Samaritan Aramaic Language

Samaritan Aramaic, or Samaritan, was the dialect of Aramaic used by the Samaritans in their sacred and scholarly literature. This should not be confused with the Samaritan Hebrew language of the Scriptures. Samaritan Aramaic ceased to be a spoken language some time between the 10th and the 12th centuries, with Samaritans switching to Palestinian Arabic as their vernacular language.

In form it resembles the Aramaic of the Targumim, and is written in the Samaritan alphabet.

Important works written in Samaritan include the translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch in the form of the targum paraphrased version. There are also legal, exegetical and liturgical texts, though later works of the same kind were often written in Arabic.

Sample

Exodus XX.1-6:

1. Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.
2. Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.
3. Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.
4. Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.
5. Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.
6. Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.^{[citation needed]}

Notice the similarities with Judeo-Aramaic as found in Targum Onqelos to this same passage (some expressions below are paraphrased, not literally translated):

1. Umalleil Adonai yat kol pitgamayya ha'illein lemeimar
   וּמַלֵּיל יְיָ יָת כָּל פִּתְגָמַיָּא הָאִלֵּין לְמֵימַר
2. Ana Adonai elahach de'appeiktach me'ar'a deMiṣrayim mibbeit avduta
   אֲנָא יְיָ אֱלָהָךְ דְּאַפֵּיקְתָּךְ מֵאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עַבְדוּתָא
3. La yihvei lach elah achoran, bar minni
   לָא יִהְוֵי לָךְ אֱלָהּ אָחֳרָן, בָּר מִנִּי
4. La ta'aveid lach ṣeilam vechol demu devišmayya mille'eila vediv'ar'a millera vedivmayya millera le'ar'a
   לָא תַּעֲבֵיד לָךְ צֵילַם וְכָל דְּמוּ דְּבִשְׁמַיָּא מִלְּעֵילָא וְדִבְאַרְעָא מִלְּרַע וְדִבְמַיָּא מִלְּרַע לְאַרְעָא
5. La tisgod lehon vela tiflechinnin arei ana adonai elahach el kanna mas'ar chovei avahan al benin maradin al dar telitai ve'al dar revi'ai lesane'ai kad mašlemin benayya lemichtei batar avahatehon
   לָא תִּסְגּוֹד לְהוֹן וְלָא תִּפְלְחִנִּין אֲרֵי אֲנָא יְיָ אֱלָהָךְ אֵל קַנָּא מַסְעַר חוֹבֵי אֲבָהָן עַל בְּנִין מָרָדִין עַל דָּר תְּלִיתַאי וְעַל דָּר רְבִיעַאי לְסָנְאָי כַּד מַשְׁלְמִין בְּנַיָּא לְמִחְטֵי בָּתַר אֲבָהָתְהוֹן
6. Ve'aveid teivu le'alfei darin lerachamai ulenaterei pikkodai
   וְעָבֵיד טֵיבוּ לְאַלְפֵי דָּרִין לְרָחֲמַי וּלְנָטְרֵי פִּקּוֹדָי

See also

• Christian Palestinian Aramaic
• Jewish Babylonian Aramaic
• Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
• Mandaic language
• Western Neo-Aramaic

Bibliography

• J. Rosenberg, Lehrbuch der samaritanischen Sprache und Literatur, A. Hartleben's Verlag: Wien, Pest, Leipzig.
• Nicholls, G. F. A Grammar of the Samaritan Language with Extracts and Vocabulary. London: Samuel Bagster and Sons, 1858.
• Tal, Abraham, A Dictionary of Samaritan Aramaic: Brill 2000 ISBN:90-04-11645-1

External links

• Samaritan Aramaic Targum - Aramaic text of Samaritan Targum with English translation.
• [1] -https://www.the-samaritans.net - The Samaritan prayers services and liturgy.

References

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