# Aramaic: you live by the sword, you die by the sword



## MC416

I'm sorry, but I googled which language is closer to Aramaic and hebrew is said to be closer related than Arabic is. I just desperately need a phrase translated and in the Aramaic writing for an art project. So the phrase is "you live by the sword, you die by the sword" please help me out, anything is greatly appreciated. Thanks


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## origumi

Open issues: what Aramaic variant (the language is documented for 3000 years) and what script. My attempt below is for Aramaic of around Jesus time, in modern Hebrew/Aramaic font which is somewhat similar to the one used those days. Maybe someone can convert it to older fonts, for example those of the Dead Sea Scrolls here: http://www.historian.net/files.htm.

את חי לפתגם דחרב, את מאית לפתגם דחרב

The same, with Hebrew punctuation marks (I guess you don't need it)
אַתְּ חַי לְפִתְגָם דְּחָרֶב, אַתְּ מָאִית לְפִתְגָם דְּחָרֶב

The Latin transcription is: at mait lefitgam dekharev, at khai lefitgam dekharev.

Aramaic is not my native language so I glanced to the Unkalos Aramaic Bible. Specifically Genesis 9:3, Genesis 20:3, Genesis 34:26.


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## airelibre

Have you intentionally swapped the order of the "live" and "die" phrases in the Aramaic?
Post corrected.


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## MC416

origumi said:


> Open issues: what Aramaic variant (the language is documented for 3000 years) and what script. My attempt below is for Aramaic of around Jesus time, in modern Hebrew/Aramaic font which is somewhat similar to the one used those days. Maybe someone can convert it to older fonts, for example those of the Dead Sea Scrolls here:
> 
> את חי לפתגם דחרב, את מאית לפתגם דחרב
> 
> The same, with Hebrew punctuation marks (I guess you don't need it)
> אַתְּ חַי לְפִתְגָם דְּחָרֶב, אַתְּ מָאִית לְפִתְגָם דְּחָרֶב
> 
> The Latin transcription is: at mait lefitgam dekharev, at khai lefitgam dekharev.
> 
> Aramaic is not my native language so I glanced to the Unkalos Aramaic Bible. Specifically Genesis 9:3, Genesis 20:3, Genesis 34:26.


Perfect, thank you so much!


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## MC416

is it incorrect?


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## airelibre

Perhaps not, it may flow better with the order of phrases given but I'm just checking that it is not a mistake.
Post Corrected


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## airelibre

Apparently the phrase comes from the Gospel of Matthew (26:52). I've tried to find the Aramaic translation for it but have not been lucky so far. However the Hebrew is מי שחי בחרב ימות בחרב.


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## fdb

ܟܠܗܘܢ ܓܝܪ ܗܢܘܢ ܕܢܤܒܘ ܤܝܦܐ ܒܤܝܦܐ ܢܡܘܬܘܢ
Thus in the Syriac translation of Matt. 26:52. (I hope the Syriac letters show up on your screen).


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## fdb

Syriac being the "dialect" of Aramaic used by the Christians in Syria, Iraq etc.


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## MC416

fdb said:


> Syriac being the "dialect" of Aramaic used by the Christians in Syria, Iraq etc.



Unfortunately it didn't show up, thank you for your help though. 
Also thanks to everyone else, I really appreciate it. If someone could just point me to the best example in this thread and I will use that. Thanks again.


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## airelibre

Personally, I find the Syriac script very beautiful, and we can be sure it is correct, since the phrase is taken from an actual aramaic source (not to say that your translation is incorrect origumi!). If you can install a compatibility file or a syriac font file on your computer (just do a google search) you will be able to see fdb's post. If you can't install a font compatibility file, perhaps you will still be able to see the phrase on this website: http://www.peshitta.org/ click interlinear nt, mattai, 26, then scroll down to 52.

I'm not an Aramaic speaker so just to make sure, does anybody know if the first two words in the syriac phrase are necessary or if they come from the previous part of the sentence? I read them as 'all' and 'for', and the following 'they who take up swords by swords will die' makes sense without them in English.


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## origumi

The Syriac version כלהון גיר הנון דנסבו סיפא בסיפא נמותון (as fdb cites, with a minor difference, apparently among different codices) can be literally translated to: all those who take sword, in sword shall die.

כלהון = all, כולם
גיר = [those] who (from Greek γάρ = γε + ἄρα), אשר
הנון = they, הם
דנסבו = that took, שלקחו
סיפא = sword, סיף
נמותון = shall die, ימותו


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## MC416

Wow, thank you all so much for your help. Very interesting forum.


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## airelibre

origumi said:


> The Syriac version כלהון גיר הנון דנסבו סיפא בסיפא נמותון (as fdb cites, with a minor difference, apparently among different codices) can be literally translated to: all those who take sword, in sword shall die.
> 
> כלהון = all, כולם
> גיר = [those] who (from Greek γάρ = γε + ἄρα), אשר
> הנון = they, הם
> דנסבו = that took, שלקחו
> סיפא = sword, סיף
> נמותון = shall die, ימותו



This is very interesting. Do you have the nikkudot for the Aramaic?


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## fdb

Here it is with Eastern Syriac vocalisation:

ܟܼ݁ܠܗܘܿܢ ܓܹ݁ܝܪ ܗܵܢܘܿܢ ܕ݁ܲܢܣܲܒ݂ܘ ܣܲܝܦ݂ܹܐ ܒ݁ܣܲܝܦ݂ܹܐ ܢܡܘܿܬ݂ܘܿܢ
kollhōn gēr hānōn da-nsaḇ saypē b-saypē nmōṯōn

Litterally: "For all those who took the swords will die by the swords."


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## origumi

airelibre said:


> This is very interesting. Do you have the nikkudot for the Aramaic?


I don't know if anyone bothered to add Hebrew Tiberian nikkud to the Aramaic NT. The Eastern / Aramaic churches must have a tradition for the original pronunciation, but I don't know how they preserve it in writing.

...

Added: According to fdb's post they do it with Syriac punctuation.


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## fdb

origumi said:


> I don't know if anyone bothered to add Hebrew Tiberian nikkud to the Aramaic NT. The Eastern / Aramaic churches must have a tradition for the original pronunciation, but I don't know how they preserve it in writing.
> 
> ...
> 
> Added: According to fdb's post they do it with Syriac punctuation.



Yes, there are two different systems to mark the vowels and other unwritten features of Syriac pronunciation. The Western Syrians (Jacobites and Maronites) use a system based on Greek vowel signs, and the Eastern Syrians (Nestorians) have a system using dots above and below the letters. This is illustrated in no. 15.


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## Malki92

MC416 said:


> I'm sorry, but I googled which language is closer to Aramaic and hebrew is said to be closer related than Arabic is. I just desperately need a phrase translated and in the Aramaic writing for an art project. So the phrase is "you live by the sword, you die by the sword" please help me out, anything is greatly appreciated. Thanks



As has been pointed out there has not been a unified dialect of Aramaic through history, let alone modern/neo-Aramaic. The ancient peshitta which is in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, translates Matthew 26:52 as; "הָידֵּין אֵמַר לֵה יֵשׁוּע אַהפֵּכ סַפסִרָא לדוּכּתָה כֻּלהוּן גֵּיר הָנוּן דַּנסַבו סַיפֵא בּסַיפֵא נמוּתוּן"

"hāydēn ᵓemmar leh yešūᶜ ᵓahpeḵ sapsirrā ləḏūkṯāh kulhūn gēr hānūn dansaḇ(w) saypē bəsaypē nəmūṯūn"

Source: http://www.dukhrana.com/peshitta/index.php


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## JAN SHAR

Dear fdb, you wrote ܟܼ݁ܠܗܘܿܢ ܓܹ݁ܝܪ ܗܵܢܘܿܢ ܕ݁ܲܢܣܲܒ݂ܘ ܣܲܝܦ݂ܹܐ ܒ݁ܣܲܝܦ݂ܹܐ ܢܡܘܿܬ݂ܘܿܢ kollhōn gēr hānōn da-nsaḇ saypē b-saypē nmōṯōn

Here the dots in the last word should be under the vavs, not above them. Because the pronunciation is u not ō. And by the way, you never put a qushoyo above the first letter of a word, as you did in ܟܼ݁ܠܗܘܿܢ


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