, if I spoke another language as my primary tongue then I’m sure I would also praise and thank God for being able to read the Bible in that language too. My heart definitely hurts for Christians that don’t have the Bible available in the language that they speak and think in.

We can very easily forget that the Bible was originally written in three languages:

• Hebrew – An ancient, Semitic language originally written using only consonants and no spacing or punctuation. It is built around a system of three-letter root words that express related concepts.
• Greek – Specifically 1st-century Koine (or common) Greek, is an inflected and highly precise language that was the common language of the Mediterranean world in that era.
• Aramaic – This is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew, that served as the official administrative language of the ancient near east.

Hebrew is the language of the Old Testament and Koine Greek was the language of the New Testament. So where does Aramaic fit in?

In the Old Testament, during the Babylonian Exile and Persian Empire, Aramaic served as the language of diplomacy, trade, and government. Because of this, certain portions of the Old Testament were originally written directly in Aramaic rather than Hebrew:

• Daniel 2:4-7:28: The fate of the Gentile empires, fittingly written in the administrative language of the day.
• Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26: Official imperial decrees, letters, and administrative records.
• Genesis 31:47 & Jeremiah 10:11: Single verses and words addressing non-Hebrew contexts.

In the New Testament, Koine Greek was the written language of the Roman Mediterranean, but Aramaic was the primary spoken tongue of Jewish people in Judea and Galilee. Although the New Testament was written in Greek for a broader audience, the gospel’s preserved some of the actual Aramaic words spoken at specific moments:

• Talitha koum (“Little girl, arise” – Mark 5:41)
• Ephphatha (“Be opened” – Mark 7:34)
• Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Matthew 27:46)
• Abba (“Father” – Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15)
• Maranatha (“Our Lord, come!” – 1 Corinthians 16:22)
• Raca (a term of contempt – Matt 5:22)

The Hidden Depth

Most English translations of the Bible are written with readability and brevity in mind as opposed to exhaustive definition. If every Greek word in the New Testament was expanded to its full definition every time it appeared, then our Bible would contain a wonderful depth, but readability would suffer.

Similarly, if every Hebrew word’s related concepts from its root were broken down then readability would again suffer, even though it would reveal a beautiful depth to the Old Testament that would open doorways to a much deeper understanding of Biblical concepts.

In Greek, vocabulary has a very high density, this is officially known as “Semantic Specificity”. In simpler words, this means:

• English uses single, broad terms and relies of modifiers to narrow down the context.
• Greek uses a denser vocabulary which has specific, specialized words for each “type” of something.

For example, take the word “love”. In English we would say “romantic love” or “unconditional love”, whereas in Greek we would say “eros” (romantic love) or “agape” (unconditional love).

Additionally, there are 1st century cultural contexts to be taken into account for many Greek words which tell us much more than their simple definition.

In Hebrew, words are related through their roots. This can help us understand a Biblical Hebrew concept by understanding the related concepts.

For example, in English we have the word “peace” which is usually understood as a passive word, i.e. the absence of conflict or noise. This is the word “shalom” in Hebrew, which comes from the three letter root “Š-L-M”. When we examine the family of words we find:

• Shalom – “Peace, well-being”, this isn’t just a calm feeling, but a state of total completeness where nothing is missing or broken.
• Shalem – “Whole, complete or uncut”, used to describe stones that have not been split or altered (like those required to build an altar in Deuteronomy 27:6), or a heart that is fully devoted (1 Kings 8:61).
• Shillem – “To pay or make restitution”, paying a debt or making restitution for a loss in Hebrew means to make something whole again, filling a gap so balance is restored.
• Shelamim – “Peace or fellowship offering”, this is the sacrificial offering in Leviticus 3. It wasn’t offered to gain forgiveness for a sin, but to celebrate an unbroken covenant relationship with God.

So, when we ask God to give us peace in Aaron’s blessing (for example) we aren’t just asking for quiet and an absence of conflict, we are asking Him to make us whole and in unbroken relationship with Him!

Where To Now?

So, the question which is probably on your lips now is “This is great! But how do I dig into these deep, hidden meanings?”, and that’s certainly a very, valid question.

First, you would need an Interlinear Bible. This is a Bible which, for each verse, breaks it down into its individual original language words. Typically, these include Strong’s Numbers in the format of (for example) H1234 for a Hebrew word or G1234 for a Greek word. These reference numbers allow you to then find information on each word without having to remember a foreign spelling.

The good news is that you don’t need to go out and buy a physical Bible for your interlinear reference. Blue Letter Bible has some great resources for free:

• https://www.blueletterbible.org/ – This website allows you to study many different Bible versions and also access “tools” which includes an interlinear that breaks down each word, giving its original writing, transliteration (the word in English letters and sounding), Strong’s number, its root and outline of Biblical usage.
• The BLB Bible App – Available for Android and Apple, this provides the same features as the website above. Just search for “BLB” in your phones App store.

The next thing you need is a Lexicon. A biblical lexicon tells you how a word was used in the time when the original manuscript was written, its root and usage in scripture. Unfortunately, these can cost upwards of $200 (USD) for a comprehensive version. There is, however, a free alternative.

If you look at the navigation bar at the top of my blog, you will see a link entitled “Greek & Hebrew Word Study”. This is a free tool I wrote which uses Gemini to provide lexicon services by searching free, publicly available databases.

The tool has two main modes:

• Lexicon Lookup – This allows you to search for Greek & Hebrew words, using the original Greek or Hebrew text or transliteration, Strong’s reference or English words.
• Bible Manuscripts – This allows you to choose any Biblical verse to explore the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. From these results you can then trigger the Lexicon Lookup for specific words.

In order for the tool to remain free and respect copyright laws, I have had to limit it to the following Bible versions:

• King James Version (KJV)
• American Standard Version (ASV)
• World English Bible (WEB)
• Berean Standard Bible (BSB)

Conclusions

It is important to not conclude that our English Bibles are either wrong, broken or misleading due to the depth of the original languages. The correct view should be that the English is more “compressed” to allow brevity and readability, but that deeper insight can be gained by studying the original languages in detail when it is applicable to do so.

When is it “applicable to do so”? Personally, I find that the Holy Spirit will lead me to more deeply research a word when there is something He wants me to see that is relevant. According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).

There is a reason why God gave Israel the Hebrew language, and there is also a reason why the Greeks and then Romans conquered the Jews before Jesus fulfilled Messianic prophecy with His birth. That reason is what you hold in your hands every time you read God’s Word, which has endured for thousands of years.