# Aramaic: eloi eloi lama sabakhthani



## zaw

Hi,

ελωι ελωι λαμα σαβαχθανι (Matthew 27:46)
eloi eloi lama sabakhthani
ηλι ηλι λεμα σαβαχθανι (Mark 15:34)
eli eli lema sabakhthani

Does the first version (Matthew 27:46) contain the 3rd person masculine singular pronominal suffix ־וֹהי? The second version (Mark 15:34) certainly doesn't.

Toda raba


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## Abaye

Looks like in Hebrew, God can be אל or אלוה, accordingly its declensions. The original Hebrew text is אֵלִי ηλι.


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## JAN SHAR

It is not the 3rd person masculine singular pronominal suffix ־וֹהי, which can only be used with plural masculine nouns. Besides, does a 3rd person pronoun make sense here???


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## Ali Smith

Abaye said:


> Looks like in Hebrew, God can be אל or אלוה, accordingly its declensions. The original Hebrew text is אֵלִי ηλι.


But Aramaic did not undergo the Canaanite shift. Therefore, Aramaic has אֱלָהּ rather than אֱלוֹהַּ, which Hebrew, of course, has. The base of both is ʼilāh.


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## Abaye

The point is exactly that Aramaic did not undergo the Canaanite vowel shift and therefore spelling ελωι "eloi" can plausibly echo the Hebrew origin, hyper-corrected and preserved through the double translation from Hebrew to Aramaic to Greek. Spelled אֵלִי "eli" in Psalms 22:2 and אֱ‍לֹהַי "elohi" in 22:3.


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