05-28-2005, 09:41 PM
Paul and Andrew,
There is An Aramaic prayer, the berikh shemei d???marei alma, that became common only in the 16th century that states, "I do not place my trust in a human being, nor do I rely on a bar elahin (= a son of God), but rather on the God of heaven."
What is this prayer? Specifically, what does the Aramic word "alma" mean? I know in Hebrew it means "virgin" (or has that connotation). What does it mean in Aramaic? Does it mean "mute"?
Can it ever mean translated as a masculine proper name like "Dennis", "Paul", "Andrew", etc? It seems that in the Bar Kochba Letters (found in the "Cave of Letters"), 132- 135 AD, there is a line in a deed that says "Alma, son of Judah" (fourth line from the top). I think the Aramaic is "A-L-M-A ben Yehudah". This just doesn't sound right to me. Can either of you guys shed any light on this? Why would a word that is clearly meant as a feminine noun in Biblical Hebrew be a masculine noun in Mishnaic Hebrew?
Is Mishnaic Hebrew really just a cross between "Biblical Hebrew" and "Aramaic"? If this is the case would that mean that "alma" was kind of perverted from its original meaning?
Thanks Guys,
Keith
There is An Aramaic prayer, the berikh shemei d???marei alma, that became common only in the 16th century that states, "I do not place my trust in a human being, nor do I rely on a bar elahin (= a son of God), but rather on the God of heaven."
What is this prayer? Specifically, what does the Aramic word "alma" mean? I know in Hebrew it means "virgin" (or has that connotation). What does it mean in Aramaic? Does it mean "mute"?
Can it ever mean translated as a masculine proper name like "Dennis", "Paul", "Andrew", etc? It seems that in the Bar Kochba Letters (found in the "Cave of Letters"), 132- 135 AD, there is a line in a deed that says "Alma, son of Judah" (fourth line from the top). I think the Aramaic is "A-L-M-A ben Yehudah". This just doesn't sound right to me. Can either of you guys shed any light on this? Why would a word that is clearly meant as a feminine noun in Biblical Hebrew be a masculine noun in Mishnaic Hebrew?
Is Mishnaic Hebrew really just a cross between "Biblical Hebrew" and "Aramaic"? If this is the case would that mean that "alma" was kind of perverted from its original meaning?
Thanks Guys,
Keith