112 Potsherds with Aramaic Inscriptions

Museum Description: Potsherds with Aramaic Inscriptions

Room: 52/Case: 3/Number: No. 5 AES 45035

Scripture: 2 Kings 18:26

With the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek Scriptures, it is easy to forget that some of the Bible was also written in Aramaic.  Here we can see what this ancient language looks like, and it even refers to people with Jewish names.  The parts of the Bible written in Aramaic are Ezra 4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26, Jeremiah 10:11 and Daniel 2:4b to 7:28.  There are also Aramaic expressions found in other parts.  The Hebrews would have had close contact with the Aramaean, and their language, for a long time, so it is not surprising to find it in the Bible.  In fact, it seems one of the first languages the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into was Aramaic with the Aramaic Targum.  These include some very old manuscripts, some even being found with the Dead Sea Scrolls.  They have been a useful source for modern translations of the Bible.