# πσά μδ-ε ιβρίτ 4,3



## Dajama

Hello everyone, I have a short phrase which i'd like to be translated, if possible. Maybe the greek isn't correct, if it isn't, tell me what do you understand. I assume it says something about Hebrew or something like that.

The small image in which the phrase copied is attached, and here is an outside URL, copy and paste to the URL bar: 

img241.imageshack.us/img241/2535/greekil7.jpg



thanks a lot friends!


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## Spectre scolaire

ιβρίτ [ivrίt] means "Modern Hebrew" - written in Greek. The rest of it I can't understand. There were Jews in Istanbul who spoke Greek and wrote it with Hebrew letters - but there are hardly any left of them today. Only this is _Hebrew_ written with _Greek_ letters!...


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## marilou

the numbers at the end remember me the position of the bible's lines, may be is the position of the torah's lines? The letters in the begin don't tell me nothing in modern greek...


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## Spectre scolaire

What about a Bible scholar having made a marginal note in Greek: πσα[λ]μ = Psalm (which you incidentally pronounce without [l] in English), but then, where does δ-ε enter into the equation?


I think _marilou_ is right in attributing the number to the precise place in – well, the Psalms(?). Such numbers are always written without space.

The numeral δ' in Greek is 4, and ε' is 5 - if that is of any importance for finding the correct psalm...


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## marilou

*Rt. 4,3* - Saul (Torah)
may be can help you...


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## Dajama

marilou said:


> *Rt. 4,3* - Saul (Torah)
> may be can help you...


 

Wow thanks people, this is getting really interesting... I'll dig into that and tell you if I find anything..

More help is always welcome!


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## Dajama

It looks more and more like the Da Vinci code...

My conclusions so far:

πσα is a shortcut for Psalms which is a book in the bible.

μδ-ε is probably the reference, the place where I should look in the Psalms book.

ιβρίτ 4,3 looks like it has something to do with the way the answer is written in the end. For example, in hebrew, first word 4 letters, second word 3 letters.

Now I only need to find which phrase in the Psalms is described by the reference μδ-ε. Can anyone tell me which chapter should i look in? Or maybe μ means "from"?

Thanks everyone, it's really important for me..

And BTW Marilou how did you come to think this is the location?:
*Rt. 4,3* - Saul (Torah)


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## parakseno

Well, in Greek
μ'= 40
δ'= 4
ε'= 5
Therefore μδ-ε would be 44-5. Psalm 44, 5th verse?


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## ireney

I am not good at this kind of thing but since we are actually speculating, could it be Psalm 44 verse 5 as paraksneno says (note: as far as I know the numbering of the Psalms differs in some cases) and the second to (and this is where speculation is running wild ) the Epistle to the Hebrews chapter 4 (section 3)? My problem is that, however I see it, I cannot find any relation between any of the Psalms numbered 44 and this part of the Epistle.


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## parakseno

And furthermore, a Greek would usually write "ψ" not "πσ" ("psalm" is "ψαλμός"). Just think of the aorist; when the sigma is added to a verb that end in "π" it changes to "ψ" (λεί*π*ω > έ+λει*π*+*σ*α > έλει*ψ*α). I'm not aware of any case where "πσ" would not contract to "ψ".


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## Spectre scolaire

You’d probably have to look it up in _Septuaginta_ (or LXX, as it is often called), the Greek version of VT [Vetus Testamentum, originally in Hebrew] – as it is published in Western Europe, in two volumes. I don’t have these books next to me here.


Perhaps our cryptic note was written by a bible scholar who only knew Hebrew – a kabbalistic Jew, f.ex., who wanted to show that he had a smattering of Greek, or perhaps rather in order to hide his reference. 

Hebrew editions of VT published in Western Europe exist in the same series as that of Septuaginta, but that's about all I know.


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