Bible Questions & Answers
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I will make every effort to answer your questions within 3 days.
Each answered question will include a Scripture reference for the question. I urge you to read all scriptures from your Bible accepting only what the Bible teaches.
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QUESTION: Would you provide evidence that Christ used the Greek
language? Was Greek the only language He knew? What language did
Jesus use in Matthew 4:17 and Luke 2:46-49?
ANSWER: Jesus while on this earth undoubtedly spoke most often in His native
tongue. The language used most commonly in Palestine at that time was a
mixture of Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Syriac, called Syro-Chaldaic or Aramaic. This
is evidenced further by use of phrases in this language by the inspired writers in
Mark 7:34 and Matthew 27:46.
However, since the Bible is verbally (word for word) inspired (I Corinthians 2:13),
we can be assured that Christ spoke (Hebrews 1:2) through the Holy Spirit, giving the writers of the New Testament the exact Greek words that He wanted
them to use and record in the original manuscripts. In fact, in Matthew 16:18,
Christ is understood to be actually speaking in the Greek tongue as He uses a
play on the two Greek words Petros (Peter-masculine) and petra (rock-feminine),
showing that the church was not built upon Petros, but rather upon petra, i.e., the
confession that Peter had made in verse sixteen. The usage of the Greek
genders in this passage was critical to the understanding of the apostles as He
spoke directly to them and just as critical for us today. The Aramaic would not
have provided the necessary distinction!
Undoubtedly, Jesus, being God, can speak any language He so desires. In the
passages in question (Matthew 4:17 and Luke 1:46-49), Jesus, without doubt,
spoke in the language of His hearers (Palestinians) at the time of the speaking.
The words that He spoke through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, and which were
divinely recorded for you and me, were, with rare exception (e.g., Mark 7:34;
Matthew 27:46), in the Greek tongue!
