Dear all,

What language did Jesus speak while He was on earth? Some people say He spoke Aramaic, others say Hebrew, and others say Koine Greek. What language did He speak, and what evidence do we have to support this?

Thanks,
Blake

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Blake Kidney

I have always heard that He spoke Aramaic.

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Joe Auvil

I have heard that was what He spoke commonly, Aramaic, but also spoke Hebrew and Greek.

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Hal Bachman

He probably spoke primarily Aramaic, as indicated in various verses which quote sayings of Jesus in Aramaic e.g. Mark 5:41, 15:34. Being that he lived in a rather diverse culture, he was probably also knew Greek. Also, it should be noted that the name Jesus gave Peter, Cephas, is an Aramaic name.

From my understanding of the NT background, "Hebrew" probably was only really understood by the Scribes. Aramaic, which is a variation of Hebrew, was probably what the common people spoke in Judea.

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Jimmy H