{"id":89132,"date":"2021-02-18T15:48:39","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T13:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=89132"},"modified":"2021-02-18T15:48:39","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T13:48:39","slug":"the-psalm-in-aramaic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-psalm-in-aramaic\/","title":{"rendered":"The Psalm In Aramaic\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"89132","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":77758,"related_cahpter":"681","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The Bible is the most translated book in history, and part of what makes it so dynamic is the many ways that translation has rendered it meaningful\r\n\r\n","content":"

Psalm 114 continues the narrative of Hallel. After praising God\u2019s might and care for humanity, the liturgy zooms in on the history of Israel and God\u2019s presence during its most dramatic moment: the Exodus, \u201cAt the time when Israel left Egypt.\u201d This psalm describes God\u2019s theophany, his terrifying manifestation on earth. The God-on-high of Psalm 113 descends in Psalm 114. As a result, the sea flees, the mountains leap, and rocks gush water. When God appears the natural order of the world unbinds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This powerful poem, like all Psalms, is written in Hebrew. Jews, however, did not encounter the Psalms in the Hebrew language alone. You, for example, are likely reading the Psalter and this mini-essay in English. The Bible is the most translated book in history, and part of what makes it so dynamic is the many ways that translation has rendered it meaningful. In antiquity, the Jews translated the Bible into Aramaic, an act and product known as Targum. In fact, most Jews living in Israel and Babylonia during those times did not speak Hebrew \u2013 they spoke Aramaic. They needed a translation in order to experience Tanach. Translation, however, was never a literal endeavor. All translators need to make hard choices; all translations, therefore, are commentaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Aramaic translator of the Psalms recast Psalm 114 in many ways. First, he rendered strange expressions into familiar ones. The rare word <\/span>lo\u2019ez<\/em> <\/span>\u201cstrange speech\u201d of verse 1 became the more familiar <\/span>barbarai<\/em> <\/span>\u201cbarbarian,\u201d an originally Greek word. Originally, it meant those who do not speak our language. In the Targum, it may denote that the Egyptians spoke a foreign language and were morally reprehensible (i.e. barbaric).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The translator also added material in order to clarify his text and make it explicit. Verse 3, for example, begins with: \u201cThe sea saw and fled.\u201d What did the sea see, exactly? The Targum answers: \u201cWhen God revealed himself at the sea\u2026.\u201d The translator also made explicit the voices within a psalm. We often attribute direct speech to the poet, but other characters also exist within poetry. Who berates the sea and mountain in verses 5-6? The Aramaic text tells us: <\/span>amar alaha<\/em> <\/span>\u201cGod said.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Aramaic translator highlights God\u2019s immanence in the psalm by according him the only speaking role. The presence of God also impels the translator to add theologically motivated changes to his translation. He knew that God\u2019s direct presence was felt at Sinai in addition to the Exodus. Regarding the mountains of verse 6, he inserts the revelation at Sinai: \u201cWhen the Torah was given to his people, the mountains leapt\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Translations, even those with a \u201cliteralistic\u201d methodology, always produce new meaning. Instead of mourning the loss of old meaning, we can revel in the joy of meaning found \u2013 a way of making Tanakh active and relevant to the lives of those who live by it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Psalm 114, with Aramaic translation, from the Museum of the Bible,\u00a0 <\/span>“Sha\u2019ar Hashem He-\u1e24adash:” Daniel Bomberg\u2019s “Miqra\u2019ot Gedolot”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":89133,"id":89133,"title":"ps114-aramaic","filename":"ps114-aramaic.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-psalm-in-aramaic\/ps114-aramaic\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps114-aramaic","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":89132,"date":"2021-02-18 13:48:25","modified":"2021-02-18 13:48:34","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":710,"height":418,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic-300x177.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":177,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","medium_large-width":710,"medium_large-height":418,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","large-width":710,"large-height":418,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","1536x1536-width":710,"1536x1536-height":418,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","2048x2048-width":710,"2048x2048-height":418,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","post_full_size-width":710,"post_full_size-height":418,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","home_baner-width":710,"home_baner-height":418}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"The Psalm In Aramaic\u00a0","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"The Bible is the most translated book in history, and part of what makes it so dynamic is the many ways that translation has rendered it meaningful","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":89133,"id":89133,"title":"ps114-aramaic","filename":"ps114-aramaic.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-psalm-in-aramaic\/ps114-aramaic\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps114-aramaic","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":89132,"date":"2021-02-18 13:48:25","modified":"2021-02-18 13:48:34","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":710,"height":418,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic-300x177.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":177,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","medium_large-width":710,"medium_large-height":418,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","large-width":710,"large-height":418,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","1536x1536-width":710,"1536x1536-height":418,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","2048x2048-width":710,"2048x2048-height":418,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","post_full_size-width":710,"post_full_size-height":418,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ps114-aramaic.jpg","home_baner-width":710,"home_baner-height":418}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89134,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89132\/revisions\/89134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}