SYRIAC VERSIONS
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SYRIAC VERSIONS
xni-:;-:'! nn-j h-j'j xnT^s: t^n : Psa. lii. Trpo^j;-
r£ia y£i';jiTOji(£vaiv ciya^wi' r(,u ^aiMti; Syr. T^TT? "I^'^X "TTIj-'T Xn2:3 P": Psa. iv, Trpo^/jrtia r(,u Aayio 7r£|oi w)' TTSTTOi'^f)'; Syr. nt""i '^^hn h'^-o T^nb.
II. Relation to the Chaldee. — That there is a tolerable likeness between the Syriac and Chaldee in many places cannot be denied. Gesenius has produced a number of examples from Isaiah to show that the Targnm was used there {Comment, i, 83 sq.). Credner is of the same opinion in regard to the minor prophets (Z'e Propheta- rum, etc., p. 107). Hiivernick and Herbst are of an op- posite opinion, and yet the original traces of a use of a Targum are too distinct to be denied, as the following examples in Genesis must show:
ii, 1. CX3S bS-Chald. Ouk. ",inib"'n IsD; Syr.
■pnbin nbD. 2. nn'jii-chaid. onk. nr ; Syr. n^annxi
8. Dip-a— Chald.Onk.-pmpbTD; Syr.n"np p. IT. -1"l3>3-Chakl.0nk.'^3-'bi13: Syi-.-flb::^. 24. mnn unb—CbaW. Ouk. Xnnn ■,3"J; Syr.
N3-ini x33-n.
vi, U. C-^:p-Chald. Onk. 'i-lTTS; Syr. XTinn. vii, 4. ■Ti::^T2 — Chald. Ouk. X"ian n-'H^a ; Syr.
viii, 1. iDll^il-Chald. Onk. IHSI ; Syr. ini^nrXI.
4. ::-i-,x "inn bi'— ciiaki.onk. imp ■'-n::bs';
Syr. iT-ip 1-n:: h-j. 2-2. inna-i— chaid. Onk. "lb::!"!; Syr. -(ib-jna.
s,10. -iS'3a— Chald. Ouk.bnS; Syr.b23. xi, 28. "IDS bsi— Chald. Onk. i^nn ; Syr. "iinn. xiv>14. T'D-'Sn nX-Chald. Ouk. iniiabSi rV; Syr.
ini-a'^bsi.
sp^"ib; Syr. N^n-'rm pbb x-^r^pb •,m3 iipr-b.
xxxi,9, 10. bU^I— Chald. '^'2X1 ; Syr. i::"IE1.
34. b^jn -i:3-Chald. xb^riT N-J'^nrS; Syr.
sxxvii,25. n-ibxr^Gir-' nn-:x-chaid. "^xn^i^ n"i^^Lv Syr. x"^a"i:i"n xn-f-cj. xiiv, 30. iTi'ssn mrrp vrs3i— chaid. nics:"! n-i'i'ssD n-ib nn-^an; syr. rnrsji irra: -"^b nb xi-^an. xivii, 21. c^rb irx ninrn crn rxi— chaid. ■ii-.pb ^iip^ -iinr"! nnrx sr:? nii,i. e.
and the people be made him to pass from city to city; Syr. S-lp -,72 "ilDX I2ir ifarbl N"lpb. This is a very obvious imitation of the Chaldee.
xlix,3. •'31X n-'CXI-Chald. iSpH lU"""! ; Syr. 1^1-1
''Spin.
We could thus go on with the other books of the Pentateuch, but our examples are sufficient to show that the priority belongs to the Chaldee of Onkelos, and not to the Peshito. Our supposition being correct, the assertions of those must fall to the ground who would put Onkelos in the 2d or 3d century'. On the con- trary, we believe that the Targum of Onkelos belongs to the time of Christ — provided the Syriac version of the Pentateuch belongs to the 1st century of the Chris- tian «ra — and thus the notices concerning Onkelos which we find in the Talmud are contirmed anew. Our examples from the book of Genesis leaving it be- yond a shadow of doubt as to the dependence of the Syriac version upon the Chaldee, the Chaldee of the book of Proverbs will prove this more fully. Thus we read :
Chaldee — Prov. i, 4.
Syriac.
xn^y in Nnriii ^xbi^bi Nr!i'3''i:> iin'i'b -rnb
xniSJim 5<n""ii i<ib:;bi sm-aiir' xin-b bn^b
i, 12.
X2i: -^nna -j^n n^■Q xbnbi -■■^nb bi^'i-D ',i3"bn3
•inn: -j-ix dits xbii'i x"^nb b:ia -■'N •^ni'iybaii
ii, 13.
xnis
xavrni xnnnsa "pbixi xn:jiin
xnmxn 'ppbtrai xr:ii-in xniix •'^p:ai
ii, 15.
xriirm
'(in^b'^n-:: l^brs^i ppiy^ 'pnnmsi
'in"b^a":5 "pbrs^i '{^p-J^ '(inrmix
xiv,7. l-an ■|l:i:ina— Chald. Onk. inj ■|iy2; Syr.
n: ■p:.-a. xviii,i2. n;-iy lb nrr^in irba "nrrx— chaid. ma lb i^^b jj xnr, n^nion ; syr. "inn p xni-a^b:p ib x-iin n-^bai.
•,PT inxi-Chald. n-iQ •'3n'-l1; Syr. 1-I?ai 2XO. xxi, 33. b-::X S'-Ji1-Chald. Na:i:3 2^31; Syr. na3i
xn2:j3.
xxii, 0. nb:X-3— Chald. XS^SD; Syr. X3ipD. xxiii, 13. ni"rn qOS-Chald.xbpn ^^"-i XSDD; Syr. Xbpn -'•Q'l X2DD.
xxiv, 64. b-a:;n b^'n ban — chaid. ns-^sinx; Syr.
ns-isinx.
xxvii, 3. -;ibn— Chald. "S'^O, Syr. -;S"'0. xxx,14,15. C-^Xin-Chald. 'pni-a-'; Syr. XnilST 2S. -13'J n3p3— Chald. ITilS ; Syr. ll'ilS.
42. 2p:;'ib Q^TiTpni pbb D-^s'jrn nini- chaid. x^n^zni -pbb x''':3^pb ■j-'.ni
We will not increase the quotations, but let the student examine passages like i, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 21-23, 25,30, 33 ; ii, 1, 4, 10, 14, 17, 21 ; iii, 2, 4, 6-8, 12, 15, 19, 21, 25, 29; iv, 2,3, 10, 11,14,18,21-23,25-27; v, 2, 4, 5, 7,8, 10, 13, 16. 18, 21, 23 ; vi, 1, 2, 4-6, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 26, 28, 34 ; vii, 2-4, 10, 16-18, 23-25; vii'i, 4, 8, 10, 12, 13, 20, 23, 26, 32; ix, 4,5, 11, 14; x, 3-5, 7, 9, 16, 22, 30, 31 ; xi,7, 13, 14, 18, 21, 22, 26, 27, etc.— altogether more than 300 pas- sages where he will find a striking similarity between these two versions.
Besides this similarity, there are a great many pas- sages in which the Chaldee and Syriac deviate from the Hebrew, and the inner connection of both versions with each other can no longer be doubted. Thus Prov. i, 7, the Hebrew reads, nri n^^'^X"! mni nXI'^— i.e."The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom ;" but the Chal- dee read.s,ii"I Xnbm Xnn=n "Oi"l—i. e. " The begin- ning of wisdom is the fear of God ;" and so also the Syr.
x"in'2"i xnbnn xn^pn -c^^ -. or xvi, 4, bys bD
in3"T3b niiT'— "The Lord has made all things for himself;" the Chaldee paraphrases, '"1213? "inbD
n'^b ■lysnina"! 'pbixb xnbxn— i. e. "All works of
God are for those who obey him;" and thus also the
SYRIAN"
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SYRIAN CHURCHES