tj. . o i v o~Xia : laais .fiofoia

[A\Aaa4 oXiof . ep-» aae : v «Aa£ae . liaaa mis Aaka • i

, nU JX joiaJlv vOouai. AJiaiAla VuSal^.UaeiacriilJoaia.iaesp.

oiai jAl • avao.x? v 6oAao : w . eeiSi ^ast? 1-i.i UVaca v o<nl 1,

. lA«So Jo v e<nl ilaoAIi .*i.i ii, laAia <na com A,l .«a IA.djL3 : *»

. ^eoooi. . .<&.aA lS':Ia»\ai yOoii iiolo : »

■ «-*'- I_U»A oJLaa aao : la JAaS li$e&« v&al lit as&a? i*i,

. A.axi gfiM iiaM . JLiA, i&A» . ZaoAsL oilaj toei

t^Aia £iu 14&» Jo *i.oAZa .itjeaS'liaaai a^A, vaal aV^A: : t,

. IBvxa e.ALi,aaod . JU**aa iiaae wroA'

1AV aeSJ a A»AZ vaa : j*a . a.c

. 1-xaaaa LBdaoJ ^\ ydoiA^asAs ,, - r -j|V>» : lAl ^oaS latro : .su

£io wi*ja»»±ui fcdxaoli OTOfcioZ jjuao laoijia ^»?,? ^9>- v?

. iiiab . lis

: ttisoa IBaxxis >SkAai ^Z : 4a l>li» JttV OujuSAZ ,»Vx ^00 : A.

i x.ia risaaa «A3' laaa iaa .-.^j-tya aa liaisa l^O I As!

. ZxnAl liaaaa : (J iabIo Iff

ioo'.a luui ■ M«*sa ^aVAiio t aa . boeaaoa Wil'il [A\»a:ixA : a»

eZ jU^aSaxa Uo» . Zia»a JBdaais l_kjj, Zo-s$e ■ laoix IlLii i

. I;oj? U.oa3 ^iA . Is&i

frVxaola leg A»lai ^a la=i/-<7ia ^ajAai Jo o-l»I aia loc-p : ou

u!a lien liaJi.o - v al»s loci ciaaA jai. a» lAdsLi o VV a a . )Uao.sS la I

ajJasi Iqoi JaBjeo . Jsuaje laoi , >a^l A^ai baax, Ziai : ^..iabZo

Aciw Awl Zxaaaa I~oio . \<a&o Ziiaaa a.Z. Aocia laen ZAlao.1 IV

. , .. . / . . . \, ......

- «oJia. . ,Ji <X.

W. M. Thackston

Laaaa. lAo-aa 1%mJ lis

. l>aaaa o w .»v> V It>»ja

Introduction to Syriac

An Elementary Grammar with
Readings from Syriac Literature

Wheeler M. Thackston

JW

IBEX Publishers
Bethesda, Maryland

Introduction to Syriac

An Elementary Grammar with

Readings from Syriac Literature

by Wheeler M. Thackston

Copyright © 1999 Ibex Publishers, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or retransmitted in

any manner whatsoever, except in the form of a review, without written

permission from the publisher.

Manufactured in the United States of America

The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of the American

National Standard for Information Services — Permanence of Paper for Printed

Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984

IBEX Publishers

Post Office Box 30087

Bethesda, Maryland 20824 U.S.A.

Telephone: 301-718-8188

Facsimile: 301-907-8707

www.ibexpub.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thackston, W.M. (Wheeler Mcintosh), 1944-

Introduction to Syriac : an elementary grammar with readings from Syriac

literature / by W. M. Thackston.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-936347-98-8

1. Syriac language —Grammar. I. Title.

PJ5423T53 1999

492'.382421--dc21 99-39576

CIP

Contents

Preface vii
Preliminary matters

I. The Sounds of Syriac: Consonants and Vowels x

II. Begadkepat and the Schwa xii

III. Syllabification xiv

IV. Stress xv
V. Vocalic Reduction and Prosthesis xv

VI. The Syriac Alphabet xvii

VII. Other Orthographic Devices xxi

VIII. Alphabetic Numerals xxiii

IX. Comparative Chart of Semitic Consonants xxiv

X. Preliminary Exercise xxvi

Lesson One 3

§1.1 The Emphatic State §1.2 Gender §1.3 The Perfect of
the Simple Verb § 1 .4 The Proclitics

LESSON TWO 9
§2. 1 The Perfect: Full Inflection §2.2 Direct Objects

Lesson Three 14
§3.1 Pronominal Enclitics I §3.2 Predication of Existence

in

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

and the Expression of Possession §3.3 Relative Clauses

Lesson Four 19

§4.1 Possessive Pronouns §4.2 Noun-Noun Possession
§4.3 The Pronoun Koll §4.4 Pronominal Anticipation with
Prepositions

Lesson five 24

§5.1 Noun Plurals: Emphatic State

Lesson Six 28

§6.1 Independent Pronouns §6.2 The Short Pronouns as
Copulas §6.3 Demonstratives

Lesson Seven 33

§7.1 Inflection of Ill-Weak Verbs §7.2 The Perfect of Hwa
§7.3 The Perfect with Object Suffixes

Lesson eight 38

§8.1 The Active Participles §8.2 Uses of the Participle §8.3
Object Suffixes with the Third-Person Plural Verb

LESSON NINE 44

§9.1 Adjectives §9.2 Pronominal Enclitics II §9.3 Posses-
sive Suffixes with Plural Nouns §9.4 Paradigm of ya(h)b

LESSON TEN 51

§10.1 Paradigm of i-y Verbs §10.2 Object Suffixes with
the Remaining Persons (Perfect) §10.3 The Construct Sin-
gular §10.4 The Construct Plural §10.5 Adjectives in the
Construct State §10.6 Adverbs

LESSON ELEVEN 57

§11.1 Paradigm of Hollow Verbs: Perfect §11.2 Paradigm
of Geminate Verbs: Perfect §11.3 Paradigm of Il-dlap
Verbs: Perfect §11. 4 The Pleonastic Dative

IV

CONTENTS

LESSON TWELVE 62

§12.1 Passive Participles §12.2 Ill-Weak Verbs with
Pronominal Objects §12.3 Aba, Aha, and H ma with
Pronominal Possessives.

Lesson Thirteen 68

§13.1 The Absolute State §13.2 Numbers §13.3 Ordinals.
§13.4 The Infinitive: G-Verbs §13.5 Infinitives with
Pronominal Objects

Lesson Fourteen 77

§14.1 Imperfect and Imperative of G- Verbs: Sound Roots
§14.2 Imperfect Inflection of I-n Verbs §14.3 Imperfect of
l-dlap Verbs §14.4 Imperfect of i-v Verbs §14.5 Imperfect
of Ill-Weak Verbs § 14.6 Imperfect of Hollow Verbs § 14.7
Imperfect of Geminate Verbs §14.8 Imperfect of Il-dlap
Verbs

Lesson Fifteen 86

§15.1 Uses of the Imperfect §15.2 The Imperfect with
Enclitic Objects §15.3 Suffix Pronouns with Ill-Weak Im-
perfect §15.4 Imperatives with Suffix Pronouns §15.5 Im-
peratives of III- Weak Roots with Suffix Pronouns §15.6
Nouns in -u and -i

Lesson Sixteen 94

§16.1 The Pael Conjugation §16.2 Pael Conjugation: Vari-
ous Verb Types

Lesson Seventeen 100

§17.1 The Aphel Conjugation 17.2 Aphel Conjugation:
Various Verb Types

Lesson Eighteen 1 06

§18.1 Medio-passive Verbs: Ethpeel, Ethpaal & Ettaphal

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Conjugations §18.2 The Ethpeel Conjugation §18.3
Metathesis in Ethpeel §18.4 Ethpeel with Various Verb
Types

Lesson Nineteen 1 1 3

§ 19. 1 The Ethpaal Conjugation § 19.2 Metathesis in Ethpaal
§ 19.3 ill-Weak Verbs in Ethpaal

Lesson Twenty 119

§20. 1 The Ettaphal Conjugation §20.2 Adjectives/Nouns in
-and §20.3 Substantivation of Participles §20.4 Abstraction
of Substantivized Participles §20.5 Other Verbal Forms

APPENDIX A: Verbal Inflections 1 28

APPENDIX B : States of the Noun 1 42

APPENDIX C: Verbs with Enclitic Objects 144

READINGS

From the Psittd 1 5 1

From Pseudo-Callisthenes' Legend of Alexander 1 54

The First Discovery of the True Cross 1 57

The Teaching of the Apostle Thaddeus 1 62

The Martyrdom of St. Barbara 1 69

From The Tale of Sindban the Wise 173

From The Cave of Treasures 179

From Kalilag and Demnag 1 8 1

From a Metrical Sermon by Ephraem Syrus 1 82

From The Syriac Book of Medicines 1 84

A Flood in Edessa 1 86

From the Chronicon Syriacum of Barhebraeus 1 88

Syriac-English Vocabulary 193

INDEX 227

VI

Preface

Syriac IS THE Aramaic DIALECT of Edessa, now Urfa in Eastern
Turkey, an important center of early Christianity in Mesopotamia.
Edessene Syriac was rapidly accepted as the literary language of all
non-Greek eastern Christianity and was the primary vehicle for the
Christianization of large parts of central and south-central Asia.
Even after the rupture in the fifth century between the monophysitic
Jacobite church of Syria and the Nestorian Church of the East,
which coincided geographically with the Persian Empire, Syriac
remained the liturgical and theological language of both these
"national" churches. Today it is the classical tongue of the Nestori-
ans and Chaldeans of Iran and Iraq and the liturgical language of the
Jacobites of Eastern Anatolia and the Maronites of Greater Syria. As
a result of the far-reaching missionary activity of Syriac speakers,
the script of Mongolian even today is a version of the Syriac alpha-
bet written vertically a la chinoise instead of horizontally. Syriac is
also the language of the Church of St. Thomas on the Malabar Coast
of India.

Syriac belongs to the Levantine (northwest) group of the central
branch of the West Semitic languages together with all other forms
of Aramaic (Babylonian Aramaic, Imperial Aramaic, Palestinian
Aramaic, Samaritan, Mandaean) and Canaanite (Ugaritic, Hebrew,
and Phoenician). Also to the central branch belongs the North
Arabian group, which comprises all forms of Arabic. Classical
Ethiopic (Ge'ez) and many modern Ethiopian and South Arabian
languages fall into the south branch of West Semitic. More distantly
related are the East Semitic Akkadian (Assyrian and Babylonian)

vn

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

and Eblaite.

Syriac literature flourished from the third century on and boasts
of writers like Ephraem Syrus, Aphraates, Jacob of Sarug, John of
Ephesus, Jacob of Edessa, and Barhebraeus. After the Arab con-
quests and the advent of Islam in the seventh century to the area over
which eastern Christianity held sway, Syriac became the language of
a tolerated but disenfranchised and diminishing community and be-
gan a long, slow decline both as a spoken tongue and as a literary
medium in favor of the dominant Arabic. Although there are a few
scattered pockets of Aramaic speakers left in remote areas of the
Near East, there are no immediate descendants of Syriac spoken to-
day.

Of major importance is the role Syriac played as the intermediary
through which Greek learning and thought passed to the Islamic
world, for it was Syriac-speaking translators who first turned the
corpus of late Hellenistic science and philosophy from Syriac into
Arabic at the Dar al-Hikma in caliphal Baghdad. Syriac translations
also preserve much Middle Iranian wisdom literature that has been
lost in the original Persian.

In this text the language is presented both in the Syriac script, as
it will always be seen, and in transcription, which is given so that the
pronunciation of individual words and the structure of the language
as a whole may be represented as clearly as possible. As is the case
with most Semitic languages, Syriac leaves so much of a word un-
written that to read an unvocalized text requires a good deal of deci-
pherment on the part of the reader. It is essential therefore for the
learner to become accustomed as early as possible to recognizing
words, along with all their potential readings, from the written con-
sonantal skeleton.

After the first few lessons, the majority of the sentences in the
exercises — and all of the readings in later lessons — are taken directly
from the PSittd, the standard Syriac translation of the Bible. It is rec-
ognized on the one hand that most students learn Syriac as an ad-
junct to biblical or theological studies and will be interested primarily

vin

PREFACE

in this text; it is difficult, on the other hand, to overestimate the
stylistic influence of the Bible on Syriac authors in general. Biblical
passages also have the advantage of being familiar, to some degree
or other, to most English-speaking students.

Sections II and V of Preliminary Matters must be studied thor-
oughly before proceeding to the grammar because an understanding
of the principles of begadkepat and the schwa, as well as vocalic re-
duction, is mandatory before any substantial grammatical explana-
tions can be given. There is a preliminary exercise on p. xxvi; it
should be xione after one has become familiar with the contents of
section II of Preliminary Matters (pp. xxii-xiv). The answers to the
exercise are given on p. 224, as are transcriptions of the exercises
for lessons one through five. These are intended not as a crutch but
as a check for readings and spirantizations. After the twenty lessons
of grammar have been finished, the learner should proceed to the
section of Readings beginning on page 151, where a few biblical
passages and some specimens of religious and secular literature are
given. All words that occur in the reading section are contained in
the Vocabulary.

For many of those whose interest in Syriac stems from biblical
studies or from the history of eastern Christianity, Syriac may be
their first Semitic language. Every effort has been made in the pre-
sentation of the grammar to keep the Semitic structure of the lan-
guage in the forefront and as clear as possible for those who have no
previous experience with languages of that family. Syriac is struc-
turally perhaps the simplest of all the Semitic languages. It is free of
the complexities of classical Arabic, has little of the unpredictability
of Biblical Hebrew, and is not subject to the great dialectal and re-
gional differences of Jewish and Imperial Aramaic.

A chart of correspondences among Arabic, Hebrew, and Syriac
is given on p. xxv for the benefit of those who are approaching
Syriac with a knowledge of one or more of the Semitic languages.
Those who have not studied Hebrew or Arabic may safely ignore
this section.

IX

Preliminary Matters

I. THE SOUNDS OF SYRIAC

Consonants. The consonants of

STOPS

p the p in 'pit'

b the b in 'bit'

t the t in 'ten'

SPIRANTS

p the/in 'fan'

the v in 'van'

the th in 'thing'

the th in 'then'

b
t

d
k

the ch of German Bach,
Scottish 'loch,' and the Ara-
bic *-, a voiceless velar frica-

VELARIZED CONSONANTS

t articulated like t but with the

Syriac are as follows.

d the d in 'den'
k the c in 'cave'
g the g in 'gave'

tive, pronounced like a
scraped k but slightly further
back in the throat; the point
of articulation is against the
soft palate [x].

g the voiced counterpart to the
spirantized k above, a voiced
velar fricative, the Arabic £,
rather like a gargle [y].

tongue raised high against

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

the velar ridge; accompanied
by a constriction in the throat
as a secondary articulation,
like the Arabic 1>, [t]

s articulated like s but, as with
; above, the tongue is raised

FRICATIVES

s the s in 'sip'
z the z in 'zip'

toward the velar ridge; s also
has a constriction in the
throat as a secondary articu-
lation, like the Arabic iJ o,
[«]. The European tradition
mispronounces as "ts."

$ the sh in 'ship'

GLOTTO-PHARYNGEALS

h the h in 'hat'

the glottal stop, as in the di-
alect pronunciation of "bo'l"
for "bottle" and "li'l" for
"little." Although glottal stop
is usually lost in Syriac un-
less it is doubled or intervo-
calic, it is an integral feature
of the language's morpho-
phonemic system.

h a voiceless pharyngeal frica-
tive [h], articulated like h but

NASALS, CONTINUANTS, SEMIVOWELS
m the m in 'moon'
n the n in 'noon'
/ the / in 'leaf

father forward in the throat
with the throat muscles
severely constricted to pro-
duce a low hissing sound
with no trace of scraping
(the Arabic ^).

the voiced pharyngeal frica-
tive, in which the vocal
cords vibrate with the mus-
cles of the throat tightly
constricted; correct pronun-
ciation is something approx-
imating a gag (the Arabic £_).

Italian r, not the constriction
of American English

w the w in 'wet'

r the flap of the Spanish and

y the y in 'yet'

XI

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Vowels. Syriac has the following vowels:

a short a, like the o in 'dot'

a long a: in the Eastern Syriac
tradition a is pronounced
like the a in 'father'; in the
Western tradition it is pro-
nounced like the o in 'bone'

e short e, like the e of 'debt'

e long e, like the ay of 'day'

ey also long e, used to show
certain morphological forms

in Western Syriac this vowel
merged with i everywhere
and is pronounced like the ee

in see

i long I, like the ee in 'see'

o both short and long o are
pronounced in East Syriac
like the o in 'bone' ; in West
Syriac o merged with u ev-
erywhere. The long 6 is used
to indicate an irreducible*.

e in Eastern Syriac this vowel u long u, like the oo in 'moon'
is pronounced exactly like e;

II. BEGADKEPAT AND THE SCHWA

The stops p, b, t, d, k and g and their spirantized counterparts (p^bjl
d,k, g), known collectively as the begadkepat letters, occur in mutu-
ally exclusive environments.

(a) Only stops occur doubled, never spirants, i.e., -pp-, -bb-,
etc., not - pp -, -bb-, etc., as in neppel 'he falls,' saggi 'much,' and
meddem 'thing.'

(b) The stops occur word-initially when preceded by a word
ending in a consonant. The stops occur within a word at the begin-
ning of a syllable (see section III) that is immediately preceded by
one other consonant that is preceded by a vowel, as in malkd 'king,'
men ber 'from my son,' and Iwdtgabrd 'unto the man.'

(c) When preceded by any vowel, even across word boundaries,

Xll

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

the stops are spirantized, as in neplet (nepjet) T fell,' hdpek-nd
(hdpek-nd) T am returning,' ebad (ebad) 'he perished,' bnd baytd
(bnd baytd) 'he built a house,' and nektob (nektob) 'he writes.'

"Any vowel" in the above definition includes the schwa (a),
an unpronounced "relic," the position of which is almost entirely
predictable:

(1) In any word-initial cluster of two consonants, a schwa is
assumed between the two, e.g., ktab -> kdtab 'he wrote,' c bad ->
c dbad 'he made,' and tpalleg -* tdpalleg 'you divide.'

The addition of a proclitic to such words spirantizes the first
letter. The second letter, already spirantized, remains spirantized.
For example, ktab 'he wrote' begins with two consonants; there-
fore, a schwa falls between the k and the t, spirantizing the t, and
the b is spirantized by the vowel that precedes it: katab. The ad-
dition of a proclitic like da- (da-ktab 'he who wrote') results in
the spirantization of the k, and the t and b remain spirantized as
before: da-ktab. If another proclitic like w- is added (w-da-ktab
'and he who wrote'), a schwa is assumed between the w and the
d, spirantizing the d: wd-da-ktab.

(2) In any cluster of three consonants, a schwa is assumed
between the second and third consonants, e.g., madbrd -» mad-
bard 'wilderness,' hallket -> halhket 'I walked,' atttd -* attatd
'woman,' and makkkat -» makkdkat 'she humbled.'

The existence of the schwa is so entirely predictable that its
use will be dispensed with in this book. The few exceptions that
occur, mainly for historical reasons, will be noted.

Rule (a) does not apply across morphological boundaries. For
instance, in the word baytd 'house,' the initial b- is a stop when the
word is sentence-initial or preceded immediately by a word that ends
in a consonant. When a proclitic like the preposition b- is added, the
second b is spirantized by applying rule c(l), giving b-baytd 'in the
house.' If another proclitic, such as da-, is added, the resulting da-b-

xin

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

baytd will have the first b spirantized by the vowel of da-. Doubled
spirants occur only across morphological boundaries or as a result
of vocalic reduction — never word-internally.

There are two important and constant exceptions to the begad-
kepat rules:

(1) The -t- of the feminine termination -t_d (see §1.2) is always
spirantized, whether it conforms to the begadkepat rules or
not — for instance amtd 'maidservant.' The only exception to this
rule occurs when the feminine -td is preceded immediately by t,
as in mdittd (with nonspirantized doubled t).

(2) The pronominal enclitics of the second-person plural, mas-
culine -kpn and feminine -ken, always have spirantized -k-.

In addition, certain verb-forms have endings not conditioned by
the begadkepat rules. These will be noted as they occur.

III. SYLLABIFICATION

Every syllable in Syriac begins with one and only one consonant,
which is necessarily followed by a vowel (long, short, or schwa).
Any two-consonant cluster is then broken between the two because
no syllable may begin with more than one consonant. Clusters of
three consonants have an implied schwa between the second and
third consonants (see c(2) above) and are therefore treated as two-
consonant clusters. In words that begin with a vowel, the initial
vowel is reckoned a glottal stop plus vowel; where it occurs, the
glottal stop is treated like any other consonant. Examples: malkd
(mal-kd), turd (tu-rd), Smayyd (Sz-may-yd), emar ( 'e-mar), malktd
(mal-kd-td), madbrd (mad-bd-rd, sleqt (sd-leqt), hakkim (hak-kim).
Syllables ending in a vowel are called "open"; those that end in a
consonant are called "closed."

xiv

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

IV. Stress

Stress may fall on any of the final three syllables in a word.

(1) Ultimate stress. Any final syllable (ultima) that is closed and
contains a long vowel is stressed, as in hakkim (hak-kim'), nebnon
(neb-non), bdneyn (bd-neyn), saddarndk {sad-dar-ndk'), bndt {bd-
ndt'), hzayt (hd-zayf), qatluh (qat-luh'), sappirdn (sap-pi-rdn).

(2) Penultimate stress. If the final syllable is not stressed, then
the next to last syllable (penultima) receives stress if it contains a
long vowel or is closed, e.g., malkd (mal'-kd), bane (bd'-ne), emret
(em'-ret), qatleh (qat'-leh), qtalton (qd-tal'-ton), attat (at' -tat).

(3) Antepenultimate stress. If the criteria set forth in (1) and (2)
above are not met, then stress recedes to the syllable before the
penultimate, the antepenultimate, e.g., madbrd (mad'-bd-rd), atttd
(at'-td-td), malktd (mal'-kd-td), etqtel (et'-qs-tel).

In no instance may an open syllable with a short vowel be
stressed. In such a situation stress falls forward to the next stress-
able syllable, as emar (e-tnar'), hzd {hd-zd'), end {e-nd'), qtal (qd-
taY).

V. VOCALIC REDUCTION AND PROSTHESIS

An important element of Syriac phonology is the principle of retro-
gressive vocalic reduction. Simply stated, any short vowel (a, e, o)
in an open syllable is reduced to zero or schwa (ICvl -+ ICvl -> ICI).
Such reduction is always calculated retrogressively, i.e., from the
end of the word back toward the beginning. Examples: qdtel + -in -»
*qd-te-lin -> qdtlin; nektob + -un -» *nek-to-bun -* nektbun; saddar
+ -dk -* Had-da-rdk -» saddrdk; ta cc el + -an -> *ta c - c e-lan ->
ta cc lan.

Words are immune to vocalic reduction in the following cases:

(1) with the optional third-person plural perfect endings -un

xv

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

and -en (see §1.3);

(2) with the singular copulas -u and -i (see §6.2);

(3) in syllables resulting from the loss of glottal stop, e.g.,
Se 'let -> selet.

The principle of prosthesis is as follows: wherever vocalic re-
duction would give a glottal stop a schwa, the schwa is replaced
with the vowel e and the glottal stop is then dropped (C'C -> C'eC -*
CeC). For example, neS'al + -un -* *ne$-'a-lun -> *nes'lun -»
*neS'elun -> neSelun, and *'amar^> *'mar-> *'emar^> emar.

Similarly when the two "weak" consonants w and y occur in a
position that would require them to take schwa, they become the full
vowels w and i respectively, e.g., *hadwtd -* *hadwdta -* hadutd,
*yda c -* *ydda c -* ida c , *etyled -* *etydled -» etiled. Syllables
resulting from such changes are immune to vocalic reduction.

xvi

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

VI. the Syriac Alphabet

The Syriac alphabet, written from right to left, was developed from
the Aramaic alphabet and, like Arabic, is basically a cursive script,
i.e., most letters are joined one to another within a word. All letters
connect from the right, and all but eight letters (indicated by asterisks
below) connect forward to the left. Most of the various forms of a
given letter are quite similar; only hap and nun have wildly divergent
forms.

There are three varieties of Syriac script in use, Estrangela, Nes-
torian and Jacobite. Because of its linear simplicity and elegance,
Estrangela has much to recommend it and has been chosen as the
basic script for this book.

The Estrangela letters are as follows:

ARAMAIC FINAL/ALONE INITIAL/MEDIAL NAME VALUE

EQUIVALENT FORM

3 -A

n
i
r
n jj

b A

d >

D qp

XV11

FORM

OF LETTER

<<

alap*

', -a, -i

13

bet

b

A

gdmal

8

n

ddlat*

d

<n

hit*

h

Cl

wow*

w, o, u

i

zayn*

z

.i>

hit

h

\

tit

t

^

yod

y, i, i

^

hap

k

1

lamad

I

.33

mim

m

j

nun

n

A3

semkat

s

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

p J3

"1

n
Plus one optional digraph:

pe

P

sddi*

s

qop

q

res*

r

sin

S

taw*

t

<&

taw-alap* ta

The Nestorian (East Syriac) letters are as follows. Note particu-
larly the dlap and the various forms of kdp.

ALONE

*

A

V

FINAL

U

MEDIAL

-V

INITIAL

1

\

a

07
O

V

_j_

Jo

.a

NAME

dlap

bet

gdmal

ddlat

hit
wdw
zayn

hit

tit
yod
kdp
Idmad
mim
nun
semkat

c i

pi
sdde

xvni

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

xa

qop

a

res

A

sin

A

taw

raw (alternative 1 )

y

lamad-dlap

k.

The Jacobite (West Syriac) letters are as follows. Note particu-
larly the various forms of dalat, reS, kdp, and taw and the double
lines of the final c i and lamad.

ALONE

FINAL

L

MEDIAL

)-

-^

t

t-

— -*-

\

V

_^

;»

>»-

-*-

V

r-

_j_

SD

.m_

_m_

^

> v_

-5^-

-a

1-

_3_

ESfTTIAL
i

on
o

)

.a
1

>D

J
i»

.3
1

NAME

dlap

bet

gdmal

dalat

hit
wdw
zayn

hit

tit

yod

kdp

lamad

mim

nun
semkat

c i

pi
sddi

'Only when word final and connected to preceding letter.

XIX

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Si xl __n_ £ qop

■*- i reS

jl jl_ _jl- jl Sin

b^. L taw

and the special digraph for an initial dlap-ldmad:

_^ dlap-ldmad

As in most Semitic alphabets, the graphic system basically repre-
sents the consonants. The short vowels a and e are not at all repre-
sented graphically.

Alap represents (1) all initial vowels, as in K^s^ar^a 'earth,'
7sn<< ddam 'Adam, ' and t ^n< emar 'he said,' (2) final -a and final -e,
as in <^iis& ktdbd 'book' and <"ca-\ gabre 'men,' as well as (3) origi-
nal glottal stop, as in A<<a*j neSal (originally neS'al — even though the
glottal stop was dropped from pronunciation in Syriac, the alap re-
mained as a historical spelling).

Yod is used (1) as the consonant y as in ^.a. ydda c and <<Asa mal-
yd, and (2) to represent the vowels / and internal e as in y^ta sim and
iua bet. The vowel e is sometimes spelled with yod and sometimes
not, as in ^uewn hwet T was' but <hm. c edtd 'church.' 1 Initial i and e
are spelled dlap-yod, as in <<^^<< izgaddd 'envoy.'

Wdw serves (1) as the consonant w as in <C\* wale and <£a><^
yawmd, and (2) to indicate the vowels o, 6 and u as in 7>eu yom, ^m
nebnon and y^x* qum. Initial o and u are spelled dlap-wdw, as in
<<L\*<oryd 'manger' and <Li\*< urhd 'road.'

For representing the vowels there are two orthographic conven-
tions, neither of which will be used in this book. The East Syriac
(Nestorian) convention is as follows.

* s

_ a, as in ai ha

'in a few words e is spelled with alap, as <Cv<Cl> hera 'nobleman' and <<^<<at
Seda 'demon.' These must simply be learned as items of spelling.

XX

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

a, as in or ha (also represents Greek a)

_ e, as in 01 he (also Greek e")

— . e and ey, as in -07 he and /iey (also Greek ei)

_ e, ! as in ©7 and -07 he (also Greek 77)

- i, as in r c? /w (also Greek t)

o 0, as in 007 /10, /10 (also Greek o and w)

o «, as in 90 /iw (also Greek v and 01/)

In some fully vocalized Nestorian texts the diphthong aw is consis-
tently pointed aw, as 2*ol for yawmd.

The West Syrian (Jacobite) convention uses the "Greek" vowels
as follows. In general, the vowels are written over short letters and
upside down under tall letters, but they can be placed in either posi-
tion with any letter.

2 a (ptdhd), as in on ha and L ta

9 9

a (zqapa), as in on ha and {. ta (pronounced ho and to)

e (rbdsd), as in on he and I te
-T 1 (hbdsd), as in -on hi and -1 ti
ou u ( c sdsd), as in obi hu and ot tu

In the Jacobite/West Syriac tradition, original o-vowels are
marked with a dot above the wdw, and original u- vowels with a dot
below, even though the two vowels merged as u. For example, ^>qdj
nqum (originally nqum), but^oLj ne cc ul (originally ne cc ol).

VII. Other Orthographic devices

(1) Linea occultans, a line drawn over or under a letter to indicate

l i is usually, but not always, spelled with a yod; some words omit the yod.

XXI

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

(a) assimilation of that letter to the following or preceding
letter, as in <<inLnsa mdittd 'city' and iA,<< ezzet 'I went.'

(b) the loss of initial dlap and he in pronunciation, as in <CW
hrdyd 'last' and <<ct<n wd 'was.'

(2) Sydme, two dots placed over all plural nouns and adjectives
(except the masculine plural absolute participle, see §8.1) and certain
feminine plural verbs. Although the sydme dots may occur over any
letter, they tend to combine with the dot of res' (■a) when a word con-
tains that letter; otherwise they are usually placed over one of the
shorter letters. Unlike other orthographic devices, the sydme dots are
not optional; without them it is impossible to distinguish the plural
of most nouns and adjectives from the singular.

<Z±i -ei<n ^iai ndpqdn-way nesSe The beautiful women
.^•va*. Sappirdtd. went out.

(3) Verb and homograph dots: one dot is placed beneath all per-
fect verbs except the first-person singular, which is distinguished by
one dot above, as in ina&i nepqat 'she went out' but iaoz* nepqet 'I
went out.' In fully pointed Nestorian texts, the perfect dot is dis-
pensed with in the third-person feminine singular perfect, and the
taw ending is marked with two underdots, as in Axa^j nepqat 'she
went out.'

One dot is placed over all active participles to distinguish them
from orthographically similar forms, as ^.}*± kdteb 'writing' versus
•aina ktab 'he wrote.' These dots may occur anywhere in the word.

Since Syriac abounds in homographs, dots are sometimes used
to distinguish words that are written identically but pronounced dif-
ferently, e.g.

ei<n haw 'that' cm hu 'he'

<<a\^3 malkd 'king' <<=As? melkd 'counsel'

^t> man 'who?' ,a? men 'from'

In this book the verbal and participial dots will be fairly consistently
shown; other distinguishing dots will be used occasionally, but not

xxn

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

with consistency.

(4) Gemination of Consonants. There is no device in Syriac or-
thography to indicate gemination (doubling) of consonants. In West
Syriac true consonantal gemination was probably lost long ago; in
East Syriac, on the other hand, gemination is traditionally retained
and will be so indicated in the present transcription.

There does exist a device for marking the spirantization and non-
spirantization of the begadkepat consonants, and this may inciden-
tally indicate the doubling of one of these consonants.

(a) qussdyd, in West Syriac a small dot above the letter, and
in East Syriac a small oblique line above the letter (js b). It indi-
cates that the begadkepat consonants are stops.

(b) rukkdkd, in West Syriac a small dot beneath the letter,
and in East Syriac a small oblique line beneath the letter (.a b). It
indicates the spirantization of the begadkepat consonants, as in
^ateiktab 'he wrote' and jaoA^A tektob 'she writes.'

Neither quSsdyd nor rukkdkd will be used in this book.

VIII. ALPHABETIC NUMERALS

In Syriac, as in most other Semitic languages, the letters of the
alphabet are also used as numerals, as follows:

LETTER

NUMERICAL VALUE

<<

1

J3

2

-A

3

n

4

<n

5

XXlll

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

1

7

Jj

8

*D

9

J

10

A

20

A

30

7*

40

^

50

<50

60

A.

70

.S

80

_s

90

Jn

100

•\

200

^

300

*l

400

Compound numbers are expressed decimally from right to left as ^a.
for 12 and <At for 236. Numbers over 400 use ^and cp as 500 and
600, &c. << is used for 1000. Therefore, 1999 is expressed as \, Yy <<-

IX. COMPARATIVE CHART OF SEMITIC CONSONANTS

The following chart gives the consonants of Arabic, Hebrew, and
Syriac as they normally occur in cognate roots. There are, of course,
exceptions.

xxiv

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

' 't j ° ^ £ C C "* * J 3 1/ a* i/i/i/
anntoonn-ir-iroto'tos:*

^ ^ a a 4 j oi n ^ *\ 1 qo at 90 ~ j».

J» Ji

tt^U^JfO*-*^

\, ^, ^. .^ .a u 1^ A ^5 *«^ <n <* ■»

The Syriac qo that is in Hebrew is ^ in Arabic: Syriac * \m sged
= Hebrew 130 sdgad = Arabic -l>«- sajada 'bow down' (Ethiopic
rtlfc sagada); Syr. << \*co<< as/ra = Heb. TDK asir = Ar. j^—l asir-
'prisoner, captive' (Eth. hrt-C dsur), while the Syriac qp that is to in
Hebrew is Jl in Arabic: Syr. <<i\m sa c rd = Heb. 12% s^dr = Ar.
^—i Jta c r- 'hair' (Akkadian Sdrtam, Eth. /"flC'r- §3 c drt); Syr. ,\nm
jfea c = Heb. i?3tp sdbea c = Ar. £*-!. Sabi c a 'be satiated' (Akk. £e-
6«m); Syr. nmv c .sar = Heb. nfpy c eier = Ar. ^-1* c a£r- 'ten' (Akk.
eSer, Eth. fl/**^ c asru). All Syriac it's are ^ in Arabic: Syr. «Lzi*.
Smd = Ar. «— I wm- 'name' (Heb. DC? $em, Eth. A9° jam, Akk. Su-
mum); Syr. ,\~it Sba c = Ar. .^ .ya& c - 'seven' (Heb. ID?? Seba c ,
Eth. (i-QO- sab c u, Akk. seM-

The Arabic jo is ^ in Hebrew but ^ in Syriac: Ar. joJ\ ard- =
Heb. jhk eres = Syr. <G,.<i<<ar c a 'land' (Akk. ersetum); Ar. jli
da'n- = Heb. |Nis ran = Syr. <<i^ c dnd 'sheep.'

The Arabic o and ^ are n and to respectively in Hebrew, but
they are both in in Syriac: Ar. ^3 tis c - = Heb. Dtzjn ^a c = Syr.
^atin tfa c 'nine' (Eth. frflO- tes c w, Akk. tiSe); Ar. v^MS thaldth- =
Heb. 0*7(0 M/o.? = Syr. ^i\2n ?/af 'three' (Eth. iMfl salds, Akk. ra-
/a£); Ar. ^jo» hadath- = Heb. ehn hdddS = Syr. ^\n^ Mef 'new'
(Eth. fhft.fl haddis, Akk. eSSum). Similarly the Arabic a and •>,
which are 1 and r respectively in Hebrew, are both n in Syriac: Ar.
ju yad- = Heb. T ydd = Syr. <<n*<< idd 'hand' (Eth. h£ 2d); Ar. *_-a j
dhahab- = Heb. am zdhdb = Syr. <<n<n* dahbd 'gold'; Ar. *_.;.->

xxv

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

dhi'b- = Heb. 2W zz'eb = Syr. <<a<<n deba 'wolf; Ar. jl udhn- =
= Heb. IJfc ozen = Syr. <Gn<< ednd 'ear' (Eth. MH azn, Akk. uznum).
So also Arabic L and Ja, which are CD and ^ respectively in Hebrew,
are both \, in Syriac: Ar. ML (aid = Heb. n*?p fa/e/i = Syr. <<-A\,
ta/ya 'kid' (Eth. mA. tali); Ar. ^Lk. zufur- = Heb. |~1QK sipporen =
Syr. ^n^Y, te£ra 'fingernail'; Ar. ^ nazara = Heb. "1^3 nasar =
Syr. \\,\ ntar 'to look, look after, guard' (Eth. VKd nassara, Akk.

Arabic ^ and £ are both ^ in Syriac and n in Hebrew: Ar. ^^^
khams- = Syr. .s=jzui hammes = Heb. Eton hdmes 'five' (Eth. ""l^ft
khams, Akk. hamis); Ar. *_«-.:>. hasaba = Syr. ,-i-r ■< Mao = Heb.
DCJn hdsab 'reckon' (Eth. <hrtfl hasaba). Arabic * and £are both ^
in Syriac and i) in Hebrew: Ar. -u_t c abd- = Syr. <<iru c abdd =
Heb. 131) c eoed 'slave, servant'; Ar. ^ju> maghrib- = Syr. <Oa\^as
ma c rba = Heb. rnifla ma c drdb 'west' (Eth. ffl^-fl md c rdb); Ar. f>U
ghuldm- = Heb. a 1 ?;) c e/em = Syr. <<3a.\\ c laymd 'lad.'

The remaining consonants have one-to-one correspondences.

X. PRELIMINARY EXERCISE

In the following text (The Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13), the be-
gadkepat consonants are given in boldface. Mark all the spirantized
consonants with an underline. Treat the entire passage as continu-
ous, i.e. with no significant pauses that would affect spirantization.
(Answer given on p. 224.)

L/y^-, <<Ccictis i/^Anrt-vXTi <a\«!si i^nx jacnnau <<"iT>T~in ^cl3<<
, r itucimn <<33jA ^\ jacn :^Lx\^n .a<< <<".TiT-in <<Glx.<<

\^»nn \^> \,"" :<< t-.i ^_sa ^a <<\<< :<<ia.mA ^\^.^n <<\cv

aftwn d-ba-Smayyd, netqaddas Smdk, tete malkutdk, nehwe seb-
ydndk aykannd d-ba-smayyd dp b-ar c d. hab Ian lahmd d-sunqd-

xxvi

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

nan yawmdnd. wa-sboq Ian hawbayn. aykannd d-dp hnan Sbaqn
l-hayydbayn. w-ld ta cc lan l-nesyond. elld passdn men bisd. mettul
d-dildk-i malkutd w-hayld w-tesbohtd l- c dlam- c dlmin.

xxvn

^Ckc <3pia.mmaz o-fj Sytiac

Lesson One

§ 1.1 The Emphatic State. All Syriac nouns occur in a basic lexical
form, with the termination -a, known traditionally as the emphatic
state. Two other states of the noun occur, and these will be taken up
later. For the moment, suffice it to say that the emphatic state may
mean both the indefinite and the definite in English (e.g., gabrd 'a
man' or 'the man,' and ktdbd 'a book' or 'the book'). For
translation, context should be the guide to which of the two fits a
given occurrence.

§ 1.2 Gender. There are two grammatical genders in Syriac, mas-
culine and feminine. As far as persons and things have natural gen-
der ('father, mother, son, daughter, ram, ewe,' etc.), grammatical
gender follows natural gender; otherwise there is no clear or consis-
tent relationship between grammatical gender and meaning. There is,
however, a correspondence between form and gender: almost all
feminine nouns are marked by the ending -td in the emphatic state,
whereas masculine nouns have no special ending other than the -d
termination of the emphatic state.

MASCULINE FEMININE

<Ca\as malkd king <4>n->\ia malktd queen

^'cm gabrd mm ^ini^<C atttd woman

<<aiua ktdbdbodk. <<iKLnao mdittd city

<<t<v\, turd mountain <<^utb qritd village

The only class of exceptions consists of nouns that are feminine in

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

gender but do not have the -td ending, like <<:u<< idd 'hand,' <<^n<<
emmd 'mother,' and <±\<ar c d 'earth.' The few nouns that do not
show their gender will be marked in the vocabularies.

§ 1.3 The Perfect of the Simple (G) Verb. The basic lexical form
of the perfect verb consists of the verbal root, usually triconsonantal,
with an appropriate vowel pattern, either CCaC, as in .^Ata ktab 'he
wrote, he has written,' or CCeC, as in .tAm sleq 'he went forth, he
has gone forth.' This form (ktab, sleq) is the third-person masculine
singular ('he') of the perfect, which usually translates into English
as the simple past ('he wrote') or, according to context, the present
perfect ('he has written'). It represents the unaugmented base, or
ground, form of the verb and has the Semitic designation G (for
Grundstamm).

The third-person feminine singular adds an ending -at to the ver-
bal root. Concurrently all verbs undergo a pattern change from
CCaC or CCeC to CeCC-, giving the invariable 3rd-pers. fern, form
CeCCat, e.g., AcaAia ketbat 'she wrote, she has written' and AuAco
selqat 'she went out, she has gone out.'

The third-person masculine plural ('they') has two forms, in
more or less free variation, (1) with an unpronounced -w added to
the 3rd masc. sing., as in caia^. ktab 'they wrote' and arAm sleq 'they
went out,' and (2) with the ending -un added to the singular, as in
v ev=i^ ktabun 'they wrote' and v eia\co slequn 'they went out.' There
is no discernible difference in meaning between the two forms.

The third-person feminine plural ('they') has three alternative
forms: (1) identical to the 3rd masc. sing, (^h^. ktab 'they [f]
wrote'), (2) with an unpronounced -v added to the masc. sing, form
CinAu* ktab 'they [f] wrote'), and (3) with the ending -en added to the
masculine singular (^Al* ktaben 'they [f] wrote'). In the two latter
cases, the sydme dots are placed above the verb to mark plurality.

Note that all these forms of the perfect have a dot beneath the
verb; this distinguishes the perfect verb from other orthographically
similar forms.

LESSON ONE

The full 3rd-person inflection of a perfect verb will then be either
on the patterns of ktab:

3 m ^ik*. ktab (^eoAia ktab(un)

f V 3 ^ ketbat {^)z*hz. ktab(en)

or on the patterns of sleq:

3 m ±Aeq sleq (^cuAm sleq(un)

f VAm selqat (y)n\m sleq(en)

Verbs agree with their noun subjects in number and gender and may
precede or follow the subject indiscriminately:

«^\t .tAto j/e^r malkd. The king went forth.

an\iYi <<iirj3 malke sleq. The kings went forth.

iitAtt> <<2aai3a malkta selqat. The queen went forth.

<<^\-n \n\m sleq malkdtd. The queens went forth.

The negative of the perfect is made by la, which precedes the verb:

<£*\zn ^irin A. Id ktab malkd. The king did not write.

<&->\ti ^in\m <<\ Id selqat malkta. The queen did not go

forth.

§ 1.4 The Proclitics. The prepositions /- ('to, for' a person, 'to' a
place) and b- ('in, at') and the conjunction w- ('and') are proclitic,
i.e., they are added orthographically directly to the beginning of the
next word.

(1) When added to a word that begins with a consonant followed
by a vowel, these proclitics are added as they are (i.e., without
vowel), as in <<-.\ia\ l-malkd 'to/for the king,' <<na\,i b-turd 'at/on
the mountain,' and <<aa^.« w- 'ammd 'and the people.' The addition of
any such proclitic to a word that begins with a stop results in spiran-
tization of the stop, as ^\^-\ gabrd 'the man' > <C\~< \\ l-gabrd 'for
the man.' For spirantization, see Preliminary Matters, n. Begadkepat

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

and the Schwa, p. xii.

(2) When added to a word that begins with two consonants,
these proclitics are read la-, ba- and wa-, as in «:AvLA3a=i ba-mdittd
'in the city,' <<&L:uj3«i wa-mdittd 'and the city,' and ^'itA la-qritd
'to/for the village.' The addition of any such proclitic to a word be-
ginning with a stop results in the spirantization of the stop, as <oa^
ktdbd 'the book' > <<aii*3 ba-ktdbd 'in the book.'

(3) When added to a word that begins with dlap, these proclitics
assume the vowel of the dlap, as in <<^a<<<« w-emmd (pronounced
wemmd) 'and the mother' and <C&iAfG<<\ l-atttd (pronounced latttd)
'to/for the woman.'

Vocabulary

1

NOUNS

<^flllaU<^

atttd woman, wife

<<-\1 \

gabrd man

<C\e\,

turd mountain

<<^Lu^33

mdittd city

<C=^J3

malkd king

<<^->\^o

malktd queen

<<33lX

c ammd people

VERBS 1

^3^13

ktab to write

Aa>

npal to fall

f\ivi

sleq to go up/out

J3\A.

c ra# to flee

^*T»«r

sma c to hear

1 Verbs in all Semitic languages are traditionally quoted lexically in the 3rd-
person masc. sing., the simplest form in which the verb occurs. Only for pur-
poses of vocabulary lists is this form equivalent to the English infinitive.

LESSON ONE

OTHERS

^ b- (ba-) in, at, with 1

<<a^c^ hdrkd here

<a w- (wa-) and

1 /- (la-) to, for

A Id not (negative)

^n men (menn- 2 ) from

^ni& tammdn there

Exercise 1

(a) Read and translate the following:

<<^u.nJ33 ^33 i-Am 1

<<^SlL^33 ^33 CUaXX 3

<<\n_* A%i 5

<<aa\\ <Ca\ro ja^ 8

y33^l y33 ^u?'H^. 9

<<^">\"o ^ns*T>T- 10

S-A-n ^n <^-H~l \ Ja\\ 12

^sa^ti ^33 «C2n^u<< ^nriNm 13
^•iei^, ^n <<i"i \ Asb 14

'fi means 'with' only for instrumentals, as 'he hit me with a stick.'
2 I.e., men before nouns; menn- before enclitic pronouns (§3.1).

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<2siLn^n ^33 <<aXi3 ja\^ <<\ 15

^■icn >pa <^n2iu<< ^ieAcq <<\ 16

&jx± ,\T>t <<\ 17

«^AsA ha)n* A 18

^xj^A £\z~\ ja'Vi. <<i 20
<<^\Ltun\ <<^i^u<< 2tuAca 21
(b) Translate the following into Syriac:

1 . The woman fled from the man.

2. The mountain fell.

3. The man did not write to the king.

4. The people did not hear.

5. The man went out from the city to the mountain.

6. The people fled from here.

7. The people wrote to the king and queen.

8. They (m) went out from there.

9. They (f) wrote to the man.
10. The city fell to the king.

Lesson Two

§ 2.1 The Perfect: Full Inflection. Following is the full inflection
of the perfect. The masculine-feminine distinction is maintained in
both the second and third persons; the first persons are of common
gender. Because the third-person masculine singular form is the
basic lexical form of the verb, all paradigms begin with that form, in
accord with general Semitic usage.

SINGULAR

PLURAL

3 m

.nka ktab

eaka ktab or
..saifta ktabun

f

^ca^ia ketbat

^3^ia / '.^a^Li ktab or
^aka ktaben

2 m

hais^ ktabt

*£knka ktabton

f

^isais^. ktabt

v iuaiia ktabten

lc

isaim ketbet

^aka ktabn or
i+nito ktabnan

Perfect verbs with sound roots are inflected either on the pattern
of ktab or on the pattern of sleq, the inflection of which is like that of
ktab but the vowel e replaces a in the stem wherever it occurs (sleq,
selqat, sleqt, selqet, &c). The first-person singular form has the dot
above the verb to distinguish it from the other forms that are written
the same.

Verbs with initial dlap have the vowel e- initially (see Prelimi-
nary Matters, V); otherwise the inflection is absolutely regular, like
that of emar 'to say' :

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

3 m

W

emar

(.ia'ao^

emar(un)

f

iASSMt

emrat

(r)-o*<

emar(en)

2m

in\2Mi

emart

^j^n^o?^

emarton

f

^inSzxi

emart

v in\33<<

emarten

lc

^i*Oa<<

emret

^3^

emarn(an)

§ 2.2 Direct Objects. The direct object of a transitive verb may op-
tionally be indicated by the particle /- (exactly like the preposition)
when the object is definite.

«^cnA \a>L c bar l-nahrd. He crossed the river.

j.eu^ ^jaa\ o\\,n qtal l-mdran iSo c They killed our Lord

<<.i.T-^a mSihd. Jesus Christ.

The /-marker is more consistently found when the object precedes
the verb, e.g.,

<\\\,n <Cai3aX l-malkd qtal They killed the king,

but there is no consistency when the object follows the verb and is
unambiguously the object.

Vocabulary 2

NOUNS

<C±*i<: ar c d (f) earth, land

<<aka ktdbd book

<Z\mi nahrd river

Ktaccai ndmdsd law

<C&~ saprd morning

<<^u-\a qritd village

^ai ramsd evening

VERBS

A3<< ebad to perish
^<< ehad to seize, take

10

LESSON TWO

A,<< ezal to go 1
*C33<< emar to say, tell ( c al about something)

\\ 7 i ntar to keep

jiai «pa^ to go forth 2

^n^ c bar to cross; (with c al) to transgress (the law, a com-
mandment, etc.)
\\,~ qtal to kill
OTHERS

<<a.<< ayfaz where?

Ax c al on, over; against; about
\ /- (la-) direct object marker (nonobligatory)
<<oi\ l-mdnd why?, what for?

<£*> ma

^3o man [what?
«<oo /nana

Exercise 2

Read in Syriac and translate into English:

.<<-*. J i<<n <<tt \ na<< 1
C i<<CocOlA ^nn^ <<^ <<i^A 2

.<<cocoai Aa. cv'Aa^. 5
.<<-At3 <<n^\ ja^in 6

.^•HCTlA J»^^ <Grl3'\j 7

'The / of ez<z/ assimilates to the z wherever they occur together in the perfect
inflection. Assimilation is marked with the linea occultans, e.g., A,<c ezal, fci,<<
ezzat, *v emit, AA-,<< ezzef.

2 When it precedes other verbs of motion, npaq is often otiose, e.g., npaq wa-
c bar "he got up and crossed" or simply "he crossed."

11

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

.<<S\tA \\,h <C^3_^ 12

.<<CQCOU A^. ^^ <<A 13

S^^u'Hti ypa <<^i \ njj<< ^73 14

.c\n^a<< ySaiici << , \c>\ c ,\ cirAco 15

*i<<a\\ ^■'cn^ <C^a 16

.<Ckwtoj<< ^^u'ito ^v^ri<< 17

S<<^A^a\o <<=A^A ^AV? A <<isi\ 18

.^-i \\ ki^ut <<\ 19

.^ncriA ^A°,<<c\ <<a^va ^injj<< 20

.<<t Ta^a ^^u-Ku ^rn ^^ <^ 21

.<<^<<\ eAV? A 22

.<<3^va <(a\a\ ^a^ru* 23

.^■icrA ^A't<<e\ ^33^i yjj ^ih'Sa. 24

.<<iiiu<< A_x <<-AtA iiv'oi^ 25

.^N^a Aj>. ^n\\ ^\3*<Z <<A 26

S<<COCOH Aa. <Ca\^*A v£^l\33<< <<\ <<1^A 27

. v \\,n <<^uAsa\e\ <<A3a\ 28
(b) Translate into Syriac:

1 . Where did they perish?

2. Why did you not keep the law?

3. We crossed the river in the evening.

12

LESSON TWO

4. 1 told the woman about the village.

5. Why did you (m pi) go to the city?

6. They killed the king in the village.

7. The king crossed the river and seized the city.

8. We went forth and up to the mountain in the morning.

9. What did you say to the man?
10. 1 told the people about the law.

13

Lesson Three

§ 3.1 Pronominal Enclitics. Following is the set of pronominal
enclitics used with most (but not all) prepositions:

3 m

<n -eh

^n -hon

f

<h -ah

v «n -hen

2m

v\ -dk

*ga -kon

f

^ -ek

^a -ken

lc

. -#/-i

w -an

These enclitics serve as the complements to the majority of preposi-
tions, for instance b- 'in, at' and /- 'to, for':

3 m <ri3 beh vgcun bhon <tA leh ,gcrA Ihon

f <na bah v «n bhen crA lah y «rA Ihen

2 m v>3 feafe ^n bkon cA /afe ^A Ikon

f -an beA: ^3 bken .^A fefc ,^A /&en

1 c *n bi ^s tan A U A /an

The -i of the first-person singular enclitic is pronounced only when
there is no other vowel in the word, as in ->n bi and A li; otherwise
the yod is silent, as in -isn menn 'from me' and -AaeA Iwdt 'unto me.'

So also with the following prepositions: he\ Iwdt 'unto,' yi±
c am ( c amm-) 'with,' ^n men (menn-) 'from,' and £ieLa<< akwdt 'like.'
All of these take the -# pronunciation with the first-person singular
enclitic; otherwise they are regular (<n^eA Iwdteh, <n»^. c ammeh,
<n»a» menneh, mineuKZ akwdteh, etc.).

§ 3.2 Predication of Existence and Expression of Possession.

14

LESSON THREE

For the predication of existence (English 'there is, there are'), £u<< it
and the negative kA layt ('there is/are not') are used. Note in the
examples below that the order of sentences in which it and layt are
used for the predication of existence is fixed as it/layt + prepositional
phrase + subject.

<Ca» <<3a^ hu<C it b-yammd mayyd. There is water in the

sea.
<<sa i A <<iu=ia £iA layt b-baytd lahmd. There is not any

bread in the house.

As there is no verb 'to have' in Syriac, the construction it/layt I- ('to
be to') is used, for instance:

<<iun A )su< it li baytd. I have a house.

<<Aiu<< <tA ivA layt leh atttd. He does not have a

wife.

§ 3.3 Relative Clauses. The relative pronoun is d-, the vocalic pat-
terning of which is exactly like that of /- (see § 1 .4). The relative pro-
noun always stands next (or as close as possible) to its antecedent
and is invariably the first element in the relative clause.

A,<<:\ <<^^4 gabrd d-ezal the man who came

huAta* <<^iiu<< atttd d-selqat the woman who went

forth
^kunman ^W malkd d-ba-mdittd the king who is in the

city

Prepositional relationships ('in which, from which, of whom,
whose,' etc.) are expressed by resumptive pronouns within the rela-
tive clause. The relative pronoun d- still stands at the head of the
relative clause and its proper place within the clause is marked by an
appropriate pronoun.

<tA iuam.* ^'o-a gabrd d-yehbet leh the man to whom I
<(stu kespd gave money

15

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

crusa iuAco^ KhiL-vja mdittd d-selqet men- the city from which

nah I went out

<C^a <nn isu<-\ 6u±. c aynd d-it bah mayyd a spring in which

there is/was water
cn^rn-> hadu^. <<\a_* gabrd d-nesbet the man whose

kespeh money I took

Prepositional phrases do not function adjectivally; instead, such
phrases are turned into relative constructions, as the following ex-
amples show:

<<£u.nsarjn <<^ baytd d-ba-mdittd the house in the city

(lit., "the house that
is in the city")
<<aa^a^ <Css mayyd da-b-yammd the water in the sea

Vocabulary 3

NOUNS

<<iua

baytd (m) house, home

<<Sa.

yammd sea

<<3a»A

/a/ima bread, food (in general)

<<03

mayyd (pi) water

<<.*ii

ttbrya prophet

<sSw-y

kespd money

<dru3tt3

puqddnd commandment

<<...W

slihd messenger, apostle

VERBS

.W

ekal to eat

oLu

nhet to go down, descend, dismount; (with c al) to

march against

^ivi.

nsab to take, receive

^1\

c bad to do, make

.A*

Mah to send, dispatch

OTHERS

W

it there is/are

■*.

d(a)- who, which, that (relative pronoun)

16

LESSON THREE

in<A Iwdt to, unto, into the presence of (someone)
*iA layt there is/are not

^n man who? (distinguished from man and men by a dot
on top)

^ c ad up to, as far as, until
7^. c am ( c amm-) with

Exercise 3

Read and translate:

S^g^TaN A,<< ^jj 1

1^33 <<ama\ ^ui£cu 3
^ai^. <A^<< 4

^31> !\-X vCWSIcSIjJlI 5

CTHJJ3 ^UaTJi. 6

^"■\v <<oA^J ^SlcA CuAac 7

.^KTli^a <<iniacia\ ^'H-i \ J£m 8

.^^u-iti n_x ,,\,<< 9

S<<sa 1 A\ n-i\ ^pa 10

.<<ama <<*i*i >\ ^u\ 11

.<C^q <jia 2nAn <<^iLn^i ^n ja\^.n ^"i \ ^ncA cuAco 12

.<Cna <Ci. J \<Cn iiA 13
.<<iuaa <<^uA ^ ^iA 14

.<<aa> o^. ^A'j<<c» <<*\ei\, ^33 ift^uu 16

S^iicA vA iAt ^33 17

.<n^n-i.c» -t^ ^itAxoci XiwQi <<^n.A ^inrL^n <<^i^G<< 18

.<Caa cna ^u<<n <<n<Tu <<-vn<<la ^u<< 19

.<<^uAaafl ^-A-n <<^KL^tu3 ^u<< 20

.<^iti\-r ^3-i. <^(3U.nJ3aA ((SCta CuAjjc 21
^^33^1 yJ3 JaTJ^n <<hAt\ ^'D?^ <<i^3 22

17

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

.^^u^an <<^i*3 <jA 2siA 23

vgl^VA^ <<\ <<_L3l\ vJKTl-A \33<<<S <<^ia. ^\<A << .11 A,<< 24

S<<CQeoaA
.,.\"Ta <(ii \ jaY^. 25

.<Cai ^n n\m 27
.^33 ^iiSi 28

■<<.t.\v yj33 <<am^\ ^uimic\ <<^KL:oa\ ^kiu 30
Translate into Syriac:

1 . There is a man in the house.

2. Who sent them the messenger who went to the city?
3. 1 went down to the river with her in the morning.

4. We have no money.

5. She took water from the man.

6. They told me about the food they ate.

7. They killed the man who transgressed the law.

8. The prophet received the law on the mountain.

9. She did not eat the food we made.

10. Do you have any money in the house?

18

cn^un

bayteh his house

^cvco^ur:

<n^un

baytdh her house

y^l2tlj^3

V/\dU3

baytdk your house

^aO^l

^dU3

baytek your house

yAAi^

-iua

foryf my house

«^n

Lesson Four

§ 4.1 Possessive Pronouns. The pronominal enclitics given in §3. 1
are also attached to singular nouns to indicate possession. The stem
of the noun to which they are attached is obtained by dropping the
final -a of the lexical (emphatic) form. Thus, from baytd:

baython their house
baythen their house
baython your house
baythen your house
baytan our house

There are, however, a few complications involved in the suffixation
of the first-person singular zero enclitic and the second- and third-
person plurals, -kon/-ken and -hon/-hen. Stems that end in three con-
sonants (-CCC-) or in two consonants preceded by a long vowel
(-dCC-, -eCC-, -iCC- or -uCC-) restore a full vowel to the stem be-
tween the last two consonants before the enclitics are added. Most
such nouns restore a as the vowel, but this is not entirely pre-
dictable. For example, A^<n haykld 'temple' > v g<nl^<n haykalhon
'their temple,' ^^asoCaa memrd 'word' > ^szntza memar 'my word,'
and <C3o*j j i rdhmd 'friend' > .^iu.'H rdhemkon 'your friend.'

Many feminine singular nouns in -td fall under this rule, restor-
ing the vowel a before the t, as <<kAaa malktd > ^miuAm malkat-
hon 'their queen,' <<iu.:un mdittd > ^iwunaa mdinatkon 'your city,'
and <<*iita<< atttd > JkHnx< attat 'my wife.'

19

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

§ 4.2 Noun-Noun Possession. There are three ways to express
possession involving two or more nouns in Syriac.

( 1 ) The first, the construct, involves changes in the stem of the
first noun. As its use is limited, it will be dealt with later (§10.3).

(2) In the second, the first noun, the thing possessed or limited,
is in the emphatic state, and the second, the possessor or limiter,
follows d-, as in the following:

<<' ! ei4:\ <<*ua baytd d-gabrd the man's house

<<Aasn <OiAac Slihdd-malkd the king's messenger

<C=n* <Gna«ia puqddnd da-nbiyd the prophet's com-
mandment
<<£u.:o3* <<£uA^a malktd da-mdittd the queen of the city

<fnm <<ama kespdd-gabre the men's money

(3) In the third construction, an anticipatory pronoun, agreeing in
number and gender with the second noun, is attached to the first
noun, and the second noun is introduced by d-, as in the following:

<<\3L4^ <niua bayteh d-gabrd the man's house

<Ca\mn <n.i.W Sliheh d-malkd the king's messenger

<C^un emends puqddneh da-nbiyd the prophet's com-
mandment
<<^M.naan <hiuAss malktah da-mdittd the queen of the city
<0\n-4* >Q<nqm-> kesphon d-gabre the men's money

§ 4.3 The Pronoun Koll. The pronoun koll, usually spelled with-
out wdw, means 'all' when it is followed by a noun in the emphatic
state or by an enclitic pronoun, as «rA^ kolleh 'all of it (m)' and .^ctA*
kollhon 'all of them.' With noun complements, koll is commonly
followed by an anticipatory pronoun that agrees in gender and num-
ber with the following noun, as

<<a^ <n\^ kolleh ktdbd all of the book, the

whole book

20

LESSON FOUR

<<^u.:o3 <rAa kolldh mdittd all of the city, the

whole city

Such constructions are also rendered by placing koll with its
enclitic pronoun in apposition following a noun in the emphatic
state, as

<n\a Ask* ktdbd kolleh all of the book, the

whole book
<h\^ <<iu.:un3 ba-mdittd kolldh in the whole city,

throughout the city
<fAa <G.^<< ar c d kolldh the whole land, all of

the earth

When followed by a noun in the absolute state (to be introduced in
§13.1), koll means 'every.'

■73:03^ koll-meddem everything

tA-> koll-ndS everybody

73d. Aa koll yom every day

§4.4 Pronominal Anticipation with Prepositions. Prepositions
with noun complements are often anticipated by a redundant prepo-
sition with a pronominal enclitic complement agreeing with the noun
complement of the following, "real" prepositional phrase. Thus,
either <<in<<i.Aaaa ba-mdittd or <<kuu <ru bdh ba-mdittd for 'in the
city,' and either <<^-i >\ in\^< emret l-gabrd or <C\-i \\ <tA in'oa^
emret leh l-gabrd for 'I said to the man.' These constructions are
extremely frequent in Syriac narrative prose.

Vocabulary

4

NOUNS

<<a<nn

dahbd gold

.^-i-irA x -i

b c eldbdbd enemy

^•»-T

haykld (haykal-) temple

Sn~ii

c abdd servant, slave

21

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

VERBS

n^i. c dar to help
toa pqad to command, order

.anT rdap to drive on, persecute; (with bdtar) to pursue
\,cn.s rhet to run

»-■- Sbaq to leave, abandon; (with /-) to forgive
OTHERS

<<arw< aykannd how?
n <£**.<< aykannd d- as, just as

\ha bdtar after, behind (often men bdtar); the short a in the
second syllable is reduced when enclitics beginning
with vowels are added, e.g. vn^isa bdtreh 'after
him,' but ^cn^iua bdtarhon 'after them'
A.n dil- belonging to
Aa koll all, every
73*aAa kollmeddem everything

Exercise 4

Read and translate:

.<n"Tin\\i n^ui <C-\\-ra Ann 1

.<<\a^<nn <<na^A Pinnae 2

.<<^u*n^7j\ ja'vi.rt ^m\\n ^a<nn\ njj<< 3

.v-^nn <(fimi <<ai<n ^iA 4

.v-riv ^ iii <<\ 5

.<l»t\\ <<n~i > Ann 6

.<rA,nn <<n<Tin\ n^<<n <<ni \ n^ua <<Wcnn <<nn\ X^cn - ? 7

.((.in <<^unrA 2ri\,<< 8

.<<n~i \ <nn-t\\ hnr 9

.v-^acnn A nn^. <<\ 10

.v/%olciA CTliiAicA <^AJD3 i At 1 1

.vjKTioa <<acnA <<n*n > ,imi 12

.<<^u.n^xin <°^Aso >jktA ntxan <<i^»<< cvnrLx 13

.A ^in^33<<n <<ir^.<< <jA £in^zi<< 14

22

LESSON FOUR

.^cnn^iua ^i\ 7 «n' ! \ 15

.^N'Tan <n"i*in\\*n\ cA\,h 17

.^■Hei^i ,n\m<a ^'iS-a cn^tJa ^33 <Cnj nSt 18

.<hXa <<^u,:isaai ,.Tin\\"i\ £iann 19

.^ktAa <<^a^. ^ cj'Hn^. 20

.<n^i^u<< <ni ^i\3a<<n -^^czA^ ^i \ .A \aa<< 21

.cua%xei <<\ -t.cn ^33 «anjj<<n ^3?oa\^ an*iT 22

.-^unX 2n\ t <<ci A.nn ^anJ^N^ ^iin^<< 23

^ nnan <<i^<< <0 ! \'n \n <<n-i\ niiua vX/Tin 24

Sv-^niu<< i^ ^n»i\n <<roiA ctA^ ^A^<< 25

S<tA ^iniafin 7an^n\-> ^tn-i\ <<\ <<i^A 26

S<<^u.A^ai «Aj<<ei ^iu'Htiran ^jvcn^SurA cuarLx. <<i^o\ 27

Translate into Syriac:

1 . We left our servant in the village.
2. 1 ran from my enemy's village.

3. The king pursued the enemy of his people throughout the land.

4. The servant took his king's gold and fled from the land.

5. You took everything from me.

6. The man took everything from his house and went down to the
sea.

23

Lesson Five

§ 5.1 Noun Plurals: Emphatic State. The plural of a noun in the
emphatic state is made by ( 1 ) changing the -a termination of a mas-
culine-type noun to -e, or (2) by changing the -td termination of
feminine-type nouns to -dtd. Sydme dots are placed over all plural
nouns, most of which could not otherwise be distinguished ortho-
graphically from the singular. Sydme dots may come anywhere in
the word, but if there is a res in the word, the dots combine with the
dot of the res as ■\.

SINGULAR PLURAL

masc. <<.i.\t Slihd apostle <Ci.W, slihe apostles

fern. <<&-At3 malktd queen <<£ii\3a malkdtd queens

Although most nouns form their plurals as described above,
there are exceptions to regular formation of the following types:

(a) Some words have a feminine form in the singular and a mas-
culine form in the plural.

<<AAaa melltd word Ada melle words

<<ii^a be c td egg <CLa be c eeggs

(b) Some words have a masculine form in the singular and a
feminine form in the plural.

<<t<Ai napM (f) soul <<^Lai naps' dtd souls
<<a<< «M father <<^«ria<< abdhdtd fathers

Note that the gender of words in categories (a) and (b) does not

24

LESSON FIVE

change from the singular. Melle is feminine plural even though its
form is that of a masculine plural; abdhdtd, regardless of its form, is
masculine plural.

(c) Other, unpredictable irregularities are exemplified by the fol-
lowing:

^^U'ua

qritd village

<C\eiti

quryd villages

<(aoii(

atttd woman

<<±>

ne$5e women

<Hli^3

baytd house

<<2ra

bdtte houses

<<*iay

saprd morning

<<^\ct*\a~

saprwdtd mornings

Regular plurals are formed for the following words, which have
already been introduced:

MASCULINE

^-i-nrA \ -i

b c eldbdbe

<<"\n_A

gabre

<<a<rin

dahbe

«A*i'-«T*

haykle

<^«V

ture

K^Q^^j

yamme

(<am3

kespe

<<aka

ktdbe

<<3alA

lahme

<Cl\T\

malke

<Ciij

nbiye

<<*\<na

nahre

<<coccm

ndmose

>cabular\

'5

<<a5j>.

c abde

<<3aSai.

c amme

<<jncicia

puqddne

<<>r*T^'\

ramie

<OiAsc

slihe

FEMININE

^ki.^

ar c dtd

<<2ftjl:UJ3

mdindtd

<<Ali\iO

malkdtd

<<^U^la

qerydtd

Note particularly the spelling of

yamme and

c amme.

NOUNS

<<ciA<< aldhd God

<<ao<< emmd pi <<£kti3o<< emmhdtd mother

<<a<&3» malakd pi malake angel

<<A\<*Asa malkutd pi -Awafa kingdom

25

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

■ ^-o. napSd (f) pi <<2aa^ai napSdtd soul, breath of life; (with
pronominal enclitics) -self, as ctw«*i napSeh himself,
v ci<u&ai napShon themselves
<<a^i ne£?e (fern pi) women
<Caaac Smayyd (plural, no singular) heaven
VERBS

j'ta qreb to draw near (I- to), approach

■oa^.

c

mar to live

OTHERS

<<<n M lo, behold

<<ia<n hdkannd thus, so, in this way

na had when, while, as

Exercise 5

Read and translate:

.<<L£isn <C\eitA ^hij<< 6

.<<nriiA ciHit <<\ 7

.<<£icnn v^ enn.*. <<\ 8

.^aev\ <<Lil\jcA £'-\\~n cuAt 9

.^33 <<ama\ <<'"\3_^ cinccu 10

.<<i\m vO<tA e»nnan <Cia.<< (Cn^N e\nrLx 1 1

/*'. crA -\3a<<n <<i^.<< <<2si^iu<< ctiX 2ii ,: 03<< 12

.<6sLi ^cn^^ua A^^nn 13

\y« .A ^iaa <<sa» n^. <<-inn\\*i ^\isa &-\\ 14

^-t>^\ T'-'Q' AuAm <<i"i \\ cA^n n^ 15

.<CaA <tA eia'iti <<«rA<<n <<i<<\^J3 <<«n 16

.^.■ Ht-i^i ■'oaji.cv <<^u.^3a\ hit 17

26

LESSON FIVE

.<C.*7aT-n ^Anrt^V-n ^L3' ! U3 20

S<CnA eiann <<oa\ 21

.<T1^U^A A|<<CV JaSi ^Cl^ ^33 2iuu ^va 22

.cfLat^A S\a 23

U rtrp*-QA rtW^H, <<\ 24

.<C2n^u<<n cfi^un ^33 <Caa rtwg, 25

■<<-A-m <n~T-n\\-i\ ^wrA^ <<^n^ cian^ 26

.<C\eitC3 <Cacj ^'v^n.*. 27

.<0\"i \ vjKrAa cua%^. <<i*in\\-i ^i-ito n^ 28

.<<\3_\ n^ <<cq\<<n <<coeoaA 29

/.TIT y33 <<i<<^33 C\^!Uu 30
^i-i. <0\cl^^ £uAoQC\ <<k3 ^^Q yCKH \"> <<S3'i'A itlAaJ<< 31

.^J33K

.<<cri\<<n <<imaoa ami na <Ca* \m<C <<i^<ti 32

Translate into Syriac:

1 . The men lived in the villages of the kingdom.

2. The angels descended from heaven.

3. There is no water in the rivers of the land.

4. The women transgressed the laws of the kings of the kingdom.

5. We drove the servants of the enemies from all the temples
of our land.

27

Lesson Six

§ 6.1 Independent Pronouns. Following is the set of independent
pronouns. These are used as sentence subjects of verbless sentences
and for stressing the pronominal subject of a verb.

3 m

CKTl

hu

»S?cti hennon

f

usn

hi

yifli hennen

2m

*G<<

att

«jti\*< atton

f

J|G<<

att

Y iai<< atten

lc

<<K<

end

^uZ. nahnan and
yu» hnan

§ 6.2 The Short Pronouns as Copulas. The following shortened
pronouns are used as copulas ('is, are'):

3 m

em

-u (-w)

,jj«<

-ennon

f

..«n

-i(-y)

yi<^

-ennen

2m

but

-(a)tt

^iaxK

-(a)tton

f

^aa<(

-(a)tt

yA><^

-(a)tten

lc

<GK

-nd

^

-nan

The third-person copulas are used with both the first- and the
second-person pronouns, although the corresponding first- and sec-
ond-person copulas also occur.

<<a\^a et«n iu<< att-u malkd. You are the king.

W ^-Ati ^<< a # malka-tt. You are the king

^ain ^u<< ,^u<< atton-ennon tammdn. You are there.

28

LESSON SIX

,g<W ^nii voAu^ atton tammdn-atton. You are there.

The copulas may occur anywhere in the sentence, after subject or
predicate.

<<.i.W <<*£ <<i<< end-nd Slihd d-aldhd. I am an apostle of

.<<<tA<£\ God.

^ <<.r.W ^ hnan Slihe-nan d- We are messengers of

.<<a\mn malkd. the king.

When the masculine copula -u is preceded by -a, the -d is shortened
to -a- and forms a diphthong -aw:

am <<Aaa <?«n hu malka-w. He is the king.

But when it is preceded by a consonant, the copula is read as enclitic
-u, as in

.«<n ^aa^i <<"va_\ gabrd tammdn-u. The man is there.

The feminine enclitic copula preceded by a consonant is read as -i:

.-<n vnia <<2nki<< atttd tammdn-i. The woman is there.

But when the feminine copula is preceded by a vowel, it is read as
-v."

.-en ^>n-A-r. ^<n hi malktd-y. She is the queen.

§ 6.3 Third-Person Plural Pronouns as Direct Objects. The

third-person plural short pronouns, and only they of the independent
pronouns, are used as direct objects of verbs. Although they are
written separate, they should be considered as quasi-enclitic.

.^^ -\- Slah-ennon. He sent them.

.*$«< * A,\," qetlet-ennon. I killed them.

.^i<( ^" dbar-ennen. He led them (f).

The other direct-object pronouns will be taken up in §7.3.

§ 6.4 Demonstratives. The same words are used as both demon-

29

SINGULAR

this (m)

<6<n hand

this (f)

<<n«n hade

that (m)

cm haw

that (f)

:«n hay

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

strative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns. They are as follows.

PLURAL

,A<n hdlen

,A<n hdlen

^qi hanon

^im hdnen

As adjectives, these words may either precede or follow the words
they modify. Thus, both <6<n <cAs» malkd hand and <^\^n <<j<n
hand malkd mean 'this king,' and both <<n<n <<^:oj mdittd hade and
<<iu.naa <(r\<n hade mdittd mean 'this city.'

Hade followed immediately by the feminine enclitic copula -/ is
pronounced hddd-y. Hand followed by the masculine singular en-
clitic copula -u may be written as one word, eu<n hdna-w.

Vocabulary 6

NOUNS

<<^xLeua knuStd assembly, synagogue

<CTana madbrd wilderness

^..W melhd (f) salt

t\jp pagrabody

<Ca\ ruhd (f) spirit 1
VERB

tai dbar to lead, guide

OTHERS

a<< dp so, so also

n d(a)- that (subordinating conjunction)

<<icn hand (m sing), <<a<ti hade (f sing), ,A<n hdlen (c pi) this

Acn haw (m sing), :<n /ray (f sing), ^<n hanon (m pi), ^i^n

^Ruha is feminine except in the phrases <^un <u*\ ruhd d-qudSa and <»-«. ^
ra/ia qaddiM 'Holy Ghost,' in which rw/w is usually construed as masculine.

30

LESSON SIX

hanen (f pi) that
<<Aiia mehdd at once, immediately
enaa manu (for man-[h]u) who is (he/it)?
eicn mdna-w (for mdnd-[h]u) what is he/it?
PROPER NAME
^■•■~-" ^.eiat. j&> c mSihd Jesus Christ

Exercise 6

Read and translate:

'ievcTi cumc\ <<n<n -TO >pi 1

.^KTiaa<<n <h^ua\ cA f <<ci <<^x.cua y» cuxSu <<tuoo 2

»fb<< ^tuAjc -en* <<^i^u<< A^. <riX ei\^n<< 3

ScrAa <<n<n A>>. ^G<< .A in'o?^ <<\ <<isa\ 4

.^■'wCn <<iA*Ta ^gu<< k5»^u<< 5

.^V? <<n<nn <^A^an ^ ^ui -<n <<ncn 6

.<<^u»n^nn c»<n <ha\^a ewn ckti 7

.^ktA i i D5<( <<j<< ja<< A. cii^a^n <<i^<< 9

. <<*.-! A ^a , itic\ ^"-»Q' <<n<n 2n-i_raac. na <<njjL^a 10

.<<<rA<<n <<i<< cn>iA~r <<j<< 1 1

^vrna <<<rA<<n «n .iAt cicnn <<a<<l3a <<*diac ,,pa ^n — «jj 12

.<<nan^o\ <<.~iA

.<<i<n <£ja»A ^ ^tinn^n ^ji<< -en <<n«n 13

St-^n <<i«n <<amn \^33<< ^in^ <<oa\ 14

.<<Gi<<\j33 <Cdiat\ ^wi<< ^''uan 15

vOn^^-A A.,<<ei ^i-iNm <<ac^3S' ! vri 16

.<Cx i \<<n ^Jj <<iA*Ta yuu^n ^.n.ar.ia .xcise-. tjd3<< 17

S-^cA \=in ^gv=An <<-\3L4 cu^n 18

S<C^u*nsa ^33 ^nrmn l<n <CAjaa\ cAa<< <<A <<^oa\ 19

<<ncn ^VCn cfi^A^n -<ri <<^\<n 20

.<C^beA <dcn AuAm ^ \o\ <<j3c_aj ^jnlyn <<iru<< 21
.«rA )n\\^i-t ^pa^irt << , \r3n^a\ .tii\ni\ £iann 22

31

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC
.cn'i^vn ci\,<<ci cvjoSli <<:tu£n <CnA rt\ia-r n^ 23
<<* -At>* ci<jj <n «.\t <<ncn cfiA^ i/yA *\ a<<n ci<n 25

S^-ian^nX ^ju<< \n^ cll33 26

S<rii3a <<inti«ia ^jcti 2n~irmn eu^a 27

S»fu<n << ,! uin^aa c\nri<< <G^,<< 28

Translate into Syriac:

1 . This is the assembly of all the peoples of the land.

2. Those men are in the wilderness.

3. Are you the man whose wife killed herself?

4. There is no salt in our house.

5. The angels went up into heaven.

6. These messengers led them to the kings' cities.

7. Who is it that pursued the enemy as far as the river?

8. This man abandoned his wife in the village.

32

Lesson Seven

§ 7.1 Inflection of Ill-Weak Verbs. Most verbs whose third radi-
cal consonant is weak, i.e., originally w or y, have slightly modified
inflections in the perfect. The vast majority of these verbs appear in
the 3rd masculine singular with the ending -a, as bnd 'to build.' The
inflection is as follows.

3 m

<<ia bnd

«i3 bnaw

f

ks bndt

-L^a bnay

2m

ia*n bnayt

^uin bnayton

f

^k^n bnayt

v ^mia bnayten

lc

£ui3 bnet

yia bnayn

Note especially the pattern of the first-person singular.

The second inflectional pattern of Ill-weak verbs — much less
common — is like that of hdi 'to be glad.' The inflection is as fol-
lows.

3 m

-:u>

hdi

curio

hdi

f

qU^Ui

hedyat

^TU)

hdi

2 m

aU^Ui

hdiyt

^rlLtUi

hdiyton

f

jAuAjJ

hdiyt

uoUAjj

hdiyten

lc

dUAjj

hdit

ylUl

hdiyn

Note that the 3rd-person feminine singular is absolutely regularly
formed, while the lst-person singular is like bnet, but with the
vowel -/-. As the transcription shows, the -t of the 2nd persons is
not spirantized; the -t of the lst-person singular is spirantized.

33

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

§ 7.2 The Perfect of Hwa. The perfect inflection of hwa 'to be' is

exactly like that of bnd.

3 m

<<«<n hwa

evcwi hwaw

f

ina<n hwdt

■.etqi hway

2m

i^ewn hwayt

^uewn hwayton

f

^*<n hwayt

r Auei<n hwayten

lc

^a<n hwet

v cwj hwayn

However, when this verb is used as the past copula, the initial h-
is silenced with the linea occultans throughout the inflection. As a
copula, -wd is treated as an enclitic.

.<<<a<n rpV-i-i ^^ua-A gabrd b-bayteh-wa.
.etewn <<iu.A3aa <<.r.W Slihe ba-mditta-waw.

The man was in his

house.
The apostles were in

the city.

§ 7.3 The Perfect with Object Suffixes. The objective pronominal
enclitics, which are suffixed directly onto a verb, are basically the
same as the set of enclitics I given in §4. 1 ; an important exception is
the first-person singular objective enclitic -an (with otiose yod). The
3rd-person plural enclitics are not used as object suffixes (see §6.2).

With the vowel-initial enclitics (3 masc. sing, -eh, 3 fern. sing.
-ah, 2 masc. sing, -dk, 2 fern sing, -ek, 1 sing, and pi. -an) the verbal
stem of the 3rd masc. sing, verb (CCaQ CCeC) undergoes a change
in pattern to CaCC-, the third radical consonant remaining spiran-
tized. The 1st sing. (CeCCet) and the 3rd fern. sing. (CeCCat) both
change to CCaCt- before vowel-initial suffixes. All revert to their
original patterns with the 2nd pi. suffixes (-kon, -ken), which are
consonant-initial. Thus, from rdap 'to drive':

+ 3 masc. sing.
+ 3 fern. sing.
+ 2 masc. sing

An'H RDAP

^nan'i ra dp eh

cnan"\ ra dp dh

v^^s ra dp dk

k^^\ REDPAT/REDPET

mis&^s rdapteh

<i<i.hs,*\ rdapjdh

v/\ina:\-\ rdaptdk

34

LESSON SEVEN

+ 2 fem. sing. -^an^i radpek ^h&*\ rdaptek

+ 1 sing. ^a^T ra dp an <*b&*.\ rdaptan

+ 3 masc. pi. »ju<< .s^ rdap-ennon *$*< h&*\ redpat/redpet-

ennon
+ 3 fem. pi. ,jj<< Ann rdap-ennen yj<< h&^\ redpat/redpet-

ennen
+ 2 masc. pi. .gasnn rdapkon ,$*ia&*\ redpatkqn/

redpetkon
+ 1 fem. pi. yaann rdapken ^*is&-*\ re dp atken/

redpetken
+ 1 pi. >9nT ra dp an ^&*s rdaptan

As in the possessive construction, the use of anticipatory object
pronouns is quite common, e.g.,

,<<-A-n\ <n\\,n qatleh l-malkd. He killed the king.

■<<&->\*t>1 cn^\\,n qtaltdh l-malktd. She/I killed the

queen.

Vocabulary 7

NOUNS

<\in< atrd pi -e place

(^na barndSd pi <<ti".i-i bnayndM man, person, human, (pi)
people
<<sa bra pi <Cia bnayyd son (+ 1 st sing, possessive enclitic,
./a ber 'my son')
<<iiTn bartd pi <<iiin fcnoYa daughter

<C*e\<Ti. yuddya pi -e Jew (/i silent except after proclitics, as da-
yhuddye 'of the Jews')
<<^3<u yawmd pi -e/-dtd (m) day
<<iam3a meskend pi -e poor, poor person, unfortunate
<<&:vi. c edtd pi -afcz church, assembly

VERBS

<<iu< era to come
<<in &nd to build
<<LiJ3 b c d to seek, search for

35

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<<»<n hwd to be

-^i hdi to rejoice

<<^ hza to see
OTHERS

<<\<< ellabul

v»i\->~i b-koll-zban always

r n den 1 but, however, for, then

Exercise 7

Read and translate:

.<nn evcicnn vJktA^ <<iin-^ ^n c\n\m <<n<n n^sa 6

.^neA <nnan 8

S<<.iA cnW^nn cLOa 9

.!i^i<< <<A << >,! t*-' \ ckti^ <<^iia 10

.<<iva\i33 o^^nntxS <<Cracn 1 1

>v cKT13 y^Vjj ^j^ y^jj ^a 12

.^jnn^n i^n\ cu<n 13

.<Ti^ri'i\ 7 a <*A -<n <<A<< <<inacia\ cn'H^ ci<n 15

.<n^a <£ja.A\ <A^<< 16

^Like the Greek postpositive particle Se, with which this word has been con-
fused, den may not stand first in a sentence but must be preceded by another
word; it is often best left untranslated.

36

LESSON SEVEN

/iia\\i y±± ^aTLat 17

.<h^i<A ^33 <h^"i\\ <<^i^u<< cn^tia^T 18

•<^A^a <<^u,:o3 <<n<rA <CiaAjxA <njAit 19

.cTi^n.ni 2nA cn^u»<<n <<a<nn 20

.<hn cuajj <<^u,?oan <<a\3a ^cktiX <<ian <<^in_*. ci^j Aa 21

.<<<rA<<n <<ci<n cn'in <<-H*-i > <<j«n 22

.^cnA gn^nn^x <<eicfi ^T-Tan na 23

.<Tusa ^ma\ fp>n-nv« <<i<< 24

.<<iiixiQSa\ <<iin^ cun <<n^i<< ckti^ 25

.<CJ33jA ^ <<CV<n ^SlA <<^73<L vju<m3 26

Translate into Syriac:

1 . He said that we always have the poor with us.

2. And in those days they rejoiced in the church the king had
built for them in that place.

3. The sons of this man killed the enemy of their city.

4. Why did he abandon you in a village in which there was no
water?

5. 1 led him from the wilderness to his daughter's house.

6. He perished on the mountain with the money had had seized
from the poor people.

7. He and the men of his village marched against the king who
had killed his son.

37

Lesson Eight

§ 8.1 The Active Participles. The masculine singular active partici-
ple for all sound verbs of the G-form (i.e., verbs with no weakness
on the pattern CCaC or CCeC) is made on the pattern CdCeC, as
kdteb 'writing' from ktab, sdleq 'leaving' from sleq, and rdhet 'run-
ning' from rhet. The active participles occur mainly in the absolute
state as predicates; following are the masculine and feminine singu-
lar and plural forms of the absolute state for the three types of verbs
introduced so far. All active participles are distinguished orthograph-
ically by a dot on top of the word.

TYPE MASC. SING. FEM. SING. MASC. PL. FEM. PL.

Sound jaka kdteb <<a^ti kdtbd ynhi kdtbin ^aki kdtbdn
III-gutt. ^oi*? dmar <C^a< dmrd y'en^ dmrin ^p*< dmrdn
Ill-weak <<*ri bane ^ bdnyd ^ca bdneyn ^1=1 banyan

Note that a 3rd guttural radical (h, h, ', c , r) changes the stem vowel
from -e- to -a-; otherwise formation is regular.

§ 8.2 Uses of the Participle. The active participle is used with the
short pronominal enclitics (3rd-person enclitics optional and rarely
used) to form a participial inflection used for the present habitual
("he goes"), the present progressive ("he is going") and occasionally
the future ("he will go"). The full inflection is as follows.

3 m

.a^ui

kdteb(-u)

y^^Uk

kdtbin(-ennon)

f

<<3^ui

kdtbd(-y)

yB^A

kdtbdn(-ennen)

2m

iG<< jaifti

kdteb-att

vCmU<< ^affla

kdtbi-tton

38

LESSON EIGHT

f

lm
f

kdtbd-att v £u<< ^a^ii
kdteb-nd ,^5 ^isii
kdtbd-nd ^ ^5^

kdtbd-tten

kdtbin-nan

kdtbdn-nar,

Note reduction of the stem vowel -e- where it occurs. Note also that
the n of the 2nd pi. participles assimilates to the t of the enclitic. Be-
cause this inflection is participial/adjectival, all persons have both
masculine and feminine forms.

The participial inflection of the 1st and 2nd persons occasionally
appears in the following contracted forms:

2m

^n-iN

c dbdatt

*o)sLKh± c dbditton

2f

q^1\

c dbdatt

v ^inn^. c dbdatten

lm

<<mi\

c dbednd

^atlx c dbdinnan

The past habitual/progressive ("he used to go, he was going,
would go") is formed with the participles and the past copula (kdteb-
wd, kdtbd-wdt, kdteb-wayt, kdtbd-wayt, kdteb-wet, kdtbd-wet, etc.).

.<<^ci\,\ jAm am hu sdleq l-turd.
.<<<\m ja\rn <a<n hu sdleq-wd l-turd.

.^J3o\ oUctcn *o!l\

He's going (he goes)
up to the mountain.

He was going (used
to go) up to the
mountain.

I live in that village.

c amar-na ba-qrita

hay.
c dmar-wet tammdn. I used to live there.

The past copula often occurs along with the perfect, especially in
narrative prose; in such uses the past copula is generally superfluous
and should be disregarded in translation, although in specific con-
texts it may render the English past perfect, as ezal-wd 'he went' or,
according to context, 'he had gone.'

Attributive uses of the participle are almost always turned into
relative constructions with d-, e.g.

39

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<n\n\ <<^aA <C^3s i gabrd d-bcfe la-breh the man (who is/was)

searching for his
son
y^uiin <<i<<\3a malake d-ndhtin I- angels descending to
v n\fna <±\<& ar c d w-sdlqin la- earth and ascending

<CaiacA smayyd to heaven

The active participle is often used adverbially (even redundantly)
to express the manner in which something is done, e.g.

...n \d*< -1 ia<< emar li dmar d-... he said to me, say-
ing...
<Lisi ^neA ,3a ka&i nepqat men Iwdtan She went out from

.73:03 bd c yd meddem. our presence, look-

ing for something.

Such adverbial uses, especially when complementary to a verbal
object, are frequently introduced by kad, e.g.

^3^. ^ .,cnci.i->T<< eSkhu kad ydteb b- They found him sit-
■^■ti baytd ting in the house.

In general the participles do not take enclitic objects as finite
verbs do; rather, they take pronominal objects through /-. The ex-
ception is the 3rd-person plural short pronouns ennon and ennen,
which do follow a participle as direct object.

^ <<<?<n ^n* <s<n haw d-ddbar-wd lak he who was guiding

you
^u<< •van* <s<n haw d-ddbar-ennon he who was guiding

them

§ 8.3 Object Suffixes with Third-Person Plural Verbs. Just as
the verbal stem of the 3rd sing, perfect verb undergoes changes be-
fore the addition of the object suffixes, so also do 3rd-person plural
verbs. The 3rd masc. pi. verb assumes the pattern CaCCu-; the 3rd-
person fern. pi. verb takes the pattern CaCCd- before the enclitics
that are originally vowel-initial.

40

LESSON EIGHT

eian-A

rdap_

.Sn^

rdag

+ 3 m s

..TOrtSn'l

radpu

-flLan^

radpdy

+ 3fs

<h<*a^i

radpuh

chan^

radpdh

+ 2 m s

i/yaS^

radpuk

>/>£^

radpdk

+ 2fs

.*a<A9n' ! i

radpuk

■^S^T

radpek

+ 1 c s

^elan's

radpun

^iSnn

radpdn

+ 2mpl

^aciann

radpukon

^gaSn'i

rdapkon

+ 2fpl

^acva^'i

radpuken

yafin'i

rdapken

+ 1 cpl

sgan'i

radpun

^

radpdn

Note especially the form and spelling of the 3rd masc. sing, enclitic
on each of these two persons. The original form of this enclitic was
-ohi (Aramaic Til) which explains the historical spelling in Syriac
orthography.

With the 3rd masc. pi. verb, the vowel-initial enclitics all lose
their initial vowels. With the 3rd fem. pi. verb, the vowel-initial en-
clitics similarly lose their vowels, with the exception of the 2nd fem.
sing, enclitic -ek, which takes precedence over the inflectional vowel.

Vocabulary 8

NOUNS

<<^\ClfCl '\a

kdrozutd pi -zwdtd gospel, preaching

(^eneu^ziii'oa

mrahhmdnutd pi -nwdtd mercy,

loving kindness

eCitnciS

purqdnd pi

-e salvation

^aci\a

pdroqa pi -<

? savior

^.^^.H

qentrond pi

-e centurion

<<^^u^

rdhmd pi -e

friend

<<^oxi)'i

rdhemtd pi

-dtd friend (f)

<CaCjJE±3

qaSSiSd pi -<

e elder

41

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

ADJECTIVES (given in the absolute state)

<<:u,/

:Uj

.SLTn

VERBS

had (m), hdd (f) one, a
qassiS old, elder
qarrib near, close (/- to)
rahhiq far, distant

eskah to find
<L* hyd to live, be alive
tp\a pras to spread

uc<\

rhem to love
Saddar to send

OTHERS

a^i &-y<2<i by, through, by means of, via
^ci.Ai balhod alone (also takes pron. encl. II [see §9.2], e.g.,
balhodaw 'by himself)
inaa^A .3.^ qarrib la-mmdt near death

^ ger but, however, indeed (a causal conjunction; like
den and the Greek postpositive yap, ger does not
stand at the head of a sentence)
■ \rr> saggi very
PROPER NAMES

^jei. yohanndn John
<<u<A luqd Luke
Q3eiB' : C33 marqos Mark
Joa mattay Matthew

Exercise 8

Read and translate:

42

LESSON EIGHT

.<<Ll!lAjc.

.^cktia ^cicnj^ ufjj 9

.<<^su3 cna <<j<? <d£in << J \^i<< .A &sx^x.<( 10

.c\<n i\~iin\\i i^ ^inn c\<n 1 1

.\/\tfU^3 ^33 ja3J t\j^ \^ rt^jJ 1 3

.<<^in_iA c»ci«n \A'|<< v n << J iS~3 14

,^g<ri\-\ *£KtA yUJ y\\^n 15

ATiT-c\ .^ii^roal <<ci^i ^x-'ua ^ u Art'iY'"^ v n <nna^. 17

n^ v n v^J^n .^^tkn.^ <Cadlicja cn^ncvX insert ,^ci,t. A i.

•^^ '^XjJ'H .^ ." : 03<<c\ CTii33 e»cKU v-^-3 ^.ciac^ AictA c\^n<<

A'f<< v n ^.clx^ -v-^ <c ^ : ? ^^ <^^-*-cvj^ ^3 A<<c\ . v T^\\
^\nac. .^^n y^xs n.ii'H ■ ^ <<A ^ .n o^ .^ktoxx <<ci«n

Translate into Syriac:

1 . A centurion whose servant was near death sent the elders of
the Jews, who had heard of Jesus, unto him.

2. In this place the apostle built a church for the men and women
who live in the city.

3. He is sending a messenger to the king of whom he has heard.

4. He abandoned us with our enemy.

5. Thus the king commanded, and thus he did.

6. After that, they all went out from the city to the mountains.

7. Have you (pi) seen the woman who went out in the morning
to the house of her friend (f)?

8. 1 have heard of the prophet's preaching from the elders.

^Rahmaw 'his friends.'

43

Lesson Nine

§ 9.1 Adjectives. Adjectives occur as masculine and feminine, sin-
gular and plural. The regular endings for the emphatic and absolute
states are given below (example tab 'good').

MASCULINE

FEMININE

SINGULAR

PLURAL

SINGULAR PLURAL

emph.

<(-i\, tdbd

**\ tdbe

^>n-i\, tdbtd <<ka\, tab

abs.

ja\, tab

'■fi\ tdbin

<£a\, tdbd f\\, tab

An attributive adjective follows the noun it modifies and agrees
in number, gender, and state. Examples:

<<~r.n <<n\3a malkd biSd

^M.q-r <<^vk»<< atttd Sappirtd

<<3S;->.i <CuAa=. Slihehakkime

^isi^inx <Cu neSSe c attirdtd

wicked king
beautiful woman
wise apostles
rich women

An attributive adjective modifying a noun qualified by a possessive
pronoun is also in the emphatic state, e.g.

<Ca^i ^i\a brdh hakkimd

<<£\^2fci. <n£^ru<< attteh c attirtd

<<ai ^u3 baytdk rabbd

her wise son
his rich wife
your large house

Predicate adjectives stand in the absolute state — and they tend to
come first in the sentence — while agreeing with the subject in num-
ber and gender, e.g.

44

LESSON NINE

^-.W «acn a=-a biS-u malkd. The king is wicked.

.<<iaiu<< -m ^ °~ Sappird-y atttd. The woman is beauti-

ful.
.<CiAa=. eiewn v ^-->-« hakkimin-waw Slihe. The apostles were

wise.
.<<aL» yi<< ^^i. c attirdn-ennen nesSe. The women are rich.

There is no comparative or superlative degree of the adjective.
The comparative sense is conveyed by the use of men, e.g.

.\^n \*)il± <<i£ <G<< end-nd c attir menndk. I am richer than you.

,fn <wn 7>.->.t <<«.\t £/j'M hakkim-u men The apostle is wiser
.<0i^4 ,A«t» hdlen gabre. than these men.

The superlative sense is achieved by the adjective with men koll- or
simply by sense.

<<«<n ^\ am <C*e±4 gabrd haw rabb-wd This man was the
Uia ^cn\a ^n men kollhon bnay- greatest of all the
.<CuU9 madnhd. men of the east.

^inetAaaa ji\ eii^a man-u rabb b-malkutd Who is the greatest in
S^.rfti-n da-Smayyd? the kingdom of

heaven?

§ 9.2 Pronominal Enclitics II. The second set of pronominal encli-
tics is as follows.

3m

a<nei

-aw

sJKTL

-ayhon

f

m

-eh

y<n«

-ayhen

2m

"*

-ayk

»@a.

-aykon

f

^2U

-ayk

v**

-ayken

lc

•»

-ay

r

-ayn

These pronominals are attached to certain prepositions, such as c al
(combining form, c l-), to give the following inflection:

3 m ^<n«Ai. c law ^<nAi. c layhon

f <hAi. c leh r <nAi. c layhen

45

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

2 m i^Vi. c layk ^->.\\ c laykon

f .->.\>. c layk v .->.\n c layken

1 c A*. c /ay ^ c /ayn

Other common prepositions that take this set of pronominals are :u_,
sed 'beside, at' (sedaw, sedeh, &c), &\* hldp 'on behalf of
(hldpaw, hlapeh, &c), \** hddr 'around' (hddraw, hddreh, &c),
and y*-** qddm 'before' (qddmaw, qddmeh, &c).

The particle of existential predication, it, also takes this set of
pronominals (itaw, iteh, itayk, &c). When the enclitics are attached
to it, it ceases to function as an existential predicator and becomes
merely a subject carrier, e.g.

<<o<n -<Tirt2ft.<< etcn Aa kad hu itaw-wd b- While he was at Si-
,^xtw« <njn.-m bayteh d-sem c dn, mon's house, a

.<<^i^yk< Aiin^ etdt atttd. woman came.

v -i,\^ <<\ r ^ <<i<< end den Id b-koll-zban for I will not always
.^jiai\ei\ Jsu< itay Iwdtkon. be amongst you.

§ 9.3 Possessive Suffixes with Plural Nouns. The pronominal
possessive enclitics are attached to plural nouns as follows.

(a) plurals in -dtd: the final -d is dropped and the enclitic
suffixes I (§4.1) are added, as from bndtd 'daughters' > <nisCi=i
bndteh 'his daughters,' <b&ca bndtdh 'her daughters,' i^iia bndtdk
'your daughters.'

(b) plurals in -e and -ayyd: final -e/-ayyd is dropped and the en-
clitic suffixes II (§9.2) are added, e.g., -qia.i.W slihaw 'his apostles,'
<n^a bneh 'her sons,' v^jxj nesSayk 'your women,' and ^ha bdttay
'my houses.'

§ 9.4 Paradigm of y(h)ab 'To Give.' The verb y(h)ab 'to give,'
used only in the perfect and imperative, is regularly inflected insofar
as the personal endings are concerned. With the exception of the 3rd
fern. sing, and 1st sing., whose patterns are absolutely regular, in all
other forms the h is unpronounced and its vowel falls back to the y.

46

LESSON NINE

3 m

f
2 m

f
lc

:abulai

jactL yab
Aden, yehbat
AirwL yabt
-Aa«rL yabt
£a«n* yehbet

ry9

(«ieia<n. yab(un)

(y)^3«ri. yab(en)

+$hci*L yabton

r isavfi. yabten

^a<^. yabn(an)

NOUNS

<<AA^a melltd pi <<lrn me//e (f) word 1
<<co.^ J ia pardisd/pardaysd paradise
ADJECTIVES

xj few bad, evil, wicked

A\:u. Wef (m) hadtd (f) pi hadtin/hadtdn (emph hadtd/
hdatta 2 pi hadte/ hadtdtd) new
7^.->,i hakkim wise
ja\, fczfe good
^4co jaggt (m) <<<<■ \m saggi'd (f) pi v <<. \m saggi'in (m)

N <<. >iri (f) saggi'dn* many, much
*u^u. c atf /r rich
ac^na qaddis holy, sacred

.=rt rafefe pi y^e^ rawrbin/^as rawrbdn big, great
^.q-r sappir beautiful

VERB

■acn. yafe to give (perfect and imperative only)

OTHER

aiu Map for the sake of, instead of (+ pron. encl. II: „<neiaYu
hldpaw 'for his sake')
n^/^j sed 4 beside, next to, at (+ pron. encl. II: .cn««<<j sedaw

*Mellta is normally feminine; however, when it translates 6 Adyos", it is
masculine.

2 The doubled -tt- in hdatta is spelled with one taw; two taws only in the
fern. pi. rffc&ii, hadtdtd.

3 Note that dlap appears in all forms except the masc. sing, absolute.
4 Generally sed is spelled with yod when followed by a noun and with dlap

47

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

'next to him')
PROPER NAMES

?*■*<< dddm Adam
<iem hawwd Eve
<<*.eoa muSe Moses

Exercise 9

(a) Read and translate the following phrases:

<<^u«unia <<iin^. 5
^■iei^ <<iX^a 6

<0\,^n_*. <t*~l'.*~i 8

^r.n <CAaa 9

<<at^nti qi'i \*\ 10

<Ge-.ntl <Cjc\t 11

<<^V<<,_^CQ <<^U9C(^ 1 2

<<^m l \ei ,! i <<^in_x 13
<<a , i ^taua 14

■^AnTx.-vM -t^TKs 1 5

<<atltua <<i<<\^n 16
<<■»•". "1 ^-i^rAx-i 17

cri.n<<_ ^-nN^ <<niix 18

**■ "\*~ <&a 19

^■H ^fKTunticia 20

when followed by a pronominal enclitic.

48

LESSON NINE

^hm^ \s^ i \<Z 22

<Z}&\>}n±. <<^u' ! to 23

<<^i<C4D3 ^^u^ 24

u<yn<C, <<<C_\oq <^an\ 25

<^£Lac->:U3 ^d\^U3 26

<0\,^nj>. <033jJ : \ 27

<0?\ci^i» <<*•-■ ■ •—»-' 28
<<^ta JJ i ! \ <<^iiln^33 29

<<^i.- ! U3 <<^un 30

(b) Turn the phrases in exercise A into sentences, e.g., <&^ <&*=>
baytd hadtd 'new house' -» ^ «<s ^ hdet-u baytd 'the house is
new.'

(c) Read and translate:

.<0\^i<< cKTira <<^i^jj <<^i^i. ^ktA ciia 1

.<<crA<<n <6nti<ia\ ^•i\ <<\n c\cn e\<n ^.*>.i 4
<<ti".\-i v irrnn <<<nA<<n <<in_tuia\ ■h y,* <<\n cv<n t.i 6

.^gKTi'.mn\ \ *i ^khA\ <Ca\^33 cictcn y^tuu 1 1
.^atilia vCVcn^ncvA <^<tu<^n ^cficulAjc. ^M y^ ^3|Xrvn 13

49

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC
.<<.*TJlr1 <<^sinai <<Aio-A*-q ^CVAS ,\ <<lil 16

.<<js=!lnci <<3=Jili=i vgKn\->\ <<oQ 4 ^- : va <<«tA<< **?n 17

.eicn ^-Hi \\ «tA ci^li <<\ <<^u , itA eua'ui :va 18

S«^aA -cneiiV? «^n\ 19

.<<\=in^zA ^jrean 20

.<rilni\ .A cnn-x 21

.<niiinj<<\ <h\ ^u<< \\/t ^^ v-i^ e»yj 22

Translate into Syriac:

1 . Our enemy was evil.

2. The new churches that they built were large.

3. His sons were many.

4. Their houses in the city are new.

5. 1 gave her the books that you gave me.

6. My sons were the greatest in the kingdom.

7. That new city is larger than the one in which we live.

50

Lesson Ten

§ 10.1 Paradigm of I-y Verbs. Verbs whose first radical is v are
pronounced with an initial /- in all persons of the inflection except
for the fixed 3rd fern. sing, and 1st sing. Thus, from iled:

3 m A iled («}eiA iled(un)

f ianX. yeldat (y)^ iled(en)

2 m in A iledt ^ A iledton

f ^n\- iledt v i\^ iledten

1 c inni. yeldet ^ //erfn

I-y verbs of the P C AL (CCaC) type exhibit the same initial change,
e.g., ida c 'to know' (ida c , yed c at, ida c t, yed c et, &c). Active partici-
ples are regularly formed, as .ak, iteb 'to sit' > ^Xl> ;yate& 'sitting'
and ^ ida c 'to know' > ±-\>yada c 'knowing.'

§ 10.2 Object Suffixes with the Remaining Persons of the Per-
fect. The verbal stem of the first-person plural and the second per-
sons undergoes no vocalic shift before the enclitic object pronouns;
changes are made, however, in the endings: the 2nd masc. sing, be-
comes CCaCtd-, the 2nd fern. sing, becomes CCaCti-, the 2nd
masc. pi. becomes CCaCtond-, and the 1st pi. becomes CCaCnd-.
The enclitic objects added to the forms that end in -a are identical to
those added to the 3rd fern. pi. (see §8.3).

b&-\\ RDAPT u^iani RDAPT

+ 3 m s ..m.ina^ rdaptdy -^jeu^ann rdagtiw

+ 3 f s «h^ia^T rdantdh m*ic&-\\ rdagtih

51

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

+ 1 C S
+ 1 cpl

+ 3 ms
+ 3fs
+ 1 c s
+ 1 cpl

-linanT rdaptan
^Rfin'i rdaptdn

.ja^ifin'i RDAPTON

^^is&^\ rdaptin
y^ian^v rdagtin

^n^ RDAPN

rdaptondy
rdaptondh
rdapjonan
rdaptondn

rdapnay
rdapnah

The 2nd fern. pi. takes the enclitic pronouns in the same manner as
the masculine: rdaptendy, rdaptendh, &c.

§ 10.3 The Construct Singular. The construct is the second state
of the noun to be introduced. It is used when two nouns or a noun
and a descriptive phrase are put together in a genitive or limiting re-
lationship, i.e., the first noun is put into the construct state and is
followed immediately by the second noun (usually emphatic) or by
the limiting term (prepositional phrase, e.g.).

For many nouns the construct state is formed by dropping the -a
termination of the emphatic state, as pdroqd (emph) > pdrdq-
(const) and ktdbd (emph) > ktdb- (const). Adjustments must be
made, however, in the stems of the following types of noun:

(a) stems that consist of only two consonants, stems that end
in three consonants, and stems ending in two consonants pre-
ceded by a long vowel restore a full vowel, usually -a-, as bra >
bar-, haykld > haykal-, madnhd > madnah-, Smd > Sem- and
c dlmd > c dlam-. This category includes most feminines that end
in -td, e.g., atttd > attat-, malktd > malkat-, mdittd > mdinat-
and briktd > brikat-.

(b) stems ending in two consonants (where there is no im-
plied schwa and where the two consonants are different) exhibit
a variety of forms, either CCvC- or CvC- in shape. These are not
predictable from the emphatic state. Examples are: baytd > bet-,

52

LESSON TEN

gabra > gbar-, c abda > c bed-, lahma > Ihem-, ar c a > ara c -
and tar c d > tra c -.

Nouns that have been adjusted for the construct state may then
be placed in construct with another noun (generally emphatic in
state) or with a prepositional phrase, e.g.

<<&<*->\-73 .^in trcf -malkutd

<*n~& \n bar-ndM

.xeiaE* :\n>L c bed-iSd c

<^\t> v^aa mlek-malke

<CsLca }r=l.\x brikat-b-neSSe

palace (lit., "gate of

kingship")
person (lit., "son of

man")
Ebedjesus ("servant

of Jesus")
king of kings

blessed among
women

The construct state, or "chain" as it is sometimes called, cannot
be considered free in Syriac, i.e., it generally occurs in set phrases
and idiomatic constructions. The possessive constructions with d-,
on the other hand, are quite free in formation. For example, <<^Krin<C^
<<iua baytd d-abdhdtd and <<iwTi3<<* ^cnk^ baython d-abdhdtd both
mean 'the (spiritual) fathers' house,' while the construct chain
<<^<Tin<< ia^a bet-abdhdtd is a set phrase with a particularized mean-
ing, 'patriarchal see.' Both ^aanv.n <<\a bra d-ya c qdb and <nij
.aati^ breh d-ya c qdb mean 'Jacob's son, a son of Jacob,' while
jaein^'ia bar-ya c qdb is a proper name, Barjacobus.

§ 10.4 The Construct Plural. The construct plural for masculine-
type nouns replaces the emphatic plural ending -e with -ay-. In femi-
nine-type nouns the final -a of -dtd is dropped, giving a construct
ending -at-.

<<2nrt-A:n ^.^in tar 1 ay-malkuta

<<a\ao <p:\et J i<n '^aci^i b-yawmay-herddes

malkd
<<->\m -a^. c abday-malkd

courts, palaces

in the days of Herod

the king
servants of the king

53

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<Ci.n<< >n^\-n malkat-ar c a

<<acj<<: 'Li=i bnay-ndsd

<<aAa=. Uniii. e dbday-sldmd

-■\eLi., »g^u<< anon z c dray-
<<^ien^a.<Ti haymdnutd

queens of the earth

people ("sons of

man")
peacemakers

("makers of peace")
ye of little faith ("little

of faith")

§ 10.5 Adjectives in the Construct State. Adjectives occur in the
construct state only when they are further limited by another word or
phrase bound to them by the construct, as the following examples
show.

<(aaa W. \r* mditta saggi' at-b-

<^fti»:\3a

-amrna

kA^i <<£»2su<< attta malyat-taybuta

a city numerous in
people, a populous
city

a woman full of grace

'!<(. \m <<acilia bnaynaM saggi'ay-b- aged people ("people
^£1511^03^3 yawmdthon many in their

days")

§ 10.6 Adverbs. Adverbs are normally made from adjectives in the
feminine singular absolute with the adverbial suffix - 'it, for example
vw sarrir 'true' > }**<x>\*c. Sarrird' it 'truly,' and 73^^ hakkim
'wise' > hu<^n*=m hakkima 'it 'wisely.'

Other adverbs are simply adjectives in the absolute state, as
saggi 'very' and tab 'quite.'

.<<ev<n "u^. ■ \m saggi c attir-wd.
.<<nm=i -<\, -a*, hdi tab b-hdde.

He was very rich.

He was quite glad of
that.

54

Vocabulary 10

LESSON TEN

hza aldhd koll da-
c bad w-hd tab
Sappir.

God saw all that he
had made and, be-
hold, it was very
good.

NOUNS

<<iCTLa Ji

/<id (const id-, abs yad) pi ide/idayyd hand

kdhnd pi -e priest

mora (const mare) pi <C"\m mdrayydl <<2nev"\3a maravv-

vvafcz lord, master
mdryd The Lord (used only of God and Christ)
nuhrd light

c a/ma (const c dlam) the world
rabb-kdhne pi rabbay-kdhne chief priest
r£M head (often in construct, e.g., res-abdhdtd patri-
arch, bishop; reS-malake archangel); heading, chapter
<<:uaA^\ talmidd disciple
<L±\h tar c d (constr tra c ) gate; chapter
<<ii«La\33 ^. J \i(i tra c -malkutd pi tar 1 ay-malkutd palace, court
ADJECTIVES

z c dr little, small
sarrir true, trusty, faithful
VERBS

i^ran dmek to sleep, go to sleep
^<n hpak to return, go back
•xa. ida c to know
A iled to give birth, bear, beget
to. /ged to burn (intr.), catch fire
siisu iteb to sit, sit down
■\cru «/zar to be light, bright, to shine

OTHER

isL^^n b-rdSit in the beginning (< rritftra)
PROPER NAME

7i\j^e><< oreslem Jerusalem

-wl^

55

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Exercise 10

Read and translate:

.<C^a\-xn <<ncneu ^j\a<< ^^iu<< 1

.cL^nn ^Tja- <<cim •Hoii ^ 2

.ckti <"o-<<n <n*vji ±."*? <<^e» <<*•-- -^ <<nn\ ±i\^. 3

.-cnanlaaX^i y±±. <<W«n\ <d<na <^<n <<n<n n^a 5

.<Cs<Ti^ o^3*\ "71.^ .3oU n^ jcucui^jc^ 6

.^iua^u ^Vi\ ^£<n ^ 7

. yijj y^tu <^\ au< < C ,: u , \ac. 8

.<<\->.<nn <<^\"Ta "*-i^ eLi^ran 9

.<<2su=i ^T^an cn^.<<£a ^min ^•'ktioi ^tu^j ^u^ficn n^ 10

Sv\£icil ^33 ^j^oann <<i^a\ 1 1

.^oa\ .<fi.». *-*•*■<{ <<\ <<\<< yci<n v^*-^ - \ rn 12

ci<nn <ri-^" : v^i ^ticuA <<c\^i ^a^un <<«<n ^v.<< ^»j <<i^jml3j 13

.»cfici^u<< <<^A^n ckticv .<<^A^a <<eicn -cnev^iu<< 2n*ac.\3 14
.<<^n\^a ckti <<cw -.«fieiiu<< <<<rA<<e\ .<<<tA<< ^iieA <<ct«n

•)^...<<d^i
Translate into Syriac:

1 . Did you see me going down to the little village near the city?

2. We sat down with our disciples near the palace.

3. In the days of the king our kingdom was great.

4. You (f s) drove him from my presence.
5. 1 know that people are not always wise.

6. We found him in the temple.

7. While the bishop was sitting with his disciples and trusty
friends, the church caught fire.

56

Lesson Eleven

§ 11.1 Paradigm of 'Hollow' Verbs: The Perfect. Verbs with an
original second radical w or y are known as "hollow" verbs. The
paradigm for the common type, CdC in the perfect, is as follows
with an example from qdm 'to rise up.'

3m

7»

qdm

CieOJB

qdm(un)

f

ircaa

qdmat

(r)- 530

qdm(en)

2m

iiaaa

qdmt

^g^UJua

qdmton

f

^iscna

qdmt

woDUj

qdmten

lc

Jhmn

qdmet

yOB

qdmn(an)

Active participles (note that a/ap/glottal stop represents the second
radical in the masc. sing.; v serves as the second radical in all oth-
ers):

masc. 7i<<ti qd'em y^rua qdymin

fern. <Caua qdymd ^iLa qdymdn

A much rarer type is represented by mit, regularly inflected like qdm
but with the -i- vowel in the stem throughout ( ia^n mit, kia^a mitat,
hk^n mitt, iaiiira mitet, &c, act. part.: in&n md'et, <&i^n mdytd, &c).

§ 11.2 Paradigm of Geminate Verbs: The Perfect. Verbs whose
second and third radical consonants are identical are known as gemi-
nate, or doubled, verbs; they are inflected similarly to the hollow
verbs, the only differences being the length of the stem vowel and
the 3rd fern. sing, and 1st sing., both of which are regularly formed
with the doubled consonant of the second and third radicals; gemi-

57

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

nation is lost in all other persons of the inflection. An example is
from c al (root ^ C LL) 'to go in, enter':

3 m

A^.

c al

(^

c al(un)

f

V^-

c ellat

(^

c al(en)

2m

*A^

c alt

vO^Aa

c alton

f

-^

c alt

y^Ai.

c alten

lc

*A>.

c ellet

A-

c aln(an)

Active participles:

masc.

A<<i

c d'el

,A<OL

c dllin

fern.

A<G.

c dlld

"A<<i.

c dlldn

Note that the masc. sing, participle is formed as though from a hol-
low root; others are predictably formed. The dlap is retained by con-
vention in all forms of c al, which is by far the most common
geminate G verb; with other geminates dlap appears consistently
only in the masc. sing, participle (e.g. ^IQSS >_£<<& qd'es, <Ca qdssd,
y-a qdssin, —u qdssdn).

§ 11.3 Paradigm of Il-Alap Verbs. The vocalic patterning of the
perfect of all ll-dlap verbs is similar. The dlap, which originally car-
ried the glottal stop, is only vestigial, and the vowel that would have
been carried by the glottal stop falls back onto the first radical con-
sonant. An example is from sel (originally s'eHS'L) 'to ask':

3 m A<<*. sel («)«A<G=. sel(un)

f iA<<*. selat (v)^<<» sel(en)

2 m is\<x. Self ,^A<<a=. Selton

f -iA<<a=. Selt r 2n\<<3=. selten

1 c £A<<*. selet A<<a=. seln(an)

Active participles:

masc. A<<ai. Sd'el ,A<<*. Sdlin

fern. <<\<<*L Said A<<^. Sdldn

§ 11.4 The Pleonastic Dative. Fairly common in Syriac is the

58

LESSON ELEVEN

pronominal repetition of a verbal subject after the verb with the
preposition /- as a type of reflexive dative ("to do something for
oneself')- Most such pronominal constructions have no translational
value whatsoever.

\^\ «*A iria^ti qerbat-ldh ger

.<Cdiatn <&a->\ia malkutd da-Smayyd.

<<i^<< "u4 <ni Tio qdm leh ger aykannd

.'oj<(n d-emar.

je\i\ ^jktiX eiaa<n hpak Ihon tub 1-oreS-

The kingdom of
heaven has drawn
nigh.

He has risen as he
said (he would).

They turned back
once more to Jeru-
salem.

This construction is especially common with verbs of motion, as can
be seen in the above examples.

Vocabulary 11

NOUNS

VERBS

A09

dkel-qarsd the Devil

hegmond governor

talyd pi tldye (m) child

tlitd pi talydtd child (female)

kawkbd (abs/const kawkab-) pi -e star, heavenly body

mguM pi -e magus

madnhd (const madnah-) orient, east

c dnd sheep (a collective, singular in form but plural in

meaning, hence sydme; generally construed as fern.

sing.)
slotd pi slawwdtd prayer
rd c yd pi rd c awwdtd shepherd

mit to die

sdm to put, place

c al to go in, enter

59

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Tib qdm to rise, arise, stand up, stop
A<<a=. Sel to ask, demand
OTHERS

A^A l c el above (as a preposition, l c el men)
}&.<yy± c azzizd'it strongly, vehemently
■a <<^a^. c dammd d- until

7>au qddm before, in front of (takes pron. encl. II: ^meiaann
qddmaw 'before him')
IDIOMS

<~yi A^<< ekal qarsd to backbite, slander
PROPER NAME

Qanei^wn herodes Herod

Exercise 11

Read and translate:

Q \-< y^^Xn CfLae^l <<-i\, <L±.\ .<Z'l\ ) <L±\ <<i<? <<i<< 1

<<j«xJ314<ti ctA<<3=.c\ <<icoi4<ti 73 ma y^a ^ci_ae-. ^ — .n cv<n 2
:^o ti <n\ \^n<< S<Cn<«Ti»n «^-n\*t> cky! ^u<< :<tA n^a^a

ctctcn y\a<^ £U<^»)_^e\ <^j«fi^ il^'i ^ >n cickti y"w*in 3

vCL_i<< rp^-^^rt „^icv nivalin ^icA <<^ti<<e» cn^i<A~, ^>a Jin 4

•Tan^A^ <<^uet <<ia^<rA ^Aat^cK"^ .xcv^. A4.0 5
<<L±jj:oa ^ 33 << a^.ei_\in cv2ru< << :Aaa qana'KTi l^ici^a 6

60

LESSON ELEVEN

.<(>\\ -^ic\iu<<n (<a.<< ypa A^A y^a <<2ru<n <<^an_^.

S<CJ3aacia S~i~>'A-A yzcar\ cu^ja 8

*icn\ nnjLn yaan A<<_se.e\ '711a criA^, <6eDi4cn <<yj n^ 9

•vgKrAinn cfa\a ^jjcriLik. ^ri^u^an ^^sicl^'a c\^j 10

ch^u^X <<j<^ A<< in TJ3a<<ei << -A*ra ^cficoanti <Lzii y^a 1 1

Translate into Syriac:

1. 1 stood before him until he sat dawn.

2. We entered the man's house, seeking our enemies.

3. They know that the prophet's words are true.

4. They found me sitting in the wilderness with shepherds.

5. Truly I do not know where he is.

6. After that, the bishop returned to his churches with his disci-
ples.

7. The magi came seeking a child whose star they had seen in the
sky.

8. We were sitting on a mountain above the city.

9. Where is the city of the king of this land?

10. 1 pursued my enemies into the wilderness, and there I killed
them.

61

Lesson Twelve

§ 12.1 Passive Participles. The passive participles of all sound
transitive G-form (Peal) verbs are patterned on p c il (CCiC) in the
absolute, e.g.

A\,b qtal > \.y,n qtil 'killed'

.At- Mah > .t.W Slih 'sent, dispatched'

^aiia ktab > .3,^ ktib 'written'

The passive participle behaves in every respect like a regular adjec-
tive:

SINGULAR PLURAL

ABSOLUTE

masc. ,\.\,n qtil v \.\,n qtilin

fern. A\n qtild "A.N^n gri/an

EMPHATIC

masc. <<^V a <7 ft ^ ^-\> q$e

fem. ^VN^, grf/fa <<W.\j, qtildtd

Orthographically similar to the passive participle is the adjectival
pattern pa cc il (CaCCiC), like \,iu>. c attir and 75^^ hakkim. Care
must be taken not to confuse the two, even though some roots pro-
duce both the passive participle and the adjective with similar mean-
ings, e.g., \.\,i ntil and nattil, both meaning 'heavy.'

Passive participles of various verb types:

(a) l-dlap: as in the perfect, because the dlap cannot have the

62

LESSON TWELVE

schwa the pattern would call for, it takes the vowel a, as A^<< ekal >
A^<< akil 'eaten' and *va<esar > \W asir 'captured.'

(b) ll-alap: as in the perfect, the dlap is only an orthographic
vestige, as A<c=. Sel > \*<*. Sil (for original S'il) 'demanded, asked
for.'

(c) I-v: as in the perfect, where the pattern would give v a schwa,
it is pronounced i, as aL iled > *\. Hid 'born' (not, however, follow-
ing a proclitic, as da-ylid).

(d) hollow: as in the perfect, the original middle radical is lost, as
yon sdm > yuca sim 'placed, put.'

(e) geminate: the passive participle is regularly and predictably
formed, as p baz > v^i bziz 'robbed.'

(f) Ill-weak: the passive participles differ from all other types;
they all conform to the following patterns exemplified by bnd:

nasc.

<<ia bne

^ bneyn

fern.

<C^3 banyd

^13 banyan

The passive-participial form from many intransitive verbs, particu-
larly Ill-weak verbs, is used adjectivally, e.g., <<-aa msd 'to be able' >
<^n mse 'able,' *m~ shi 'to be thirsty' > <<<n~ she 'thirsty.'

Agents with passive constructions are usually indicated by the
preposition /- or men.

-cnee3<A "ru^n <cA\, talyd da-rhim l-abu a child loved by its

father
,aa ...\^n ^...W SUhd da-Slih men a messenger sent by

<t-\~n malkd the king

Note also in the above examples that passive participles are not
usually used as attributive adjectives but occur in relative-clause
constructions.

§ 12.2 III- Weak Verbs with Pronominal Objects. Of the Ill-weak
verbs with the pronominal objects, only the 3rd masc. sing, and the

63

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

3rd masc. pi. need special attention. The stem of the 3rd masc. sing,
remains unchanged (as hza 'he saw'); to this stem are added the
pronominal endings given for the forms in -a- (§8.3). The 3rd masc.
pi. verb changes in pattern from CCaw to CCa'u- with dlap
throughout the inflection.

<<^i HZA ays HZAW

+ 3 m s
+ 3fs
+ 2 m s
+ 2fs
+ 1 c s
+ 2mpl
+ 2fpl
+ 1 cpl

-cn-v 1 hzdy

<hy> hzdh

vsp* hzdk

^^i hzdk

*iyu hzdn

^a^ hzdkon

^yi hzdken

^j hzdn

^<n«t<<^ hza 'u

«n*<ys hza 'uh

\y^yt hza 'uk

^^ei^pi hza 'uk

-ki^ hza 'un

^aei^pj hza 'ukon

yact<<pi hza 'uken

^vi hza 'un

The pronominal enclitics added to all other persons of the Ill-weak
verb are identical to those given previously (§10.2), as 3rd fern,
sing. ^ hzdt (cn^v» hzdteh, <h^ hzdtdh, &c), 2nd masc. sing, hu^
hzayt (.qLh^yu hzaytdy, <h^upi hzaytdh, &c), 2nd fern. sing. ..^u^
hzayt (*<ncuhuy* hzaytiw, ca.^iJ hzaytih, &c), 1st sing, ^u^i hzet
(«riiiuyi hzeteh, <hkvu hzetdh, &c), 2nd masc. pi. ^evi^ hzayton
{M^e^yt hzaytondy, <hi«iupi hzaytondh, &c), 2nd fern. pi. yiu^
hzayten (^tLa-^^ hzaytendy, <h^^u^ hzaytendh, &c), and 1st pi. vH
hzayn (..cn^u^ hzayndy, stu^ hzayndh, &c).

§ 12.3 Aba, Aha, and Hm a with Pronominal Possessives.

The nouns aba 'father,' aha 'brother,' and hmd 'father-in-law' have
the following singular forms with the pronominal suffixes:

<<a<< ABA

his -<nea<< abu

her chea<< abuh

your (m) ^ca<< a£«fc

your (f) ^ea<< abuk

my -a<< a&

<d<< AHA
-*«< ah

<^us //A/A

i^du /wnw&
^aeinau hmuk

64

LESSON TWELVE

their (m) *$mea< abuhon ^<xicl*< ahuhon ^Knei3a*j hmuhon

their (f) y <n«a<< abuhen r <neu><< ahuhen r <nei3a* hmuhen

your (m) .^cia<< abukon ^^ ahukon ^oai hmukon

your (f) ^eva^ abuken ^cuj^ ahuken ^cd^ hmuken

our ^ta<< a&wn «juk< a/iwn ^juj /irawn

Note especially the lengthened vowel with the first-person singular
enclitic in afe and o/i, and the form /iem.

The construct state of afca, a/uJ, and hmd is wanting.

A&a has two plurals, (1) abdhe (abdhaw, abdheh, &c.) for
'fathers, progenitors' and (2) abdhdtd (abdhdteh, abdhdtdh, &c.)
for 'spiritual fathers, ministers.' This is a common phenomenon
among nouns that have more than one plural: the first plural, which
is usually formed along regular lines, has a more concrete sense than
the secondary plural, which is usually formed on a pattern that does
not match the singular (i.e. a fem.-type plural like abdhdtd from a
masc. sing.) and has a more metaphorical sense.

Vocabulary 12

NOUNS

<<a<< aba pi <<crra<< abdhe/ <^<nn<< abdhdtd father

<<ia<< awwdnd pi -e abode, lodging

<L><( aha pi ahe brother

<<i W hrend (m) / <<£u W /irefa (f) / pi <<» W hrdne/ <Sui w:

hranydtd other, another, someone else

<<AA4 glildyd Galilean

^Ai'vn darfa pi -dtd courtyard

<<aiu /wna pi <<<nna i i hmdhe father-in-law

<<^«u nurd (f) fire

<<Ai^-33 msa c td (const mefat) midst, middle

<<-tv\\ c laymd pi -e youth, young man, lad

<<£oaAi. c laymtd young woman, maiden
ADJECTIVE

,\.\n qallil little, little bit; swift

65

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

VERBS

-^u«C ayti to bring, take, lead

\» hdr to look, gaze (/- at), pay heed (b- to)

naa kpar b- to deny, renounce

<<i.T r c d to tend, keep (flocks)
OTHERS

£u^a bayndt among, between

^u^na b-mefat in the middle/midst of

<-\* <<w sd c d hdd one hour

\^ hddr around (+ pron. encl. II: ^o-htuj hddraw 'around
him')

<6aue^^ ^ja men ruhqd from afar
PROPER NAMES

<<a<<a ^avTaT sem c 6n kepd Simon Peter

cpo\J\.<\ pildtos Pilate

Exercise 12

Read and translate the following phrases:

<<a»^i^n «£\\sa 1
,\.^<<n <0^i.t\ 3

!lc\«n yN'.TiT-n <<\sa 7
nA,n <<A\, 8

-,«neui<<\ <<e»«n <dan <&U3 10

<< > .*tw **» yV->^ ^l-srt-v 1 1

<C_^. ,: i\ <<.\in <GiL 12

^Sjcrica^ v *7a..i , in <da 14

Read and translate (beginning with this lesson, an occasional reading

66

LESSON TWELVE

will be given in a different script for practice):

<<2ru< ^ntit-ci .<<_jcti^ Jin <n^n *rA ^<nev .^ju<< ei:u><<rt 1

vfl \Tiir ei<n ^<< <^evcn -3^n le\ .<TJ •'i^-u eicicn y a^uc\

.^■Hcu ^iei\ -3^nJ.n <<n n <<^n 5^.\\ <n^ii ^ci .^cn^ni.n

•i%a v n e\<n .<<cicn <n *t>n <<i<n A<< r^i 33<<ei cna ^i\jjc\

^c^fjj AAti 'H^uart .«tA <<s<? .i.^ \ << \ <<^i^ju<< :i 53<<e»

v n <<a<<A .^iu<< ^cthJ33 ^u<< A<< :<n_A ■v_3a<<ev << i'Xo^

rasa^ <Cj ,! ui<< <<n o << i_ac n^u_ac\ .2nJ,e\cn <<i :t Sa<<

.■'u.^ eim <<_AA_^ .a<< .<<eicn «n sa x <<_i<n ^^ ^^•vst

A \l :^o_x- cn-i a_i>2 Sa >2 2^1*> :,g>ft\,\,q °' ^ ^- i 9 1 2

•>*• M^ AlA.2 2aota -u." aA, 2aoj\ 2j2 .Li.' i^ioa Aiio2

/K -*a<< ^ua <<!«<< ^yj<< y<<. \m 3
Translate into Syriac:

1 . When I arose I found my disciples asleep.

2. They went to where the child was whose star was seen by
them in the east.

3. His brothers saw him sitting in the middle of the courtyard
with his father.

4. When the governor said to him, "Are you king of the Jews?"
he said, "I didn't say that I am king. You said it."

5. Where are the children who were born there?

6. The young man looked at the maiden who was tending her
father's sheep.

7. Jesus said, "You always have the poor with you."

8. When they saw the new church the king had built for them,
they rejoiced greatly over it.

9. Thus did the king command us.
10. Why did you (pi) not come to me?

67

Lesson Thirteen

§ 13.1 The Absolute State. The third state of the Syriac substantive
is the absolute state (emphatic and construct have already been intro-
duced). Although the absolute pertains primarily to predicate adjec-
tives, nouns also occur in the absolute, the forms for which are as
follows, e.g., for malkd 'king' and for malkta 'queen':

masc. v^n mlek ^Ass malkin

fern. <^n malkd ^» malkdn

Masculine nouns drop the -a termination of the emphatic state; for
masculine nouns that do not end in two or more consonants, the ab-
solute singular is identical to the construct singular. The same con-
straints on stems ending in two or more consonants given for the
construct apply to the absolute singular, e.g., madnhd > madnah
and c dlmd > c dlam. The same unpredictability that was seen for the
construct singular exists for many of these nouns, e.g., malkd >
mlek, baytd > bet, yawmd > ydm, bra > bar and zabnd > zban.

Feminine singulars in -td drop the -td and replace it with -a, as
malkta > malkd and melltd > melld. This may cause changes in the
stem, e.g., msa c td > mes c d.

Nouns on the emphatic pattern CuCCd form the absolute on the
pattern CCuC, as <<3aa=.cM guSma 'body' > ^anT \ gSum and <daeia=.
Subhd 'glory' > ^cnx. Sbuh.

The absolute state occurs infrequently in unbound forms. Com-
mon, however, is a^ndS (absolute of ^a^^ndSd 'people') for

68

LESSON THIRTEEN

'somebody, anybody' and the negative ^ <& Id-ndS 'nobody.'

The absolute singular occurs with koll when it means 'every,' as
in 73eu A* koll yom 'every day,' ,=i t A* koll zban 'every time, always,'
acj^Aa koll ndS 'everybody,' <&s» A* koll melld 'every word,' and
&.xx Aa koll mdind 'every city.'

The absolute singular also occurs in many compounds such as
cpee3M<<A:\ d-ld-ndmos 'lawless,' ^a^a <Gim3a meskene b-ruh 'poor in
spirit' and ^al^A* <<^i hayye da-l- c dlam 'life eternal.'

The absolute is the normal state with numbers (see following
paragraph), as in '^acu <&\ii tldtd yawmin 'three days' and <<;u> <i^
IscFd hdd 'one hour.'

The typical endings of all three states of the noun are as follows:

SINGULAR

PLURAL

MASCULINE FEMININE

MASCULINE

FEMININE

ABSOLUTE

— -d

-in

-an

EMPHATIC

-d -td

-e

-dtd

CONSTRUCT

— -at-

-ay-

-at-

§ 13.2 Numbers. In common with other Semitic languages, Syriac
uses a feminine-appearing number with masculine nouns and a mas-
culine-appearing number with feminine nouns. This phenomenon,
known as chiastic concord, applies to the numbers from 'three'
through 'ten' and to the units '-three' through '-nine' in all com-
pound numbers. 'One' and 'two' are irregular adjectives, and the
tens from twenty on are invariable.

WITH MASCULINE NOUNS WITH FEMININE NOUNS

1

n* had

<<:uj hda

2

r \in tren

^in'Kk tarten

3

<)&&. tldtd

hMa tldt

4

<<^a J i<< arb c d

^an<< arba c

5

<<T*n.i hammM

t-*u» hammes

69

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

6

<tis^(<0

(e)Std

h^

&/

7

<^x-w

Sab c d

My

&>a c

8

<^ii*ncn

tmdnyd

^OQA

tmdne

9

<£xac<bl

teS c d

AJtAv

tSa c

10

<^ICWV

c esrd

"UBi,

c sar

ove ten, the 'teen

element (- c sar/-

c sre) is invariable:

11

iw\ti.i

hda c sar

<0\fiOLi.:Uj

hdcfsre

12

\COi.'H^l

tre c sar

<0tao^i'H^t

tartcfsre

13

■\BOi.i\\il

tldttcfsar

<C\caxhiS.in

tldtcfsre

14

'uao^.in^ja^

arbcftcfsar

<<*\m\TH<<

arba c sre

15

■=lfin\,Al^Tt..

hammeSta c sar

^Hlyix -T\..

hammsa 1 sre

16

•Hfia^lac.

Setta c sar

<C\fiQ-X<!n^Lsc.

$etta c sre

17

"IMV^N T—

$ba c ta c sar

^•imv-w

Sba c sre

18

SmvAii-bXi

tmdnta c sar

<<*\fr>M*T>^l

tmdncfsre

19

Tis-.x>nx^->n

tsa c ta c sar

<0\fn\i-^i

tSa c sre

The feminines 'teens all have alternative pronunciations:
hdcfesre, tartcfesre, tldtcfesre, arb c esre, hammSa c esre, $ett c esre,
Sba c esre, tmdna c esre, tSa c esre.

The higher numbers are invariable and are as follows:

r Ttco. c esrin 20

y^Ain tldtin 30

yjxra^ arb c in 40

V T,a*ri hammSin 50

r in»(<<) (e)Mn60

v ^~>- Sab c in 70

yoo^i tmdnin 80

v \t^i teS c in 90

<<<<aQ ma (emph <<£u<3o

ma(a, pi <<^i«<<3a
mawwdtd) 100
r ii<<33 mateyn 200
<<<<3a2n\iR f/a/mo 300, &c.
jaA<< dlep pi a/pin (emph
a/p<J pi alpe)
1000
re£fco pi rebbwdn
10,000, myriad

«m

In compound numbers, the higher number generally comes first
and lower numbers are joined by the conjunction w(a)-, e.g.

yoaiiei <<<<3a^ J w< arbcfma wa-tmdnin
<&\\2na wa-tldtd

four hundred eighty-
three

70

LESSON THIRTEEN

,fSA<< i(\it Sab c d alpin wa-tldtmd seven thousand,
Aita <<<<3a^Aiirt w-Sab c d three hundred and

seven

The number object usually stands in the absolute plural follow-
ing the number, e.g.

i^aaci. <<An\in tldtd yawmin three days

v vac ±a\< arba c Sd c in four hours

^ia=. \it Sba c Snin seven years

The emphatic plural also occurs after the numbers for the definite
sense, e.g.

<<*l<» \"33 <Ch&ia. tldtd mguSe the three magi

<<ioa«. <C)s>\ia. tldtd yawmdtd the three days

<&n\, AHciin my Sba c tawrdtd tdbdtd The seven good kine

^u=. yj^ aiy Sba c -ennen Snin wa- are seven years;
<&ii\, <&£*. ,\-iy<i $ba c Sebble tdbdtd and the seven

^iac .i^iac Sba c Snin good ears, seven

years.

The numbered object may also precede the number in the emphatic
state, e.g.

<<otaui ^^ yarhe hammSe five months

^cnvAnao^i <<aXna malke tmdnta c sar eighteen kings

For 'both,' the number 'two' forms a construct with the pronouns,
e-g-

^n.^ trayhon both of them (m)

^cn.^ 1 ^ tartayhen both of them (f)

For 'the three of them' &c, the pronouns are attached to construct
forms of the numbers, e.g.

^wiliiA^ tldtayhon the three of them (m)

y^TL^a^ arb c dtayhen the four of them (f)

§ 13.3 Ordinals. The adjectival ordinal numbers, which function as

71

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

ordinary adjecives, are as follows:

MASCULINE

FEMININE

1st

<CS>nia

qadmdyd

<<^ioanin

qadmdytd

2nd

<<i^^\

trayydnd

<(aUi»^lA

trayydnitd

3rd

^•cEUocA

tlitdya

KaltoLaat

tlitdytd

4th

<<■^.'^^

rbi c dyd

^■NiT 1 !

rbfdytd

5th

<^iT ■Tin

hmiSdyd

/'Al.-^.^Tl..

hmiteytd

6th

(CaUAae-

Stitdyd

^aUaUalx

Stitdytd

7th

<<. \ ^1>C

Sbi c dyd

«<%.x.-w

Sbi c dytd

8th

.c.,.«T\An

tmindyd

<SaUJu!3Qcn

tmindytd

9th

•^■^ - — )*

tSi c dyd

■<*>!■ \ .-^Ai

tSi c dytd

10th

<C^ifn\

c sirdyd

^^U^Ca^.

c sirdytd

The ordinal for 'first' is a suppletion form that has no relation to the
number 'one.' 'Second' is an exceptional form. The rest of the ordi-
nals, from 'third' through 'tenth' are formed on the pattern CCiCdyd
(m), CCiCdytd (f)

A secondary ordinal construction is noun modified by d- + nu-
meral, as in <8Ak* <<*. J i reSd da-tldtd 'chapter three' (as opposed to
<<*^ <CiiA£i reSd tlitdya 'the third chapter' ' ).

§ 13.4 The Infinitive: G-Verbs. The infinitives of all sound G-
form verbs are made on the pattern meCCaC, e.g. ,\\,n qtal > \\,»-"
meqtal, A- Slah > .iWt> meMah and ^a* ktab > .niia^ mektab.

Note the patterns for the infinitives of the following verb types:

(1) The n of \-n verbs assimilates to the second radical, as Aa»
npal > Aaaa meppal and *i\^ ntar > ^\pa mettar.

(2) l-dlap verbs

'i.e. the third in any series, as in "the third chapter we have studied this
week," which is not necessarily chapter number three.

72

LESSON THIRTEEN

(a) with imperfects (see §14.3) in -o- are like l^tekal >
Aa<<a mekal.

(b) with imperfects in -a- are like s=*< emar > \»<<^a me-
mar.

(3) Ill-weak verbs follow the pattern of <Gn bnd > <d^n mebna,
but when mebna is followed by pronominal enclitics it becomes
mebny-.

(4) hollow verbs assume the pattern of ym qdm > jzax* mqdm.

The infinitive is generally used with /- to indicate purpose, e.g.

.<tA n vyitiN r k< etayn l-mesgad leh. We have come to

worship him.

and in complementary constructions with adjectives and verbs like
meSkah 'able,' sbd 'to want' and others, as in the following:

<<A.<< "~-*-" <<\ la meSkah Hand tdbd A good tree cannot
<<V.n <<"\<<a <<-i\, perebiSel-me c bad. make bad fruit.

.yinsA <<i<< <£ai sdbe-nd la-mqdm. I want to get up.

,*im

aa\ A^nia <<i /a tedhal l-messab I- Do not fear to take

.\s^a.hi< 7i.-\sal maryam atttak. Mary as your

wife.

§ 13.5 Infinitives with Pronominal Objects. Pronominal objects
are suffixed directly to infinitives; the pronominal enclitics I are used
as infinitival objects. Suffixation of vowel-initial enclitics results in
the reduction of the infinitival stem from meCCaC to meCCC-; with
the 2nd-person plural enclitics (-kon, -ken), the stem remains meC-
CaC-, e.g., from qtal:

+ 3 m t^Y"*" meqtleh ^*< \\,"^ meqtal-ennon
+ 3 f >v \\/*-" meqtldh yi<< \\,"-" meqtal-ennen

+ 2 m '^V"*" meqtldk ,*~\\*.-n meqtalkon

12,

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

+ 2 f ,.->\\,n»n meqtlek

+ 1 c .l\\p~n meqtlan

r -A\,Hin meqtalken
v \\,n*n meqtlan

The infinitive of Ill-weak roots changes from meCCd to meCCy- be-
fore the vowel-initial enclitics; it remains meCCd with the 2nd-per-
son plural enclitics, e.g., from hzd:

+ 3m
+ 3f
+ 2m
+ 2f

+ 1 c

Vocabulary 13

cn-viiaa mehzyeh ,&< <^n mehza-ennon

«n*v£n mehzydh ^*< <<vim mehzd-ennen

vyfioa mehzydh ,3=1^153 mehzdkon

■>>■)■.»« mehzyek ^y^n mehzdken

^.ytizn mehzyan vP oa mehzyan

NOUNS

ADJECTIVES

.00 nn

urhd (abs wra/i) pi -dtd (f) way, road

naftz (abs ndS, abs pi ndSin) human being, person 1 ;

kinsfolk, people (with pron. encl. II for the plural,

ndSeh da-mdittd 'the people/inhabitants of the city');

the abs. ndS and the negative Id ndS are used for

'somebody' and 'nobody'; the abs. pi. ndSin is used

for 'some people'

bet-qburd sepulchre

had-bSabbd Sunday

hayye (pi) life

kepd (f) rock, stone

mallpdnd pi -e teacher

Sldmd peace

Srdrd truth

meSkah able (/- + infinitive, 'able to'), possible
qadmdy first, former

'Usually bar-naSd in the meaning of 'person.'

74

LESSON THIRTEEN

VERBS

^a pdS to remain

<<3j sbd to want (/- + infinitive, 'to want to')

Tsnti qdam to precede

y&x. Slem to be finished, over, concluded

Aaat Sqal to lift, take up, remove
OTHERS

<<^aa<< akhdd together

»j< <&<< elld en unless, except that

ei^C ellu if (introduces impossible, contrafactual condition-
als)

«s< en if (introduces possible conditionals)

<<3c<n hdsd now

^.A^a meddcf (infinitive of ida c ) knowing, to know

.aetii tub again, once more
PROPER NAMES

Ataa. yosep Joseph

yz.'en maryam Mary

<CA^_^» magdldyd (m) magdldytd (f) Magdalene

<<33rt<<^i tomd Thomas

Exercise 13

Read and translate:

S^i<< A\ 7 tt3i\ ^u<< <<3l <<idA 1

.^A <<a<< JCTl. <<«< <£3a\^. ^KTl.^ <da.<C <<eicn <<\

.v^rvcA <<in<«C3a\ <<j<< »i->v*Ta <<A 3

.<<3ijA Aa<03A *£U<< v^y 4

.^^''ljc. J oa< l C3A -OTc\io.<< ,.i">>r*Ta <<\ 5

75

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

.^o^iii<< y-xnl << iinci^fl .^^n_i<< ^ .\nl <<i<< A'j<<n <<^<<\c\ 8

.<*su<< A'j<< <<au<<\ ^3 v .\nl <A v^_3a :<073e»<<2n «tiA tJ33<<

-n<< ^icA <<£i<< jc_i<? <<A .<CIic\ <OH\*l<s <d*ic\<< <<j<<C <<_i<<
Y^n!. ^a<<\ .a<< ^\^jucicti ^ ^.nl ,. \ ei \<< .^ a <<\<<

Zao— aa A -^ 2ai^*s 2A i\?\Y> "puaio M2 r a ? -i tii«i 9
v a__\iox Ao\ MZ A-^ciao . 2a_na ,—Jd Ainta / «\^\ A^.o
. 2ao in A_^s oei r _ao yiicA ^oro-ioxa ^oo& 2a*>2o ... £££^
.2jx»2 2a*aa\A 0070 ^Q^aax ,n *^io .^croVift i^-2 Ul kal Ao
r ^a be? . Za*A2 ^oc^aA 0007 v \,<77ao 2aasa A*±A 0007 ^.A2o
^ 2aoaxa A*±A /,i\rnn ZAZo ^oSVttN cdpaa V? 7 ^ fo ,V>\A

cnA jt_a J \(j , 1? ^Qljl- . v oaiA Q_aBGn (Kjoa ovNy o 10

aajaono -,010*3*.! lAo ... cl_^.w IA ctud/o ,q mao ^>\«>ola
,_a tAxoo ,,610,..™/ ^Jea !IS\1 >Nr» ^>o ... ^jljoU v oc&

•>K v OOVl2D ^JQJLO lic\v. N^jto ^NJ

Translate into Syriac:

1 . After three days, on Sunday, she went to the tomb and found
the rock removed.

2. Some people put a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat
around it.

3. A young woman looked at the man who had come into their
midst and knew that he was of Jesus' disciples.

4. There is no abode for the poor in the wilderness.

5. After a little while they went together to lift the stone from its
place.

6. If I had seen you I would have recognized (known) you.

76

Lesson Fourteen

§ 14.1 The Imperfect and Imperative of G-Verbs: Sound
Roots. Verbs with sound roots are inflected in the imperfect with a
combination of pre- and post-formatives. The imperfect also has a
stem vowel between the second and third radicals, but this stem
vowel is reduced to schwa in those persons that have post-forma-
tives. Most transitive verbs have -o- as the stem vowel of the imper-
fect, giving an imperfect stem of - CCoC-. A model imperfect
inflection of ktab follows. Note that sydme dots are put on the
feminine plural forms only.

3 m .no^i nektob ^pimi nektbun

f .ati^ii tektob ^Lhm nektbdn

2 m -ncika^n tektob ^pZn^ik tektbun

f ^^ia tektbin ,sk*ia tektbdn

1 c .aeiida<< ektob jaa^iaj nektob

Imperative forms are made from this same stem by dropping the pre-
formatives and restoring the stem vowel if it has been reduced:

masc.
fern.

.set^ ktob
^aeiiia ktob

(,)eaetka ktob(un)
(y)^ieiita ktobjen)

Most intransitive and Ill-guttural verbs have -a- as the stem vowel of
the imperfect, and a very few have -e- as the stem vowel. The
inflection is unaffected, e.g., qreb, imperfect neqrab:

3 m
f

.a^tu neqrab
.attain teqrab

^ca^tu neqrbun
^a^txi neqrban, &c.

77

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

The imperative is regularly formed from the imperfect:

masc. .n'ua qrab (^ea'ua qrabjun)

fern. ^a^ti qrab (y)^^ qrabjen)

Most intransitive verbs that do not fall into one of the special cate-
gories below (§§14.2-14.8) have imperfects with -o- as the charac-
teristic vowel, e.g.,

^<as<ru < \^<n hpak > nehpok yuxvai < ^sna qdam > neqdom

^aeiiftai < ^aka ktab> nektob AfiY.ru < \\n qtal> neqtol

m\±i < *\± c raq > ne c roq &<**Si < &*\ rdap > nerdop

r\cuaSb < Aaa pqad > nepqod janiTi < n-iv £&a<7 > neSboq

cpa'&i < tp'is pras > nepros Adbu < \ht ^a/ > nesqol

Most intransitive, as well as II- and Ill-guttural verbs have -a- as the
imperfect vowel, e.g.

■•->-« < .»->.*-<< eifta/i > neskah ^tivi < 'ou. c mar > ne c mar

\am < \3* dfear > nedbar ja-^m < ja^ua ^refe > neqrab

i^nAi < t^aon Jmd > nedmak l^cn^u < \,<n*i r/ier > nerhat 2

\a^i < ^aa fc2 ar > nekpar yut\i < yya^ rhem > nerham

\mn < \«m nhar > nenhar A<<xi < A<C*. Jfe/ > nesa/

ntn\ < ,rt\m ,s/e<? > nessaq 1 .Avi < .A-r jf/a/t > neSlah

s-iw < \=ii. c Z?ar > ne c bar 7>\t_i < tjX*. &m > neSlam

\rm < \*± c dar > ne c dar ,\-hti < ^nac jma c > nesma c

A very few verbs have -e- as the imperfect vowel, e.g.

at\i < ^is. c bad>ne c bed

§ 14.2 The Imperfect Inflection of I-n Verbs. Verbs with n as
first radical show a regular assimilation of the n to the second radical
in the imperfect, as npaq > neppoq. Thereafter the inflection is

1 Note that the / assimilates to the s, just as the I of ezal assimilates to the z
in certain forms, but the / is dropped in orthography in this form.
2 The imperative of \,«n> rhet is irregular: \,\m hart.

78

LESSON FOURTEEN

regular.

3 m

jaciai

neppoq

^qAj

neppqun

f

Jaci9^n

teppoq

■hQ^

neppqan

2m

JactS^l

teppoq

«goa^i

teppqun

f

ytia^n

teppqin

ytiain

teppqdn

lc

JaaS<<

eppoq

jaclfii

neppoq

The imperative is a form, derived from the imperfect, that has lost
the first radical altogether:

masc.
fern.

JartS
-laciS

(«ieto«a poq(un)
( x )aeia poq(en)

Almost all l-« verbs, as well as a few other irregular verbs like ida c
and iteb, form their imperfects in this manner, e.g.:

^ < t \? ntar>nettar .iwi < -ir™

iieuu < iuu n/ie? > nehhot ±-m < ^.a.

Afii < Aai npal > neppel ^hn < .a^u

jaevAi < jjSi npaq > neppoq

nsab > nessab
idcf > neddcf
iteb > netteb

The notable exception, given above, is nhar 'to shine,' with imper-
fect nenhar without assimilation.

Also to this category belongs A^m nettel (cf. Hebr. ]ra), the sup-
pletionary verb that serves as the imperfect of .acfL y(h )ab 'to give'
(imperative ^xn hab).

§ 14.3 The Imperfect of I-Alap Verbs, l-dlap verbs fall into two
categories in the imperfect:

(1) If the imperfect vowel is o, the vowel of the personal pre-
fixes is -e-, as expected from the paradigm given in §14.1. The
dlap of the first radical is retained as a historical spelling, except
in the imperative, where the dlap has the vowel a. Examples are
Aa<< ekal > Acl*<<i nekol, inf Aa<C3o mekal, impt Acl»<< akol, and ^<<
ehad > *a»<i nehod, inf tuxCaa mehad, impt *<**<< ahod.

79

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

(2) If the imperfect vowel is -a-, the vowel of the personal pre-
fixes is -e-; the infinitive is similarly formed as meCaC. The ini-
tial vowel in the imperative is e. Examples are :uj<< ebad > on<Ci
nebad, inf A3<Caa mebad, impt a^<< ebad, and \»<< emar > \za<G
nemar, inf szz&n memar, impt \za<i emar.

Note the anomalous imperative of A,<< ezal > A,<<s> neza/, inf
A,<<3a mezal, impt A, zc/.

§ 14.4 The Imperfect of i-v Verbs, i-v verbs normally form the
imperfect exactly as though they were l-dlap — the imperfects are
even written with an dlap as the first radical. The only difference lies
in the imperative, which reverts to v-initial.

Examples are n\. iled > n\<<i nelad, inf :A«£aa melad, impt ^ Had,
and ;\b. iqed > :u*d neqad, inf *n&n meqad, impt na. iqad.

Exceptional in this category are ^in, iteb 'to sit' and ^.a. ida c 'to
know,' which form their imperfects are though they were l-n, .ai^
netteb and ^m nedda c (see above, §14.2). Other forms derived from
the imperfect are predictable, inf ^isos mettab and ^.naa medda c , impt
jai\ teb and .*>* da c .

§ 14.5 The Imperfect of Ill-Weak Verbs. All verbs with a weak
third radical are inflected in the imperfect on the following model
from bnd 'to build' :

3 m <<ira nebne ^=n nebnon

f <<m£i tebne ^n nebnydn

2 m <<ia2n tebne ^>xZn tebnon

f yiaia tebneyn ^ain tebnydn

1 c <da<< efcne <to nebne

The imperatives are as follows:

masc. -in fen/ <ua bnaw

fern. -ira fenay ^1i=j bndyen

Ill-weak verbs introduced so far are:

80

LESSON FOURTEEN

<<^<<» < <<in<< eta > nete <-\ju < -»xa hdi > nehde

<<i=u < <Gra bnd > nebne <<^u < <^ hzd > nehze

<^-u < <±^ b c d > neb c e <Ou < <Ci /rya > nehhe

<<ei<ni < <<e\«n /iwa > nehwe <±\* < <±\ r c d > ner c e

Note that the imperfect of eta is made according to the second cate-
gory of l-dlaps (nete). The imperatives of eta are irregular, however:

masc. <<ia td «& taw

fern. Jn tdy ^lAi rayen

The true imperative of hwd is not used; instead, the perfect inflection
serves also as the imperative, as hwayt ydda c d-... 'know that...'
(lit., 'be knowing that. . .').

Note also the anomalous imperfect of hyd, nehhe, formed as though
it were a 1-n verb.

§ 14.6 The Imperfect of Hollow Verbs. Hollow verbs are inflected
in the imperfect with the characteristic vowel -u- instead of -o-.
Thus, from qdm we have the following inflection:

3 m

■73CUH

nqum

^eOacitu

nqumun

f

Jsaaib

tqum

Y&CUu

nqumdn

2m

7±ant&

tqum

vfOocui^n

tqumun

f

y*T)CU3fl\

tqumin

^J&dUcA

tqumdn

lc

7Seua<<

equm

75«ltu

nqum

Note that there is no reduction in the long stem vowel of hollow
verbs.

Imperatives are regularly formed, e.g.

masc. Tjcua qum (^eoMa qum(un)

fern. .oneta qum (y)jQOB qum(en)

Alone of all hollow verbs is sdm, which forms its imperfect with
the stem vowel i instead of u; otherwise the inflection is exactly like
the model above.

3 m 73utm nsim ^n>.mi nsimun

81

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

f y^caki tsim ^n.mi nsimdn, &c.

Following are the hollow verbs introduced so far:

Txteu < 7113 qdm > nqum ^ccm < i^ao mit > nmut

7^.mi < Tiro sa/n > nsi'm xx&i < a*s pdS > npuS

\<ami < \ji hdr > nhur

§ 14.7 The Imperfect of Geminate Verbs. Geminate verbs are in-
flected in the imperfect as though they were l-n, doubling the first
radical (see §14.2). Like the l-n verbs, geminate verbs also show
reduction of the imperfect stem vowel with those persons that have
suffixes. Thus, from c al:

3 m

Acuu

ne cc ol

,q\m

ne cc lun

f

Acl^Al

te cc ol

"A-

ne cc ldn

2m

Aeu>.A>

te cc ol

,$\aAi

te cc lun

f

y\^.A\

te cc lin

"A^

te cc ldn

lc

Ao-x<<

e cc ol

Aeiij

ne cc ol

Imperatives are formed from the 2nd persons — again in the manner
of l-n verbs:

masc. Aeii. c ol («)eAet>. c ol(un)

fern. Aai. c ol (r)^- c ol(en)

§ 14.8 Imperfect of ll-dlap Verbs, ll-dlap verbs are regularly in-
flected in the imperfect with -a- as the characteristic stem-vowel
(e.g., *ne$'al -» neSal); in the persons with postformatives (-in, -un,
-an), where stem reduction would have resulted in an original glottal
stop with schwa preceded by an un vocalized consonant (*neS'lun), a
compensatory -e- appears (neSelun, see Preliminary Matters, V).

3 m A<<atj neSal v g\<<acn neSelun

f A<<x.2n teSal A<<iL» neSeldn &c.

82

LESSON FOURTEEN

Vocabulary 14

NOUNS

<Cj\. yarhd pi -e (abs ^ irah pi ^\. yarhin) month
<<A^ lelydpl &X layle/ <<isi&± laylawwdtd night
<iian^ sabtd and <<nac fri£&a pi -e week; Sabbath, Saturday
<hc±*. ^td pi <Gi ,?a c e (f., abs <£>jt Sd c d pi v w ftf7w)

hour
<<£use. ftztfa pi <Ciae. snayya (f., abs <dx sna pi yi*: snin) year
ADJECTIVES

-'ui^ hrdy last
ji.a, zaddiq righteous
VERBS

A*.* dhel/nedhal to be afraid, fear
Aiu wetfe/ (imperfect only) to give
MONTHS OF THE YEAR
T^nu r \a=.^i tiM(n) qdem October
<.\x>7. v \atii tisri(n) hrdyd November
<C^rana ^iia kdnun qadmdyd December
<i.\k ^ kdnun trayydnd January
\,-i~ Sbdt February
W dddr March
fu nisdn April
v<< eyar May
^^i hzirdn June
,<iss^i tammuz July

.a<< at August
A<A.<< e/u/ September

DAYS OF THE WEEK

tiaax. Sabtd Saturday

^vt v. hadMabbd Sunday

^-w-i v ^)n trenbsabbd Monday

<<-it-i^A^i tldtbsabbd Tuesday

^i»i /xi^ arb c db$abbd Wednesday

< <•-■ — 1 --t>,. hammeSbSabbd Thursday

<<it3ei\i. c rubtd Friday

83

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Exercise 14

Identify the following imperfect forms (for translational value use
the present or future tense):

ci\,<G 1

2
3
4
5
6
7

,Aa^i 8
^icuj^i 9

^gA^'is 10

^xia^ 11

y'A T g\ 12

<<*i<6 13

^<< 14

^gri^n 15

nia<<^i 16

«^<< 17

yStfi^tfi 18

qpef\a^l 20

^SLna 21

^ji^i^^i 22

<<i^ 23

<<c\«tu 24

^ncriii 25

^cvnto.ii 26

>«a\"i^

27
28

^<<*i 29
^n*i 30

31

32

J3Cl"ViJ

,^*i 33
•^ncua^i 34

35
36
37
38

Give English equivalents for the following:

yA<CacA

39

joco^n

40

^yiii

41

-Scn^u

42

Acta<<

43

7ioi\i

44

y\ *7> 'T fll

45

v^alAT 1

46

y'Hnn^lV

47

^Qm

48

^ca^ta^V

49

AcLX<<

50

e\^n

51

A2si<<

52

vCLatcvaj

53

eSlCL^ol

54

<\jjj<\

55

^eLi.Al

56

A*.n<< 57

1 . three months

2. ten years

3. eight days

4. three hours

5. seven men

6. nine women

7. the second month

8. the fourth house

9. the fifth teacher
10. the first good word

Read and translate the following:

.nmTA <<cku <^3^ 1

84

LESSON FOURTEEN

.ctrn Tja^A c\ckh ^^. 3

<^-i-tA <<Aun <<fi_, 5

.na<<m\ <<ri~ <<\ 7

.■SN^tA <CcocOxi -^u<< <<^a_ 8

.<rA^oa\ .A ^ A. 9

n \Y,H-o\ <<j<< ^ <<\ 10

Give the Syriac for the following:

1. I give

2. they (m) fear

3. she sleeps

4. you (m s) build

5. he falls

6. you (f pi) go

7. they (f) take

8. you (f s) know

9. we go down

10. you (f pi)

1 1 . she goes up

12. he rises

13. they (m) put
14. 1 come
15. you(ms) rejoice
16. 1 see

17. come! (m s)

18. they (m) will not die

19. you (f s) remain

20. you (f pi) ask

2 1 . she seeks

22. they (m) will be

23. she looks

24. you (f s) eat

85

Lesson Fifteen

§ 15.1 Uses of the Imperfect.

( 1 ) As a general or habitual present tense, e

ivA a^ <d«ii. ^a\ij ne c rqun c awwdle kad
.vgcrA An*\^ layt d-rddep l-hon.

Aei -ojcv^n^n teb c 6ndn w-ld
■■^quit-^ teSkhundn.

(2) As a future, e.g.

.^ineA <<ii<<i nete Iwdtkon.

^rtw <±\<Ca <Cdaat Smayyd w-ar c d ne c '-
4-im <& Aaic\ feran w-mellay Id
ne c brdn.

(3) As an optative, e.g.
.K\£\eLAm <<i»<<£» fefe malkutdk.

.i^3j <<e>cm nehwe sebydnak.
<<cicru <<<n\<< ^a w-emar aldhd nehwe

.■K\m<M <<<t«ri« ^'wneti

nuhrd wa-hwa
nuhrd.

The wicked flee

when there is no

one pursuing

them.
You seek me and do

not find me.

He will come to you.

The heavens and
earth will pass
away, but my
words will not.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done.

And God said, Let
there be light: and
there was light.

(4) With la and the 2nd persons as negative imperative, e.g.

86

LESSON FIFTEEN

\^\^w>B A la teqtoll
^ei^aia & ldteb c 6n.

Do not kill.
Seek you not.

(5) In all dependent and complementary verbal clauses and in
purpose clauses with d- or /-, e.g.

<<£<£a y\cnn \as<<

en breh att d-aldhd,
emar d-hdlen kepe
nehwydn lahmd.

-ify»A crA neioa pgoaf fe/i l-nessab

■ iiiN^n^ <<jcu <ti^xx

c ammeh nuna da-
mlih.

.7seua<<n <G<< <Oay <<\ /a sabe-na d-equm.

^^iin & ^h*< atton la teb c 6n mdnd
<<i3aei »gia<<iR <<o) teklun w-mdnd
.^ainzciA teston.

man d-sdbe d-nehwe
qadmdyd nehwe
hrdyd.

If you are the son of
God, say that these
rocks be bread.

Order him to take
with him a fish
that has been
salted.

I don't want to get
up.

Seek not what you
should eat or what
you should drink.

He who wishes to
be first shall be
last.

§ 15.2 The Imperfect with Enclitic Objects. The objective
pronominals are attached to the imperfect as follows. Note that many
persons have more than one alternative form, the first of which is
usually simply the imperfect with reduced stem plus the unaug-
mented object enclitic.

3rd masc. sing. &

1ST COM. PL.
.acin^u NERDOP

3RD FEM. SING. &
2ND MASC. SING.

.aci*^ TERDOP

+ 3 m s cnan'u nerdpeh

-OTeuan'u nerdpiw

<nan^ terdpeh
„<ncuan*i^i terdpiw

87

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

-cneusem'iin terdopiw

+ 3fs

<ri»an' ! ii

nerdpih

<n*s*^ terdpih
<nAa*\h terdopeh

+ 2 m s

i/va:^

nerdpdk

»$-*\}& terdpdk

+ 2fm

,.->qn^

nerdpek

-as^ia terdpek

+ 1 c s

^jSa'Hj

nerdpan

^&*\i& terdpan
•j^aan^ terdopayn

+ 3 m pi »ju<< sein\i nerdop-ennon ^<< .sa^iR terdop-ennon

+ 2 m pi »gaSe\:\\i nerdopkon *$*&*•*%}* terdopkon

+ 1 c pi ^tvHi nerdpan ^*\}& terdpan

ySevn'iiv terdopayn

All imperfect forms that end in -in, -un and -an take the objective
enclitics of the 3rd masc. pi. example:

^van-xi

NERDPUN

+ 3 m s

sTiieis^

nerdpuneh or

^mjcia^Tj

nerdpundy

+ 3fs

criacifin*u

nerdpundh

+ 2ms

i^cianTj

nerdpundk

+ 2fs

-^uoa^Tj

nerdpunek

+ 1 c s

^iirtfin'u

nerdpundn

§ 15.3 Suffix Pronouns with III- Weak Imperfect Verbs. The im-
perfect inflectional pattern of Ill-weak verbs is the only type to pro-
duce an ending different from that of sound verbs. With pronominal
objects, the -e termination of the Ill-weak verb is as follows:

+ 3 m s .iTM.x-i. neb c ew + 3 m pi »gi<< <<-^u neb c e-ennon

+ 3 f s tn.\-ii neb c eh + 3 f pi ^*< <<\-n neb c e-ennen

+ 2 m s uy\ii neb c ek + 2 m pi ^-».\-n neb c ekon

+ 2 f s .■>.>, *i. neb c ek + 2 f pi v ->.\ii neb c eken

+ 1 c s ...xm. neb c en + 1 c pi v \ii neb c en

88

LESSON FIFTEEN

§ 15.4 Imperatives with Suffix Pronouns. Imperative forms with
enclitic pronominal objects are as follows. Note especially the
vocalic shift of the masc. pi. imperative from CCoC(un)/CCaC(un)
to CuCCu(n)-:

MASC. SING.

FEM. SING.

+ 3 m s

-<nAei\,ti qtoldy

-eneiAei^jB qtoliw

+ 3fs

<hAe»\^i qtolih

<hAei\,n qtolih

+ 1 c s

■uAei\,n qtolayn

-iAa\^a qtolin

+ 1 cpl

,Att\^ qtolayn

^c\p qtolin

MASC. PL.

FEM. PL.

+ 3 ms

-<ficA\,«ti qutlu

^<tiAaY,n qtoldy

-.<n^«A\,<ta qutlundy

-crLiAeiVa qtolendy

+ 3fs

<hct\\,cua qutluh

<h\<t^u qtoldh

<nirt\\,cu3 qutlundh

«t^Ae\/j qtolendh

+ 1 cs

*i<\\\,au qutlun

-A«\^ qtoldn

^a±\,an qutlutldfl

■■■■^x qtolendn

+ 1 cpl

>q\\,cu3 qutlun

^e\? qtoldn

y<A^cui qutlundn

^\c\^ qtolendn

§ 15.5 Imperatives of III- Weak Roots with Suffix Pronouns.

The suffixation of enclitic pronominal objects to the imperatives of
Ill-weak verbs is basically similar to that of sound verbs. The
masculine singular imperative, which ends in -i, takes the same
enclitic forms as the feminine singular of sound verbs (qtoliw,
qtolih, &c).

The fern. sing, base form changes from CCdy to CCd'i-, written
with dlap.

The masc. pi. base form changes from CCaw to CCa 'u-, again
spelled with dlap for the intervocalic glottal stop. The fern. pi. im-
perative shows reduction from CCdyen to CCdyen-.

+ 3 ms

MASC. SING.

-<na. J iti qriw

FEM. SING.

-crieu^'ua qra iw

89

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

+ 3 f s fli.'ua qrih ^^ qrd'ih

+ 1 c s -i.'iti qrin .^<< J U3 qra'in

+ 1 c pi y'ua qrin y^^io qra'in

MASC. PL. FEM. PL.

+ 3 m s -<n<i<<'u3 qra 'u j^L^^a qrdyendy

+ 3 f s <nei<< J ta qra 'uh <Tiil<< J iti qrdyendh

+ 1 c s -ia<< i va qra'un ^L<**i qrdyendn

+ 1 c pi ^'ua qra 'un ^.K^ qrdyendn

§ 15.6 Nouns in -u and -i. Nouns with absolute singulars in -u
have the following inflection:

SINGULAR PLURAL

abs. «3j sbu ^3~ sebwdn

emph. <<iiei^j sbutd thtca^ sebwdtd

const. £ieL3y shut- ^a3j sebwdt-

This important class includes the infinitives of all increased verbal
forms (to be introduced in the following lessons) as well as abstract
nouns like Aa-Ati malkutd 'kingdom' and <&<a.\\, talyutd 'child-
hood.'

Similar are nouns with absolute singulars in -i:

abs. -:v\3j mardi

^n'^aa

mardydn

emph. ^iun'oa marditd

<<^UA"\30

mardydtd

const. ^un'os mardit-

iun"\ao

mardydt-

Vocabulary 15

NOUNS

<Ci^in debhd sacrifice

^'ua* dabrd wilderness

<<3ja dmd (const/abs dem) blood

<<i3, zabnd (const/abs zban)

time

<<}&<**» hadutd joy, gladness

<(.\,.i hattdyd pi -e sinner

90

LESSON FIFTEEN

<<aida katpd pi -e/-dtd (f) shoulder

<<\n_p3 magdld pi -e tower

Aisca matld parable

<<3\^. c erbd a sheep, lamb

<<iTr .s&aba pi -e neighbor

(<A\arL^\ tydbutd repentance
VERBS

\,\.i hlat/nehlot to mix, mingle

■tata sbar/nesbar to think, imagine

<<n. c nd/ne c ne to reply, answer

^ qrd/neqre to call, summon, invite

.n^i tdb/ntub to repent
ADJECTIVES

*uiu yattir more (men than)

<C^^» metb c e (m) metba c yd (f) necessary, needed 1

OTHERS

<*< aw or; more than

iaeia<< akwdt like

n <<aa ma d- when, as soon as
PROPER NAME

<CiaLa=. Silohd Siloam, Siloah

'in impersonal constructions like 'it is necessary' and 'it is possible' the
adjective is usually fem. sing. (metba c ya) followed by /- and then d- and the
imperfect, as A,** A iCo^ia metba c yd li d-ezal 'it is necessary for me to go, I
must go,' and the past: ^\,«c.a ^<nl *<>« <****&> metba c yd-wdt Ihon d-nezlun 'it
was necessary for them to go, they had to go.'

91

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Exercise 15

Read and give English equivalents for the following:

-cricuinj 1

..^lUcAa^A

11

yWlv At

21

cti»^cui^Ai 2

•^•\ana

12

.-\<". \ -i<

22

„cL*nci*ia<< 3

■^^■•H-^n. Aw

13

-OTcuanna

23

fp.nnnQt 4

^AAil'll

14

cii^aai^in.

24

.urtnlvAl S

.<yi.«*T^.^rt«

15

^^icvAci^<^2n

25

\/v.«\ ■«■ An f\

■.CfJCV.N*1<<

16

^V 3 ^

26

..^iei. ,: A^<< 7

^ucifjjj

17

..cyi.'ii-f*i^/n

27

^fa^T^^s 8

tyi.i-i/n

18

^V»

28

„cfieunX<<j 9

(/■UJjKN

19

■»<nc\i n Taxoi

29

\^.r\<Z 10

■.CTXaciCo^Sj

20

<nna_i.<<

30

Reading Exercise 15

<tA ^u<<n <<'Ha-4 v ^-"'t cum :<<i<n <<A^C3a ^cvcqA ia<<c\ 1

A_X <T1A A tuacCV .<<n 1) <T3 ii"Vr<<^ <v33C\ -cyirt. .«->»^ in

_3Q<<Cl

...cticH*T<Act -<TJcoaoj'A <Cu3ct .cn^i*a^ <<<Si<<c\ .<nin_
.<<ei«n n*a<<n ^a\^. ^n.t->T-<<n .tin ei*Ui i^cktA 'S_

nx» A^. <<.4i~r"i <<^icinjj <(ckq^i <<i^cnn i^cls \ <<£»<< J cn<<

A.

n ^ .13. nj

<<-xjac.in.ei

l^Si A_x ei<< .a<s2m <t-\«
,^Aica>Ai vC\<tA <Cxa^U3a

^j<n <<A"A \ A_x <rA cv\5a<< y3clj<< c\cYi<< :<<inj r n ckti3 2

^.cls^> <<_j-xci y^n "-■«"■'* "Ti— i. *ckh ^an \,V« qpa \\.*\n

eveim v \,-« <<" ■ \"-\ \ ^cucm *c^u^C y'inca :^cktA \m<<c\
•i so<< .<<_A .*cLi<< <<cicn <<i^«nn .<<A"A \ ^cktAa ^jj \*isu

«A-n A<<n

v

c\ci«n v> Y,iin vc^nj<< ^ fico -vCL i<< <\ \\,na <CjcvA*

•V_33<< .<<_A .7^ W'HcK'Ca v \33-^.n <<Tl".1*1 ^KH-Va yJ3 \*hl*

92

LESSON FIFTEEN

Translate into Syriac:

1 . This month will be over after five days.

2. Let us return to Jerusalem and search for the child who re-
mained there.

3. She doesn't know where to put the lamb that she picked up on
her shoulders.

4. It is not necessary for me to (that I) answer.

5. How can we know the road by which you are going?
6. 1 will remain here for six months.

7. If you seek me you can find me in my father's house.

8. If you had sought me, you could have found me in my broth-
er's house.

9. 1 cannot give you everything you want.

Give the Syriac for the following, perfect and imperfect:

1 . 1 wrote/write it (m)

2. you (m s) ordered/order me

3. we spread them

4. she killed/kills him

5. he persecuted/persecutes her

6. you (f ) left/leave us

7. they took/take you (f s)

8. they found/find you (m pi)

9. you (pi) asked/ask me

10. we keep/kept you (m s)

1 1 . she ate/eats it (f)
12. 1 built/build it (m)

13. you (m s) sought/seek us

14. he saw/sees you (m s)

15. you (pi) put it (f)

16. you (f s) saw/see me

93

Lesson Sixteen

§ 16.1 The Pael Conjugation. All verbs that have been dealt with
systematically so far belong to the Peal (p c al) conjugation, i.e. they
belong to the unaugmented base paradigm, the basic pattern for
which is CCaC (including the variant CCeC), like ktab, Sqal, sleq,
and weak verbs like qdm, hzd, eta, &c. The conjugations that will
now be introduced are augmented, or derived, conjugations.

The Pael (pa cc el) conjugation is characterized by a doubling of
the second radical consonant, hence its Semitic designation as D
("doubled"). 1 The basic vocalic pattern of the perfect is CaCCeC, as
qabbel 'to receive' (from ^QBL) and mallei 'to speak' (from
^MLL).

The Pael conjugation serves ( 1 ) as a factitive/transitivizing form
for intransitive G-form verbs, e.g., Slem 'to be finished, come to an
end' (intransitive) > Pael Sallem 'to finish, bring to an end'
(transitive), (2) as an intensifier for transitive G-form verbs, e.g.,
qtal 'to kill' > Pael qattel 'to kill in great numbers, to massacre,' and
(3) as a primary verbal form for denominative roots (roots derived
from nouns and for which no G-form verb exists), e.g., melltd
'word, speech' > mallei 'to speak.'

The perfect inflection of a Pael verb like qabbel is regular, with
predictable reduction of the second stem vowel to schwa in the 3rd

'The Syriac Pael conjugation corresponds to the Piel C?DS) of Hebrew and the
second form ( jli) of Arabic.

94

LESSON SIXTEEN

i. sing.

and 1st sing.

3 m

Aiaa

qabbel

(,}eA=ta

qabbel(un)

f

^\\-in

qabblat

{&*»

qabbel(en)

2 m

in\~tn

qabbelt

vO^nXna

qabbelton

f

■^n\^ii-i

qabbelt

^■XA-lfi

qabbelten

lc

&\na

qabblet

A*^w

qabbeln(an)

The imperfect inflection of the Pael conjugation is exactly like
that of the G-verb; the preformatives have no vowel, however, ex-
cept the 1st sing., which remains e-. The expected stem-vowel re-
duction occurs in all forms with postformatives. For enclitic objects
with these forms, see Appendix C (p. 145).

3 m

\ih, nqnhhpl

vg\ 11-11

nqabblun

f

\-n-tJA tqabbel

"\mi-h

nqabblan

2m

A-iki^i tqabbel

«fA^ia^\

tqabblun

f

V \-Wn tqabblin

'^rua^\

tqabblan

lc

■V-in<< eqabbel

\-<w.

nqabbel

The Pael conjugation produces two participles, active on the
pattern mCaCCeC and passive on the pattern mCaCCaC, e.g., Anu^a
mqabbel 'receiving' and mqabbal 'received,' Aisaio mmallel 'speak-
ing' and mmallal 'spoken.' Feminines and plurals are formed with
predictable vocalic reduction: A=mao mqabbld (fern. sing, abs.),
v \-inia mqabblin (masc. pi. abs.), \\iht> mqabbldn (fern. pi. abs.).
The distinction between the active and passive participles is ob-
scured in these forms, as it is in Ill-guttural verbs (see below).

The infinitive of the Pael conjugation is on the pattern mCaC-
CdCu, e.g., <A^a3a mqabbdlu 'receiving (gerund), to receive' and
ciW-n-n mmalldlu 'speaking (gerund), to speak.'

§ 16.2 Pael Conjugation: Various Verb Types. To the basic pat-
terns of the Pael conjugation adjustments are made with the follow-
ing types:

(1) Ill-guttural: the e between the second and third radicals is
changed to a wherever it occurs, thus Saddar/nSaddar 'to send' (act.

95

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

and pass. part. mSaddar 'sending' and 'sent,' where the difference
between the active and passive is obscured) and Sabbah/nSabbah 'to
praise.'

(2) Ill-weak: all roots with weak third radicals conform to one
pattern in the Pael conjugation. Perfect inflection for dakki 'to puri-
fy' is like the perfect inflection of hdi (see §7.1):

3 m -an dakki

euan dakki

f iuan dakkyat

-an dakki

2 m iuan dakkiyt

.giuan dakkiyton

f -iuan dakkiyt

Y k^n dakkiyten

1 c £uan dakkit

^an dakkiyn(an)

The imperfect inflection follows the model of nebne (§14.:

3 m <<ani ndakke

.gam ndakkon

f <<ania tdakke

^am ndakkydn, &c.

The masc. sing, imperative differs from that of bna, however;
the other imperatives are similar to those of bna:

masc. <<an dakkd dan dakkaw

fern. -an dakkdy ^an dakkdyen

Active participles are formed exactly like those of bna:

masc. <<an33 mdakke ^ansa mdakkeyn

fem. <Cansj mdakkyd ^wj mdakkydn

The masc. sing, passive participle differs in formation from the
active; the other participles are identical to the active.

masc. -ansa mdakkay ^an^ mdakkeyn

fem. <<^:oa mdakkyd ^anaa mdakkydn

The infinitive has v for the third radical, euanaa mdakkay u.

The following root types produce no "irregularity" in the Pael
conjugation

(3) hollow: most weak second radicals appear as -yy- in Pael,

96

LESSON SIXTEEN

e.g., tayyeb 'to prepare' (^ITWB):

perf. ,-i.\, tayyeb part. i.\,m mtayyeb

impf. -i\« ntayyeb inf. ^V*" mtayydbu

(4) I-y verbs are regularly formed throughout, as yaqqar 'to
honor' (VFQ/y:

perf. ^o. yaqqar part. ^a^» myaqqar

impf. <vtui nyaqqar inf. a^ua^n myaqqa.ru

(5) i-a/ap verbs are regularly formed; the vowel of the first radi-
cal, however, falls back to the preformatives, as allep 'to teach'
H'LP):

perf. s&< allep part. .s^aa mallep

impf. Cs^i) .a\i nallep inf. oalaa malldpu

By convention the a/ap of this and a few other l-dlap verbs is
dropped in all forms that have preformatives; the 1st sing, of the im-
perfect is allep.

(6) ll-dlap verbs are regularly formed with doubled glottal stop,
e.g., la" el 'to ask questions':

perf. A<Cat Sa"el part. A<<scsa mSa"el

impf. A<ae^ nSa"el inf. <A<6*as mSa"dlu

(7) geminate verbs are regularly formed throughout, as mallei 'to
speak':

perf. \\"n mallei part. \\t^ mmallel

impf. A\aai nmallel inf. «a\\-n-n mmalldlu

Vocabulary 16

NOUNS

<<ida«:\ dukktd pi <<2nla<an <iw^afa/<<i\«ia«in dukkawwdtd place

<<ti-> &m?a crowd, multitude

^ariLaro spi'tta pi spine/spindtd ship, boat

eC^ato .sdpra pi -e scribe

97

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<Cu3j sebydnd will

<<a^c Smd (abs lem) name

<<aoin tawwdnd pi -e inner room, closet

<C^in tar c a pi -e door, gate

VERBS

s^K allep to teach

v^ca barrek to bless

.sq, zqap/nezqop to crucify

v^xi^ hSek/nehSak to get dark (used impersonally in the 3rd

fern, sing.: heSkat 'it got dark')

i-i-i kanneS/nkannes to assemble, gather (trs.)

Alas mallei to speak

M» nagged to beat, scourge

^.^a pra c /nepro c to reward

.Aj sa//i to pray ( c al for)

*.na qaddeS/nqaddeS to bless, make holy

<<jti qsd/neqse to break (bread)

-.\a=. Sarri to begin (+ /- & inf., Sarri l-malldpu, or + act.
part., Sarri mallep 'he began to teach')
OTHERS

v/y<< ak like (prep.); ak d- so (much so) that

Jsoi< emat when?, emat d- when (conj.)

<<A \~i b-gelya openly, publicly

<<.m->i b-kesyd secretly, privately

\\,-ra mettul for, on account of (note irregular spelling)

n \\/p mettul d- since, because, inasmuch as

a. Ai. c al yad near, beside
IDIOM

<±\in :u»<< ehad tar c d to shut, fasten a door, gate

Exercise 16

Identify, read, and translate the following Pael verb forms:

<<i-<<£ 3 ^u<<

98

1

2

LESSON SIXTEEN

<T1M? 12 ^\\"tu 5

<TL3i^=A J <nci»^ ,! uii 13 y'vxJ^a 6

-uac\sA<<i 14 y\^33 7

^KTl\ Y n_V»J33 CU\sc 15 CLScA^J33 8

cAioisA ^tu^ac 16 ..cricA^. 2nA~ 9

^ii<< ^ia J ua <<\ 17 <<3a.A\ cri^ti^A ^ 10

v n_^Ai <<A 18 ^tutA ^ru'ux. 11

Reading Exercise 16

.v-yxn^i ncui<<rt A/yci^A Aclx .2iu<< <<i~^nn ^^U73<< ^n ^n_i<< 1

•X <<A >-i

<tA iaa^ .^Aat nr\ .<<njj <<2aac\na <<A~3a ci<n o^n <<c»<nci 2

.a<<n <dau.<< o .V, tA ^ .«A<< ^30 :_cnc\;u^zAAi ^ aa n_»j

-ii 3a<< :±.a a=_. ,^vcn 1 ^\ aa<< ..^iaru^A^nX iA<< y-ocu

<^a.<^ 1/^*3- <<Cl<Tli .V-y£lC\ :Al33 <^£l<^£l .t^ 3XSc 'sen H^tU

-.mtf^UmA^A -3<Ti.Ct .^-JCICl l^yT 3C\ .<< 5liA ^>C\ Y. A FIT 3

.ZS qgio /in A ..o JLoi ^AoX Jj2 a? Tin i*2 2«tt £107 <\*> 4
^oA—12 r ,i\)1n yOOL-i^oo .^oA— iZ x !^nfo ^oAjZ v A^n ^01 1*0

LaJia oiicA 2 o «nilo .Lsx, ,— "^ ^b {001 -ul ,_> ^aoi. 5
polio I « n o^ao .bou=» >Ki.<x<n-N o^, ^alSj sxmi ^1 ?) "^

•*• U, v- ^ U>/ ^ low

*netqadda$ 'may it be blessed' ; the pattern of this verb and of etkannaS below
will be introduced in §19.1.
^■etkannaS 'was gathered, assembled.'

99

Lesson Seventeen

§ 17.1 The Aphel Conjugation. The Aphel conjugation is charac-
terized in the perfect by a preformative a- and in the imperfect by the
vowel a on the preformatives. The basic pattern of the perfect is aC-
CeC; and of the imperfect, naCCeC, e.g. (^SLM) aSlem/naSlem 'to
handover.' 1

Although there are many exceptions, the Aphel conjugation
functions primarily as a factitive/causative, e.g., Slah 'to send' >
aSlah 'to cause (something) to be sent, to have (something) sent'
and ida c 'to know' > awda c 'to make (something) known' or 'to
make (someone) know (something).'

The inflection of the perfect is regularly formed:

3 m

7&=.<

aSlem

(^t\T\\*r<

aSlem(un)

f

in-nW<<

aSlmat

(y).aaW

aSlem(en)

2m

iltt\\*r<i

aSlemt

*g^ooW<(

aSlemton

f

qflOl\Yl(

aSlemt

y2n*r>\i-^

aSlemten

lc

£oa\^E.<<

aSlmet

v -nW<<

aSlemn(an)

The imperfect inflection has the vowel a on all the preformatives and
the vowel e in the stem (reduced to schwa with the vowel-initial
postformatives):

^The Syriac Aphel corresponds to the Hiphil Crsen) of Hebrew and the fourth
form ( J-il) of Arabic.

100

LESSON SEVENTEEN

3 m

7>Wi

naSlem

vQtAti

naSlmun

f

y\\^-in

taSlem

"^aXacj

naSlmdn

2m

TaXat^R

taSlem

<Vt>\t^B

taMmun

f

yTi\Ta

taSlmin

" v »tA— \l

taSlmdn

lc

y^x.<

aSlem

7>\aeJ

naSlem

The imperative is regularly formed from the imperfect with prefor-
mative a-:

masc.
fern.

tA*.<< aSlem
-aA*.<< aSlem

(,)eaAsE.<< aSlem(un)
(y)^Aat<< aSlem(en)

Like the Pael conjugation, Aphel produces both active and pas-
sive participles, active on the pattern maCCeC and passive on the
pattern maCCaC. The distinction is obscured everywhere except in
the masc. sing, absolute.

masc.
fern.

Tilstaa

maSle/am
maSlmd

maSlmin
mailman

The infinitive of Aphel is on the pattern maCCaCu, e.g.
maSldmu.

§ 17.2 Aphel Conjugation: Various Verb Types.

(1) Ill-guttural roots replace the vowel e of the pattern wherever
it occurs with a, as in ,iW Slah > .<W<< aSlah and n^. c dar > nn^.<<
a c dar. As in the participles of Pael Ill-gutturals, the distinction be-
tween the active and passive participles is obscured everywhere.

PERF.

.uW

aSlah

*ivx<<

a c dar

IMPERF.

.«\«f %

naSlah

*wj>j

na c dar

ACT. PART.

..\~-n

maSlah

^Ai^sa

ma c dar

PASS. PART.

il\lr*T>

maSlah

*iA^aa

ma c dar

INF.

cuAae^ra

maSldhu

ertAi^ja

ma c ddru

(2) 1-n roots show regular assimilation of the n to the second
radical in all forms of the Aphel conjugation, as *&* npaq > ±is.<
appeq 'make (someone) go out, send/bring out' and huu nhet > k*»<<
ahhet 'to make (someone) go down, send/bring down.'

101

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

PERF.

JaS<<

appeq

Ail^

ahhet

IMPERF.

n&i

nappeq

oUjj

nahhet

ACT. PART.

n^Ta

mappeq

OUC33

mahhet

PASS. PART.

oStn

mappaq

ouoa

mahhat

INF.

cunaaa

mappdqu

eiaui3a

mahhdtu

(3) Ill-weak roots in Aphel conform to the vocalic patterns of Pa-
el, see § 16.2(2), as -a^ hdi 'rejoice' > -a^<< ahdi 'cause (someone) to
rejoice'

PERF. ,^< ahdi

IMPERF. <<^»<< nahde

ACT. PART. <<:uim mahde

PASS. PART. .:ui3a mahday

INF. euA^i^a mahddyu

(4) Hollow roots in Aphel all conform to the pattern of jm qdm
> y±n<Z aqim 'set up, place,' and ia^n mit > k^»<< amit 'cause to die,
put to death'

PERF.

y^a<(

aqim

^ox(

amit

IMPERF.

y^m

nqim

ausai

nmit

ACT. PART.

7iirt*ro

mqim

OU^Q^

mmit

PASS. PART.

TMiSa

mqdm

ioaa

mmdt

INF.

eiaaana

mqdmu

c\cn^^

mmdtu

(5) Most I-v and l-dlap roots show w for the first radical in
Aphel, as ^.a. ida c 'know' > .*.*«<< awda c 'make known,' in\* iret
'inherit' > }&\a<awret 'make inherit' and as<< ebad 'perish' > a^cu<
awbed 'make perish.' There are, however, exceptions, notably <k<:
eta 'come' > Jju<< ayti 'bring,' which shows a y for the first radical.

PERF.

,i.:\et<<

awda c

hy\a^C

awret

Jsu<

ayti

IMPERF.

^.neu

nawda c

in'KAl

nawret

^Aj

nayte

ACT. PART.

-xncOa

mawda c

%K\<£a

mawret

<CoU^

mayte

PASS. PART.

A.nei3a

mawda c

isneca

mawrat

Jn^a

maytay

INF.

CV-X^C03

mawdd c u

aisneas

mawrdtu

CUflU^

maytayu

(6) ll-alap roots are predictably formed, as A^ Sel 'to ask'

102

LESSON SEVENTEEN

A<<ac<< asel 'to lend.'

PERF.

A<^.<<

aSel

IMPERF.

A<<SU

nasel

ACT. PART.

A<<T*ra

masel

PASS. PART.

A<<at53

masal

INF.

cA<<ac^33

masdlu

(7) Geminate roots form Aphel on the pattern of 1-n roots. A
spurious dlap occasionally appears in the imperfect and participles,
as v^a mak 'be humble' (^MKK) > ^^ ammek 'make humble.'

PERF.
IMPERF.
ACT. PART.
PASS. PART.
INF.

Vocabulary 17

\y^a< ammek

i^aa<<i nammek

u^ja<<33 mammek

\»pa<&i mammak

a-.*n*T3 mammaku

NOUNS

<<A\ ^ei_Aa
ADJECTIVE

VERBS

A<< at< <

gaww, /-gaww inside

gmM loaf (of bread)

haymdnutd faith

heSSokd darkness

meddem thing, anything, something

c arsd bed

pelgut-lelyd middle of the night, midnight

ihiddy only, sole

adrek to overtake, comprehend
ahhar (^HRR) to bother
awhar (V '#/?) to tarry, delay
aMe& fV//£B) to love
ahhet (^INHT) to send down
aSel to lend

103

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

.^<< ahhi to give life to, revivify
^ ddn/ndun to judge
^a.<n haymen/nhaymen to believe (b- in); act. part, mhaymen

believing, faithful (in the religious sense)
^<n hallek to walk
OTHER

\ <<i^<<. . . <<i^<n hdkannd. . . aykannd d- so much so . . . that, enough to

Exercise 17

Identify, read, and translate the following Aphel forms:

J <neia' ! \n<< 6 y^r^n .uA<<lac.<< 1

CTlaL3-J<^ 8 .-\*1n<^ 3

^->.iti 10 .ii.*iii^q 5

Reading Exercise 17

cn^sicA Aj<<ie\ <<3a J j 4 v <tA ^u<<n vC^Ja ooa ^snA "\_5a<<c\ 1

^\-A^l -iA<<-SE.<< o—SIjJ^ :<H ^ "T 33<<1C\ .<<__A\ )nrt ^\q-i

A ^iAci .<C*i*\a^ ^ aa ^^icA <<^ii<< <<3a J j J \n \ V^ •»e; : M

TJja^fl <<oj»j c\_A ^33 <ri33ui , i c\<ne\ .crA 7a_»CQ<<n ^a^ 33

..t>\ ^kno .e\<n n*ii<< <<-x , h2ii <<cn^ — 1 »n<n^i <^ ^ :cnA

i*; v-^ A2n<<ci •pacua<<n <<s<< ■■->-'" <A Vfvs^ix^

^tujju cn^nXn <0^»<< .<<^AjA <<<tA<< ja u<< ^ ^ <<i^cn 2

cnA ^jvckhj <<_A<< .n a<6 <<A <na ^^ucn^an ^paN^ A^n_i

<<^n\\\ cn"H -i\ <<<nA<< ■Hv*- ^ » \ «!■ ^ -"73 i^-An <<_JJ

/K <n^<<a <<saVx <Cjjn <<A<< .<<m\\\ ^caeuionsn

o — i\or .007 yOfitaaa, 2ioicu tuf r x»2 ,\,\n :^a*- ^o©& iab2 3
^ aettoa T _aoo .^ ^%aaa !*■* » ■■ 2\a . 2ae;<u * *^ A— 2 aa,

104

LESSON SEVENTEEN

V!\ yOOU^O

l\ Ul . v oo\ ^J i\o Ai >^_2aJL» ,_*> 4

'A good example of the topic-comment sentence in Syriac. This sentence
type, which is fairly common in Semitic languages in general, consists of a
topic that is not the logical subject of the comment part of the sentence; a
referent pronoun in the comment part indicates the relationship of the topic to
the comment: man d-Mma c ...: end la dd'en-nd leh: 'he who hears...: I do not
judge him.' Here the topic is man d... (with the clause that follows), and the
comment is end Id dd'en-nd leh, where leh marks the syntactical relationship
between the topic and comment. Such sentences are often best translated by
rearranging and putting the topic into its logical position in the comment: 'I do
not judge him who hears...' In this instance the Syriac follows the Greek syntax
closely: £dv rlsiiov d/covcrr/ T&vfar)\i&Twv ical /it/ (j>vM^r\, iyd) oil KpCuoj avTov
(si quis audierit verba mea, et non custodierit: ego non iudico eum, John
12:47).

105

Lesson Eighteen

§ 18.1 Medio-Passive Verbs: Ethpeel, Ethpaal & Attaphal
Conjugations. Syriac has no true passive verbs. However, for each
of the active/transitive conjugations (Peal, Pael, Aphel), there exists
a corresponding refiexive/medio-passive conjugation. From the Peal
conjugation the Ethpeel (basic pattern etCCeC, etp c el) is made; from
the Pael conjugation the Ethpaal (basic pattern etCaCCaC, etpa cc al)
is made; and from the Aphel conjugation is made the Ettaphal (basic
pattern ettaCCaC, ettap c al).

BASE PATTERN MEDIO-PASSIVE

\\,n qtal 'kill' > .\y.^<< etqtel 'get killed'

\in qabbel 'receive' > Aan2n<< etqabbal 'be received'

tAj=.<< aSlem 'betray' > y^x.inh\< ettaslam 'be betrayed'

§ 18.2 The Ethpeel Conjugation. The underlying pattern from
which all actually occurring forms of the Ethpeel can be predicted is
etCaCeC/netCaCeC. In forms with zero or consonant-initial post-
formatives, the a is reduced. In forms with vowel-initial postforma-
tives, the e is reduced. An example is etdheq 'be driven away' <
dhaq 'drive away.' 1

J Not in terms of formation, but in terms of meaning and function the Syriac
Ethpeel corresponds to the Niphal (bSQl) of Hebrew and the seventh form (J*i,l)
of Arabic. It also bears an affinity in both formation and meaning with the
eighth form (J^il) of Arabic.

106

LESSON EIGHTEEN

3 m ju^ii<< etdheq («)«ui^^i<< etdheq(un)

f iatL»*}Mi etdahqat (y)±^^^<< etdheq(en)

2 m iaxxii*k< etdheqt ^iatuin^ etdheqton

f ..iita^iwC etdheqt ^^Rtui^An<< etdheqten

1 c ihtui^^ etdahqet ^inA\<< etdheqn(an)

The imperfect is also regularly inflected, with an a appearing after
the first radical with the vowel-initial postformatives.

3 m .ixun^ii netdheq ^tu^ netdahqun

f jooi:\^\ tetdheq \pumki netdahqdn

2 m .tnj^Av tetdheq .gtun^ tetdahqun

f ycujniniR tetdahqin '^ni^ tetdahqdn

1 c jiu^^i<< etdheq j&^in. netdheq

The same a appears in variant forms of the imperative:

masc. .u^^ etdheq («ieitui^<< etdahq(un)

etdahq
fern. ^minift<< etdheq (y).*xu:\in<< etdahq(en)

etdahq

The participles are predictably formed:

masc. .tuj^itoa metdheq ytmnioa metdahqin

<ta**hcn metdahqd ^nka metdahqdn

And the infinitive is formed on familiar lines, em^^ia metdhdqu.

§ 18.3 Metathesis in Ethpeel. Verbs whose first radical is a sibi-
lant (s, z, s, $) show a regular metathesis with the t prefix of Ethpeel.

With s and s, simple metathesis occurs: v^aaxo smak 'lean' >
«^33^vm<< estmek 'recline' and n..T- S/iag 'break' > .mii&sL<< eStheq 'get
broken.'

If the first radical is j, metathesis occurs and the t is velarized to
t, as n\- s/afc 'crucify' > .-AN^ esf/eb 'be crucified.'

If the first radical is z, metathesis occurs and the t is voiced to d,

107

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

as ^a, zban 'buy' > ^=n,<< ezdben 'be bought' and .aa, z^ap 'raise up'
> A3n,<< ezdqep 'get raised up.'

§ 18.4 Ethpeel with Various Verb Types. Alterations are made in
the Ethpeel conjugation with the following root types (3rd masc. and
3rd fem. sing, forms are given for the perfect; 3rd masc. sing, and
3rd masc. pi. are given for the imperfect; masc. and fem. active par-
ticiples are given; from these forms all others can be predicted).

(1) l-dlap: forms are regularly produced With the glottal stop,
which is subsequently dropped. Resulting forms are immune to vo-
calic reduction. An example is A^<< ekal 'eat' > A^<<^<< etekel (for
*et'kel) 'to be eaten.' The Ethpeel of ehad and a few other l-dlap
verbs shows assimilation of the initial glottal stop to the t of the
form, giving :ui^<< etthed, and so on throughout the conjugation.

PERF. 3MS

.W2ii<<

etekel

AjJfiAdl<(

etthed

PERF. 3FS

2nW2n<<

etaklat

A'XiiAAK

ettahdat

IMPERF. 3MS

Aa<^Al

netekel

^jaou

netthed

IMPERF. 3MP

vcAa^^J

netaklun

^g^Uiaiau

nettahdun

IMPERATIVE

Aa<&<<

etekel/etakl

:u*AA<(

etthed/ettahd

MASC.PART.

A^<<ioa

metekel

AuolcOa

metthed

FEM. PART.

<<\=k<£bi3a

metakld

<^Ai> AA3Q

mettahdd

INF.

eiAa<^A^a

metekdlu

ctAjjAlAos

metthddu

(2) ll-dlap: like the l-dlap, forms are regularly produced with the
glottal stop, which is subsequently dropped. Resulting forms are
immune to vocalic reduction. An example is A<<a=. Sel 'ask' > A<<i^a=.<<
eStel (for *eSfel) 'be asked'

PERF. 3M/FS \<<a*.< eStel

IMPERF. 3MS/P \<Ca** neStel

IMPERATIVE IthmK eStel/eStal

PART. M/F A<<i^in meStel

INF. o\<<^at33 meStdlu

iA^Ax.<i eStalat
^A<<iuti neStalun

&<$R*r^ meStald

(3) I-y: where the y of the root would have a schwa, it is pro-

108

LESSON EIGHTEEN

nounced i; and all resulting forms are immune to vocalic reduction.
In all other respects the conjugation is regular. An example is n\, iled
'give birth' > :AA<< etiled (for *etyled) 'be born'

PERF. 3M/FS *12n<< etiled )sc£ul*< etyaldat

IMPERF. 3MS/P nLiu netiled ^Jr* netyaldun

IMPERATIVE A*i<< etiled/elyald

PART. M/F :x\.*oa metiled <<n\.ksa metyaldd

INF. ei^ios metilddu

(4) hollow: the hollow Ethpeel is entirely replaced by the Et-
taphal (see §20.1, below).

(5) Ill-guttural: all e's occurring before the third radical conso-
nant are changed to a by the guttural. An example is ^-*» qba c 'to
set up' > ,\-ta^<< etqba c 'be/get set up'

PERF. 3M/FS ^aaiR<< etqbcf x . v -i^ W etqab c at

IMPERF. 3MS/P uaai&i netqbcf ^^xau^u netqab c un

IMPERATIVE ^»k etqba c /etqab c

PART. M/F ,\-fri^ca metqbcf <<\-in^ja metqab c d

INF. <a\in^i5a metqbdFu

(6) III- weak: conjugation follows the patterns of dakki as given
in §16.2(2): qra 'call' > J^)s.<etqn 'be called.'

PERF. 3M/FS Jyab,< etqri Ao.'ua^ etqaryat

IMPERF. 3MS/P <^a.iai netqre ^s*hi netqron

IMPERF. 3FS/P ^^aia^i tetqre ^\aim netqarydn

IMPERATIVE ..<vq*i<< etqray/etqary

PART. M/F <<'uiiiaa metqre <CWos metqaryd

INF. eu^H^ metqrdyu

Vocabulary 18

NOUNS

<Ci.W ur c d (abs ura c ) meeting
<<£A«iina btultd pi -dtd virgin

109

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<&e\lu

Mold marriage

<6AjJ

hatnd bridegroom, son-in-law, brother-in
male connection by marriage)

-law (any

<<!<<*

kind just (person)

<C}A*

kalltd bride

■^n.Q^rA

lampedd lamp

«j<<^3

mdnd vessel

<<\\p3

metrd rain

<<*■« — ""

meshd oil

Aeli.

c awwa/a unjust

<^XlN»1

q c dtd outcry

<^T "TIT

SemSd (abs sme.?, usually masc.) sun

<<\J^a

qtird force, compulsion

VERBS

T^S^ift^

etemar (for *et'emar) to be said

..■Ha^v^

etan to be called

.m* dnah/nednah to rise (of the sun); Aphel (adnah) to

make (the sun) rise
<<aa:\ dmd/nedme I- to be like, resemble; Ethpeel (etdmi) to
be like; Pael (dammi) to make (something) like (/-)
vy».:\ d c ek/ned c ak to go out (light, lamp)
^a, zban/nezben to buy; Ethpeel (ezdben) to be/get bought;
Pael (zabben) to sell
-i.\, tayyeb to prepare
\^ lat/nlut to curse
7u ndm/nnum to slumber, sleep
-w, nqas/neqqos to knock, strike
<<ira snd/nesne to hate
.oara spaq/nespaq to suffice, be sufficient
^ina ptah/neptah to open; Ethpeel (etptah) to be open, get

opened
,pid taqqen to make right, get ready
ADJECTIVE

Aata skaUskel (emph sakld) foolish
OTHERS

<<!.<< aynd (m), <<*.<< ory<ia (f), ,A.<< aylen (pi) which?

110

LESSON EIGHTEEN

(interrogative adj.), (+ d-) he/she/they who (relative

pronoun)
^m<< amen verily, truly
<}&\*in b-hartd finally, in the end
r n.<n hoyden then, at that time
<<aA l-md lest

Exercise 18

Identify, read, and translate the following Ethpeel forms:

A \3a<<^i<<:\ ei<n 3

<6<n tjjq^^li <<\n ..en <<. \~i^i53 5

vij^n^^oa^ <<\da 7

.atn^n ^-i \ 10
Reading Exercise 18

c\n*1 .^arA ^3<TL.^Ufl eA<Cat i^eLaA << s<< , H_53<< <<L_i<< .£<< 1

X <tA .o^iS^cr ^ELtunrt .ujL^xJn <<\*inc\

111

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

,■ imcv .i^ r __. ,s _A ^___ ,! in t _a<<_\<<:\ ^^ *-* — Jcii 2

e____<< :^£La_A << i<< \_o<< ^ ,n <d<< .t^ ianiia\

t ■<> — * etn_L_c\ .^c^A __<CAn ^rA c_*\_ici .^ ^".-i-™\x-i\

^.N^n-i ^l^\ y'irinn ,A.<< A_. eA-ei <v cl_A <<i_an ^ sal

<<.*nir'-in veA___c__<<n _<no-__ ^cvcn-in <<____<< .^__A ^an^ei

_i __oe» :<< -r".*i A__ci << _A- A__ vTi___z__. .t, in_on ckti

i*; <_\<i_. A_ci <<_<<_. Ax cn^v^^Q

,-irmn yjcn .^A<A__a ^co-A <<.*Ta-rn <<_\c_A_a <<_nn_\ ytu«n 3

^ ,n t-Ta_ .<n"_1 __>c\ <<__l_ •_.'Hc»<<_. __S_cl ^ .tYr.ti.Q-rA

<^2n\*%fvi y. _ctic\ .^ \-irn _=___jjc\ ._cicti ^ _q'i">ii ^ »<!_ l_q

^_>n yjcn ,^nt *ra ^ »<n*DN iwi <CAct . yr _<T£;\___rA -<«•-<

:___. . ^ »<r_>?\— -— >A 73 x <<_<<_i__ <s it-r *ra .i»w' << > Ah't>'.->.«

_\ct<n ^A\a <fi_A__3c\ vy-ana r <rA_. 73.1 .«__i_ v i \__c\<<

7_h ^ ,t_vn .<!___ ■HckC- c_j_c\__. .<<_\<< <<___u> <<<n :<<_____

^ .n .^Ji-o^ . y_.cn! a^sj^A yjo-ici . v .\<n <<_A«A__a ^ .<tA_.

<^cnn . y____o___Q ^--~3 ,_A y__cti :<<______iA <<C_A___> yjcn

<_D3_ :^3Q<^ct <s_v-i___ yi<n ___. .,. _n____A ^jktA c\->\n

y .i~l|_on y A*<( _\cA ^ __f <<_<< .y-__Ac\ yA n^fni <<_

y_A><scv .<<___j <^_j<s . y _(}_a_ Af<^ :__.ci . y _A y____fc\

.<d.*\h{ n_i_\_\<<a .<<AcA_ _i cn_Q-- A__ _ci<n y-__A-_an

^33<srt <<_!_'___<< <<_A<A__3 y__<Tl ._<< __\<< y ,n <<_\T__3

y .*T3<< :y ,<fA \_a<<cl <"_i_. y.n ei<n -i-A -»--* >*^» v^n

•>£ v -v\ <<___:_ <<An >V _A <<_<< \_a<<

112

Lesson Nineteen

§ 19.1 The Ethpaal Conjugation. The Ethpaal conjugation, the
medio-passive of the Pael, is regularly inflected in the perfect, with
predictable reduction before vowel-initial postformatives. The ex-
ample is etqabbal 'be received' < Pael qabbel 'receive.' Note par-
ticularly that the e vowel of the Pael becomes a throughout the con-
jugation, both perfect and imperfect, of the Ethpaal. 1

3 m \-in£><< etqabbal

f >a~i.,w etqabblat

2 m ^X-iwW etqabbalt

f ^\ib^ etqabbalt

1 c &\-in^<< etqabblet

v ).l\-lwW

etqabbal(un)

etqabbal(en)

etqabbalton

etqabbalten

etqabbaln(an)

The imperfect is also regularly inflected, with predictable reductions:

3 m
f

2m

f

lc

Ana in
\-iw)b>b

v \~lHl\l^l

X-if.W

netqabbal

tetqabbal

tetqabbal

tetqabblin

etqabbal

"i\-iw>ii)n

netqabblun

netqabbldn

tetqabblun

tetqabbldn

netqabbal

The participles, of which there are only active forms (although with
middle/passive meanings), are predictable:

masc.

AnaAoa metqabbal ^iauien metqabblin

'The Syriac Ethpaal conjugation corresponds to the Pual 0?i>3) of Hebrew and
the fifth form ( jiii) of Arabic.

113

fern.

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<f\ -n-i^i5o metqabbla \\~in^iaa metqabblan

The infinitive is regularly and familiarly formed, <Aaak=n metqab-
bdlu.

§ 19.2 Metathesis in Ethpaal. The same metatheses that affect
Ethpeel are also found in Ethpaal, e.g., 1-s: »\<y salleq > jAkta^ es-
tallaq 'be lifted up,' I-.?. - ±1^^. lahheq > n^in^^ eStahhaq 'be
smashed,' l-s: J^sallah > .AN^ estallah 'be ripped open,' and \-z:
^xyiabben > >rin,<< ezdabban 'be sold.'

PERF. 3M/FS ±A2neo<< estallaq

IMPERF. 3MS/P jAinttu nestallaq

IMPERATIVE jAisitrxC estallaq

PART. M/F jA^Rcaaa mestallaq

INF. etcAkcaaa mestalldqu

ia*Aiaia< estallqat
^itA2nrti nestallqun

<<tAiicQ33 mestallqd

§ 19.3 III- Weak Verbs in Ethpaal. The Ethpaal of Ill-weak verbs
does not differ from the Pael of Ill-weak verbs given in § 16.2(2). An
example is ^n dakki 'purify' > ^n2n<< etdakki 'be purified'

PERF. 3M/FS ^2n<<

etdakki

Auii«<(

etdakkyat

IMPERF. 3MS/P ^*u

netdakke

vCjm\£U

netdakkon

IMPERF. 3FS/P <<*:\2n2n

tetdakke

^a^di

netdakkydn

IMPT. M/F <^ii<<

etdakkd

j^ni\<<

etdakkdy

PART. M/F ^haz

metdakke

(CsAdD)

metdakkyd

INF. ewi^ida

metdakkdyu

The inflection of all other root types in Ethpaal is either com-
pletely regular or predictable from the Pael.

(1) l-alap:^<alles 'compel' >^<in<C etallas 'be compelled'

PERF. 3M/FS Jx$n< etallas

IMPERF. 3MS/P JxSto netallas

IMPERATIVE _j\<<2ii<< etallas

PART. M/F Jx&cn metallas

INF. *A<<}a=n metalldsu

114

ituA<<^v<< etallsat
„^<ioi netallsun

<<~\«£i3a metallsd

LESSON NINETEEN

(2) ll-dlap: A<<*. sa "el 'ask questions' > A<<2h*l<< esta"al 'be
asked questions'

PERF. 3M/FS A«^<< e$ta"al iAtism* eSta"lat

IMPERF. 3MS/P A^inau neSta"al ^in^ neSta"lun

IMPERATIVE A<C^*,<< eSta"al

PART. M/F A^itxja mesta ' 'al A<(iiu^a meSta ' 'Id

INF. «A<<W<<33 mesa ' 'dlu

(3) l-y: ^n. yaqqar 'honor' > Ttuii<< etyaqqar 'be honored'

PERF. 3M/FS Sa,^ etyaqqar ZatbuZsiK etyaqqrat

IMPERF. 3MS/P 'ua.iu netyaqqar *$^)s* netyaqqrun

IMPERATIVE Sa.in< etyaqqar

PART. M/F Sa,ii£a metyaqqar K'^uin^n metyaqqrd

INF. a^kn metyaqqdru

(4) hollow: i.\, tayyeb 'prepare' > ^3^\,2n<< ettayyab 'be pre-
pared'

PERF. 3M/FS .nA^ ettayyab h-i\i*< ettayybat

IMPERF. 3MS/P ^u\,2iu nettayyab ^\\h* nettayybun

IMPERATIVE .=u\><< ettayyab

PART. M/F i.\,^iaa mettayyab <<-i.\,£aa mettayybd

INF. ai.\,k33 mettayydbu

Vocabulary 19

NOUNS

<<\4<< eggdrd rooftop

<<m<< edwa (f) ear

<<ift<< ate pi afwaftf sign, token

<<eun cfa>wa evil spirit, devil

<t\^n* hmird leaven

<<a^^a priM Pharisee

<<3aciAB qnomd self (reflexive pronoun)

<<:«<a=. ■?&/« demon, devil

115

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

VERBS

\<n^ ezdahhar to beware
,\*<Z akrez to proclaim, announce; Ethpeel (etkrez) to be
broadcast
7>\ifta=.<< eStallam to be completed, finished
n^an^ etdammar to be astonished
±^}n< etidcf to be known
A^ gld/negle to reveal; Ethpeel (Wg//j to be revealed
:*.* ddS/nduS to tread; Pael (dayyeS) to trample
^i\* hreb/nehrab to be laid waste, be ruined
,.t\, ta?& to hide, conceal; Ethpaal (ettaSSi) to hide oneself,

be concealed
<<eoa ksd/nekse to cover, clothe
,-g,A lahheS to whisper
Aro met/// to fill, fulfill, accomplish; Ethpaal (etmalli) to be

filled, fulfilled, accomplished
ja Marai to try, test, ask (/- someone) for (something) as

proof
-4^a palleg to divide; Ethpaal (etpallag) to be divided
ADJECTIVES

.sc'ui hreS/harSd dumb, mute
'ucth nahhir light, full of light
<<<nj she (fern sahyd) thirsty
OTHERS

TsntieA luqdam first of all
^.sira ^n men bdtarken afterwards (adv.)
<<S<Ca -"■*» nsafe b-appe to be hypocritical
PROPER NAME

■3an t \\-i b c elzbob Beelzebub
<<i\,m sdtdnd Satan

Exercise 19

Identify, read, and translate the following Ettaphal forms:

ymaa^ ^<fCJ^co <CadLi 1
116

LESSON NINETEEN

c\ciqi yiti^iuzi <<\ (ft\^m <£Aa<^uin ycruni&^A 2

<<cv<n *-i.\^oa ^A^aX^ 3

<<ac.eC3a\ <<»in a \\q^\<< 4

^i-Hcn^ <<\ 5

ncnnpa <<\n <<n~i \ 8

Y<rildU3 c\-V^ yYY,aa^ <<Cacj 10
Reading Exercise 19

<<ei<n Tijj'Hn ci<n <<n^n\^Aci <n in<<X cfi^ ^ »n ^.cux^ 1

■i-Jra^ci .^^k\n <<<n .<<^n_j<< :<n_ 33<<-A 'i 3a<<« .^s<< tin

<nT-3^ <<^n \t -en ^ aac\ .^ aa<< <<<n :ocn <<n^jA^sii

~ax a*A a** ^ox.aaa ii^-2 V -^'o* liu^a 2Aosa <uu3kA2 a^o 2
2S.y>.. ^o * <v»q»^ 0307392 ■pa-caal •■ ^^ .vAa\ SWvA ^.ox.
2_la / ft^a pate r -? A—l .tl^ia .-i ftv> -.©joA-23 .N.S^a
^AitoZ 2ao t..ia i—\ A-A .^a-Aj 2_As , , t\,V>3 Ao -A\Aj
2ii\2 A_A .^oA y.A Z_iaZa 2__ioAaa piko .3_toAju 2a_©tts
\"? ,—1-2 ,-to v ol*aA A :^o^al r a ^oal 1*1 a>o2 . fa&Aj
^ ^-«vvA a*A- p?te ^oojl AA ^sAs ^oo . 2aa^3

\v \*> .Ula. oon .fi aj »aj tacn .U.w -oiol^ij .Ula. ,n<Vo »ao 3

117

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

La.) amj\N-<-> .oopi v oou*> ^t la_i/ .Lala oyojilo .la.;- obi
,-Ala. Uoa. ^> IU o\ v n>iv> o r ? Lj'u/ ./a? boi .aa*> la«
qjl^d \^a <v oo\ up/ . 1 v ooiN-^«»'t> /ooi ^w) r i ^oa- .o\ 0061
v /o ^sj .^O^aNia oitoQiC \ik.) Ifr^ao .^aul onaqi V^ ^U)

^mahSbata thoughts.

118

Lesson Twenty

§ 20.1 The Ettaphal Conjugation. The Ettaphal conjugation, the
medio-passive of the Aphel, is regularly formed. All its forms are
quite regular and entirely predictable. 1 The -tt- of this conjugation re-
sults from assimilation of the initial glottal stop of the Aphel
(*et'ap c al > ettap c al).

Perfect:

3 m
f

2m

f

lc

Imperfect:

3m
f

2m

f

lc

■»<in-A-n^n^\<<

ettamlak

ettamlkat

ettamlakt

ettamlakt

ettamlket

v^nk.^ nettamlak

\^ninin tettamlak

^ahiB. tettamlak

v ^\-n\i)n tettamlkin

i^n^vi(i<< ettamlak

(^■ninV ettamlak(un)

(y)^Aaii\^i<< ettamlak(en)

^n->\*Ta^^<< ettamlakton

v >»«A»n\iW ettamlakten

N -A-n^\<< ettamlakn(an)

^-Ati^u nettamlkun

"^-A-n^u nettamlkdn

»^->\iaAA tettamlkun

\->\ia^i^i tettamlkdn

v^akiai nettamlak

Participles (like the Ethpaal participle, active in form but medio-pas-
sive in sense):

'The Syriac Ettaphal conjugation corresponds to the Hophal ("wan) of Hebrew
and the tenth form (J»ii-I) of Arabic.

119

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

masc. i^aaivioa mettamlak v -A»rA£\aa mettamlkin

fem. <CAminiR3a mettamlkd " v ->\T>^naa mettamlkdn

Infinitive: <a->\tia^oa mettamlaku.

The only variant form that needs to be dealt with in the Ettaphal
is the hollow root, for the Ettaphal replaces the Ethpeel of all hollow
types: as yua sdm 'to place' > ettsim 'to be placed': perf. y^tain.^
ettsim/ettsimat, impf. y^^ain^ nettsim/nettsimun, impt. Tumii^wC
ettsim, part. yiicniah^a mettsim/mettsimd, inf. coaminAoa mettsdmu.

The Ettaphal of all other types is completely predictable from the
Aphel: \-n: .ns<< appeq 'cast out' > .naii^ ettappaq 'be cast out'; ni-
weak: -»*.<< aSqi 'give to drink, water' > ..n-«-^\<< ettaSqi 'be made to
drink, watered'; i-v: ±*<\< awdcf 'make known' > .i.n«^<< ettawda c
'be made known'; geminate: A^<<a cc e/ 'bring in' > A^ii<< etta cc al
'be brought in.'

§ 20.2 Adjectives/Nouns in -and. Substantives that end in the
suffix -and in the emphatic masc. sing, make the fem. sing, in -dnitd,
e.g. (peAas <<ia«\ 7 tubdnd pawlos 'Blessed Paul' but 71/oa <<2iuiaa\,
tubdnitd maryam 'Blessed Mary.'

Plurals are regularly formed, masc. in -one, fem. in -dnydtd; ab-
solute singulars end in -an and -dni (see §15.6).

§ 20.3 Substantivization of Participles. Participles of the G-form
assume substantive (adjective/noun) status in the emphatic form,
e.g., noun shed 'to witness' > wta sdhed 'witnessing' > <<n<ma
sdhdd 'witness, martyr' and j^ prah 'to fly' > j^ pdrah 'flying'
> ^iiui'ia pdrahtd 'bird.'

The emphatic participles of Ill-weak G-verbs are regularly
formed on the pattern CdCyd, with v almost always representing the
weak third consonant. The emphatic masc. pi. of these substan-
tivized participles is -ayyd, e.g., K±\ r c d 'to tend (flocks)' > act. part.
<LL\ rd c e > emph. ^^ rd c yd 'shepherd' pi <C-x"\ ra c ayyd (and, in
this and other cases, <<^itu."\ rd c awwatd).

120

LESSON TWENTY

Participles of the increased forms, i.e., those that begin with m,
are substantivized by adding the suffix -and (fern, -dnitd, absolute
-dni [§15.4]), e.g.:

Tu'ia mrahhem 'having mercy' > << 1 sui j cn mrahhmdnd 'merciful'

Aaaao mqabbel 'receiving' > <<Aatiaa mqabbldnd 'recipient'

,«v\na mallep 'teaching' > ^.aW mallpdnd 'teacher'

<^,aaa mpasse 'saving' > <<^-a33 mpassydnd 'savior'

7>\tt> maSlem 'betraying' > <Ciao\at3j maSlmdnd 'traitor'

7v»- \^oa metgSem 'embodied' > <6mi--^iiao metgaSmdnd 'corporeal'

<<^-r*Ta meStte 'being drunk' > ^..)«>n^^ meStatydnd 'drinkable'

^■\aiftao metkarrak 'wandering' > <CL=^iua metkarrkdnd 'mendicant'

aiu^iiiao mettnih 'resting' > <<niuiRioa mettnihdnd 'at rest, restful'

§ 20.4 Abstraction of Substantivized Participles. All substan-
tivized participles may be abstracted by adding the suffix -utd
(absolute -u, see §15.6), e.g.:

sdhdd 'witness, martyr' > <<iirtn<ntn sdhdutd 'testimony, martyrdom'
mrahhmdnd 'merciful' > ^etca^^ mrahhmdnutd 'mercy'
mqabbldnd 'recipient' > ^aA^a=a mqabbldnutd 'receptivity'
mallpdnd 'teacher' > ^m^\-n mallpdnutd 'teaching, doctrine'
mpassydnd 'savior' > ^euuyarn mpassydnutd 'deliverance'
maSlmdnd 'traitor' > <<rJftaoa\-r3a maSlmdnutd 'treachery, betrayal'
metgaSmdnd 'corporeal' > Ai-dy ^naa metgaSmdnutd 'incarnation'
meStatydnd 'drinkable' > <<^cii^ni-*n meStatydnutd 'potability'
metkarrkdnd 'mendicant' > <^v<ua^i&53 metkarrkdnutd 'mendicancy'
mettnihdnd 'restful' > <^<*nuiiniis3 mettnihdnutd 'restfulness'

§ 20.5 Other Verbal Patterns. The secondary verbal patterns given
below are found with a number of roots. Their occurrence, however,
cannot be predicted.

(1) PALPEL (palpel), the vocalic patterning of all forms of which
is exactly like that of Pael. Verbs of the Palpel pattern are of three
types:

(a) quadriliteral, or roots consisting of four distinct conso-

121

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

nants, e.g., 714^ targem 'to translate' (impf. tm^ ntargem,
act. part. Ts-^ioa mtargem, pass. part. 73_^kaa mtargam, inf.
eoa-^ioa mtargdmu).

(b) biliteral roots reduplicated, often for onomatopoeic verbs,
e.g., xxtj>. c ar c ar 'to gargle' and 'caa'oa marmar 'to make bitter.'

(c) triliteral with third radical reduplicated, e.g., nu^ c abded
'to reduce to servitude.'

(2) ETHPALPAL (etpalpal), the medio-passive of Palpel, as
7i_^^w< ettargam 'to be/get translated,' I ai'aiii<< etmarmar 'to
be/get embittered, enraged,' and :\:ei^<< efabdad 'to be reduced to
servitude.'

(3) PALI (pa c li). This pattern serves as the Palpel for roots with
a weak fourth radical and for triliteral roots to which a weak fourth
radical has been added, e.g., -.t^i nakri/nnakre) 'to alienate' and
^h^h. tahtil ntahte) 'to bring down.'

(4) ETHPALI (etpa c li), the medio-passive of Pali, e.g., -^£\<< et-
nakri/ netnakre 'to be estranged' and -^^<< ettahti/nettahte 'to be
brought down.'

(5) SHAPHEL (Sap c el), a secondary factitive form, usually with a
different shade of meaning from Pael and Aphel, as w\t sa c bed/
nSa c bed 'to enslave' (cf. Aphel a c bed 'to put to work, cause to
work') and ^nciat Sawda c /nSawda c 'to make clear, explain (cf. Aphel
awda c 'to inform, make known').

(6) ESHTAPHAL (eStap c al), the medio-passive of Shaphel, as
rvni.^xi<< eSta c bad/neSta c bad 'to be enslaved' and is«i«*<(
eStawda c / neStawda c 'to perceive, see.'

(7) PAHLI (pahli), a factitive form in which an extra consonant is
inserted between the first and second radicals of a Ill-weak root, e.g.,
<<i*. Snd 'to be altered' > ■ \- Sagni/nSagne 'to alter.'

(8) ETHPAHLI (etpahli), the medio-passive of Pahli, as .^iu=.<<:

122

LESSON TWENTY

estagni/neStagne to be displaced, different.'

(9) PAIEL (pay c el), a secondary factitive/transitivizing pattern,
e.g., y^Shen 'to grow warm' > y^ Sayhen 'to enrage' (cf. Pael
sahhen 'to make warm, heat up' and Aphel aShen 'to give warmth').

(10) ETHPAIAL (etpay c al), the medio-passive of Paiel, e.g.,
yi.iv^ eStayhan 'to rage, rave.'

(11) PAUEL (paw c el), a secondary factitive/transitivizing pattern,
e.g., <<TT<&pu$dsd 'evaporation' > a^eia pawses 'to dissipate.'

(12) ETHPAUAL (etpaw c al), the medio-passive of Pauel, e.g.,
at*.«ain<< etpawsas 'to waste away.'

§ 20.6 Miscellaneous Noun Patterns. Following are noun patterns
that are fairly frequent in occurrence and predictable in meaning:

( 1 ) PAOLA (pd c old), a pattern indicating intensive, habitual or
'professional' activity in the root meaning, as <<wai c dbodd 'maker'
(< c bad 'to make'), sdgodd 'worshipper' (< sged 'to worship'),
<<i.«A. yddo c d 'expert' (< ida c 'to know') and <<^ei\^a mdlokd
'advisor' (< mlak 'to advise').

(2) PUALA (pu c dld), an abstract noun derived from the root
meaning, as <C-=m*. Surdyd 'beginning' (< Sarri 'to begin'), <<ai\eva=.
Suldmd 'end' (< slem 'to be finished'), <<^Atu, huldmd 'health' (<
hlim 'well, hail') and «SaWi suldqd 'ascension' (< sleq 'to ascend').

(3) MAPHAL (abs map c al, emph map c ld), a noun of place, as
<fawi madbrd 'wilderness' (< dbar 'to lead a flock to pasture in
the wilderness'), <Ooas3 madbhd 'altar' (< dbah 'to slaughter, sacri-
fice'), <Cun^3 madnhd 'the east' (< dnah 'for the sun to rise'), and
.Ca^uoa ma c rbd 'the west' (< c reb 'for the sun to set').

Vocabulary 20

NOUNS

<<Aieu£o<< dsyutd pi -swdtd healing, cure

123

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Asa.*

<<\oei3s.

ADJECTIVES
AAn

^3\n

VERBS

ncneo<<

gamld camel

geppd wing

/irora opening, eye (of a needle)

talyutd childhood

fowa cup

mhattd needle

nefcsa (usually in the pi) riches, wealth

nesyond temptation

simtd treasure

c aynd (f) eye; spring

parrugd chick

reSdnd nobleman, prince

Suqrd falsehood

ta c ld fox

tarndgultd hen

tarndgld (abs tamdgul) cock

fcn'fc blessed

d/i7 easy

hassir lacking, missing

hreb/harbd desolate, laid waste

yaqqir heavy; honored, noble

krih sick, infirm

c teU c atld hard, difficult

ashed/nashed to bear witness, testify
eStbeq/neStbeq (Ethpeel of Sbaq) to be abandoned, for-
saken
eSti/neSte to drink
eStlem to be given up, handed over
etkmar to be sad
ettnih to rest

etfiq (^ C WQ) to be wearied
etfir to wake up
gnab/negnob to steal
gdr/ngur to commit adultery
124

LESSON TWENTY

Ae\ wale I- it is necessary for (only the act. part, of the de-
fective verb is used)
tb. yaqqar/nyaqqar to honor
irt. iret/nerat to inherit
atia knaS/neknoS to gather, collect; Pael (kanneS) assemble,

bring togather
-\a> krUnekre I- to be sad (used impersonally in the 3rd
fem. sing., as keryat li 'I became sad')
<\-n mtd/nemte to arrive
n\& praq/neproq to depart, go away, withdraw
*iijio s c ar/nes c or (1) to do, perform; (2) to visit
-eiia qawwi to remain, stay
y±4\ rgam/nergom to stone
\<n=. Shar/neShar to stay awake, keep vigil
Aaaat Samli/nSamle (Shaphel of mid) to do thoroughly, com-
plete, finish; Eshtaphal (eStamli/ neStamle) to be at an
end, be finished
OTHERS

■71*13 bram nonetheless, however
<<i33eu yawmdnd today
<£na kmd (+ abs. pi.) how many?
^n *a\ l-bar men outside of
\i£r mhdr tomorrow
«<aao mekkd from here, hence
\.->t> mekkel henceforth, later; then, therefore
hu*h. thet beneath, under (prep.)

Reading Exercise 20

<<jHjacia .<<<nA<< •* ^ ^ <<\<< <<"i\, 2n_A .<<n\, A ^u<<

<<Ae\ .aei_»_^ << \a .\cufa. <<Ao .Acl^b^i <<\ .^u<< ^.nl

•\_3a<< '^ «iyA«< ^cia<<\ ntr. .<< , Hticiic.n <<^ici^<ti-cq n<n m^\

125

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<^tve\ <S.*4\-r~i <<^n Ta.m v^A <<ci«n^ie\ .<< nm'TU ^acne\ .</A
« ^\\^n <<n,<\ lia?^ .«tA ^C\an ^.clse^ <^pj n^ci -^a\, 'x^
<0=u^. ci<< .Aci^j <<_\ 7 JjL^an ^nci^ui^in << \t\ \\ -cri <CAA^

CUJDCV :cl_v5lsc.n -■ A.^ <yA ^ .\53<^ .^CtA*^ cnfllcv -AT)\

<<A <<atilc3 2s\eiAn ^ A.<< :\za<Z y.n ^cia=^ .<<^tA .iath

\) raoS :oA r a>b2o .£x.a£ ^o Zju2 oaara Zaoou oois 012 2

<Af :^oau ^oe& aibZ .g\yn*A Z-a^. ^baoaora A^io ' ^ %v> ^

2jZ 7 ^\ 2Ao_£>2o 2aZ_Jt £-»2 .n ^V> 2©7? .2_»©7 Ai.Ai oaio2

V Ao pi— a -I— »Z 1 W*a»v. ZA^AAa ? v>f> Ao . a~*>o iiioa.

/■■'v-.v* A? A\*> Aj2 Z_ia«2 kaoAo an \g>2 a — Joo iiiooya

f .^« a N.^i-1 .*pAxao2 7=Aiio2 .-plxao2 ^o aaa aali Z—aja

V»-* A -.*.vA A^Aa^ ^isf /aoAt .ctAcA v .,, \i a ,A.A Aaa\ao

lot -yO^a^ Ao .oil£L\ A—A. ov^oa^ Zju^a 2A_Aa^»aA. ^-2

^uo^A Aa ^ \ ^a-aA 2j2 aib2 .£aa-. ^A-a ^o^i aaAiio

'X' 2-atoD entou ZA2a 007 ^^= r^oaJoZAa Zaaal

, w|r>; - .v\N\ ^)io .^flo*^ LusNto) IkaoA ^oa- v ocr\>o^. Ill v «on 3
-^«.o ..^j Ji=» v ooV»1Ao LaLA i^>o .lAj! "V ^ .Lajcn o_=l.
) *v v , «q\ 6A -61 L;_a , v ooA wtolo .a-DikiNAo ocaaKA
^ \ ^ ^ \ cm o ^ \r> .Dv_ao >"^ ojcn*.o Lajcn -A oq_d .ILqsA
.Lioi Una r' i-^' .L-a*is v l .— =»l .^iio low lAjtoO .-cno_ja!
..oio^AI. LoA lllo .LjI ^1 LA .LiI U>i L.I? r l LA >>»

K. 1^ v oN^a*.! IA Uacn .ULA ^Joio .v-atoj j v ojI ,-aa.lo
l~>.^^ L-oj .LiCLxnA v <Ai.i A? .0^0 ou^.U! — 20^. v ojov»i)

LA v l a/ .i^lo Aj ., Vi-t) ,-i.jI.j^il ^oi .ot-ia ^» i^

lllo ,' -^2. ' OOUl •w'^-'^ JL ' \' LA u-niu) Una Lion -*_ajLto
v o_il r> ->« ft .„66i v ; ,h, Uv^ v oo\JLi> .^ato) »a v cul ~n«.l .s^oi

126

LESSON TWENTY

Lck. Ill ,—wOn .iJol IkAA cnAo . v ,V->) K\L> Aj jaol "^jlo
.Itv^jL N^op /on .Q^ji.i.lo V*vn o_ato) . v oovA iJ»lo .^onoj" ,t>\I

127

Appendix A

VERBAL INFLECTIONS

In the following inflections, the model root is inflected in all possible conjugations, regardless of whether
or not those forms actually exist in that root. Spirantization is marked for ^IKTB only.

PEAL

PAEL

APHEL

ETHPEEL

ETHPAAL

ETTAPHAL

(1) SOUND ROOT, model ^KTB

Perfect

3 m sing

ktab

katteb

akteb

etkteb

etkattab

ettaktab

3 f sing

ketbat

kattbat

aktbat

etkatbat

etkattbat

ettaktbat

2 sing

ktabt

kattebt

aktebt

etktebt

etkattabt

ettaktabt

1 c sing

ketbet

kattbet

aktbet

etkatbet

etkattbet

ettaktbet

3 mpl

ktab(un)

katteb(un)

akteb(un)

etktebjun)

etkattabjun)

ettaktab(un)

3fpl

ktabjen)

katteb(en)

aktebjen)

etkteb(en)

etkattabjen)

ettaktabjen)

2 mpl

ktabton

kattebton

aktebton

etktebton

etkattabton

ettaktabton

2fpl

ktabten

kattebten

aktebten

etktebten

etkattabjen

ettaktabten

lcpl

ktabn(an)

kattebn(an)

aktebn(an)

etktebn(an)

etkattabn(an)

ettaktabn(an)

128

Imperfect

3 m sing

nektob

nkatteb

nakteb

netkteb

netkattab

nettaktab

3 f sing

tektob

tkatteb

takteb

tetkteb

tetkattab

tettaktab

2 m sing

tektob

tkatteb

takteb

tetkteb

tetkattab

tettaktab

2 f sing

tektbin

tkattbin

taktbin

tetkatbin

tetkattbin

tettaktbin

1 c sing

ektob

ekatteb

akteb

etkteb

etkattab

ettaktab

3 mpl

nektbun

nkattbun

naktbun

netkatbun

netkattbun

nettaktbun

3 f pi

nektbdn

nkattbdn

naktbdn

netkatbdn

netkattbdn

nettaktbdn

2 mpl

tektbun

tkattbun

taktbun

tetkatbun

tetkattbun

tettaktbun

2fpl

tektbdn

tkattbdn

taktbdn

tetkatbdn

tetkattbdn

tettaktbdn

lcpl

nektob

nkatteb

nakteb
Imperative

netkteb

netkattab

nettaktab

sing

ktob

katteb

akteb

etkteb/etkatb

etkattab

ettaktab

mpl

ktobjun)

kattebjun)

aktebjun)

etktebjun)

etkattabjun)

ettaktabjun)

fpl

ktobjen)

katteb(en)

aktebjen)

etktebjen)

etkattabjen)

ettaktabjen)

Active Participle Absolute

masc sing

kdteb

mkatteb

makteb

metkteb

metkattab

mettaktab

fern sing

kdtbd

mkattbd

maktbd

metkatbd

metkattbd

mettaktbd

129

mascpl

kdtbin

mkattbin

maktbin metkatbin

metkattbin

mettaktbin

fern pi

kdtbdn

mkattbdn

maktbdn metkatbdn

metkattbdn

mettaktbdn

Passive Participle Absolute

ktib

mkattab

maktab —
Infinitive

—

—

mektab

mkattdbu

maktdbu metktdbu

metkattdbu

mettaktdbu

(2) III-WEAK ROOT, model ^IGLY

Perfect

3 m sing
3 f sing

2 sing

1 c sing

3 m pi
3 f pi

2 m pi
2fpl
lcpl

gld

galli

agli

etgli

etgalli

ettagli

gldt

gallyat

aglyat

etgalyat

etgallyat

ettaglyat

glayt

galliyt

agliyt

etgliyt

etgalliyt

ettagliyt

glet

gallit

aglit

etglit

etgallit

ettaglit

glow

galli

agli

etgli

etgalli

ettagli

glay

galli

agli

etgli

etgalli

ettagli

glayton

galliyton

agliyton

etgliyton

etgalliyton

ettagliyton

glayten

galliyten

agliyten

etgliyten

etgalliyten

ettagliyten

glayn(an)

galliyn(an)

agliyn(an)

etgliyn(an)

etgalliyn(an)

ettagliyn(an)

130

Imperfect

3 m sing

negle

ngalle

nagle

netgle

netgalle

nettagle

3 f sing

tegle

tgalle

tagle

tetgle

tetgalle

tettagle

2 m sing

tegle

tgalle

tagle

tetgle

tetgalle

tettagle

2 f sing

tegleyn

tgalleyn

tagleyn

tetgleyn

tetgalleyn

tettagleyn

1 c sing

egle

egalle

agle

etgle

etgalle

ettagle

3 mpl

neglon

ngallon

naglon

netglon

netgallon

nettaglon

3fpl

neglydn

ngallydn

naglydn

netgalydn

netgallydn

nettaglydn

2 mpl

teglon

tgallon

taglon

tetglon

tetgallon

tettaglon

2fpl

teglydn

tgallydn

taglydn

tetgalydn

tetgallydn

tettaglydn

lcpl

negle

ngalle

nagle
Imperative

netgle

netgalle

nettagle

msing

gli

galld

agld

etglay

etgalla

ettagld

f sing

gldy

galldy

agldy

etgldy

etgalldy

ettagldy

mpl

glow

gallaw

aglaw

etglaw

etgallaw

ettaglaw

fpl

gldyen

galldyen

agldyen

etgldyen

etgalldyen

ettagldyen

m sing

gale

Active Participle Absolute

mgalle magle metgle

metgalle mettagle

131

f sing

mpl

fpl

galya

gdleyn

gdlydn

mgallyd

mgalleyn

mgallydn

maglyd metgalyd
magleyn metgleyn
maglydn metgalydn

metgallyd

metgalleyn

metgallydn

mettaglyd

mettagleyn

mettaglydn

Passive Participle Absolute

msing
f sing
mpl
fpl

gle
galya
gleyn
galydn

mgallay
mgallyd
mgallyin
mgallydn

maglay —
maglyd —
maglyin —
maglydn

Infinitives

—

—

megld mgallayu

(3) HOLLOW ROOT, model VAWM

3 m sing
3 f sing
2 sing
1 c sing

nam
ndmat
ndmt
ndmet

nawwem
nawwmat
nawwemt
nawwmet

maglayu metglayu metgallayu mettaglayu

Perfect

anim TheEthpeelof etnawwam ettnim

animat all hollow roots etnawwmat ettnimat

animt is replaced by etnawwamt ettnimt

animet theEttaphal etnawwmet ettnimet

132

3 mpl
3fpl
2 mpl
2fpl
lcpl

3 m sing
3 f sing
2 m sing

2 f sing

1 c sing

3 mpl
3fpl

2 mpl
2fpl
lcpl

ndm(un)

nam(en)

ndmton

ndmten

ndmn(an)

nnum

tnum

tnum

tnumin

num.

nnumun

nnumdn

tnumun

tnumdn

nnum

nawwem(un) animfun)

nawwem(en) anim(en)

nawwemton animton

nawwemten animten

nawwemn(an) animn(an)

Imperfect

nnawwem

tnawwem

tnawwem

tnawwmin

enawwem

nnawwmun

nnawwmdn

tnawwmun

tnawwmdn

nnawwem

nmm

tnim

tnim

tnimin

nim

nnimun

nnimdn

tnimun

tnimdn

nnim

etnawwamfun) ettnim(un)

etnawwamfm) ettnim(en)

etnawwamton ettnimton

etnawwamten ettnimten

dnawwernn(an) ettnimn(an)

netnawwam nettnim

tetnawwam tettnim

tetnawwam tettnim

tetnawwmin tettnimin

etnawwam ettnim

netnawwmun nettnimun

netnawwmdn nettnimdn

tetnawwmun tettnimun

tetnawwmdn tettnimdn

netnawwam nettnim

Imperative

sing
mpl

num nawwem mm

num(un) nawwem(un) nim(un)

tnawwam ettnim
tnawwam(un) ettnimfun)

133

fpl

num(en)

nawwem(en) nim(en)

Active Participle Absolute

msing

nd'em

mnawwem mnim

f sing

ndymd

mnawwmd mnitnd

mpl

ndymin

mnawwmin mnimin

fpl

ndymdn

mnawwmdn mnimdn

tnawwam(en) ettnimfen)

metnawwarn mettnim
metnawwmd mettnimd
metnawwmin mettnimin
metnawwmdn mettnimdn

Passive Participle Absolute

m sing mm
f sing nimd

mnawwam
mnawwmd

mnam
mndmd

Infinitives

mndm

mnawwdmu

mndmu

metnawwdmu

mettndmu

(4) l-y ROOT, model

•Jyld

Perfect

3 m sing iled
3 f sing yeldat

yalled
yalldat

awled
awldat

etiled
etyaldat

etyallad
etyalldat

ettawlad
ettawldat

134

2 sing

1 c sing

3 m pi
3fpl

2 m pi
2fpl
lcpl

3 m sing
3 f sing
2 m sing

2 f sing

1 c sing

3 m pi
3fpl

2 m pi
2fpl
lcpl

iledt
yeldet

iled(un)

iled(en)

iledton

iledten

iledn(an)

nelad

telad

telad

teldin

elad

neldun

nelddn

teldun

telddn

nelad

yalledt
yalldet

yalled(un)

yalled(en)

yalledton

yalledten

yalledn(an)

nyalled

tyalled

tyalled

tyalldin

eyailed

nyalldun

nyallddn

tyalldun

tyallddn

nyalled

awledt
awldet

awled(un)

awled(en)

awledton

awledten

awledn(an)

Imperfect

nawled

fowled

fowled

tawldin

awled

nawldun

nawldan

tawldun

tawlddn

nawled

etiledt
etyaldet

etiled(un)

etiled(en)

etiledton

etiledten

etilednfan)

netiled

tetiled

tetiled

tetyaldin

etiled

netyaldun

netyalddn

tetyaldun

tetyalddn

netiled

etyalladt
etvalldet

ettawladt
ettawldet

etyallad(un) ettawlad(un)

etyallad(en) ettawlad(en)

etyalladton ettawladton

etyalladten ettawladten

etyalladn(an) ettawladn(an)

netyallad

tetyallad

tetyallad

tetyalldin

etyallad

netyalldun

netyallddn

tetyalldun

tetyallddn

netyallad

nettawlad

tettawlad

tettawlad

tettawldin

ettawlad

nettawldun

nettawlddh

tettawldun

tettawlddn

nettawlad

135

Imperative

sing
mpl

msing
f sing
mpl
fpl

msing
f sing
mpl
fpl

ilad
ilad(un)

yaled
ydldd
ydldin
ydlddn

Hid
ilidd
ilidin
iliddn

melad

yalled
yalled(un)

awled
awled(un)

etiled/etyald

etiled(un)

etyald(un)

Active Participle Absolute

myalled
myalldd
myalldin
myallddn

mawled
mawldd
mawldin
mawlddn

metiled
metyalda
metyaldin
metyalddn

Passive Participle Absolute

myallad
myalldd
myalldin
myallddn

mawlad
mawldd
mawldin
mawlddn

Infinitives

etyallad ettawlad

etyallad(un) ettawlad(un)

metyallad
metyalldd
metyalldin
metyallddn

mettawlad
mettawldd
mettawldin
mettawlddn

myalladu mawlddu metilddu metyallddu mettawladu

136

(5) GEMINATE ROOT, model ^INDD

Perfect

3 m sing
3 f sing

2 sing

1 c sing

3 m pi
3fpl

2 m pi
2fpl
lcpl

3 m sing
3 f sing
2 m sing

2 f sing
1 c sing

3 m pi

nad

nodded

armed

etnded

etnaddad

ettannad

naddat

nadddat

anndat

etnaddat

etnadddat

ettanndat

nadt

naddedt

annedt

etndedt

etnaddadt

ettannadt

naddet

nadddet

anndet

etnaddet

etnadddet

ettanndet

nad(un)

nadded(un)

anned(un)

etnded(un)

etoaddadfun)

ettannad(un)

nad(en)

nadded(en)

anned(en)

etnded(en)

etnaddad(en)

ettannad(en)

nadton

naddedton

annedton

etndedton

etnaddadton

ettannadton

nadten

naddedten

annedten

etndedten

etnaddadten

ettannadten

nadn(an)

naddedn(an)

annedn(an)
Imperfect

etndedn(an)

etnaddadn(an)

ettannadn(an)

nennad

nnadded

nanned

netnded

netnaddad

nettannad

tennad

tnadded

tanned

tetnded

tetnaddad

tettannad

tennad

tnadded

tanned

tetnded

tetnaddad

tettannad

tenndin

tnadddin

tanndin

tetnaddin

tetnadddin

tettanndin

ennad

enadded

armed

etnded

etnaddad

ettannad

nenndun

nnadddun

nanndun

netnaddun

netnadddun

nettanndun

137

3 f pi

nennddn

nnaddddn

nannddn

netnadddn

netnaddddn

nettanndan

2 m pi

tenndun

tnadddun

tanndun

tetnaddun

tetnadddun

tettanndun

2fpl

tennddn

tnaddddn

tannddn

tetnadddn

tetnaddddn

tettannddn

lcpl

nennad

nnadded

nanned
Imperative

netnded

netnaddad

nettannad

sing

nod

nodded

armed

etnded/etnadd etnaddad

ettannad

mpl

nad(un)

nadded(un)

anned(un)

etnded(un)

etnaddad(un)

ettannad(u

etnadd(un)

Active Participle Absolute

m sing

nd'ed

mnadded

manned

metnded

metnaddad

mettannad

f sing

ndddd

mnadddd

manndd

metnaddd

metnadddd

mettanndd

mpl

ndddin

mnadddin

manndin

metnaddin

metnadddin

mettanndin

fpl

nddddn

mnaddddn

mannddn

metnadddn

metnadddan

mettannddn

Passive Participle

Absolute

msing

ndid

mnaddad

mannad

—

—

—

f sing

ndidd

mnadddd

manndd

—

—

—

mpl

ndidin

mnadddin

manndin

—

—

—

fpl

ndiddn

mnaddddn

mannddn

—

—

—

138

Infinitives

mennad mnaddadu mannadu

(6) \-n and m-GUTTURAL ROOT, model ViVTA

metndadu metnaddddu mettannadu

3 m sing
3 f sing

2 sing

1 c sing

3 m pi
3 f sing

2 m pi
2fpl
lcpl

3 m sing
3 f sing
2 m sing
2 f sing
1 c sing

ntar
netrat
ntart
netret

ntar(un)

ntaiien)

ntarton

ntarten

ntarn(an)

nettar

tettar

tettar

tettrin

ettar

nattar
nattrat
nattart
nattret

nattar(un)

nattar(en)

nattarton

nattarten

nattarn(an)

attar
attrat
attart
attret

attar(un)

attar(en)

attarton

attarten

attarn(an)

Imperfect

nnattar

nattar

tnattar

tattar

tnattar

tattar

tnattrin

tattrin

enattar

attar

etntar
etnatrat
etntart
etnatret

etntar(un)

etntar(en)

etntarton

etntarten

etntarn(an)

etnattar
etnattrat
etnattart
etnattret

etnattariun)

etnattarfen)

etnattarton

etnattarten

etnattarn(an)

ettattar
ettattrat
ettattart
ettattret

ettattar(un)

ettattar(en)

ettattarton

ettattarten

ettattarn(an)

netntar

netnattar

nettattar

tetntar

tetnattar

tettattar

tetntar

tetnattar

tettattar

tetnatrin

tetnattrin

tettattrin

etntar

etnattar

ettattar

139

3 mpl
3 f pi

2 mpl

2fpl

lcpl

sing

nettrun

nnattrun

nattrun

netnatrun

netnattrun

nettattrun

nettrdn

nnattrdn

nattrdn

netnatrdn

netnattrdn

nettattrdn

tettrun

tnattrun

tattrun

tetnatrun

tetnattrun

tettattrun

tettrdn

tnattrdn

tattrdn

tetnatrdn

tetnattrdn

tettattrdn

nettar

nnattar

nattar
Imperative

netntar

netnattar

nettattar

tar

nattar

attar

etntar

etnattar

ettattar

Active Participle Absolute

ising

ndtar

mnattar

mattar

metntar

metnattar

mettattar

sing

ndtrd

mnattrd

mattrd

metnatrd

metnattrd

mettattrd

ipl

ndtrin

mnattrin

mattrin

metnatrin

metnattrin

mettattrin

Pi

ndtrdn

mnattrdn

tnattrdn

metnatrdn

metnattrdn

mettattrdn

Passive Participle Absolute

msing

ntir

mnattar

mattar

f sing

ntird

mnattrd

mattrd

mpl

ntirin

mnattrin

mattrin

fpl

ntirdn

mnattrdn

mattrdn

140

Infinitives

mettar mnattdru mattdru metntdru metnattdru mettattdru

141

Appendix B

STATES OF SUBSTANTIVES

ORDINARY

ENDING IN

ENDING IN

ACT. PART.

PASS. PART.

SUBSTANTIVES

■u(td)

-dn(d)/-dni(td)

m-WEAK(G)

III-WEAK (G)

ABSOLUTE

masc. sing.

mlek

—

mallpdn

bane

dke

fern. sing.

malkd

malku

mallpdni

bdnyd

dakyd

masc. pi.

malkin

—

mallpdnin

bdneyn

dkeyn

fern. pi.

malkdn

malkwdn

mallpdnydn

banyan

dakydn

EMPHATIC

masc. sing.

malkd

—

mallpdnd

bdnyd

dakyd

fern. sing.

malktd

malkutd

mallpdnitd

bdnitd

dkitd

masc. pi.

malke

—

mallpdni

bdnayyd

dkayyd

fern. pi.

malkdtd

malkwdtd

mallpdnydtd

bdnydtd

dakydtd

142

masc. sing.

mlek-

—

mallpdn-

bdne-

dke-

fem. sing.

malkat-

malkut-

mallpdnit-

bdnit-

dkit-

masc. pi.

malkay-

—

mallpdnay-

bdnay-

dkay-

fem. pi.

malkat-

malkwat-

mallpdnydt-

bdnydt-

dakydt-

143

Appendix C

Verbs with Enclitic Objects

BASE

+ HIM

+ HER

+ YOU (M)

+ YOU (F)

+ ME/USl

+ YOU (M PL)

Perfect

PEAL, SOUND ROOT

rdap

radpeh

radpdh

radpdk

radpek

radpan

rdapkon

redpat

rdapteh

rdaptdh

rdaptak

rdaptek

rdaptan

redpatkon

rdapt

rdaptdy

rdaptdh

—

—

rdaptan

—

rdapt(y)

rdaptiw

rdaptih.

—

—

rdaptin

—

redpet

rdapteh

rdaptah

rdaptak

rdaptek

rdaptan

redpetkpn

rdap(w)

radpu

radpuh

radpuk

radpuk

radpun

radpukon

rdapiy)

radpdy

radpdh

radpdk

radpek

radpan

rdapkon

rdapton 1

rdaptonay

rdaptonah

—

—

rdaptonan

—

rdapn

rdapnay

rdapndh

rdapndk

rdapndk

rdapnakon

^The first-person plural enclitic object is pronounced everywhere like the first-person singular; it is spelled instead of
^Enclitic objects added to feminine plural forms ending in -ten are exactly like those added to forms in -ton.

144

BASE + HIM

PEAL, III- WEAK ROOT

+ HER

+ YOU (M)

+ YOU (F)

+ ME/US

+ YOU (M PU

hzd

hzay

hzdh

hzdk

hzdk

hzan

hzdkon

hzdt

hzdteh

hzdtdh

hzdtdk

hzdtek

hzdtan

hzdtkon

hzayt

hzaytdy

hzaytdh

—

—

hzaytdn

—

hzayt(y)

hzaytiw

hzaytih

—

—

hzaytin

—

hzet

hzeteh

hzetdh

hzetak

hzetek

—

hzetkon

hzaw

hza'u

hza 'uh

hza 'uk

hza 'uk

hza 'un

hza 'ukpn

hzay

hzaydy

hzaydh

hzaydk

hzayek

hzaydn

hzaydkon

hzayton

hzaytondy

hzaytondh

—

—

hzaytondn

—

hzayn

hzayndy

hzayndh

hzayndk

hzayndk

—

hzayndkon

PAEL, SOUND ROOT

qabbel

qabbleh

qabbldh

qabbldk

qabblek

qabblan

qabbelkon

qabblat

qabbldteh

qabbldtdh

qabbldtdk

qabbldtek

qabbldtan

qabblatkpn

qabbelt

qabbeltdy

qabbeltdh

—

—

qabbeltdn

—

qabblet

qabbelteh

qabbeltdh

qabbeltdk

qabbeltek

—

qabbletkon

qabbel(w)

qabblu

qabbluh

qabbluk

qabbluk

qabblun

qabblukpn

qabbel(y)

qabbldy

qabbldh

qabbldk

qabblek

qabblan

qabbelkon

qabbelton

qabbeltondy

qabbeltondh

—

—

qabbeltondn

—

qabbeln

qabbelndy

qabbelndh

qabbelndk

qabbelndk

—

qabbelndkon

145

BASE

+ HIM
AK ROOT

+ HER

+ YOU (M)

+ YOU (F)

+ ME/US

+ YOU (M PL)

PAEL, III- WE,

dakki

dakkyeh

dakkydh

dakkydk

dakkyek

dakkyan

dakkikpn

dakkyat

dakkydteh

dakkydtdh

dakkydtdk

dakkydtek

dakkydtan

dakkyatkon

dakkiyt

dakkiytdy

dakkiytdh

—

—

dakkiytdn

—

dakkit

dakkiteh

dakkitdh

dakkitdk

dakkitek

—

dakkitkon

dakki(w)

dakkyu

dakkyuh

dakkyuk

dakkyuk

dakkyun

dakkyukpn

dakki (f pi)

dakkydy

dakkydh

dakkydk

dakkydk

dakkyan

dakkikpn

APHEL, SOUND ROOT

adrek

adrkeh

adrkdh

adrkdk

adrkek

adrkan

adrekkon

adrkat

adrkateh

adrkatdh

adrkatdk

adrkatek

adrkatan

adrkatkpn

adrekt

adrektdy

adrektdh

—

—

adrektdn

—

adrket

adrekteh

adrektdh

adrektak

adrektek

—

adrketkpn

adrek(w)

adrku

adrkuh

adrkuk

adrkuk

adrkun

adrkukon

adrekjy)

adrkay

adrkdh

adrkdk

adrkek

adrkan

adrekkon

APHEL, III-WEAK ROOT

ayti

aytyeh

aytyah

aytydk

aytyek

aytyan

aytikon

aytyat

aytydteh

aytyatdh

aytydtdk

aytyatek

aytydtan

aytyatkpn

aytiyt

aytiytdy

aytiytah

—

—

aytiytan

—

aytit

aytiteh

aytitdh

aytitdk

aytitek

—

aytitkon

146

BASE

+ HIM

+ HER

+ YOU (M)

+ YOU (B

+ ME/US

+ YOU (M PL)

Imperfect

PEAL, SOUND ROOT

nerdop

nerdpiw

nerdpih

nerdpdk

nerdpek

nerdpan

nerdopkon

terdog

terdgiw

terdpih

terdpdk

terdpek

terdpan

terdopkon

terdpin

terdpindy

terdpindh

—

—

terdpindn

—

erdop

erdpm

erdpih

erdpak

erdpek

erdpan

erdopkon

nerdpun

nerdpundy

nerdpundh

nerdpundk

nerdpunek

nerdpundn

nerdpundkpn

nerdpdn

nerdpdndy

nerdpdndh

nerdpdndk

nerdpdnek

nerdpdndn

nerdgdndkon

terdpun

terdpundy

terdpundh

—

—

terdpundn

—

terdgdn

terdpdndy

terdpdndh

—

—

terdpdndn

—

nerdop

nerdpiw

nerdpih

nerdpdk

nerdpek

—

nerdopkon

PEAL, III- WEAK ROOT

nehze

nehzew

nehzeh

nehzek

nehzek

nehzen

nehzekon

nehzdn

nehzdndy

nehzdndh

nehzdndk

nehzdnek

nehzdndn

nehzdndkon

PAEL, SOUND ROOT

nqabbel

nqabbliw

nqabblih

nqabbldk

nqabblek

nqabblan

nqabbelkpn

tqabblin

tqabblindy

tqabblindh

—

—

tqabblindn

—

PAEL, III- WEAK ROOT

ndakke

ndakkew

ndakkeh

ndakkek

ndakkek

ndakken

ndakkekpn

ndakkon

ndakkondy

ndakkdndh

ndakkondk

ndakkdnek

ndakkdndn

ndakkdndkon

147

BASE + HIM

+ HER

+ YOU (M)

+ YOU (F)

+ ME/US

+ YOU (M PL)

APHEL, SOUND ROOT

nadrek nadrkiw

nadrkih

nadrkdk

nadrkek

nadrkan

nadrekkon

nadrkun nadrkundy

nadrkundh

nadrkundk

nadrkunek

nadrkundn

nadrkundkpn

APHEL, III-WEAKROOT

nayte naytew

nayteh

naytek

naytek

nayten

naytekon

nayton naytondy

naytondh

naytondk

naytonek

naytdndn

naytondkpn

Imperative

PEAL, SOUND ROOT

rdpp_ rdopdy

rdopeh

—

—

rdopayn

—

rdppiy) rdppiw

rdqgih

—

—

rdopin

—

rdopfun) rudpu

rudpuh

—

—

rudpun

—

rudpundy

rudpundh

—

—

rudpundn

—

rdopjen) rudpay

rdopdh

—

—

rdopdn

—

rudpendy

rudpendh

—

—

rdopendn

—

PEAL, III- WEAK ROOT

qri qriw

qrih

—

—

qrin

—

qrdy qrd'iw

qrd'ih

—

—

qra' in

—

qraw qra 'u

qra 'uh

—

—

qra 'un

—

qrdyen qrdyendy

qrdyendh

—

—

qrdyendn

—

148

BASE

+ HIM

PAEL, IH- WEAK ROOT
dakkd dakkdy

dakkdy dakkdyiw

dakkaw dakka 'u

dakkdyen dakkdyendy

APHEL, SOUND ROOT
adrek adrkay

adrekfy) adrkiw

adrekfw) adrku

adrek (f pi) adrkay

APHEL, III- WEAK ROOT
aytd aytay

aytay aytayiw

aytaw ayta 'u

aytdyen aytdyendy

+ HER

+ YOU (M)

+ YOU (F)

+ ME/US

+ YOU (M PL)

dakkdh

dakkdn

dakkdyih

—

—

dakkdyin

—

dakka 'uh

—

—

dakka 'un

—

dakkdyendh

—

—

dakkdyendn

—

adrkeh

_

_

adrkayn

adrkih

—

—

adrkin

—

adrkuh

—

—

adrkun

—

adrkah

—

—

adrkdn

—

aytdh

aytdn

aytdyih

—

—

aytdyin

—

ayta 'uh

—

—

ayta 'un

—

aytdyendh

—

—

aytdyendn

—

149

For further reference:

Brockelmann, Carl. Syrische Grammatik. Leipzig: Veb Verlag Enzyklopadie,
1968. Also contains extensive bibliography of Syriac literature.

Duval, Rubens. Traitede grammaire syriaque. Paris: F. Vieweg, 1881.

Muraoka, Takamitsu. Classical Syriac for Hebraists. Wiesbaden: Otto
Harrassowitz, 1987.

Nbldeke, Theodor. Kurzgefasste syrische Grammatik. Leipzig: Chr. Herm.
Tauchnitz, 1898. Translated by J. A. Crichton as Compendious Syriac
Grammar. London: Williams & Norgate, 1904.

Dictionaries:

Brockelmann, Carl. Lexicon syriacum. Berlin: Reuther & Reichard & Edin-
burgh: T. & T. Clark, 1895 (Syriac-Latin).

Costaz, L. Dictionnaire syriaque-francaise: Syriac-English Dictionary: Qamus
surydnl- c arabi. Beirut: Imprimerie Catholique, 1963.

Ibn al-Bahlul, Abu'l-Hasan. Lexicon syriacum. Edited by Rubens Duval. 3 vols.
Paris, 1902. Reprint: Amsterdam: Philo Press, 1970 (Syriac-Syriac with
Arabic glosses).

Margoliouth, J. Payne Smith. A Compendious Syriac Dictionary. Oxford, 1903.
Reprint, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1976 (Syriac-English).

. Supplement to the Thesaurus Syriacus. Oxford: Clarendon Press,

1927.

Qardahi, Jibra'il, al-. al-Lobab; seu, Dictionarium Syro-Arabicum. 2 vols.
Beirut, 1887-91 (Syriac-Arabic). Reprint, Aleppo: DarMardin, 1994.

Smith, R. Payne, ed. Thesaurus Syriacus. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879-1901.

Concordances:

Concordance to the Peshitta Version of the Aramaic New Testament. New
Knoxville, Ohio: American Christian Press, 1985.

Strothmann, Werner. Konkordanz zur syrischen Bibel der Pentateuch. 4 vols.
Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1986

150

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INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

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<T1-Aa <<J33Cl_. ^^H^ v .TV.H <<_03 :^KTlA *\_J33<<Cl . ^A-N^-l d

10 ^<< «A, .^ktA "Di^ -CH<< *"<? <An =<tA y \^a<< A AN^na
v n <<cicn na .^c^u^ v *-irr» <<icvn ^nrofl .<< — SitaX v£i^u<<

rt<\ 'H rt\wv n^CJ .\un Ti»n C\-T1£CU y ^ •- <('im \ ~\n^ vCLKH

15 .rtnrix ^ ~- <<n_u <C\jj<< -^ A«yi :^\?A<Zc\ .<&—*n <(\2z A \
e\<n .cTiaacuici <0aacun <nT ncu ^Atucn ^njt. ^cl-k^ rf\_.cLse.<<Ce\
.\^a <<i<< A rt\ t i <<\ ^•'uio i^cicTii^n n .A *L_rn<<ci <<-?-x v n

v ^ <^i<< <^3rp -AjC\ \/>^:\ J3CQ . .*T3N ^V-H "H—U^Ul <<CVCT1 <C_\

•73^-^ A \, A* <<-A cw< .v^An v^_.<< A^i<< ^Tjj^ <<icn\n

20 .<<s<< -i\ <6<<n ^---< >^LLi. ew< .A.na n_^.<< <<_j<< <<=iyn

^clj<< ^*. ^nn .^Tji^ <C^7Jniae\ .<C^jnti <C\jj<£ ^Ortcn-i <"Ci^<n

A

_ << :^a <<H«An (^ic\j<a\a ^33

25 <<n<n (ja) .<n in^e\<<n << sx^. en \a j^\ — akin .icon

epe i.nci_tin <&a icQa-yri *i ^\e»<n A—^^anti <^\c» — in^u^aa

152

READINGS

(■*) .cnh\ i*A^aa j^iain yA-> <<e\cn A,<<c\ (-\) .^cimn

^ \A y * <<kun^3 )n\i ^ aa ajmcu .a<< v n <<ci<n .tAeo

\ Y~n .■^uA^un ^'ua^un^ n .cnn <n^n — x.n^A .nocnA

•~ r>\ (en) .n_.e\nn cn^n-a^at y»c\ <n^jua ^33 <<ci<n .,mci^u<<n

5 <<c\cna (cv) «^ **u ^ — sa^in <<iVa na <^ik\^^n y^\=a

ch'Hra ^in\*e\ (0 .n\<<iin <h^u»ci. clA^3^i<< .*eu<< ^nin n^n

\\^-n .^cwia cn^uso^ct .^a^i, \a <n^n — a^cv .^n^cea

<<^icLi.n (-0) .eleven ^"vatn <<a-<< <<^u*cin *<Kn-A <<ci«n ^n_An
- .■ iN^A rt .^ 33^1 cicicn ^__-\ac.n <<-S^i<<n «na c\ci<n ^u<< v n

10 <<<n\<<n «^A^a <<<na (\,) .^cn^u^'i^ 1^ <CA\n ^^
eA-unei .^evcnAi. iineni^ (C'oin <n^uieinae.2iici .^cwniicA <<Aft<<
<<cn .^A^n^a <<\ :<<a<d^a ..jktA ^_3?<<c» (-) .<<2suan ^^n
cn_AaA <<c\<n2nn ^hci'x <<2ftc\n_jj vCLa-A <<_»<< ^ iwb ^-^4
^<ne\^u<<n .<C_ae\- ! ia << vtocu t_^ „$^A n\,^i<< (<<.) .<<3A->.

15 :<<£i<< ^=A <<n<ne\ (.a.) .n-enn cn^-^*333 . / , t.i-*T 3 <C-\33

.<<: .^eK'ia 73 sna <0\e^p^ ^^\an <<Ac^ ^u<< v i nY-n

<<<<l4ro <<^icv V..i <<^<<A33 73^. ei .^<< -^-^ v-33c» (-V)

<<^uicv_=Lxl^ (n.) r^^'en^ci <<<rA<<A v . ■ »-»•»- T i n^ <<03^
<<_rA C7 <<nnrae\ < < t> W <<_>. i \<< ^.ci .<C_33d J 03a <<<n-A<<A

20 S ^A-n .^cKn^ieLA ^—33 clA,^ n_^n <<cvcne\ (en.) .<< * -n" . i-i\
(in^. <<n"u iy^^a n^ 73-*. n^ <<^ie\-^ ciAlas .< < ,li>e\
^^c\<< ^■'osn </y<< .Aie\<nn <<n<n <<^Am\ <<,_ixic» .73— .A^urA

.^ coc\Ac\ 7> . ■KtA e»_<jL^ic.<<ci .^u<Cjacn ,: u»33 ciau^ci (cu) .^A

<<2n_\sA d_^new< .ci^-u n-^d (».) .<C^W=i 73.^0* <<icuAci

25 .c^ja^n ^wn^ci (.*.) •<<--X\ 7 -cncuAx ^cKn-Jsi^ ^A\a3^i<<n

( \^. ) .<<^icl^t ^ ; 33 v£KH — ^ A\33^i<<n ^A-<< A_x ci\33n^i<<

<<3a ii a^3e\ v A<n Asi ^ «<rA^ ^ rt «Ti << -: A^ y^ 73. ''OS

^Aicn^ci v --t^ -rx n_^ ^_i<n ^cl^t ci^a<nc» ta) .<h=An

153

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

•)£ «^<n *n\ A\^ra2ii<<n <<!->.<< ontwcv ev^on A^ Aj>. <<cn\<<\

From Pseudo-Callisthenes' Legend of Alexander 1

•A^ <Cucina^n\ck \w».^ ^ 33^1 ^ 53 qncnnim^X^ ^ »n*«n

5 .2n inn <<n<n— j A_i. ^^—atcv .qp'S-an << ^acLu^A <<^i<<ei

A^.n <£ sj^^ .A,<< itcunn iict \ <<^iein_4^<<n qQcVAnicaaX^ei

:c\ ,! U33<< :\_j*c\ .<< ">\"o atcunnX c\_i.nci<<cv <Cco ! \S a^wCd A-t-A

tpcnnimVwAa ^ a^^k 1 ? .<<^j qocnAimaA^iX n a .scct—.'Hnci

-.<nci^u<< <<<n i<< *i .«n^n^ <<Cci^i ^ 3can A \,-n .n_4co

10 <n^.->m<<n A Y,"Ta .<<Ai<< << ^ca^n << — inncuAd .^^ui^n^i<<n

cnat^nn << \A-\n \ \^ .<<e\cTi cti_ nm^n ^cfiX^n <<jxu^£q<<\

<<rA c , <Oja<<m~i ^^neL^'^nan <<tui : \nc\ .<<e\m *\ ja^ <<* '"v

15 en ^.->rrxC3<a <<«acn ^3<Cti atcL^nnei .<<ci^i a .-i\ <<n_^\3aj«a

^ »:ucn .evacn ^ -*.-»x «n X»n << ! Aci__A C7 i^ .ciewi v *t>'-»-'

qpc\nAiCo^\<<c\ .^u<< ^_ aa ^n_j<<n .<<fl^i A<<_sc tyw^n im^\/\

qocnnira-A<< ^ 3a t\ .qQci ,! inima\<<n <<«< <<n \y£ .t 3a<<

20 <Ca ,! U3 j-A ATjjcvdUt^n : ,! oa<^ <G^<rict .1^ AuduiC <^a\c\it.\T-
A q-r- ac.cL-.^nn <n "An A \,*rn : v i ai<< <<»j<int^3aei .^"i\tA
A *a<ti <C_ac.cn .^^i<<_S3\ <Cja , \tA n.n^n ^ncn A^. .^•Htia

^The History of Alexander the Great, Being the Syriac Version of Pseudo-
callisthenes, ed. E. A. W. Budge (Cambridge, 1889; reprint: Amsterdam: APA-
Philo Press, 1976).

154

READINGS

in_i<< <<_3a\n .<n-A T_^n<< ateunn yn.<n .^^uOaA <<accv^ti^^i\
<<A^on \\^ .<<^4^.<< ^uc\cn <<Aci ioi<< cpci*mm-A<< ^^aacuia
<<e»<u \\-"*t\ <Ac» .qpcnnimA\<< <<ci«n .\\i*t\ ^y,<<-i."-i\ • \«y

5 <<^_\)l<<n <<*j^. i/y<C <Gc.cn ^u<< .<<_!<< ^acn^^n— 3a <CA v^A^a

<<n-4jl<<3 qaa'tnim-A^ .a<<n A Y,*Ta .qp_A ^^n^-ti <<^ioT_ae.

.<<«acri cp \<C <n cccS-xa •sccunn ^ .n»<n .nrLi. ^<n A*n

<T3 incuAfl .a ^=nkux*< ..cnc* Zn nn ..cnci-j^ncno .*cTicn<<_ijc\

^kti ia <G=ilirac\ .<<n_^<< <<cicnn qoe^nimA^ ateunnn

10 ^ a.'vn ..cncA^aci .<<ci<n *\cl±) cfi , \.\^'nn .cn_a acicn v <xljd3^\

<<j<<^3 Aa qoe^mmA^ci .ci xa <<\^no .o m\\ naa .'Ici^i

.<<ckS n at<< << xn<< A x <<\_J3ui .crA c\Y,T<a<<n <<n<nnn

*^x <<i3an a^ti n^ ^tucn .<£ci<n ^3<C_l_co <n — ujcs <<j<<l^jiei
cnco\x ^ 33 .,\*7a:r. n a atcunncv .rtc\«n c\_*.nci<< .sc.c\_. , iA

15 n_a_x ci<<n .ctlA , vJ33<<c» <<^ci<< qpcnn im->\<< ^iclAci ."^-ti
<<i<C^j ^crA^n .^u<< nrti yXcn vy<<n <<*3a A — \ 7 zs .<C_jlo^j

.<<cicn n_3A. J m«a s \<<_iA <<^ieiT_sE.n -.^n_3a<< • qpd' i mm^\<< ^•\in

<<i<< .a<< .<<cicfi .acri. ^^ktA <<_a«nnn <CiLxi3i ^<<^i vOcrA^

20 uy\ ^iA ^ <6ac.cn <A<< .^u<< n_=Lx ^p cnn ^<<n ^i^uara

nci—oS i^ .*r>nn << .^nT*n ^i<Cj^i <^cn .<s^ — a. <<£icn i^^n

<d<< A<< . ,! C33<< atcu'in v n,cn .v^ ^ <<i<^ ^ViN^o i^acn^ci

^jscnAa <CtOo : \Skt —en acoa'u i/y^ict 1 \s\. — acn^^ 2h^ uS

\ \,*™ ciocn ^ .cn^Jaa^i ^vaci .cickti ^ — .'v^ Qoci J \n im^\ <<n

155

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

ac.cL^nn\ <<_ k co , \a << it\-ic\ .<<cicri <n i.n, .w-iW ^u<£u^ui

<<i<rAn ncuafi .<< ->\"o ateunn <&ii\, n_a_x ci<< .<<e»<n T_^a<<

.<<j<< A^^im^aa <tA <<i<< ^.^1 <n^Rt— u y- 00 * -<5pei"H^— i£Q^\<<n

5 e\ — .^sc. .cinTit ..^iei_ia t \ci'ic\ .xfidVC^ici .sceL^n n_^ v n*cn

v :u<ti .aei^i yn-i^iaa qocntuma\<<3e» c\W^aJzA :ui 73^. nui

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• o^t << <C , iev\ 7 i n^j ^^n^ <£As3 2a*m << x'H^v A_xc\ .<<c»cn

10 cnW^no .<<c\<n n*jj<< xAn n^ n^i <<i , H<<n <<_m*ti «no.<<n Aa

C\CT1C\ ,<Tl\,\1 Cn"1n\nc\ .Jla^ <TU£OCl£0 A.XC1 .CTli^n winmp

<< — u'icwCn ^"Scv-in <<*icnj_a <n 3 << .mci mo <<e\^i >^ .i\

^—.n.cn .<&<< n_o ^cn—i t Sm\a .<<ei^i ^cn^v ^n.^^ityi nrr.^

15 <C_A\n << — aciatoi A — \p3c» .^n_ .<<\.\n eujaSi mn^ua <<n_\jl<<
^ — .n qoe\ini£tti\<< .cA^i <<_xtiAnci <<~3aei_^ 0.43 vCicn<<_4ciBo
^iflbi <<ra-4 eicri\ n_ac\ .^ i\ c»«n << J i<nA <<<ri\<<n ^ \..«^i

<<_,j3J .".^^Tam << t"i.\ << .mctcon i^i-iiind .^.A ^n^ ■ h-i>

<&u\d<< ^moV^'Aci .cickti o'VatS <<n..iTa e\cicn y^V^jan ^j<n

20 <Ccoci£Q ^33 qpcnnim-A^d .'Jacn 'l^n-m ^ncua <v4a <Ccoci£>o^

<<^J1<< na ytucn ..\ ~?\, <^\^un << icoacoa .'HcLat <<* -»-^A

.t — =lx «<ji << , S<nA goa^m-A^n ci^iei .e^n<< <<"vtu *> Qm\

njjcv ctcrun^n v n»cn .a.nT<< <<A cn^^n „ep n^jn ^l icno

y*«nn << ,: \<TiAn qoc» , i:uma\<<:\ cnn_\ eiann .aewi ^ ,! oa<< :uA

25 ^JieA .evia ^ae\ .cn^ui^nX -^— <(* .<tA Jflfi-* <& , H-'\*-n J3T

<n^i ,i \*i \ 'raci <n N^Xaa A \ iteu^nX ci_i.ne\<<cv .ei^i<< ae.eu'Hn

^ 3ae\ .<<e»^i i^ua 1 ! <& n\n ^c.a-.'Hn .<< , \<nAn cjpcvin-im^X^n

c«n .<< ^\^a ei'T-cocLan 'H— ^4 criscAw .<tA ^u^j^i<< <&<< <C\se.

156

READINGS

■H*- <&co<< A_x << — ><^x-5a h\ .11 .cnA <<e»cri ^a-in j^cwinn

..cno i'.\\ a .<&_cn<< yjaa <<c\qri A_s_jaii<< ,.\ t ^ aac» .<<c\cri

^•vjiAn ^.m ^ — .n qpcviniCoaX^ -\q< << ^.^ A^. sc.cu'H^

5 •at.''* qocvici — Sa<Cl << A\n << ^t .1 e\<n ci \3c\ .<<c»^i u-yAcTi3a

A\pa dSia^ <&n\-n n — a,e\ .<<t_jj -cnrtncv Aa <<nct \

ycnAa cy>rtniifn^\<< ^—.n^cn -<^ ->irt <<c\m ^<<ti qod'HnifiaaA^
•)K <<cicn "\ S?<< qoevHrt — 3a<<\ ^c\ Vi. -T "1 \n ^ \»n

The First Discovery of the True Cross 1
10 ©jA-Axa 2A-lxA

Vl*£ioaa ««^Ax2 ^t*2a :£jL-aa «L=lAm M ^sa

.£k£&s JbOyacAaa chAAj2 i 7 " "vy^'a aus

>r ^o2 :» .v>..S*i ~i*aa\ ^aiD

a^ 007 Us^s er» : 2 iVitNa ^os. v aie>3 ojAnftVi aAa r 20

15 :2e&2a 2Alio ^A faa^o :2_*>oe?ai i_^iA x o_ _ 1*ul Z007 ,\'f2

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20 ZaaLraa o£o»2a 2Ao < \i..-i A J >*\%o .2 ..itY> x^— *>? ousoxa 2ooj

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• iaa 2axa-ia ok A.007 2au*.2o r^oWitN cr&

1 From liLaiaao 2aei£>a £sax : Acta martyrum et sanctorum, ed. Paulus
Bedjan (Leipzig: Harrassowitz, 1892), III, 175-183.

157

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

r A.2 2A~£toao :2^«.A ■paxaoll -a.2a Ao©7 Aa- tOkcr aAa ^Jeo

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4

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a^o .^ocnAxaoxAa 2a-l ^,2 y—toA ^oxaaaua v tt yOiZ 2a^a ju2

158

READINGS

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yaauiio 007 2a-2 r i^a. Ao :2-£la? 2A\A t i..'\ , ¥2o /.nYV>a 2aer
-A_» 2acra gjAoVn r a 2—xer ./ ■■■■>y> oj_a AAA2a 007 2*^ ■«>

159

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

bo<7Qo a-\ if :/.ntV7a oia-af <u-Za :,q Vio Z$*aa v >,.,^tV)
Za*aao .a!^. a& zZa^io^oaal r a 2A^a>o .ova ^.i^n.cttoa ^2 ^o

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25 "7 Q -"p 07— 2a

:o7Aaa A^«. 2jOu2a A007 Af« a& :Zniio\,f>\^ v .a 2AAa>o

:07a Aaaauoia 2-» ■tV>\ A097 2— -a*ioo --*^ \, AaeiaA2o Aa^fAAZ

160

READINGS

2a©7 o\2a :.Aa>o «.A-j~ :eraa cb a>b2 . L-~ 2o7\2a oej c?aaa
Vu-a / .. , TV >a 2-ie7 iS-Hf ^ooj v n-iTa 2*.a\ :2^oo* Aoci A
2<fi i \ ^07 ^0 a*.a T — ooi r arUoo r _-oci v ,>,lo :„A«. cd
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5 eiSLajb 2 n.ifty<vS«l 2A^a>o ctAIqxo .61a «*aA*2 A,2a-A-

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^lo 2Aloa^ ^a 2 — iniTO 2_aa 2 1 .in 2_iaAia Aoci Aao&o
,JoA 2ocruo :2aaaao /q ,nya r Acn 2A-Aoa yacuAia ^,2 :2asca
:Aooj Af* a^ ^— a ZA_aAio .2A -rYvtAa 2A_xOiaA 2a\o A— a

10 AaaS :2jo7 2aalo£>a 2A*A 2Aa*a*oa 01 la. 2Ao_u2 A-ua.?

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ol2 0007 v i..iV> a-\ .a^ -2ao7a ct^Ao-ii 0007 oaio^AZ :2ae?a

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. 2oAJf 0007 v ..it\) ^0107 ^2 :of~a ^1*2 -pi, :2aoj 2A2 of»

:e7Ajua^o 2aooCTal *plxao2 T to fniioyo^q 2AaA*> An\ft a^o

0007 ^p=— erAaaa 2Af«A :oj_a A007 2^2a,a 2 a- 2 2A \ ,\r> Aa,
aS&a J&o*aola *paa AAAx2 :2aoocrai A\^ a^o .^oy-^ija 2ju2

'/ezaZ-waf, imperfect + perfect, used as a modal after verbs of commanding,
wanting, etc., "she ordered that she should go..."

161

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

^aAjso eiAia AA*ao r -X<2a :cj-a2- -007 alA£>2a r — \oi r cn\^
yOeui^ ^ n^ia 2ooj ? -' Q : r Aoi a£ua 2o©7 ^ax a£ko .Vu.*
007 2aA.2 c; N^i a_3i .7 Ay, ,2a 2aA.2 rr ioa Zaoocna ^o Lz'ocn.

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: v .V>\n 7-1 VA ,1 i\% ^a \^°? cftox «*aAjua :A~Z~\\ ^aio alSbo

•)K ^2

10 iaa Zao^a ^cu-aAAo ^o\?A.a z^t ,vr>ri T ^l AlaAa \**k.ai x \cn
r a jftn\, &1 .A~2a~ix ot\ v ^.ma r A*iT :/., ,tV>a 07^0^0.07

2ja\oS2ji 2j « ..07ft t A -i 007a 007 : < pixao2a 2Aala Zjiaaas

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15 cj-a^ "pan 0067 AriAwv :^ooj»!IauAa ?■■ ■»*» ?=^? < P^ Q ^

•)& VlitAx .Zaal ©7^ "F?=o 2Aala 2ju^

The Teaching of the Apostle Thaddeus 1
<< iu\t ^n<<n <<^v5 ia\^

v cdj oniLon\v>->o Liaj ilooNvN I&io v N-vilo Ibsl&l Kit-i

20 LaaJo Qinv> i^ LaaJo v^i) oiloAiooo L*>ocn> uxxd ^clol4,

j^ovoc^ boaoi i^l iooi ML :UELVJl. *»p» -> )0bU> -ul! -wLa

'Labubna bar Sennak, Mallpdnutd d-Addai Slihd: The Doctrine ofAddai, the
Apostle, ed. G. Phillips (London: Trubner, 1876).

162

READINGS

lo\ : r ^o^ fc^a r i l^bojlo .mXosiilo^ L;otao) LI INjLjxk
ooi) obi :unc v yo> La^a/ .iiL^g^iDol o jmoi.-^tn Ijub
(»li \>>.o lii^mNq V^.o Iruoa V^.o Lioxo \^. low £Ajl
ll.cca| ^q^b 11^ oni oooi o\-tolo . t jo\j t^aj o^a

5 .lax-Lao ILcwa v ^ 1°** \z& oiio\ oooi o\jl oo :lloa\ia}
ba*a v ocn\ Iooi otao .Ujo-o r /;m^. INjoa cnlc^. ooono
^> oooi oasu *ao .La\a> ^pl lLo\ v ojI Iooi mlo IIa^j
oooi oj-o .^jljoI ^-lonN LjoLa olio oooi oo^ .cnio\
Iooi j^aj» > \^ D •1"«^ v oj~j? :ls~o* ^> oooi ^Ll) 'U^> UjI

10 v oj6i UuiX oj*. *ao . I,s->y> llojLU* -oioi-^jj licoji) L=4,

^OOVcOk. v OJ01 ^1 OOOI oi.1 :I^Oa^ ^O ^>^jtV>«Q J^OUOo

a»o )...«v\ oooi „oioi)~ :^xV«.jol\ oooi oV^. »ao .)c^jl)oI\
OOOI v W,h) :L>OOl\ .si oooi ^j-o .cn\ oooi ^ol> U-La ^
:u^ OOOI v ONto . O^. v O,">M Lib) OOOI v -i«..tSjpO : y ,9 1'S v « I'S

15 ^»JL ooono .oo oooi r )Oto v oou*>) IIojuI) IL^o? oooi ^^i
1^) v» ; >»\ *> >;\r>->^ ^ Iooi ^tao . tam^. INsjcl ^jljoLts
:^>L cn\ Iooi r -^y >>jb> Uul *al :L-jud Iooi oik) Iooi

ol^O .-OIjoIX OOOi olio OOOi QD>~0 :^>M v o1j|j> )OjD oooi

cn\ oooi oooto . v ojI Iooi ml? v oonuo La\s> t^l ^>»o oooi

20 :li - ^4 -ooi -veil) »N^ ,s»o . v oovq^. oooi o\raol> IL'i^i ba~a

,->>« ;ojto ^^ao :0)m) )Ojto ^a La\*> joJ> v Q^.ISju> OOOi Q-;jl

JOjJd ^a -OIQtovD lviQ=4> r 1 - '°°1 '•P° .JoijLJoLa l».i«V> Iooi

oitoi :La\» ^ol 'ooi ^jojl po .ovo^ -kJo Iooi J=*ta)
v ook yolo .-oioavD oooi r Joufa? „6iOA=i>oj *al :£>)llo Iooi
25 |^ ll^is Ui, NA> \io^D :UjI Jl^j oooi l\ I\J1 A " -^'
^jbo Iooi ;-»^' oudqid ooi) :v«^l yf Iooi L=»j .toAa loiSs)
.U-jtss Iooi ; ->>) joj» ^a ^ojoxjs-t Iooi Ij»jo |i,^m\q\
bA.) :looi cnV) o\> Udooi')) Ijiti ;^m? «*ajLl ]\t ^o^ooo

163

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC
IL^ low .^ta -lK-itn J) r\-v-x,\ v -v\ 'Low ImL Ijon ll!A^

«W>ol ,SD low .OSjO . IAoo^, j-j WwL^ |- «*>\ low MLO

U^'jLa ^flDuta Itfn^ljlS^ ;Ajl>oA low N \ikO .»ba l^msnjLa

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5 "^.oaA baaol ;^l .Uaon loot L^Naj 1^1 .010)0*0 fl^ loot

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^jojUd U-vAo .NjI la jd ba^O .tal Aw* I'i^io .NjI -Njaso

.NjI Usbo y!S\v>-% 6o Umjlsdo NjI *<*■■» Iv^^o LoAo .NjI

10 ,-^N-* Ns*>« INojoj iloCJoi ^w »ao .NjI ja.tvn IN^o ^al
z^Xcn Ipso boat ,» LN~j> NjI lo& ol» :,.i.s;a Niio :NjI
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15 !w- IKjlod .^^ yr& ^jgivNo : v sn yjoaopj »slo :A v- 3 ?'
po .1Ajlt» cro ;tasta\ Loam ,/jiAo lua«.o :bl *— I ILjo^i
jA on\ isol :Lj6ov) b"wa ^k> N*s ll^jA ^ojl- low 6n\->o

-jN-V- A *^? y '"^ ft (j : »?(j ?>?*•? y^ °^ ^°'° ^J :li^cci^
.^ v Cu2a.OU A A r p*i ^h :A^. u^ .3.Na .^) Njc&uOI

20 ^ "*> La>w\ .wol^. LjjNjlI* jo,* ow : y lo\ III) A NoNajo
:cni.o\ Ni^iDj b»o :-jmlj -si Lo\ A bl jAjdo .cn\ .riv^II
.;o\~jo Usb A NJ> ^Cb l^La? :.»jAJ. ^d vA A bl jjljb
.^■■^ Ioom ^aiao v\v\« biA v ojI Uaj . r Lo\ N-l> ^> \cu\o
j- low lv- ,-? »a .^>\s\ op ^Wjli A J2koi h-i,\s-io

25 .bAjoj low 1^ v^o .^.ojl. w\ low aol Uaw> :IAo^,
j-. low «l^-lo •bia S8k I i'iB i Bmn "^.ojl-) w^Aj 'i° ' ow ^a«-

'See note 1, p. 161 . The modal here occurs after da-l-ma 'lest.'

164

READINGS

La\* i^i locn -ouj~ *ao .on* LA* ^>1\ otoi ^°"*(,
:baj IulIo looi ortoffio :IK=a> lio*-^ low o&jao obi bAA
looi •^jbjl) >»?*Aa cn\ low -^.ISjlIo .oA-j b»al> INJb ^> «3
•o\Kfi>l) jNs ,toO .LaKara «wc\to w\ -OOl N ~^». *a : "^Oa- ,»
5 ->A ^^/ lo\ bso/1 l>OOV (obi )**. :),>n«\ L-JLto low

->l IIJ *ao ."\» r >lo v ^->« ^d low »woNJ> 061 :|.,,\«

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:-)!) -wo\^. looi colo i^af) o^-? «wo»L ^> v- looi ^.o

10 oAo lyikO -ZilSJj Lul) ^> :0»r^ W=» OOlX loot WJaJL) ocn
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^Ol t^l looi "^ojl OO ~»jAl ,to v- yio\ bl MU>> : ^QL

L»bo> llouol IIoidIo ->l looi OlIm IN^joj JLota^p A "
cn\ looi Ajlj ocn ocn \-L;jl> :yolo ovl^.;2 looi )oa> :low

15 .lob ^aUo :..*jAL ,*> .A A ml! :Uoa\ K&JD) ba> : ""^.QJU

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bacA Lso4 looi ^)ji>o . oilo\ ,» |i*>\o~» luaa. lyam A
looi n^jJ p : ^>^' 1°^ WOffllo LA*. ->1X looi w*=a>o bu.1

20 „?? looi -«^«* »ao .wlo\ loot >»** lo&> 1\ ...->» :->! ocn
)\ >.>»-> 00 :OlJLo\ -WOjL, r JaIfi *a :;^l to\ low N ^>.0
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looi »^oo loot '^aj :ow lov- »^»l looi l»-j INs«-^ 600
..cnotojj 0001 v Ynln> v ojcn v ocn\oA looi *J baj IwjdLo ..>H

25 aol ^yon .^^1^. o^ low ->«il> ocn Jo>A o^ 1\ u^^ v ojoi

)\ - i->i^ Obl ^qj^j NjI 01»jAt ISul^yL) :->I\ ts^l oii

.,.,>n\I ^> vA A bl >*JLto» A looi Ajlj ocn :lcn^> cn^a
v >»-> N-oct JS^ucucn jouyO ^o» ^^d .-»/ o\ «dI .llAo llo-mDi.

165

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

^Buonl ooi oo •■fill NANjl/ ocn obi \k.a£oo :yio\ ~j>jl>
Uaoi -;^o( cn\ Oof .A loou OD ^SbOll) )e>jto ^Qa :OD
o>(> NJooi Kj^3 :oobi -waar>() v cubi b>boA> :oo NjiaJcn
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5 as! .bo^o »oo( y-i .m.i-vl, uno v yo jax A ;o£to> )i,«» buna
:on?oV) Ij*=»j )Ajl oo .Asul -choai) ooi b*^j v £> ->( ok

(obi -OlolSjj OOI ;|..-tO«-> Ottaik .^tvo :-OIOo( Lck )auiU

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OUQJLO y \N .w/ Lll ^>liD :NjSb01 bncnj ^Q^D .»}( ok yol

10 :.bickja> 01*J looi )ofl>> >Kn.»-n 000 .00 N-Ca.Cn) OOlJ

;^pl (obi ovoio . I^j ok (ooi M> obi> li.->i ,*> -mil!

:IxoboO (OOI OM : n^qjl- \^ ok (OOI "^Jns.) U^() itojUo

.•^.ojl-) ovojl^ (ooi bsbo )op> baffl 11) ->( ocn *s(o Uaoi
^(o ...bick^^p ok (ooi ts*l (vs^^a o,^s o «y-*Ov ^jo

15 ous(o ^onAx oiw( (ooi ^floo .*oioV^i ok. (ooi oio ooi
(ioffl( o^a (taooc* .aJo (kj^^a ok. Looi 11 oolo .(ocn
ok ao( .60 '001 (cujd (o£dL HImO .(obi Unbo (K^joj

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:y j^> v k-acn b( h»Ja .y^,->s-> ^ ^owolL (010 :Nj( ,-»<

20 I. ,,-■>« o£u~ "^.o :JLocn baJ> I .,..«*>> cnN-Lbo ^. ^ U.NjlLj
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baj? ^» ^kA .^o cd(j Lajok LjjNjlJ «^ obi (>cn N k^oo;
JfcAiD bo ^.ojj(o (Nx.jd bkon A JL±a ^jA .^ioa( ^a,ovij

25 (obi jna obi baa »Noo . v oajo»o b( )^ua> (iojoyiri L->
-bioV^j (wCd baLa ^> (obi -xd/IIj ooi 00^. ^i o,->s\ v^(
Locn jllqILo :(ISa-jiD bk>0Li2 (obi (uhjo :(|Oya (obi jjlji
:(ol IS^j> Lu>ISjd> -on (l!^_ao\ U-i'o ('^x^ biAaa (IqjliZ

166

READINGS

J».\« ->i» onloi°N^ oooi v osy>« i» :Loi N^=»> L— oj J}LI\

^. LAjl ->l v oo\ *S& liLio {'^X«^ Itajo cr^oa NjLiall ^o

L-jLto) oilS\to o\^r>) ^1 : v oo\ aolo Ujljd ^.QsL^ v cd) liois^cn

v oi|j ^O :/JLo\j3 ^aik v Q3iolSju> ^^jj ^i *aio : r )l± v OO0u

5 IL^fls? iooi i)*,) :|.,\« ->l ooi !)Oo Iooi r o . v ooC°!S^ak

aoo 1\> ^1 oooi l\\)Q .oiioi ok. ISjls USa-,*} IIojuI)

V\o /taoa jts^ IWii ^oi v cuoi ^1 o :b*^. ocro oooi

.L-jlsdj oilojOiaj il;->m-> oooi aifcbOio „6io\i&, oooi o\->ci

mifMo\>«-v Iooi l^.v- INijo 6\oa> :b&*> ^^/ /ooi />*, »ao

10 liajj UJ ^ N ^-a*> :).„,\« -}I\ bAto ^i/ ooi *s/ ok yoJ

yJo y ,\v>-% ^JiuOVDO ClUbuOI) ,\J> baOj ISu^ /l*^. -1^ . NjI

^/o .l^i\*ai bj\"> NjI JLtoJLto taooi .yito ^> y\ *JQ3) ho

^lij b' .ni.^Jp bailoj Lulj :ljoi li^ao Uskib ytoi. ^.ooii
^jjto ^oao .bt-l /*^^. v oo\ ioou 1\ INjljqjlI ^ ^>jd> . v ook

IS va .^jlo« |X> y\ bf .^ov bi !tu=»> oiNnqiX yl N->Nte)
l^ooi bu.1 juI l\>o .boi bun bAiotoo l&\« ylS^a boon
N~j oo -loaioD) onoJ) b*ali>. \,L£\jl*> -tol tsjl \{±
-dicmjo'jo ooi Iooi L oiJLoa\is> bvsl\ .LA*> ;^l /ooi
-is!) :lc&j\ v ojoi *sl oooi v ...-*»v* v oovA» ILov-rso onai.

20 :00 OOOi v ta,Q) llftft'.^ oooi r 3i> >a :oiio\ v oou^.> low
v ,-%;OV> :IL*±. -»l iooi Up JO .U-JLto) Oli.;">m"> OOOI ^OtoO
,«'"«*' ^slo . IN^ytoj ILojuIo v Oj01 :U^>QOO I'm OO OOOI

bu; IcDork) Ul>' o~M,~tso r f IwOJt . v oovI~ -jdcl ^j3 oooi

r>;r>v«\ oo6i O^OI) :.){ lo<Ti ,->S> llol./ OOOI Oj~ O :boi
25 v=^. V OOVO& ^--Nft Q3J Jo»D OOOi ^34) ^OlXikJ :/io\^. oooi

boi NJwvjlj .^uolo oooi ^^bo .bu N^j 50 ? "^' "^-^ ^°
Iooi ,-><t /N^j ^a ^ooi k svn«> .|..i~>«o /«ovd ba» oon>

•|...«v%-^ OOOi r^UObOVD) /jtoii ^i \iQaO .||,^<T>\^) /jibs

167

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Ivao bal )am.^ v oo\ low ,vnsv>o ^1 ->l v ook low ^^tvn
^j^po Lua» ^1 Llajo btosX. -^.w b>oou &l .Ijl>qd) Lojo
U.^ta-i oow a»olo OjAIIio oow oaua^li v ojw *sl :oow
1^. LAjl ->l Ho La\i» ^^1 ^j IX .b~ lo&> ow Wi^j
5 L'iU. ^ik ^? -^ .Lyyjuas o» low ^a.o\i talu^J -"-"H 'ooi
b'i-l? Ui*. )ai». Ltoflo tao |*»\«->no 4 0>vqo La^ ! Ijo~o
v cui ^sJLojlo v oj! low ^noo .l...\» ->I\ oow .woa&i v oov;s~
1 . 5 Si--\o li.i.v-0 INilIS^. LdLo oooi ^ib p :INjuo»As o^
oow , s^nlSco v ood )ooXa |i',\»> v oouj'^.Qmao

10 loot ouoUo -wioba It,*, \..\m _)l iooi bo? )"■» jNo ^>o

INj-jdj ILojuI) IL^mN Iooi ,ALo :6k, low .o>j> )ood ^*>->

^iao ll'y^. Iooi Up ^vojo ^cl-jj IN-j-i»l Ljoco ^(o

Ubta OOOI r U>)0 r OD Iooi ^Jufil LjLjloo UsUoJUdO N^jO

jfcso .Iooi *s& ;ralo cu^ INjuqjlJL? Uoa^o .^wo low ^

15 .ben heXs*. ^a ova Iooi s&iy boijoa Iooi Winl.1 ^wXa ^\w

oi*3^.o Iooi ova;oo ll^f U-ia o\a ^^o ^1 low lypo

w*=^. .loot U«jojl») 4°^*^° -oiNaOja Ijooao bi^oo low

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IIoi°Nv>) II.o>oud \^oo low "^jojl) ^-^1 y^a JlS\lL jNo

20 ^d c^ low .oaj v ooXa lib. )oji> wNjl>bjlIL Jlo ,*> wi-ojOiaj

^ba l;ffls-Vjba .!•>■-> Uv>„ boa low ..wokJo .bw )*>\n

IX . Itapo wXa -wf>\^ low IwUd U..->o baj l\~>L=>o .Li-

bjbov *sl 1^ :.oi(k oow r .nsto >oAa b-^fl>w r ? low

^a ,» wl^ bAto r j ^»l .bw bnao od low ta!> Lai-o

25 llobyxao . wloAio) Uaiojo ow -wo\n low ,ns\> jljI

Ivnjao .boa ooo wl.oa\to} IolH ovoos.o low ^jl wx^.»

lp») INj-Jdj w\a ba^.O .jljI ^—3 ^. oX low biia Itv^i-

168

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10 v Jul

The Martyrdom of St. Barbara 1

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Bedjan (Leipzig: Harrassowitz, 1892), III, 356ff.

169

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171

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172

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From the Tale of Sindban the Wise 2

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•Ps. 115:5-8.

^Sindban oder die sieben weisen Meister, ed. Friedrich Baethgen (Leipzig:
Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung, 1879).

173

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

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174

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175

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176

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A N ■ \rr% ■'Wflpan <"£fJJCV <<^£ICl <<^\'T3 ^ICOICI .<<3^ta <<a<T13

25 <<^iiu<< jflici en \ nc\^iae.<<ci ^^vtipA <(y>ci .<<oo\^. A_x ^a^suca
A\ ^t'j 'Ti*^ 6"\"-i \ T_3a<<c» .<ha ^ie\<n <<~r. ^n <<A
<<iia 1 chA^ A^. <Ac» .<CaAa3 ^ 33 .^jd .^^iu^ 73^. A^jO

177

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

.cn^.ncw<e\ <hcir3<< ^icA <<^i^u<< ^Si'in at ,. ,:\,<ti .<<<C4co

:\^a<<cv .<<^A=n hi<A chca<< Aj<<ci .^A^n ..^^i<< A.n <sTn_^

.cfA ri*i-rc\ «ha jAa <<Ac\ <h i^a ^\_Ai^i<< <<_ac.cne\ .<<lia 1

5 <<i^.c\ S^u<< ia^ <Gcn ^u<< :^^u<<n cOSn \\ <S~\-n •=oa<<
A ^33<fUn <<Ac\ ..jA .txtL <G.'\<< *\?n ^u^^u^sc i-'oa^ct cicn

y. — 11.33 cu ^ ^ Ojjl3 ac.^j_^c\ .<^a*jj Au~33^\ <<l33^ vrimcicn ^^

^ — aj ^nXjjnct .<<. , i<<n <<^ico ,! van A.iv cha ^u^c\ <n\ £A_*.
^u^'u^ac. r^-i \\ << — ->\"n *vn£ .<ti\ Ac\j^<< i/\cia<n<s*n <L\<(

10 .<< — xvA Act i. A, .^n^s <tra _unr» <<A <<A<< en \ A_x

X Ajjn^i <<Aci ^u<<a\, <TLjjiAa

^y\i <<\Aj33^3n ^^ui^a ^ci :ui <<\tl4 <<ci<n ^u<£ Jci^ict
ch^iafici .<ri\*n <<^umi crA^nct .Ajj <<matL3 cfi^aoact .<<a=j<<n
Aj<<c\ jo — aid .cn^i^n i<<" ^ \mn ^^-> <n \ ^.nci^sin

15 n^c\ .<h soa. Aaicv <<iiiu<< l<nn ^h^uin <<^i<<ci .^nct^

n^in ^ — mci .ctc\<ri ^^^xion ^sn^A-i ^Li.n* ^^lUi^a l<n ^Vi
"pnn^a A^ <<^ui\a cn_A ^\ ,! C33<< .<<^u<< l<nn <<nrL4 <<^i<<n
^33 ±i3jcv .^i\3a<< <<An ^n^jn 2nn*iac <<Act .cn^n^u<< ^i-i^ron
<<^U33<< cn-r^-i <<^i^nj<< 2nn 33<<c\ <r*Ax J3Lae_i»^i<<ct vh^icA

20 <<^i \\ ^<ki\33<< -^u<< :ch^33<<A ii'Dj^a <<** *•> A ^ ±*^

v o.<n .vTiX ^i\33<< <<An <<^u»<< ^uzuct S^ruuoon 73:03 A»n

^ .n.«Ti .<<^nV4^ ^^ui-iaX nn^^in <<co J \cifi ^1 <<^i2m<<

^ictcri ^-vxsact .<Ti^ieA <CA\ cni^ cnh[^ica<\ .<<matA jn.\trir.
.<n in <N*a »^iiin 2nctvTi <<La ,! ua^ci .^n^ v- 3 ' <ri^-«<^a iCujn

25 Uneven <<>ca^n ^=ifc\ <n\ ^ictcn <Ccui^a v^t^ <xjcutei ^n±An<<*ci

v ^<Ti ^ici<n << .cui^nci .<Cmqn A^. <C^a ^icvnTI <<_oq j \ci .<tA

v .n <CtiTa chac-Sia <<^ui\a ^i-'oi^n 63^. .<<A\ cnXa

178

READINGS

<<A\ <<j<ti3 ..^ju^j <<x^an en i<<ac.<n <&uin<A <h^i<^ <<T_a~a

mv

•<<j<n <<_A\ «n-Aa <<acn <<-A <<t \^*T>^ A__^pa ...cnci^n .<<

^in_n_i.c\ <&\^n_i<< ^ — Acn ^n \m <&ei '--*™ <&e\__xu~act

•^ <&\^u<<A ^.'ici ch-A^tiei cTiTJa «n-tiS<<c\ ■ « & \ \ n ^-jj-KaX

From The Cave of Treasures 1
10 <<^4 SrL^nn <<nte ^

<<_*A<< <<n_i> 1 rnic\ :\^nnc\ ^7an<< A_*. <&__i2e. <<<tA<< ^n*\<(a

<<cujc» ^m<< c\cktic\ .. \m cfi^ -^-u <*CcuA ch^ci «n^"-- y-3a

15 ^ — sa A ->-no j^ici^ju^ A_*A <<co.n , Ha <G«ri ^..i cicn • -^ ■ \ --

<<_ue\ ,! \n <&_ ucit- t>i ^ ,^n, ^ .^A^i .<<_3a ! \ << s \cu\ 7 vjKrAa

.^."\^ chiaA nnuia <<ac.ncici^

<<a^A-oi <<<tA<< <C ,! 03 ja-jn <<<">.<< <<.*ii <<_ac.eOa ^ .n \3a<<

Y-.n ^j_^. .,\~i \* ^an<<\ ^ 3a^\ y\ ma i^n-x a ^a <<m.n ,: ia

20 «n .^n_.<< <&n *.ev << J \ i \ atn An \n << codcA^ en .2n_.<<

Ai. qooTAin <<«tA<< <<e\<n A»^n_i.n l<n :<<<rA<<n <n^icv— i^un^a

I Die Schatzhohle, ed. Carl Bezold, Syriac and Arabic texts (Leipzig: J.C.
Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung, 1883), pp. 18ff.

179

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

cn<^.?u ^\cvj33Acim i^y<< <<<tA<< .^tun \\,*T3 :<< vi'.n ^jvctA^

<< aeiA. c\ \a yzr\<Z A i. << 1 N^m ja a=_o^i<<n ^in za

<< na\, <<eicri •H—Sipan \^ .<< .<h *nra 'po^.ti <n^\eu3xu ,! 03n

.^nti ^ 33 ^n .mi v^nn_i. \an^i<< \aa<< <<Ti'.i~n <<in- : \eia

^ «v" \ \±. qaci^S^ ^v^^nj».n <<<S5icumu\33 lcn\ .^ .n eu<n

<<\..«Ty

<<n^i<< «ho pn <<* rw.n-HQrt .<<^n T-.na <<^in_x <h »^u<< ^3.^.

.^•x-'.na

■«yirt..AQ < n .<<atcOa <<inei\ 7 -.cneiV^ n<Tim^nn </y-.<< :<<^iat^nti

15 V>n ..rt-wXi-i <<^n a<ria <<^n T'TaT^i tun <<<n_A<<^ 73 ^

<n^neu_i33jj' ! U33 n .1 ctlA ,\\ \^i<<n ci<n <Gnneia\ ^cu\^ C7 ici

^3~JCl ^.anQl <<CLUC\ 73n<< \ <<<tA<< ^ll<< ^^lat^rt .<<CfA<<n

<<^Aj3i -<n << J u'\ac.rt .<<m.n i ian <n^\-^ymn <Cin <<A,<< <<<n\<<

<<co»n ,! ian *T , ^ n >■■ -**>-* <CIin <<A,<< cwnn ^^ac. ^•'u^xm <<n<n

20 m^iA^ora ^nia. ja-aiwC .<<cicfi n<<~ ^an-ti^a <<-unc»\a ^iAy\

1 Psalm 90:1.

180

READINGS

From Kalilag and Demnagi

.<<i\jj<< ^•a^k^ A'ici-^ua A,<<ci .<<e\<n 2su£ <Ciamaa <<t_4^i
<C^ua i=j<<n A\pa .<<\,na ^laa <<<<ls3 <tA <<ci<ti ^u<<a
5 ..ti^ci cnn Herman <n_x:u ^-Hri-^ <naAac<< :<tA <<c\cn ^iA
j=a<<c4 <ma| ^-iaei .<n-i.^ ^ai <<l,\a\ -.cri. \ ~t J3\a n^ci
.^'vnticLi. ^cncAa^ <<A,\an <<n_^^A •'oa^ci <nsc-aa A_i.
V U3 .<n\ \3a<< Ajjtuci <n-i.nl \/m <<An ^cria ^T-^d
: v ^\'-\^ia <<\ci :<<A_4 i \ ka'i^ ^vAn ^^rri^n ..cri << , x.\ac.

10 :^ne\«n <<ncn n^ <<A<< .<<\3ticL^n ^j -.cneCLac yA.'vun
<<\ntieLi. anrLxn ^Hcoclu :ha<( y,.\.< iiu<<n ^tui^sc<<
n^e\ .rp.q\,^i<< crA <<\4^in -.crin „njLi ci<ne\ VxN^Tt
<TL^n. ,! uA ^^^i nana .<n^n."i*i <<3aeiA qo^Ajn <fUJ33^
<<i^n -■'uA J cruii ,! u3n n^ .cn^.^. <tA \33<< -ct»— -\, A^ci

15 <<A<< .iiian <<A v\\a <6<<n <<\4^i <tA \^n<< .<fA ^\n-i\
cti^.?i»ci .<n^\^»iQ ^^3 dui^ Aupic\ i^Tdun ^cvcri «n<^ ei<n
. ,! 03<<c» <Tl.njicv <na=-n \^-i.j-t> n^ :<<^V33 v \-i ^■'uaei W-^
S<<A\, jacL^un <<~Jaa ^^an 2iu>J33^ut<< e\<C ^tu^^n<< <<a J <<
<C<<^n ^\^<<sn cu~53^i<< << ! iatici^.n <<n.<< .<n\ \5a<< <<-\_4<Stici

20 .^n . \m cA ^Y,.t <<\.<l\n -^ra .a<< v njja .^na <Cjjji
:<<'\ : \S3 ^Aa<<e\ <fl^A^<< <<i<< f^i'HS i.^^ :<ti^.^. 'di^ ^n*<n

•)K ^ 'Ha A J3cnet :J3cq jCficoi^,

^Kalila und Dimna, ed. Friedrich Schulthess (Amsterdam: Apa-Philo Press,
1982), p. 48f.

181

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

From a Metrical Sermon by Ephraem Syrus 1
iNt&jO IKoimoto ^Jm /colto ^

2 .|_to-> ^» I — toOj r — to

5 .LtoQ; v>\ )Q , M i T la

.LuDjaa 001 Ltoa. ^ojl ^>

I v%»-\ ; v>v.\ |)Q_J

:6uAa -61 /tclj) IMto

10 N toujl .;_— to y ic\»

• LtoJLS ; ***>• i.S

oiioal) 01 «_Su yotoo

IjiiL^ y atoNj , u.

id; ^ -*< „I,N y 1/

15 **■ «\-> r \L v oov-vto

r*i i toT > OOUli v O) wJ)

.lv itoio I; ,cnj v oooi 1

v o 1? y ..,.,.,j_a) ocn_i/o

. v ooooj lo«^2 'j-^ .si
20 toljo j— O) jaoL ^a^Do/o

'"Sermo Beati Mar Ephraemi de reprehensione et oratione," Sancti Mar
Ephraemi hymni et sermones, ed. T. J. Lamy, 4 vols. (Mechliniae: H. Dessain,
1882-1902), vol. iv, col. 125ff.

2 Syriac poetry is based on syllable counting. The metrical syllable, unlike the
normal syllable, is reckoned as one syllable per full vowel, and the schwa is
ignored altogether. In this metrical sermon, each "line" consists of seven
metrical syllables. Extra, "allowable" vowels added for metrical exigence in this
passage are: nehur for nhur (p. 182, line 5) and c alayn for c layn (p. 183, lines
14, 18 and 19).

182

10

READINGS

:l— to,X> y , „ / Ua^^-a

6llo\ INto/> 6wk yj>

v ^»a y ■ . » oiiusoj

Nr»iD „6i U^^aj ocrylj

. taL*- on so>i^ i.o\

l^oa /oont II; to v /o

U4»ISjoo LA^> IN s>/

cn_Ja! ,j ujaa» 1 1 ,t

-6li.Ct£U2kJ r to /jiNlDto

, .o> u_to( LiZ (jto IX)

y-ja/ to, — o lv-!o ^oj/j
r X^ to— .»!» Ito*^,

15 -f 30 ^ -a — ^)> N-m

^—o» l>cn -en r u,o

:Co| — iO | — iu ^i *^Nj

/©& , — \£. to- *i

• y \\ to— j i— ao N iio

183

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC
From The Syriac Book of Medicines 1

<&\^in <<3eA
•)£ <Zx.\n ycwnn ^ktAa <<i<nnciA Aj». %<

tji\ci.N.,*T3 n»n ^_.<rii^n -y-**^ \.\m <<_ucl33 c»cn «& ."»tAa

y<ruAu<<n .^_.«tA "HjLco cn^nciua cicH ycuos .<£i1*»<( <<d3n<nn

10 •> <&\A*Ta yj<n

^ — iac.n_^n << a.^i A_^ .<<j<n <£ae. ,! ia ,q\\n ^ .n ^ i*n.^n_^

Icn :ch .iu<^ <&, ^aania * <Coc03n ..cn<L_act-i. <&lA^i ^33

£~\"x n^U33n l<n ^ .^in^finrt ;<^.fvA^«Q ^nn^OSCV <<* ^ ^fi^n-r^

15 <<cn^3^U3cJ33cv :<6kti— i.^uz»n l<n :^\\^inet * <&aci£o <d^si33et

<<<~r \tjj3 ^l s_^nc»<< <<c»<n & :<0jcO3 v n ewn •:• <<jn<ncL^

Y-33 <<ci«n <<ac^ : \n << t- \*\ <<\<< :<<ix^ ^^33 ^ti^iiW ncuAa

<< \*oi ^n seJ33 << ocoa ci<n -S"* "• \ van l<na ^i ■«^ < i^

^jj :^u<<.\ \ -.«n <<-^n* :<0\4an -«nttsan«n »gcn\"\\ ^'-^ ^"-n

20 <<\n <n^n^ac na :ci<nn << i*<< <<n .4 ja a^um n an len

e\cn << \*ai <tA <<V^^3an n .1 .ci<n <03an«n <*Cc\cri <&t .^n

v n ^cn <<A \ •:• cna -via^unct <<ue03 ,^33 :cn\ <<ci<n ^uun
^ Ay,i \33_^\ cv<< .<&_i3cJ3n l<n ^33 .&<<ci :^u<<li-.n* Jaa^i

J 77ie Syriac Book of Medicines, ed. E. A. W. Budge (London, 1913; reprint:
Amsterdam: APA-Philo Press, 1976), pp. 1-3.

184

READINGS

A_^«n -<fi <<_i_:u » ^.nn \ t> 2iu<<\,ceia^. -i\ ct<< • *•* ^
•<<^n<rA <sc\ ^_j3a ^_iae\ <\uj ^ — .n,<n <<n*i c\<n AAtm
<ti»^u<< .^u< <H.-n _- s <<Ac\ ^tu^n.Ty^ :<<n ,\j <<T_aa<&^a <<n<nci

5 <^u_iat a<< <h — .£u<<n << — aaa a<< ^\ ia«s ^"i "u^ <<i^<n

<<ckn :<& — iic.n <n — \^ <<_inpn ,\ .*><ti <C^an •> <& * m.^ x-i

•> <Ci^ even ^U<<aaaii\ ry — :n_xj3aci :<< oxii cKTl < <* \-« ■»»■»■>

?a-x :<<i«n «A^ <£<&* <<ban l<n ^ :<<n<n ^_.n «L_*.n*^ua
«5\"vJ3Ujdq , H2iuan <Caa ai_.<^ ,! u^uci .A^o^soa <v^ " >■ — 'ua \/Oann

10 <<c\<n :<£\_ise. ^a^iA .aa^i l<n ^ saci a/^ aa^i < & ..^t^

<<A<< v ncL_u\ <<_cq j ia3 ci i .<<\4fi <nWa ^■^■ h.q^ <<\ata

--mct^n .<< ennn et<n <0aan<n J&<< :^uiiiai y^.<n ^u^n^

■ \.\n \ An n << — .^.ii^uaa *\ . \ <<_a\ .<&AArja <CatSin cyiatn
<Cici^ *<n2n. t . A ^'u^i <<ia^ ju^oecu <<\n t^—.^ .<s"eivn \im
v n <& iv-i A i|\->i m\*T> ^o^.Nn <CA<< :<<_iacn eA v n

v-A»^ A — ^ ^ — ^ <& — tusi^ <& — i*. ^cl ^nnct * < t W

.<< — 1,j3 k^'H 2n_.<\\»2jun ^ 3a >>^ -<<* .a__»<C_^cq i-Y ^n^nJ73

<<aaci£Q , \\p a .cieicn ^itnn^cn n^ <<_at J v ^..aa autcia^i<<c»

<&ci<<LA \\,~ aa :<<_ucl33 ^aa J 03^ac.<<n ct<n < <* V-« * A ^cn

Aj>. Aiia<< , n .im <£n_a*j A_i. .<^5i<<_ k 4CQ <&ci < ai\ *t>^ 'l<<_in

^Ks Vi.tQ yja^nn <<aE. ,: \cin '\^a ^ aan A*A<n <<j^<< ♦ <<A,eui

<^Aa .a<<ci ii^-H i.fn ^\im n_^a A<<ci <<iacnci .^u<<um^.ci

cTira •'u^iu ^ ^aJaan <<ia<n v-^ .<<n :cm»aa ^^A^-h <<cicn^vn

« ^ mWi n_^a ci<< :<<"\_.^u <<T 5iij yrt^v. ^_^ A<<ci Aeoana

25 ^ — ^A3an : v cKTi*i=. ! \ Aj». ^ — A-j^uzm <<iln^c <C^7Jn <&icLum^3
<C_ueoa\ <n-A ^".\"Tan y^^oan yXcn •'u-^ y«rA^ •> ^.^■'u^u

■ •*■ n . ^r ao A_ t ija^.n <<_aa :,n »>m Act Aja <<ncrin ch—Ai-n

<Cjjci^n r^C^-A^Aoa y.cTiX^ yAcri ^Jract <&J. ysn ^n oix -r>>i

185

15

20

n

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

^ .n»<n ."v-tis f&<<_^4£o «^ic\ -! \_.' : U3 v- 33 rt< ^ <&o I'Y.'H <n-A

<<_atLo ^eKrAacv .<<_»ckti i^icn.vikjuci <<\\a Y*w -.m <& it

A Flood in Edessa

^^1) onJLoa^aaao jooiQCD) wloa^iao l;msMIo ?lf>«'n., N,i«->
Lis) L^q^d low ^a-^. »;*l ^ulI. ~wL= La\* qjc^d *a La\s>

10 L*>*fi oi^Ok ^1 x^iso ^sL^o iaj b^o ;^l) La> b»al ,*> jaai)
HSiao /opinio II)} oow o*;jlo .-^^A ss^aa.0 loon l\s>o
w\ low ,n\ca .)n\ta t^l v yo l>^ »ao .Lis v q\*>Nj} ILoaXsa}
Ij-^n- -i""^ ^-coikO ^K-j La-I o\.} b»al ,*> \>s\) l)o4) Lu>lS\
LA v ow\ v Oy^i»j Lto) :OOW v ->«.,Nto bn'.'i.. ,ao .IIqAjdj 6\,}

15 l\\-> |i,«so L^) Iv^d lowo jl*^ .oow aaa>olll} l«N-
o..tIo .L'^oj Llio oilo .owua H)0 w*>o^ 1\} ^) lllo
l\aov>no oooi r Ja,u>) La)0) i\j-;a^ ,,«- 1 J 14o*^lo\ x cul
w\ loot .Lfo\ )i\nv> v ocn\ «^ISjlI IX}0 .oooi ^muo) Hj^j
\*r* ^d ^fcwi Ljd oooi auto . INj-jo) ovjojl ^d t=t\ U»> ha-

20 1^) Uels)Osa low )olo v3 f Avi ^»lo Jtu.jA Ijqjl) IkJk,
.low *nso . I ,'.\n\ l)Oj} l)lAv>\-> low (^ .La>;3) liota)
^> INj-oo} j ,"-*;^v> I)Qjl} Luibi. l&s>i£s>o U.»JL oooi o\oISjlIo

l.-ys-v* l)Qs\ Uio OOOI -WO^.)JL INs«~t ODO .IjOVl ££U) LaJ

I Av% v ^d) IN^jd o^ o\so .INi^od) LLao la> U*all o;02>.o

25 Utao U^ Lljl^ v oovd»o low --alSjLl) )ajo \n oow o\ajlo

QuUSO .6v-=»^p ovi^i ^o l)OiA low ^=l^^>} )o0d ^a . INj-Od)

186

READINGS

l*m». boo oooi oI!>odo .Lu^avo) I^A? l^co ^aol oooi
oooi ,*3i»» *a . v oovud ^j IL^b .U i.T~»> ^Js^ /»! ^d wta
LOW b\*> O .OOOI ODjuLIo LX«. ^» Ljd v ooi\^. o\i. .|,\\n
.looi !oon> Uoi U-joo bAo »^l l>« *ao .llSXSJj Ho iN^po

5 JLo\ ,to v ocn!.6i*, 1 oooi v on-u INa.,*) bs»ol v oo\a; looi *oa

Lqjl2d) IN\ti'i..-\o .li.oi~ oi\ !■->■ H Ijou io\ juIo .Ijovi

oooi osusolo . Ijoin bta loou b»a> IJLojJi ^>, mi. HI 1^.6^0

^al HI . v i,tso oooi ^.b^) Ljd ;- N5k ,al .IK-ijs oiN~jl6*> '^

\^c!d jLtoilo ^-ans It^s^j Ui»> .looi >o^.j Ijovj ouka 001

10 v oovYa> .LA20 ^^i looi »O30 .^i^^a ^>» ^oiiLo* in-> loot
boy^.o )oj> ^ulL ^>> .fjog N \^oo\ v ..\«m> Io^dL^ ^ISu> v ojoi
|«ti., .IKi^pa r *&ii L^k^ HI . v oaii6x*a ,,La 0001 H ^aA

INjLjA [2a 60 ,^f JNjJO* ^a ^.\\ IjQJLS ^ISuS OOOI v OOM2D

bvaoj Ujd> Ho o^qjlo |,\\n o*-sil? b>o .lotaoj baj o\a

IS I01 ..nai Ho boouoo Ho ^^oqjm ^10 ...lta,A v c^j> a;*.?

ben looi ^cuffiiilo .bAto> ouj»o3 ^jlj )i,m-i ous» ^xsl. Ud

r > v tfo .)v>\s ISoooX bo,^. Uaoi ova loan; b^j Lion ^» b*oos

l!ua onLoAto; f;tovn\ b-a^ ov\ -j^JLIo looi «aa LA* ; >5 pl

b^.nno .loNfi>» br»j ov\a looi ^ ^>JLo Jol iS-ra loKa>

20 .U.o=»to jlj ^. o*\ looi -jr»il> llv- b»sH ov\ looi Uwj

lln^*-' v ooums*>\ bJo v oo\\ 013 ov\^> IvL v ojoi ^alo

ja*oNj> ^odo .b'^is K*r» lu>Nto> U>> Loo*-=k bAso ova locnj

.cqNjlIo bAi» ^s^l looi ^03 .bssyO ll!u,,to» ovut 2 looi

b'jooa v ;v>^? A-l ^»o .IKx.od> Lo^ ^» HS^al) IN^ou

25 Litsj^.i U»j^. ■'« ■■ >"• v oouca ^ ^->) t^A^llo i-g>)o y^^o

'See note 1, p. 161.
2 See note 1, p. 161.

187

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

•*• rn.i.v-v-> NW^lto ilojula /tajo

From the Chronicon Syriacum of Barhebraeus (1226-1286)
<<.*ci_^ 'can <<i£it fecLofe^nn <<nfe ^a

The Taking of Babylon (Baghdad) by Hulagii Khan 1

10 r^V? <<\ n^ :<<nnoi ,\*lrt<A <<fi-4 .^Kn^^i cise-9d .<n_aA^n
^'un <<xiJ33^\ <<\tH<< "Tscu^a <<nji33 r^JacL. <&\^ic\ y^mx
dux j<n^ . 2n_ac.e\ y^jc_3Xoct <*C<^3dl^c dUac :<d^,n <Cj3nti

15 << i \ \_aiii^i<<e\ :<<nnJla et_^4£ci .<CiH<<n \~i A<< cu^iaa
<<cioi J <nci^n_.<<e\ .<<_.H<<n_va <£ici^^ ci_u~j^i<<ci :^cu cu4<<an

'Gregorios Bar 'Ebraya (Gregorius Barhebraeus), Ktdbd d-maktbanut zabne:
Gregorii Barhebraei chronicon syriacum: e codd. mss. emendatum ac punctis
vocalibus adnotationibusque locupletatum (Paris: Maisonneuve, 1890), pp.
503-6.

2 The Hegira year 656 began on January 8, 1258.

3 \^m<< represents 1569: <<, normally 1, is 1000, and j, normally 50, is 500;
\,«" is 69 (cp = 60, \, = 9); see pp. xxiii-xxiv. This is the year 1569 of the
Seleucid (Greek) era, which began in 312 B.C.

188

READINGS

:<< A \, 'v<n^_.c\nX <<aro Wen \n n^ra<< K^aeJran <<<wn n^e»
^l^n_rA Aa \ in janj :<&ici_ ^ ^A jrien-^ <<<n-A<<n << t<nn
<*Ae\ A^2njt<< v n ctcn .,\ ^ict icnniSa .nctSLi yac\ :.*uj^a^iici

<&_^cin_3n A Y, T>a .-H ~i\ .^cn \-> cv^n-jaei :Ac\ \^n << ri-

5 cLxn^ici <C\^i^i cAj<< :<<»H<<n_\n ^lkti c\om y^*. i^Luaa
ciaA^ci :^n\ian yjj <Cmn <&lzi\ <&A_4nn <&L±.*\ahi. ^gKn A\

:<d^3 Ct } ^-33 ^Oa'Xi. CV_.\atCt .<< A\n <H \\q*1 <CJ33 v£U<<

\4<<c\ .cLa<<\c\<Tin <<n4 '^ia <<*n^i^i ^ktiA^. cua :<< ,! ia_ ncm

10 A KC\<<CV J3_UC1 :<s acJTUi ^iCL^n v ". >> f ,\ t:^A <<_33n^ <<J3' ! ua
Ai>c\ n<<n^ue\n ja\^c\ I'l'ieia "in A^ta^i^ct :<<.H<<n_\an << i \

.<&un3A

<<* .-tH n -n <<_a_4a eix-at c\^\<< <n^n<* \"..ia ci }<<a ^..^u^n

^■i^i yv* ■-* •<* -"aT> <<* -i ^-i <<T_at d_A<<Aev<nc» .n<<n_van

15 ch A^. << .tm <Ca ,! it« 7^ .n<<c\ :<< J ^33nti <<_u\-,a n fn\^\A^\

<<\am »i «v<* n^c\ t 1 oA^a <£\nnn <C_4^n ,\in<A :<£u.naan
^•H-^jct --t> »-t\\ \ -A ^nja r^evn en ^Ai 73-^x2h_CQ<aJ33 c\cn
<Gia3i ..T^nici qoeu-nn na ,.i \\<< n*i\ v n\<< ^7>-4Ae\ :cn\-n
<& W^'rt :<<_ncnnn <<<< ^cico ^irrnn sgKfiA nuac\ :<<oAc\^ua

20 ^33 <C^^in <<:\_4^<<A ^ nQict :ci n.i^ << t->'\c\ :<& .^N^ia

■.cnciViA <&A^a «£Lxa^uc\ .<GiX^n v^n AkA ^ewroa-^ ^lA^ei
:'lev<nn yA^nn r^cvi vcvoajci :^<nrt_.^U3nc\ ^<n<Lianc\ < n sA^ n
^kuA A^n_ic* \ .->^r> ^rt.uj ^ei .Uc\cn <^ t".*i <CiicAiQ n_»a

\a^. :ve\cniic»n_^p<\ ciAa^acd :<<liA33 v^A3a A\ctA ^Acn ^gLicn

189

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

:<< .*n ^\n <<-4 ,! ic\*i*i <&Ln*\ i&u^ct^i <C\^i cl^^ici i&n'uA

^.c\

acA^i^n ^i<< rtwQ^rt :(£u*:o3 "^ ^ktiAa. cA-uAi<<c\ .<Cjnni3

■poeL^a ^l3q<<a :<n"i^an <<3aciAc\ :<C\^i cifiH^i _ac\2nci .\rA

5 :<CH<<n_va cua\^e» .<0\c\_ac. ^gjcnAa \ ^ * \,^ "-^ -^ ^-^

•paci j cn_ae\ .<<_*. n^ ^ict-u^in <<-AcLuc\ <& t *n <a .t Y,^\<<o

iy\a ^_^ T_ai <n-9uAan ^wa i*l ^rtjeU-^iR c\ i-i<\i :<& It-

i^ \*n n_joSe» .<n qA^ c\<n ^<^ *-■ Q< <&_ax •Hasina ^^A-™

<<tuira <0\rt^s ^ot<A^. coanet :<<ijT_a cn_a cL^an^ei -^ ^\t>

10 <<^\*T3 i^X^q ckts A_^n <<^anA. -^ .^n'A. ^ x-i>^ ,& ^ -H. ^_^a

<< .\ \rtJa a Y,*n«rc\ I-. Q^rt v cn\^ A \* :<&i2aH1jc\ <&_cil^u>.

15 :^ia<< ^\ v " yJ3^ic\ :<&\iin <<ticisc.n <&:u*A ^acrA* <<i i ^ 7 co ! vA
<<<C4cico ^-'A^ <<'"\»^. ik<< ..^<£\<< <<, '-\, r " H ^ v» a=-i<< <<Aci
^antu ^ara^a^us-i ^ "ponn :cu^u<< <<nAaAui ^iaA ^acrUm^!^

.<A^i3^i<< ^acrAna i^jvctA.^

cnsA^A enacts :<GAjz> vAjTa A An A<na^i<< oa v n ^•'i^iri

20 ^CQCUJlCQCl njaScl .&ICLJ3& Cn-TlulCl <n— i^a :^<ncL_mnti <<_,an
l<n_3 ■*T irt ^V' - ' uCT 1 A \*** <<-mS 1 \r3a :..ma\jk. a^ua <<nm~i
^n :^_.t_3q<< ^ja <<* ^\t\ y^ \*tA ^OT«sAjjn<< << " t \, ^".Ti<<n

Lami <<_a ,: \<nc» .eg iT> ^ *ii'u <<neLjn ^'Ajaaei-^ A<C ch A\
25 <^ "\^^ <&cL_ii\^n <C^-V3c. ^<< :<C£o<<*i\n ArtrA^n <<rzAcuc

.«a_An ^ttJcn <^ie»'\k<<^3 A<<n t^.<< :\rAn ^Acn Aa^^KC—n

190

READINGS
From the Reign of Baidu Khan 1

<Ctmii:\e\ ^CrrteiT <CA_^ioa ^cn_Aa < i<n <<ia^n A\^a

<&clA£c\ <&. \ . -^~l a :ei*it_^<< <\r\ -n-oa :e\T_4<n<< -atnAn rt A-^-|

<<ocn <^30^O3 <<\ ^.N^m 5 ^ v .o ^ — 33 <<!<< .tnWAssn

<<i£o s \*a <K n \^-i (Guti * «< A^ A_^i^une\ - t qw ^,>,

-**-*• <<-»«n v^c* .<<e»<n <<sn^33 <<\ vcjcnoa ^^ <^icuA^an

10 <<cui3a ^ .n <C\\. .cn-iciya <<A£i <<aA y c» :<scn <ii\cn\**

&A<z& <<c\<n <<^ — aa£i33 clA <<_!<< :cku ^-nW-rn <<cKn
-^c.'a <n^i«\A cicKn v .i . \ |l ki33n <<_aA^cv .<<_33a~c\ < & yC
<<c\cfi *i^_at33 cnx-a\ dn^a c\<n :<&c\\A ^j^aa ^cnhur\t\^
^.■i33c\ iveKn^u^^^i <<ci«ji ^ ^jcJ33 <<n<nnci .^gcn^i^ <<Vj^

15 Axia\n <CI\ ? n ^d^n — A.^ <<cwn <<_ajj^33 <<A 73*13 .*$Knt-v»*i

■<n^ici ->\'7 3 \an yi<n v-^<<n <C^aS<na <<oc^ui

20

'Gregorios Bar 'Ebraya, Ktaba d-maktbanut zabne, pp. 593-95.

191

Syriac-English Vocabulary

Words used primarily as nouns are listed in the emphatic state; words used pri-
marily as adjectives are given in the absolute; regular, predictable plurals of
nouns and adjectives are not indicated (see Appendix B, p. 142). Verbs are
listed by root (Ill-weak verbs are alphabetized with dlap as the third radical; hol-
low verbs are given with w as the second radical). Perfect and imperfect forms
are given for G-verbs. Abbreviations: abs: absolute state; act: active; const: con-
struct state; impf: imperfect; impt: imperative; int: intransitive, pass: passive;
pi: plural; pr n: proper name; pron encl: pronominal enclitic; trs: transitive.

<£n<< aba pi abdhe/abdhatd fa-
ther

-a<<

adtfay Addai (equated with
Thaddaeus, one of the

na<< ebad/nebad to perish; Aph
awbed to cause to perish

7in<<

seventy-two disciples)
dddm Adam

\4a<< abgar Abgar (pr n)

<<>*<<

ednd (f) ear

n^a<< abid lost

\*<

dddr March

«C^3<< abiyd Abijah

AcwC

ahhel see AW

\.*i<< abil in mourning

\m<(

ahharsee S'wn

Aa<< ebld mourning

^•\<n<<

ahrdn Aaron

qort\,fnrt-y< dgustos Augustus
<<tt^ei4<< agorsd estate, farm

<*<

aw or; more than; aw. ..aw
either. . .or; o (voca-

~4< aggay Aggai (pr n)
tyi \<< agges see cpm..^
\4<< egar/negor to hire; aggar
see \jp

tive)
awbel see ,\*i.
awdi see <<a.
awda c see ^.a.

<<X4<< agrd wage; eggdrd rooftop
<&\-V< eggartd letter, epistle

wzna cistern, font
uhddnd dominion, juris-
diction

Ajj<s<<

awhel see An.

193

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Tjjei<<

awfairsee *u«<

<<*,<<

(da (f, const id-/yad-, abs

^aaet<<

wA^Jm black

yad) pi ide/idayyd hand

^730<<

awmi see «£ax.

<<*.<<

ayda (0 which?; oyda d-

<<iaaew<

umdnd craftsman

she who

<&icn3acu<

umdnutd trade, craft

<<^_\|.<<

izgaddd ambassador, en-

l£03Cl<<

ummtd community, nation

voy

<<u»<<

awwdnd abode, lodging

<^\et^4f.<<

izgaddutd embassy, mes-

T- \" l \ v r ^^^

ewstdrgis Eustargis (pr n)

sage

£COCk(

awsep see &ta.

<<AV<<

itdlyd Italy

^B«l<<

awqed see ntu

vy<^

ak like; ak d- as

^gj-^el^

orgdnon organ

<<^<<

aykd where?

^mW

ur/jay Edessa

^•<(

aykan how

<Co^ev<<

urM (0 way, road

<Ci^.<^

aykanna how; aykannd d-

oryd manger

ur c d (abs ura c ) meeting,

as
,A.<< aylen (pi) which?; ay/en d-
those who

encounter

TaiacAei^

oreSlem Jerusalem

<<A.<<

ildnd tree

^ei^

awret see }&S*

<£»».<<

imdmd by day

^acet^

awiet see \,— -

r<<

en yes

A,<<

ezaUnezal to go

<<!.<<

oryna which?; ayna a"- he
who

<<ol<<

aha brother

.3jj<<

ahheb see -i-i-

cu.<<

aynaw for aynd-(h)u which
is?

:uj<<

ehad/nehod to seize, take,

shut (door); pass part
(a/ii'aV has both act &

iydspdn jasper
i<5rara glory, honor

pass senses, also means

*u<<

eydr May

possessing, having,

2n.<<

if there is/are

powerful; Ethpe etthed

-*u<<

ayfi see <&\<

to be shut

<<*<<

as in -3<<ii<< ettakki, see

^13<S

ahhi see <di

«^

nsux<

ahmad Ahmad (pr n)

<W*<(

akwdt like (prep)

\u<<

Aph awhar to delay, tarry;

<£i^a<£

afcznfi likewise

Eshtaph eUtawhar to de-

*li1=lK

afc/wd likewise

lay, hesitate

<<Aiita<<

aWa together

^'WJ

hrdy last, hind

.W

ekal/nekol to eat

<<i\i»^

hrend/hreta pi hrane/

<<-^tA^<<

dkelqarsd the Devil

hranydtd other

^xta<<

akman for ^jq >/y<< a& man

<C^a»<<

iberdyd Iberian, Georgian

like one who, like him
who, as though

194

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

<dfioa<(

aksndyd stranger, foreigner

<<EUJ<<

ananqi (di/dyiaj) it is pos-

A<

e//a but; for en /a if. . .not

sible

^< <<&<<

elld en unless, except that

<i^K

n<5M people; nSS anybody,

<<<n\<<

aldhd God

somebody; IdndS no-

iAo«nX<<

aldhutd divinity

body

c^

ellu if (contrafactual)

<&<xx-iK

ndSutd humanity

cjoAftS'iiReA^ elewterdpolis Eleuthe-

W

att you (m sing)

rapolis

.^<<

att you (f sing)

<<A<<

eliyd Elijah

«g^b<<

atton you (m pi)

qaAc\SeiA<<

iliopolis Heliopolis

yO»(

atten you (f pi)

x -1— .V

eli$ba c Elizabeth

<£l^U<(

aftra pi ne$$e woman, wife

qoci*v:u£aal<<

aleksandros Alexander

<<e«<

Pa assi/nasse to heal;

<GA<<

el c d (f) rib

Ethpa etassi to be healed

^

Pa allep to teach

<C0CK<

essd wall

<<a\<<

alpd (abs dlep) thousand

<<c\\,m<<

estwd orod, porch, portico

_y\<<

elas/nelos to compel

<<\\ 7 bck< estld (f) clothing

<£**<

emmd pi emmhdtd mother

<Cccx(

dsyd healer

cjocneiSa^

amoros Amoros

<£ieL03<<

dsyutd pi -swafa cure,

yTTO^

amen verily, amen

healing

aU^i*±n<s

amind'it always, con-

£\JXX<

asird prisoner

stantly

/ti.-mw/

eskemd attire, appearance

<<\^J3<<

amird emir

<daxn<<

espdnyd Spain

^30<<

Ethpe etemen b- to perse-

ja£o<<

cwseg see »\m

vere in

■HttK<

esar/nesor to bind, fasten

tas<<

emar/nimar to say, tell (/-

l£tCO<{

crta wall

someone, c al about);

.W

a cc e/ see W^

Ethpe etemar to be said

•s<<

dp also, so also

<< i QK<

emrd lamb

<<fi<<

appc (pi only) face, coun-

<£l3S<<

amtd pi amhdtd maidser-

tenance; l-appay around

vant

about

^£(l^Q<C

emat when

<<JAS<<

dpadnd palace

^<

en if (possible conditional)

<Ca^\,.q<<

epitrdpd eTrlrpo-rros; procu-

<<K<

endl

rator

n «i<ok<

enhu d- if it is/was (a fact,

<<W

dpld for dp Id

true) that

<?<<

dp en even if, although

»g«<

ennon they, them (m)

qaa<<

appes see cpta&

<Cacu\ 7 i<< antyokyd Antioch

±iS<<

appeq see n^i

yi<^

ennen they, them (f)

7a,\s<<

aprim Ephraem

CU3^3'H<<

ardbiqo Arabian (horse)

195

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

±=i\<l

arfca c (f), arfc c a (m) four;

inca

bdt/nbut to pass the night,

arb c dbSabbd Wednesday

spend the night

<&^<<

ardekld master builder

-»P

bzah/nebzoh to penetrate

<<,*»<<

arza cedar, pine

-P

bdz hawk

<C^

aryd pi -yau'H'afa lion

AA^

fcttV idle; fcztti/ in vain, of

k.*^^

drama' it in Aramaic

no effect

^.^

era c /nero c to meet, en-

AV

battdl idle

counter

A^

bten/nebtan to conceive

<±\<

a^a (abs ara c ) pi a/^c/

(child)

ar c awwafa earth, land

<Ci\ 7 n batnd conception; qabbel

**<<

eSad/neSod to pour out,

batnd to become preg-

shed; Ethpe eteSed to be

nant

spilled, shed

<i:ua

baydu Baidu Khan, Ilkhan

■«->— «<*

eSkah/neSkah to find; to be

ruler, AD 1295

able (act part meSkah);

A^

bel Bel, supreme god of

Ethpe eitkah to be found

the Babylonians

^<<

aSHar see *i^

7U3

bem judgment seat

^Aac<^

eSti/neite to drink

>P

Ethpa etbayyan to regard,

<&<

afa pi dtwdtd sign, token

consider

<<^<<

etd/nete to come; Aph ayft'

r=»

bayn (+ pron encl II)

to bring, take, lead

among, between

f&oA\<<

pi of i&<<

Aiu3

bayndt (+ pron encl I)

<<^ijw<

atrd pi -reZ-rawvafa place,

among, between

country

~-~<

bit bad, evil, wicked

uccka^n<<

etpawSai see yy^

<&'*~.*i

biSutd malice, evil

^tun

bet (prep) among; see also

a

6(a)- (proclitic) at, in

next entry

(place); on, at (time);

<<^ua

baytd pi bdtte (const sing

with (instrumental)

bet-) house

eM<Ca

bdju Baju (pr n)

<<"VXQ<<i(U3

bet-asire prison

\-i-i

babel Babylon

y"\3eL4ift»3

bet-gubrin Beit-Jubrin (pr

^j^nn

badgon therefore, for that

n)

reason

<<^A.«^un

bet-wa c dd assembly hall

A«n3

Ethpe etbhel to calm down

<^ABQjjiun

bet-hesdd Bethesda

Awria

bhet/nebhat to be ashamed,

<<Aua

baytdyd household (adj)

confused

■^..W-l

bet-lhem Bethlehem

'latia

bukar first-born <£ieiiaac3aiua

bet-meStutd banquet hall

^'icia

burgd tower, turret

y'KflaAi^l

bet-nahrin Mesopotamia

<&ia*vc£3

burktd blessing

196

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

■ A-n

bet-sahrdye Beth Sahraye

(prn)
bet- c widd Beth Awida
bet-sawbd meeting house
bet-qburd sepulchre
bet-tbdrd Beth T'vara
bkd/nebke to weep, cry
bfaz/d weeping
balhod alone (takes pron

end II)
balanay (f) bath
bnd/nebne to build; Ethpe

effom to be built
bnayyd pi of fera
benydnd building, edifice
fe/iafa pi of band
bsd/nebse to despise (fc- or

c al)
basbes/nbasbes to tear to

pieces
bassim pleasant
besydnd negligence, fine

for negligence
besmd aroma, spice, in-
cense
bestar behind (pron encl I)
b c d/neb c e to seek, look

for; Ethpe etb c i to be

necessary, needed
bd c utd request, petition
b c at/neb c at to spur, urge

on
ba c ld master, husband
b c eldbdbd enemy
b c elzbob Beelzebub
Pa bassi to search into,

find out
Ethpa etbaqqi to scrutinize
bar (l-bar men) outside of

<<ta

brd/nebre to create; Ethpe

effon to be created, come

into existence

<?V3

bra (constr bar-) pi bnayyd

(abs bnin) son; -^n ber

my son

£\^'V3

bar-eggdrd p) bar-eggdre

demon

<<*a J u3

barbdrd Barbara

<<tLl,\3

barzanqd type of armor

vyTH

brik blessed

r£u\3

brita pi brayyd/berydtd

creature

1/\*13

brek/nebrak to kneel; Pa

barrek to bless; Ethpa

etbarrak to be blessed

S*\a* *ia

bar kurdr Ibn Kurar (pr n)

7^

bram nonetheless, however

<<^j'\n

bar-ndSd pi bnay-ndSd

man, human, person

■ii"\\^

bar c alqami Ibn al-'Al-

qami, d. 1258, vizier to

Musta'sim

<<a^

barqa lightning

iiUacSa

b-rdSit in the beginning

A'la

barta (constr bat-) pi <&ln

bndtd daughter

<&AetA£3

btultd virgin

'liia

bdtar after

^iia

bdtarken afterwards, then,

next

<<Vl4 gird arrow
<<a_^ gbd/negbe to choose; gbc/

gafrya chosen
<<rM gobbd (abs gefcb,) side
A^4 gbal/negbol to form, fash-
ion
^04 gabbdr mighty
^\3-\ gabra man, husband

197

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<8\<\*^n

gabruta pi -rwdtd deeds of

<<A^

gelyand revelation

renown

<<sA_$ g lipd carving

A.'ci^ gabryel Gabriel

q\ \ glap/neglop to carve

<&\* \ \

gdgultd Golgotha

<<a)M

gldpd engraving, carving

<< M

gadda luck, fortune

f£neOa_$

gmurtd pi gumre burning

<<.n_\

gadyd pi gdayyd goat

coal

<<An^

gdalyd Gedaliah (pr n)

*u3a4

gmir perfected, made ready

•SM

Pa gaddep b-fl-fal to re-

<^3M

gamld camel

vile; Ethpa etgaddap to

A.<<Asa_^ gamaliel Gamaliel (pr n)

be reviled

*oa_$

gmdr, la- entirely, utterly

*M

gdaS/negdaS to happen

<<M

gennd protection

<<i<n-4

gehhannd Gehenna, hell

■3M

gnab/negnob to steal

«4

gaww inside (also ^atw

"uaH

gabbdr mighty

men, b-gaww, l-gaww)

<<COA_\

gensd species

<<neL4

gudd band, company

qaao4

Aph agges to recline at

<<.CL4

gawwdye citizens

table

<<_3QCL4

gumdsd pit

•^

Ethpe etg c el to be commit-

<C\3ad-4

gumre pi of gmurtd

ted, entrusted (/- to)

^W4

gdr/ngur to commit adul-

<<M

geppd wing

tery

•^M

greb/garbd leprous

<<A13C.CL4

guSmd (abs gSum) body

<Cht-4

garbya the north; (gabbd)

<+A

gazza treasure

garbydyd north side

<<-V-*

gzirdyd policeman

I&-.T-4

gristd loaf (of bread)

V*

Ethpe etgzar to be circum-

<P*VM

gerantos Gerontius

cised

^M

gar/neggor to scrape off,

<<n^4

gvdd£ nerve

erase, wipe out; to drag

<<£Q^4

gayydsd robber

M

ger (postpositive) but,

n

d(a)- of (prep); that (conj);

however, for, indeed

who, which, that (rel

<<5M

gld/negle to reveal; Pa

conj)

galli to reveal; Ethpe et-

.uan

Pa dabbah to sacrifice

gli to be revealed; gle/

<<.i~in

debhd sacrifice, victim

galyd open, revealed;

'can

dbar/nedbar to lead; Pa

galyd'it openly, in pub-

dabbar to rule, manage

lic

<<^n

dabrd wilderness

nl4

Aph agled to freeze

A4*

daggdl false, deceitful

<<A_$ ge/ya, £- openly, publicly

<<acn^

dahbd gold

AA_*

glild Galilee

<<«n

dwd/nedwe to be wretched

<t.\\ \

glildyd Galilean

A.on

ddwid David

198

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

■v^^uen

dawitddr Dawitdar (pr n)

jA*

dleq/nedlaq to be lit; Aph

<<i\a,ein

dukrdnd remembrance,

adleq to light

memorial

<<tAn

da/ga (abs dleq/dlaq) torch

<&3.cn

dukktd place

7"

daw (en) whether

-en

das/ndus to exult

<<aa^

dmd/nedme I- to seem, be

,<n

ddn/ndun to judge

like; Ethpa etdammi I- to

jacn

Aph adiq to look out (of a

resemble

window, e.g.)

&COZ*

dmutd pi demwatd form,

<<a=.nein

durdM exercise

shape, image

acetn

dd$/ndu$ to tread; Pa

v^n

dmek/nedmak to sleep

dayyeS to trample

<^n^

dem c d (f) tear

<Oi*jj^

dahhiha dust, dirt

•Sira^

Ethpa etdammar to be as-

Au>n

dahhil afraid, fearful

tonished

Aii^

dhel/nedhal to be afraid;

<<m

Ethpe efcf/w to agree, assent

Aph adhel to make

.lU?\

dnah/nednah to rise (sun);

afraid

Aph adnah to make (the

A\jjn

dehltd fear

sun) rise

<<eun

daywa evil spirit, devil

uy».n

d c ek/ned c ak to go out

qocfHoBCocun

diosquros Dioscurus

(light, lamp)

A.n

di7 (+ pron encl I ) belong-

.HtUan

daqdaq small; daqdqe the

ing to, property of

common people

■«\.a

dilandy I- belonging to,

ctAaA

deqlat Tigris

appropriate to

nn

dor; l-ddr-ddrin for ever

r n

den (postpositive) for,

and ever, for all genera-

then, however

tions

^■'u.n

dendrd dinar

dc.cu'in

daryuS Darius

^yt*

daysdn Daissan (river)

v/\^n

Aph adrek to overtake

<<ti^un

diateqe Siadiya], testament

qpcuin

darnus Darnus (pr n)

^

dka/nedki to be pure; Pa

<<^n

drofa (f) arm

dakki to heal; Ethpa et-

scA*

draS/nedroS c am to dispute

dakki to be healed

with; Pa darrel to in-

\an

dkar/nedkar to remember

struct; Ethpa etdarraS to

(pass part dkir has act &

exercise

pass senses); Ethpe etd-

c&'w

ddrtd courtyard

kar to remember; Ethpa

<<ia=.n

ddSnd gift

etdakkar to be mindful

of

<<<n

ha lo, behold

AA*

dlil easy; dallil few

<<4<n

Ethpa ethaggi to meditate

.geeAfl

ddldson Dalason (pr n)

-V4<n

Ethpa ethaggag to imagine

<<trt-n \<n hegmona governor

199

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

CKTl
CUCKTl

<<\->.«n

hegmonutd governorship

Aph ahgar to become
Muslim

hade (f sing) this

hdir comely; hdiruta
comeliness

haddama member, limb

hu he; haw (m sing) that

hwd/nehwe to be

huyu he is (for hu-hu)

huldku Hiilagii, Ilkhan, r.
1256-65

hupdkd way of life

hayden then, at that time

haykla temple

hi she; hay (f sing) that

haymen/nhaymen b- to be-
lieve in

haymdnutd faith

hdkwdt likewise

hdkel thus, therefore

hdkan thus

hdkannd thus

/ja/ert these (pi)

Pa hallek to walk; to make
(someone) walk

Pa hallel to praise; Aph
ahhel b- to mock

Aph ahmi men to neglect,
disregard

hand (m sing) this

hdnon (m pi) those

hennon (m pi) they

hpak/nehpok to return (int);
~ 6- to go back on; Pa
happek to return (trs),
convert; Ethpa ethappak
to be turned around, con-
verted

qpAei'wn

herodes Herod

<<33rt i l<n

heromd aromatic spice

^.\m

Ziarfa? here

*\\m

Aph ahhar to bother

<<ac«n

/idM now

a

For roots see initial dlap

or yod.

Cl

w(a)- and

<<*u t e\

wazird vizier

-£\

way woe

As

wa/e /- it is necessary for

<<^i.«i

wa c dd appointed place,

tryst, pledge

vM

zban/nezben to buy; Pa

zabben to sell

<<l!3,

zabnd (abs zban) time;

zban-zban from time to

time; ba-zban once upon

a time

<£u-4ei4i

zgdgitd pi -gydta glass

±1.^1

zaddiq righteous

J3^|

zaiieiy meet, fit, right

^mi

zhir wary; zhira'it securely

n<ri|

Pa zahhar c al to warn

against; Ethpa ezdahhar

b- to beware of, watch

over

^<Ot

zahrd brightness (of fire,

e.g.)

->SCkf

Pa zayyah to solemnize,

accompany in procession

i.e>(

zd c /nzu c to tremble; Ettaph

ettzih to be terrified

<<*,

zkd/nezke to conquer, over-

throw, overcome

l&MA)

zdkutd victory

^■"lai

zkaryd Zacharias

<<tlAj

zalliqd ray

200

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

^eoa) zdmord psalm
(Atosi zmirtd psalm

yja t Pa zammen to invite
*oa t Pa zammar to sing psalms
^^'oai zmargdd emerald

<<»! zna pi znayya (abs zan pi
znin) kind, sort; manner;
ba-znd in a (like) manner
<<j) znd/nezne b- to commit
adultery with
Aeui zdnyutd adultery
*«Li., z c o/- small, little, in-
significant
Ethpal ezda c za c to totter
z c ip angry
z c iputd anger
zdqdpd crucifier
z^i/ja cross; crucified
zqap/nezqop to raise up,
crucify; Ethpe ezdqep to
be crucified
zqar/nezqor to compose,

form
zra c /nezro c to sow
zarfa pi -e span

/icra nobleman
hab/nehhob to burn, be set
on fire; Aph ahheb to
love
hbuSyd imprisonment; bet-
hbuSyd prison, jail
\~ l " hbat/nehbot to beat; Pa
habbet to keep on beat-
ing
i.^.i habbib beloved
..in hbas/nehbos to crowd,
throng together
^'uid habra friend, companion

•va,
<£rt,

Tin

(CacCOn

<<T3CUl

hba$/nehbos to imprison

habSuSd pi -fydtd beetle

/igw lame

/igi'r lame, crippled

hgar/nehgar to be lame;
Aph ahgar to stumble,
waiver, ~ c a/ ^Mpsa to
stumble on a pebble

had/held one; /iad c a/w /ia<i
with one another

hdi/nehde to rejoice, be
glad

hadbHabbd Sunday

hdddd one another

hadutd (abs todwa) glad-
ness

hadyd breast, chest

hdar/nehdor and nehdar to
surround (b-, 1-); hdar
around (+ pron encl II)

hdat/hadtd (emph hadtd
-e/hdattd hadtdtd) new

Pa hawwi to show

hawwd Eve

hdb/nhub to succomb, be
conquered; Pa hayyeb to
find guilty, condemn

hawbd trespass, guilt, ill

hawbtd debt

hawdd tiara

l-hudrd round about, all
around

hdt/nhut to sew, stitch

huydld strength

hulmdnd health, recovery

huldnd hole in the ground

hummd heat

hunyd Huniah (pr n)

hds/nhus to have pity

201

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<l£OCUl

haw sana pity; dla-hawsan

AAn

/i/o/a marriage

pitiless

TiA*)

Mm sound, correct

<<i\cocuj

husrdnd damage, loss

7al<j

Aph ahlem to cure, make

*\eu>

har/nhur I- to look, gaze

whole

at, 6- pay heed to

.a^

Map (+ pron encl II) on ac-

^eui

hewwdr white; Pa hawwar

count of, for the sake of,

to whiten

instead of

<CiHscciu

huSband reckoning;

i^'iooii

hmird leaven

dlahuSban without limit

<<?ej»*»

hamrd wine; hmdrd don-

£yn

hza/nehze to see; Ethpe

key, ass

ethzi to be seen, appear

T *7V1

hammeS (f), hammSd (m)

<Cc\yii

hezwd vision

five; hammMbSabba

•QfjJ

hzaq/nehzoq to travel,

Thursday

journey

l&S&iJ

hemmta rage

n&y}

/izfifc? sight

<Cl*J

Ethpa ethanni to lean, rely

<x»

hattdyd sinner

<£lul

hannd lap

■&V

htap/nehtop to snatch, take

itnciu

hdnutd pi -/ivwJfa shop,

away

stall

^jJ

hayy living, alive

^-* ■«

/im'g doleful

<^jj

hyd/nehhe and nehe to live;

^

hnan we; hanndn Hannan

Aph ahhi to give life

(prn)

<CJj

/fcyyye (pi) life

<&u

hanpa pagan

<<^ JJj

hayydbd evildoer, tres-

<&ia&iu

hanputd paganism

passer

>->i .«

hnaq/nehnoq to choke,

(fncuo

hayyuta pi -ywdtd animal;

smother, drown (trs);

living things, life

Ethpe ethneq to be

(collective)

drowned, choked

. \- ■*

Pa hayyel to confirm,

(<A£Qxl

hesdd shame, reproach

strengthen, comfort;

n.fv*.«

hassir lacking, missing

Ethpa ethayyal to be

<Ciu

Ethpa ethappi c al to be

strong

hidden from

Ao.

hayld might, power

v^

hpit earnest, assiduous;

ri$\Cl\uJ

haylutd pi -lawwdtd host,

hpitd'it earnestly

company

<CuJ

hassd rear; ndtar-hassd

^Uut

hayltdn strong, mighty;

bodyguard

mdryd hayltdnd the Lord

J'Xil

hrab/nehrob to lay waste;

God Sabaoth

hreb/harba desolate, un-

yiilil

hakkim wise

inhabited

■*" *•"->■■

hekmtd wisdom

^efijj

hrdrd eye (of a needle)

Aj

hdld sand

V-

hrat/nehrot to scratch

202

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

jau\u harrip severe, sharp
»^U) hrak/nehrok to burn; Ethpe
ethrek to be burned,
singed

sc\ti hre$/nehra$ to be silent;
hrel/harM dumb, deaf
mute

<&\n hartd, b- in the end,
finally

<Gejj /io?M disease, sickness;
sorrow, passion

,~fr,t hXab/neh$ob to count,

reckon; Ethpa ethaSSab
to plan, plot, think,
meditate
<Cacbae.ii heiiokd darkness

vytj hSek/nehSak to grow dark
(used impersonally in
the 3rd fern sing)
<<->•«•■) heSkd darkness

vi- ■> ha$/nehha5 to be sad, sor-
row, suffer
<&»» hdtd pi ahwdtd sister

ituinj fcittif accurate

T^^ui htam/nehtom to seal
<<^Q^u> hdtmd seal

<<Ciiu> hatnd bridegroom

ja\, tab good; very
<<a\, fcfofoa fame, report
<<^\ea\, tabbuldrd tabularius, regis-
trar of tribute
,\n\, tba c /netba c to seal; to sink
(int); Pa tabba c to sink
(trs); Ethpe ettbcf to be
imprinted
<C^a\, tab c d seal
<£a\, tdbtd good (thing, deed)

-aa\, Pa tayyeb to prepare; Ethpa
ettayyab to be ready,
present, at hand
y3<i\, tubdnJ-dni blessed,
beatified
<£A«\ C , tutiFd heavy sleep, stupor
.S«\, Aph arip to overwhelm,
deluge
eimSci^, fH/wa type, symbol, like-
ness
^*wt^ /wra mountain; tawrd

(saggi'd) for a long time
*ii\, tayyeb see -3<i\,
<&rt-i.\, taybutd kindness, favor
qa^-i.N^ tiberis Tiberius
qp<a->.\,.\, titikos/taytikos parrot
<<-\, tayydyd Arab
<<^n.\, ft'ma (usually pi) price,
value
\s\, tak T&x<a, perhaps
<frn->\, taksd, teksd order, rank;
rite, liturgy
<<A\, talyd/tlitd pi tldye/talydtd
(abs tie pi f/eyn,) child
<&ti.\\, talyutd childhood
ja^\, Ethpa ettallaq to be

finished, vanish
<6l\, fd/nefe to wander, go
astray; fe/ta c yd astray;
Ethpe etfi to be forgot-
ten, be negligible
cp&\, for (y».q\,^i<<, qn.q\^oa
&c. see qguS
<<t\, Ethpa ettarri to dash, beat
against
^a^^ trund tyrant
<^t\, Pa taSSi to hide, conceal;
Aph atSi to store in a se-
cret place; Ethpa ettaSSi
to hide oneself

203

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

a.

newt

<<33CU

<Cacu

J&fiOCL

^•'xuei.

\ .«.

Aph awbel to carry, take

Pa yabbeS to dry (trs)

yabM dry land

jorf, &-y<&/ through, by, by
means of (see ids.)

Aph awdi to confess, ac-
knowledge

yddo c d expert

idi c known, evident;
idi c a'it clearly, evidently

ida c /nedda c to know; Aph
awda c to inform, make
known; Ethpe etida c to
be known; Eshtaph
eStawda c to recognize,
perceive, understand

ydcfd acquaintance

ida c td knowledge

yab (perf only; impf nettel)
to give

ydhdbd giver

ihud (-yhud) Judaea

ihudd/yudd Judah, Judas

yuddyd (-yhuddyd) Jew

ydhanndn John

yulpdnd learning, teaching,
doctrine

yawmd pi -e/-dtd
(abs/constr ydm) day

yawmdnd today

yawndyd Ionian, Greek

yosep Joseph

yuqrd burden

yordndn Jordan

ihiddy only, sole

Aph awhel to become ex-
hausted

^

iled/nelad to give birth to,

bear, beget

<<neA.

ydlddd parent

A^.

Aph <zy/e/ to cry out, howl

<£&.

illtd pi yalldtd shout, wail,

cry

.a\.

ilep/nelap to learn (impt

iVapj

<<3a.

imd/neme to swear; Aph

awmi to make (someone)

swear, bind with an oath

<£».

yammd pi <<aiiSa. yamme

sea

(^Oli

yammind right (hand, side)

Qiv»-

Aph avvjep to add, go on

(to say, e.g.); Ettaph et-

tawsap to increase

rf$U^

yd c itd pi yd c ydtd battle-

ment

^lCUai_

ycfqob Jacob

Atu

iqed/neqad to burn (int),

catch fire; Aph awqed to

burn (trs)

n.w.

yaqqir heavy; noble, hon-

ored

'ta.

Pa yaqqar to honor

^■Tla.

iqdrd honor

<d\.

yarhd (abs iraA^ month

<&L^j'U

ydri c td tent

iftn.

iret/nerat to inherit; Aph

awref to bequeathe to

Art^l'V

ydrtutd inheritance

.XClae-.

i'Io c Jesus

V-

Aph owlet to hold out, of-

fer

.aiu

iteb/netteb to sit, stay,

dwell; ydteb-wa c dd page

'uAu

yattir men more than; vaf-

tird'it more, all the

more; especially

204

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

"da. Pa yattar to increase

<Cn<C*

fcefed sickness, pain

hcn<<*

£emaf that is, that is to
say, id est

<<«<=»

kind just; kind' it justly

<&\ckAa

<2icu<<a

kenutd justice

AA*

<<a<<a

fcepa (f) stone, rock; (m)

<naAa

Peter

A\a

'vaa

kbar doubtless; perchance

:\a

kad when, as (conj)

,gla

Pa kahhen to serve as a

priest, perform priestly

n <£»\a

functions

*73^jAa

<G<T13

kdhnd priest

■^ t\^

<C«a«Tla

kdhnutd priesthood

^\\->

uiOla

kdhndy priestly

«\a

<<3acia

kawkbd star, heavenly

body

w\-»

Ada

koll variant spelling of Aa,

<SAa

q.v.

6u

<Ck3Q<ka

kumrd priest

ct*icacka

kosraw Chosroes

<Cnnaa

kurddyd Kurd

Aoii

^cn^eia

kurhdnd disease

\£JSa

(Cco'Sela

kursyd pi -sawwdtd seat,

*oaa

throne

^

ac\ask

kureH Cyrus

<4a

l&rta

tevvvvfa pi kawwe (abs
fcavvwa pi fajwvvm,) (f)

<*»— »«•»

opening, aperture

<&av,i-t

^A

toy truly, now, then
(particle of emphasis)

Til

<^a

kydnd nature

.u»a

kydndy pertaining to nature

A*

koll (+ abs) every, (+ emph

<Catia

or pron encl) all

<<coa

A» kla/nekle to forbid, with-
hold; Ethpe efJWi to be
withheld; etkalyat tba c td
mennhon they were ex-
empted from taxes
kollayutd totality
klild crown
kalipdh caliph
Pa kallel to crown; to sur-
round (with a wall);
Ethpa etkallal b- to be
adorned with
kollmd d- whenever
kollmeddem everything
kollndS everybody
koll c edddn every moment
Pa kalleS to plaster,

whitewash
kolftcf always, constantly
kallta bride

kmd (+ abs pi) how, how
much, how many; kmd
d- inasmuch as, just as
kmdyutd quantity, amount
kmir sad, gloomy
Ethpe etkmar to be sad
ken and so, and then
Ethpa etkanni to be called
knuStd assembly, syna-
gogue
kniSutd sum, total
knaS/neknoS to gather; Pa
kannel to take in, bring
together; Ethpa etkannaS
to be gathered together
kehSa crowd, multitude
ksd/nekse to clothe, cover;
Pa kassi to clothe, cover
over, hide
<Cma kesya, b- secretly

205

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

c&fioa

fcespa money, silver

^

kpen/nekpan to hunger;

^

/fa)- to, for (prep); non-

kpen/kapna hungry

obligatory direct-object

*ia*

kpar/nekpor b- to deny, re-

marker

nounce

<<<&

la/nele to toil; le pi leyn

<<\a

kri/nekre I- to be sad

(emph <<.<<i /ova pi <C<<\

(impers 3rd fern sing,

layyd) weary, fatigued

keryat Ihon 'they grew

f&c\<<\

/euro" labor, trouble

sad'); karyd I- it is sad

<<a\

/efcM heart

cn\a

Ethpe etkrah to get sick,

-i*A

Ethpa etlabbab to take

fall ill

heart

t^

Aph akrez to proclaim, an-

<<ae.ck=A

Ibute clothing, garment

nounce, preach; Ethpe

,1.-<\

Ibib audacious, bold

etkrez to be broadcast

*^A

IbiS wearing, clothed

<<(ei\a

karoza announcer, pro-

i^A

Ibak/nelbok to grasp, hold

claimer

^

lbe$/nelba$ to wear, put

<&iciict'\a

kdrdzutd preaching, gospel

on; Aph albeS to clothe

«n»\a

krih sick, ill

c^

law = ld-(h)u is not; also

<&cu\a

karyutd distress

as negative prefix as in

«/\\a

krak/nekrok to wrap, roll;

law saggi not much, not

Pa karrek to twist; Ethpa

very

etkarrak to be turned,

<&A

Iwd/nelwe to accompany,

twisted, wander about

follow

<<a\a

karka walled city

<<33<A

lubdbd encouragement

<<33 J la

karma vineyard

<<3CU>eA

luhdmd threat

<<Bo\a

karsd (abs/const kres)

v^

lat/nlut to curse

belly, womb

^sniacA

luqdam first of all, before,

ij^co^a

krestydnd Christian

previously

<Ca«^

Ethpe etkSi to be piled up,

2ncA

Iwdt with, in the presence

to be burdensome

of (+ pron encl I )

Vr^

Aph akSel to offend

ncuA

Ihod alone

.aifca

ktab/nektob to write; Ethpe

<<rn.i\

lahmd bread, food

etkteb to be written, in-

«—• .«\

Pa lahheS to whisper

scribed, enrolled

2nA

layt there is/are not

<<aiva

ktdbd book, scripture

<<A\

lelyd pi layle/laylawwdtd

<<aAi=»

katpd pi -e/'dtd (f) shoul-

night

der

-A

lam indicates that the

\<bta

Pa kattar to tarry

phrase in which it occurs
is a quotation

<<3>\

l-md lest

206

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

<<itkA l-mand why?, what for?

<<n<<aas\ lampida lamp

<<tuaaA lampida lamp

AiA l c el above; l c el men over

qa^A l c es/nel c as to partake, eat

iuisl Iput according to, in pro-
portion to

<<i*A leSMnd tongue, language

<<ba ma what?; l-md lest
n <<3a ma d- when, at such time

as; whatever
<&a<<3a mekla food
<<\33<<aa memrd sermon, word
<<i<<^j mdnd vessel; garment
t&A<<33 metitd coming, advent
^aaaa mabbifa spring, source
^TB mab c ad remote, far off
<&A-V» magdld tower
.A:\430 magdldy Magdalene
<&<<:oa madatd tribute
<OiaAiJ3 madbhd altar
<<*iaA3a madbrd wilderness
<<i*can3o mdabbrdnd leader,
guardian
<&Ln3a mdittd pi mdindtd city;
men mdina la-mdind
from city to city
<uaA3a madnha (abs/constr

madnah) orient, east
yA3o maden then, therefore
ymza meddem thing, something,

anything, whatever
^uctoj mhir skilled, trained
^<to^ Ethpa etmahhar to be
skilled, be instructed
Aaeoo mawbld (abs/const maw-

bal, f) burden, load
<<.\ ytm moglaya Mongol

<&in<ncoa

mawhabta gift

<Ojcv3a

muhha brain

A^coa

mokld noxAds 1 , bar, bolt

<<n\tOi

mawlddd birth

<<33eOa

muma blemish, flaw;

mawme see <<aa*

<£ux>c£a

mawmta oath

73— ^.Ancociao

musta c sem Musta'sim, last

Abbasid caliph, r. 1242-

58

scel^a

mal/nmul to touch, feel

(Vaccina

mw£e Moses

^\£k33

mit/nmut to die; Aph am/?

to put to death, cause to

die

f£ic£o

mawtd death

^l\ip9

mzfandy pertaining to mo-

tion

<<Li3a

mhd/nemhe c al to smite

<<AjJl33

mehdd immediately

ia\euOo

mhutd pi mahwatd wound

raUfjJL^Q

mehzita mirror

■<\,"*"

mhatta needle

*l..«Tl

mhir delaying (Aph act

part, from confusion be-

tween \em and J u><

q.v.)

\'*T>

Ethpa etmahhal to grow

feeble

\ii3a

mhdr tomorrow

<&M-r il*7S

mahSabtd calculation

«V»

mtd/nemte to arrive, befall;

mtdy it fell his lot (d- to

do something); Pa matti

I- to arrive at

An\,T>

variant spelling of mettul,

see next entry

207

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

AV»

mettul according to, on ac-

i&cura^xSa

maktbdnutd enrollment,

count of, concerning,

census

for; mettul d- for, be-

<&»

mld/nemle to be full;

cause

mle/malyd full; Pa ma///

*£\p>

mettldt- form of mettul

to fill (trs); Ethpe efm/i

when followed by en-

to be filled; Ethpa et-

clitic pronouns I

malli to be filled, ful-

<<^v»

metrd rain

filled; Shaph Samli to do

•a'vV 30

metrap temrd d- c aynd, ak

thoroughly, complete;

in the twinkling of an

Eshtaph eStamli to be

eye

finished, at an end

(&^\,*T3

mattartd guard, watch;

<<a<<\Tl

malakd angel

ntar mattartd to keep

<<^cAm

mdlokd advisor

watch

<CAas

melhd (f) salt

<&.'ir\ l 'TZ

matSydta hidden things

<<ac<Am

malwdte horoscope, natal

<<^n

mayyd (pi) water

star

Yl.Tl

myabbal dried out, desic-

AdA^a

malyutd fullness, abun-

cated

dance

<^33

mild mile

AAa

mill mental

<<'\t3^73

myaqqrd noble, notable

\^3S

mlak/nemlok to advise,

OU^S

mit dead

counsel; Aph amlek to

(Sua

mayte act. part, of ayti, see

make king, to rule, reign

A<

( c al over); Ethpe etmlek

\ilLZ3

myattar excelling, excel-

b- to be advised by

lent

<<a\A

malkd (abs mlek) king

<<^^U33

myattrd honor

<&eia\aa

malkutd pi -kwdtd king-

<<^33

mekkd from here, hence

dom, rule

i^A

makkik humble

^Aaa

malkdy royal, regal

■<'■>-'>*•"

makkikd Makkika (pr n)

<&A^3

malktd queen

\->-r>

mekkel henceforth

A\s>

Pa mallei to speak; Ethpa

i.->*T3

mkir betrothed, espoused

etmallal to be spoken,
told

i^m

Pa makkek to humble, hu-

miliate; Ethpa etmakkak

<< 1 a\m

mallpdnd teacher

to be humbled

r&eusXaa

mallpdnutd teaching, doc-

(Cll*^3QCCli33

maksemydnos Maximian

trine

i&eiicoaaa

maksdnutd reproach, ad-

d&Aaa

melltd pi melle (f) word;

monition

thing, event; (m) \6yos-

<<Jot->*t>

makSuld offense

i^ini

mmakkak low-lying

<Ga^a>±Q

maktbdnd author, writer

ilT*T^*TO

mmaSSah moderate

208

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

v»

mc« from; man what?; man

who?

V"

man fiev, introduces the

topic of a sentence, usu-

ally followed by den;

man. . . den \xev. . .Se, on

the one hand. . .on the

other hand

<<i3)

mdnd what?, (for l-mdnd)

why?; mennd hair, strand

of hair

a=Am30

men d-rei again

ni*n

mndh pass part of anih, see

-iieu

<<u3J

manyd mina, pound, mea-

sure of weight

<^1il*D

menydnd number

eiA^oa

menkadu already

.\_.*T%

menSel see lelya

An.iWB

mashuta washing, bathing

<A-»m*™

meskend poor, unfortunate

<<iBq30

msdnd sandal, shoe

f&Qcoaa

massaqtd ascension

<&cum\*n

ma c bddnutd function, exer-

tion

Ai-ivan

ma c bartd crossing, ford

AiJJ3

m c dd accustomed

^'..x'-n

m c ind (f) spring, fount
ma c ldnd entrance

<<i\\*n

f^navTi

m c ammddnd the Baptist

rfiuncoa^sa

ma c mdditd pool

<<i*r»\*m

ma c mrd dwelling, abode

(U^a

ma c nu Ma'nu (pr n)

jH^h

ma c rbdy western

<&i*uJa

m c arrtd cave

r&Xeiana

mappultd fall, collapse

<<y»

msd/nemse to be able; pass

part mse/masyd able;

Ethpe etmsi to be able

<ftl0i\..*"O

mefayuta intermediary

<&-\~33

msa c td (const mes c at)

middle, midst

<CjC\Ac03

mdqeddniyd Macedonia;

mdqeddndyd Macedonian

Jiiei^anEiaa

mqaddmut- pre-, fore-

<<?aj

mdrd (const mare) pi

mdrayyd/mdrawwdtd

master, lord

<&j-4\33

margdnitd pi -nydtd pearl

yM'oa

margMn sensory

nroa

mrad/nemrad to rebel

<£i.:\\ai

mardita journey, course

<<aaei J oa

mrawmd height

jj'Oa

marrdh insolent, arrogant

<B\tH*nn i oa

mrahhmdnutd mercy,

compassion

<C'Ol

mdryd the Lord

J3<rL\3a

maryab Maryab (pr n)

'Ta.'iaa

maryam Mary

'u'oa

marrir bitter

Aa*co

mdre-kol lord of all

pa'oa

mermaz with gesture, by

signs

(&i\ ; Q3

mar c itd pi - c ydta flock

qpcuaT^n

marqos Mark

lyim.w^Ti

marqidnos Marcianus

<<Vi3a

mrdrd bitterness, gall,

wormwood; ekal ~ to be

galled

i&^iaa

mdrtd mistress

<Cuot la

maSohd surveyor

ftJUieV3c-33

mSuhtd pi muShdtd mea-

surement

I1T 13

mSah/nemiah to annoint;

Pa maSSah to measure

(pass part mmaSSah mea-

sured, moderate)

209

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

HiT-*73

mSih annointed, messiah;

\mi

nhar/nenhar to be light,

mSihd the Christ

bright, shine; Aph an/iar

■ »-^"*r *T\

meikah able (/- + inf or d-
+ impf, to do)

to shine, make light
nahrd pi -rawwdtd river,

<Z\<ni

\A^»

mSallat authoritative, in

stream

authority

\*mi

nahhir light, illuminated

<<i*T^\-r"Ta

maSlmdnd Muslim

<C\4eu

nwgra a long time

mSanimSdnd deacon

<CH<TlCla

nuhrd light
ndh/nnuh to be at rest;

-'latSa

niSarray paralyzed

-i)C\J

r&M^iac^a

meStutd pi -twdtd banquet,

Aph am'/i to give rest to;

feast

Ettaph ettnih to rest

<Cfll>-'T3

meStyd draught, drink;

yCil

noyan Noyan (Mongolian

maStyd banquet

princely title)

<<\-i£oa

metb c e/metba c yd necessary

.j'iaeu

nukrdy strange, unheard-of

<£^£\3a

metfe negligible

73 en

ndm/nnum to sleep, slum-

fp.q\^oa

mettpis for mettpis obe-

ber

dient (see Vqc^aJ

^eu

nurd (f) fire

Joi

mattay Matthew

Ail]

nhet/nehhat to go down,

Aioa

matld parable

descend, dismount; (+

«*"■- -«>«*•"

metnaiSydnutd forgetful-

c l) to go against; Aph

ness, senselessness

ahhet to send/bring

yfian^isa

mtarsydn nutritious, nour-

down

ishing

<^*v

ndtdrd watchman, guard

i&no^

nturtd guard, watch

tOl

nebo Nebo

^V

ntar/nettar to keep, guard;

^■-i'

nbiyd prophet

Pa nattar to keep under

stVai

nabreS/nnabrei to kindle;

watch; Ethpe etntar to

Ethpal etnabraS to flame

be kept

up

<<y*>A 7 i

ndtar-hassd bodyguard

M»

Pa nagged to beat, scourge

^u

nih calm, at rest; nihd'it

<£v4i

negdd scourge, beating

calmly

^4,

naggir long (time)

fCu

nydhd rest, calm

v n\<< 7341

najm aldin Najm al-Din

iBUu

nydhtd rest, comfort

(prn)

-i^^-«

nisdn April

M>

Aph aggar to be lengthy,

<C\j

nird yoke

go on for a long time

<<*!

Aph akki to harm; Ettaph

'im

ndar/neddor to make a

^a<<ii<< ettakki to be

vow

harmed

<Ci:u

nedrd vow

«^«-^«

nekydnd pain, disease

210

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

qr»->i nkas/nekkos to slaughter;

Ethpe etnkes to be

slaughtered
<<m-n nefcsa wealth (usually pi)
»•" Ethpa etnakkap b- to be

shamed by
•\sj Pali nakri to disown;

Ethpali etnakri to be es-
tranged
namosa law; dldndmds

lawless
Pa nassi to try, test, prove
nsab/nessab to take, re-
ceive; nsab b-appe to be

hypocritical
nesydnd temptation, trial
npal/neppel to fall; Aph

appel to make fall
npaq/neppoq to go forth;

Aph appeq to cast out,

cause to leave, take out;

spend (money)
nepqtd & npaqtd expense
napSd (f, abs npeS) pi -dtd

soul, life; -self (reflexive

pron)
naptendy psychological,

pertaining to the soul
nsab/nessob to plant;

Ethpe etnseb to be

planted
nsah/nensah to shine;

Ethpa etnassah to be

victorious, triumphant
neshdnd victory, triumph,

exploit, adventure
nassih shining, brilliant
Ethpe etnsel to pour over

oneself
<Ct_j nasrdyd Nazarene

<<coeOaa

■ « — a«

■5*

<<j-d_j

^1^-3

ndsrat Nazareth

(C^tU

neq c d hole

.Stu

nqep/neqqap to follow,

join

— M»

nqaS/neqqoS to knock

<C*J

n$d/ne$$e to forget; Ethpa

etnaSSi to forget

<<il

nefle (pi) women

-I*.,

nSab/neSiob to blow

HYI

nSaq/neSSoq to kiss

<0\ati

nefra eagle

A*u

ne«e/ (impf only) to give

^*<CO

seb/nesab to grow old

<C^Q<<&Q

jewa silver

<<aca

safca old man

cnaca

Pa sabbah to make like

'l-lfsn

sbar/nesbar to think,

imagine; Pa sabbar to

broadcast, tell abroad,

spread good news, evan-

gelize

^■H-lm

sabrd hope, trust, expecta-

tion

iScHnco

sbartd tidings

IV^CO

sged/nesgod to worship

<<no4ca

sdgddd worshipper

„_^CO

saggi much, many, very

WlfiO

shed/neshad to witness,

testify (b-, c al to); Pa

sahhed to call to wit-

ness, testify; Aph ashed

to bear witness

<<n<ntn

sdhdd martyr

i£ia:\<ncQ

sdhdutd martyrdom

<<<C4elEQ

sogd large amount, many

<&artOo

sukdld intelligence, under-

standing

211

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

CTw£ac^3aArtfia

sulaymdn Sah Sulayman

<<\*nm

semmdld left (hand)

Shah (pr n)

<<i"nm

sammdne pi of sammd

<<eAclca

suldqd ascension

<<lfiO

snd/nesne to hate; sne/

•71000

sdm/nsim to put, place;

sanya hateful, odious

Ettaph ettsim to be put,

^aAico

sindbdn Sindban (pr n)

be located

ulQQ

snin pure

eCinjcim

sunqdnd necessity, need

w.tfv^

.sm'g c al in need of

(Cfiaaea

susdyd horse

r&cltuto

sniqutd need, necessity

<<j\^»rtfia

su c rdnd errand, task; act,

wtlv<

Ethpe estneq c al to need,

deed

be in need of

<<acica

sawpd (abs sop) end

\i^

s c ar/nes c ar to do; to visit;

(Coaeica

supdqd emptying, dis-

Ethpe esfar to be done

charge

<<\iJ50

sa c rd hair

^(Wirtta

surhdbd haste

i&lL&fia

.y/Htta pi -e/spindtd ship,

qocfSeifio

seweros Severus

boat

^u'Hclfia

surhdnd injury, harm,

J3&GO

spaq/nespaq to suffice, be

damage

sufficient; Ethpa csfa/j-

(C^dCa

suryd Syria

paq to be deprived

<d*icica

surydyd Syrian

^■iSco

.sapra scribe, schoolmaster;

<Cifio

shd/neshe to bathe, wash

spdrd edge, bank

<<A7 fiQ

sdtdnd Satan

<<CI£Q

saqqd sack

At 00

star men aside from, be-

n^ico

Ethpa estarrad to be

sides

terrified

A'ojso

saybartd nourishment

^g.n'ica

sardyon carnelian

iBDUs

simtd treasure

j^'Hca

.sn'<7 in vain, futile; sriqd'it

<<9uCo

saypa sword

in vain

<<iCQ

Pa sakki to wait for, expect

:3<n^

sarheb/nsarheb to hasten;

\->flCT

Ethpa estakkal to perceive,

msarhbd'it hastily

understand

ji^fia

srah/nesroh b- to do harm

\->r«n

skal and skel/sakld foolish

to, hurt

w\f»»

sleq/nessaq to go up; Aph

Kciiata

satwd winter

asseq to raise, lift up,

dldlGa

Pa sattet to plant firmly

have (someone) come/go

up

^Lca^~l\

c abbdsdyd Abbasid

<<3Mo

sme/samyd blind; sammd

tUli.

c bad/ne c bed to make, do;

pi sammdne drug, medi-

Aph a c bed make work;

cine; pigment

Ettaph etta c bad to be

i^nfia

smak/nesmok to rest

put to work; Shaph

against; Ethpe estmek to

la c bed to reduce to

recline

servitude

212

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

^1\

c afo/a servant, slave;

•EKUk.

Aph a c iq to distress;

c bddd labor, work, job

Ettaph etfiq to be dis-

.. ^JIX

c abd algani Abd al-Ghani

tressed

(prn)

<C\aiaeLi.

c uqbrd mouse

eiainn^.

c abdnebo Abdnebo

Aeu.

c dr/n c ur to wake, watch;

<<ne>i\

c dbodd maker

Pa c awwar to blind;

^IN

c bar/ne c bar to cross,

Ettaph etfir to wake up

transgress ( c al); to pass,

(Cut CIA

c uMd strength, might

come to pass, happen

<C\ineLi.

c utrd wealth, riches

^>m\^.1x

c abSldmd Abshlama

VP-

c azziz vehement, strong

A^.

Pa c aggel to roll away

<&U3fX

c ezqtd signet

-U^.

c gal, ba- quickly, immedi-

<<netV.

c azrure (pi) swaddling

ately

clothes

A4A

c egld lamb

*V

c tip clothed, clad

<<.*n >\

c ajamdyd Persian

av

c tel/ c atla hard, difficult

Ai.

c ad up to, while

*V-

c tap/ne c top to return; Pa

A^

c daUne c dol to find fault

c attep to clothe; to give

with

back

<<A^.

c edldyd blame, censure;

<<n»i.

c yddd custom, habit

dlcfedldy blameless

<^i*i.

c aynd (f) eye

<<33AA

c dammd d- until (conj); -

Aei\ux

c irutd wakefulness, vigi-

/- until (prep)

lance, attention

^

c den Eden

iai.

Pa c akkar to detain, hinder

<<iAA.

c edddnd moment, time,

A^

c al (with pron encl II, c /-)

season

on, against, over; c al d-

AAi.

c dar/ne c dar to help, be of

because, inasmuch as;

assistance

c al-yad near, beside

i&aa

c edtd assembly, church

<<k

Pa c alli to exalt, raise;

:was>

Ethpa efahhad to remem-

Shaph Sa c li to exalt;

ber

Eshtaph e$ta c li to be ar-

<<3eu*.

c ubbd bosom; cavity

rogant

^•Haco.

c udrdnd aid, help

<<a<tAa

c alhdde orthographic con-

<<in<n<u.

c uhddnd memory; memo-

vention for c al hade

rial, commemoration

i&icAa

pi of c ldtd

Aei^.

Aph a c wel b- to do ill to,

A*.

c elldy exalted, supreme

treat ill

aAa

c alyad near, beside

Aeii.

c awwdld unjust; c welld

<^n\\

c laymd young man, lad

baby

(^C»Aa

c laymtd young woman,

<<tL33ClA

c umqd depth

maiden

213

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

A\^

c al/ne cc ol to go in, enter;

Aph a cc el to have enter,

allow in

Ai\i

c elldtd pi of c e//fa

<<*T\\\

c dlmd (abs c dlam) world;

dal c dlam eternal; /-

c alam, l- c dlam c dlmin

forever

&^

c e///a pi riSAli c elldtd rea-

son, cause; thing, article;

c ldtd pi c /awwafa altar

y^

c a/n (+ pron encl I , c amm-)

with

<<aai.

c ammd pi <<rrafnN c amme

people

Asw.

Aph a c med to baptize

<(i3a\

c mddd baptism

\,e£jxi.

c ammut dark, gloomy

\.-t^

c /w7 weary

n.Ti\

c ammiq deep

(jhan.TlN

c ammiqutd depth

Asii.

c mal/ne c mal to labor, toil,

work

Aasii.

c amld labor, task

I oa\

c mar/ne c mar to live, dwell

«Cix

c nd/ne c ne to reply, answer

<Cii

c an<J (f coll) sheep, small

cattle

«<'«■« N

c enydnd conversation, so-

ciety

(<1A_^

c ndnd (f) cloud

itoLS.

c annat wicked

Htryiv

Ethpa efassaq to be vexed

t-rfVIX

c seq/ c asqd difficult, hard;

c asqd'it with difficulty

iJSinnfwv

c asqutd difficulty

Sr>i\

c sar (f), c cjra (m) ten

<^

c sd/ne c se to compel, force

<<3«xX

c eqbd (f) heel

riSiatLx

c eqbta footprint

TBA.

c qar/ne c qor to rip up, rip

out

<<TtLX

c eqqdrd root, medicinal

herb; line

A'Htii.

c qartd barren woman

■Jtn-ix

c agft2 distress

<<3TJ*.

c erM sheep

AaelT^.

c rubtd Friday

A\,^.

c artel(ldy) naked

<<CO'Vk.

c ar*a bed, couch

Jl\i.

c raq/ne c roq to flee

^atA

c a$!Sin mighty, violent

r?^

c Sen/ne c San to gain

strength; Aph a c Sen to

make violent

n»^ix

c tid ready, prepared (</- +

impf, to do something)

J3.Al\

c attiq old

"uAi^.

c attir rich, wealthy

liti.

c tar/ne c tar to grow rich

<<<<a

pe/<C<i& pay a comely, fair

«tt<<3

perd fruit

•vj>3

pga c /nepga c to attack

<<t_^s

pagrd body

AA«a

puldtd escape

<<30O9

puma mouth

<CiciS

pundyd return; pundy-pet-

gdmd answer, reply

<<tuci3

puniqe Phoenicia

qoeia

see «y-Q

jxoocta

pw.ya<7 Pusaq (pr n)

oCi^Beia

puqddnd commandment,

order

<<coa ,! ieia

purkdsd rrvpyos', tower

<<cenci&

pursd plan, plot

<Cuco^eia

pursdnd affair, manage-

ment

214

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

<£aa\c&

purqdnd salvation

<<i-r ■HeiS

pursdnd division

scciS

pdS/npu$ to stay, remain

Ti^a

Pa pahhem to compare,

collate

<^lnS

pehmd copy, answer to a

letter

<<MV*

petgdrd gout

<<^a

/rya/5 pi pydlds vial, phial;

pi/a elephant

<<3c\co<A>a

pilosopd philosopher

rprtQ.X.Q

pilippaws Philip (pr n)

fyi.O

Aph apw (with nonspiran-

tized p, derives from

neurai ) to convince, per-

suade; mpis leh he was

persuaded; Ettaph ettpis,

usually ettpis to be pur-

suaded, instructed

Xifi

pkar/nepkor to bind

_£s

Papalleg to divide; Ethpa

etpallag to be divided

<<4\a

pelgd division, half, mid-

dle

Aei^ia pelgutd half, middle, divi-

sion; pelgut-lelyd mid-

night

\,eAa pa//«f Pallut (pr n)

.Aa

plah/neploh to serve, wor-

ship; to till, plow

\Aa plat/neplat to escape

A.^r^Xo

Palestine Palestine

\<^

Ethpal etpalpal to welter

(in blood)

<<ia

pnd/nepne to return, come

back; Pa panni to reply,

answer; Aph apni to lead

back, cause to return;

Ethpe etpni to return, re-

vert, turn

<<*.ivA^Q

pantasia (fxivraala, imag-

ination

f&luS

/vn'fa region, direction

<aualcoS

pdsiqdtd, b- in short,

briefly

iv^rinQ

Aph appes to allow, per-

mit

A^a

pd c ld laborer

wmQ

psaq/nepsoq to cut off

<<La

Pa passi to save, deliver,

set free

n..<\

Ethpe etpsah to be glad

.t. .Q

psih happy, cheerful

noa

pqad/nepqod to command,

order

<<ncuoS

pdqodd commander, leader

■ «HfQ

paqqdh expedient; paqqdh-

wd I- it would be better

for

-A^a

Aph apreg to shine, be ra-

diant, rejoice

!<Ceu:\\3

pardisd, pardaysd paradise

^efHS

parrugd chick

<<EucA c ,fl\9

protoniqe Protonice (pr n)

^tict^a

pdrdqd savior

fCno£oA\c\na

protesmid npodeopLla ,

term, time limit

A,^a

parzld iron

oi-\a

prah/neprah to fly

i^ui^a

pdrahtd pi pdrhdtd bird

jx.'ta

parriq distant

<<a=-\a

priM Pharisee

qp\S

pras/nepros to spread (trs

& int); Ethpa etparras

to plot

95*13

pares Persia

<<aao*ia

pdrsdyd Persian

i&fio'Ha

parstd foot, paw, hoof

^.^a

pra c /nepro c to reward

215

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<aa~\9

parsdpd face, persona

^

sdr/nsur to depict, repre-

Ja^S

praq/neproq to depart, go

sent (pass part \~ 57'r]

away, withdraw

<C\a-

sawra neck

*.\a

Pa parrel to divide

tUj

serf beside, next to (with

<<at^a

parraM mounted soldier

pron encl II usually

V^

pSat/nepSot to spread,

spelled *<<-)

stretch out; plaf se£ c a to

^

sir see ■ia-

point the ringer

1§

sayydrd painter

-**~a

pSig maimed

Pa salli to pray ( c al for);

,n.-r < *

pliq easy; pMqd'it easily

Ethpe estli to incline

\*_a

pSar/nepSar to melt

-^

slab/neslob to crucify;

<<\acS

pSdrd digestion

Ethpe e#/efc to be

»»«

Ethpau etpaw$a$ to waste

crucified

away

<<aAj

sliba cross

<<3a_^2nS

petgdmd word, thing

<&aa\

slibutd crucifixion

^i^ia

ptah/neptah to open; Pa

&«£

slotd pi s/awwafa prayer

pattah to cause to be

<<aa^

sa/md (abs slem) image,

opened; Ethpe e/pfa/i to

likeness

be open, opened

l&O N .V.

sni c utd cunning

<Lin&

ptdyd breadth

^■HSj

saprd pi saprwdtd morn-

<<\a£ia

ptakrd idol

ing

<<33Ct-

sed next to, beside (+ pron
encl II; also spelled n^_)

sa'ar representation (see
*\rt-) mqaddam-sd'ar
prefiguration

sbd/nesbe to want; Ethpe
estbi to want

sebydnd will

se6 c d finger

Pa sabbet to set in order

sebfd pi -te ornament, dec-
oration

shd (shi)Meshe to thirst;
pass part (she/sahyd)
thirsty

sawbd meeting place

sawmd fast, fasting

\-»-.

X 1H

<<nci

71* na

73 AB

Pa qabbel to receive, get;

qabbel batnd to become

pregnant
qbar/neqbor to bury
gabra tomb, grave
qba c /neqbo c to fasten, fix,

set up; Ethpe etqbaF to

be set up (cross, e.g.)
Pa qaddi to retain, keep

possession of
qaddim old, ancient; men

qdim of old, long ago,

from eternity
qaddiS holy, sacred,

sainted
qddm before, in front of (+

pron encl II)

216

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

7»^ts

qdam/neqdam to go before,

do first; Pa qaddem to

precede, go before

^ronta

qadmay first, former, fore,

of old, ancient

^U33^Ja

qadmd'it firstly

.SCAB

Pa qaddeS to make holy,

sanctify; Ethpa etqaddal

to be made holy, sacred

<<cUa

Pa qawwi to remain, stay,

wait

^•"»»

qubal, l-qubal before, in

front of (+ pron encl I );

qubal-taybutd thanks,

gratitude

<<ae.neU3

qudte, as in ruha d-qudte

the Holy Spirit

73«ta

qdm/nqum to rise up, arise;

Aph aqim to put, place;

~ qydmd to make a con-

tract; Ethpa etqayyam to

be established

<<GQfiCU3

qupsd cube, pebble, die

<<i3^CUa

qurbdnd oblation

^neua

quryd pi of qritd

tJOCllAclB

qewrinos Cyrenius

Aei^jQ qatola murderer

<<\ApQ qtird compulsion, force;

qtird'it by force

\\fi qtal/neqtol to kill; Pa

qattel to slaughter;

Ethpe etqtel to be killed

<<\\,n gef/a slaughter, murder

A^^V 1

qataraqta cataract

<<V*

qaytd summer

•7^3

qayydm remaining, exist-

ing, standing

<<3U3

qydmd contract; ~ d-Saynd

peace treaty; aqim ~ to

make a contract

/fW.H

qaysd stick, piece of wood

<^o

gaypa Caiaphas

^iuti

qitdrd harp

Aa

ga/a voice

qoeuneAti qlawdios Claudius

AAb

<jra/W little, little bit, in-

significant; swift;

qallild'it swiftly

^\azn

qamrd/qmdrd belt

<<U3

qnd/neqne to acquire, pur-

chase, redeem

f^DOCUO

qnomd self, person;

qnomd'it personally

V-

Aph aqnet to make fear,

make anxious

<<x\'\^iia

qentrdnd centurion

'iryiw

qesar Caesar

f&L^Q

q c dta outcry

Aat>

Ethpe etqpel to be rubbed

off/out

«g<<Wi

qepdle 'on pi <<<<\fiu

qepdle 'd chapter

fwQn

Ethpe etqpes men to with-

draw from

^GofifcS

qapsd cage

<<Lb

qsd/neqse to break (bread);

Ethpe etqsi to be broken

jjytl

qas/neqqos c am to come to

an agreement with

<<^B

qrd/neqre to call, sum-

mon, invite, name, read;

Ethpe etqri to be called,

be read out

-3*1*1

qreb/neqrab I- to approach,

draw near to; Pa qarreb

to put near, bring near;

Aph aqreb c am to do

battle with; Ethpa

etqarrab I- to approach

<<n i u3

qrdbd battle

217

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

kA^EOOTB

qrostelos crystal

<*\

rdd/nerde to proceed, em-

^Sn

qarrib close, near

anate

lAttn.Tti

qarributd d- nearly

<<^e»:\ J i

rdupyd c al persecution of

<iid.'\a

qerydnd candle, taper

.a^

rdap/nerdop to follow,

J1a TB

qrim overlayed

drive on/out, pursue; (+

''u'Tti

qarrir cool, cold

bdtar) persecute

Ad^u^ti

qarrirutd coolness, cold

J3<T1 J \

Ethpa etrahhab to be

fSu^o

qritd pi qerydtd/quryd vil-

terrified

lage

<<33<*«fi J i

rdme Rome

Ta'Ua

qram/neqrom to overlay,

i'C^artfli^

rdmdyd Roman

plate

v^

rhet/nerhat (impt hart) to

<<1^I3

qarna pi -ata horn

run

<C,TEi

qarsd: ekal qarsd to back-

.a.cn'i

rWfc timorous; rhibd'it

bite, slander, accuse

hastily, timorously

i^ua

qar/neqqar to get cold

«+V»

rugzd rage

<CacO

Ethpa etqaSSi c al to be

i«rt

rwaz/nerwaz to rejoice

grievous, difficult for

<<|rt^

rwdzd rejoicing, gladness

<<ata

qfflqasyd severe, fierce

jjel'H

Pa rayyah to soften, mol-

.-b.-kh

qaSSiS old, elder

lify

<£l3C±l

qeitd pi -e/-dtd bow, arc

<Cj«i*i

ruhd pi -eAdtd (f) spirit;

<^eiAct^nta

qdtoliqd catholicos

wind

<^tuefH

ruhqd distance; men ruhqd

Ja'x

rabb pi rawrbin big, great;

from/at a distance

rabb-kdhne chief priest

ji.rt^

rawwih spacious

«Cai

/•fcfl (rbi)/nerbe to grow up

7^

Aph arim to raise up, lift

<<^

rabbd master

up, take away; Ettaph et-

ei^

refcfeo (abs) myriad; rebbo-
rebbwdn tens of thou-

trim to be lifted up,
taken away

sands

<<3aet*v

rawmd height

■ n.-t'i

rfei' c ay fourth

y3 J l« i l

rawrbin abs masc pi of

-V4^

rgig delightful, pleasant

rabb, q.v.

at^'i

rgi$ aware, perceptive

<<iTJ J ie>^

rawrbdnd grandee

A^

regld (f) foot, leg

^aaacd'i

ruSmd drawing, design

rgeltd flood
rgam/nergom to stone

<CalT

rahyd mill, handmill;
rahyd da-hmdrd mill-
stone (of a gristmill

^

Aph argeH to feel, per-

turned by a donkey)

ceive, become aware of

71^

rhem/nerham to love; Pa

^— ^

regte sense

rahhem c al to have

l&lac^-^

rgeStd feeling

mercy on

218

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

<<3a*i J i rahmd mercy, favor;

rahmd friend
<&rjj*i rehmtd love, passion
a^i\ rahhiq far, distant
hmS Aph arheq to remove, put
away, to move far away
(int & trs)
i-^ rattib moist
Aciru^p'i rattibutd moisture

^^ rtan/nertan to murmur,

mutter
&x^\ see <sc\

ja 1 ! rkab/nerkab to mount, ride
\a^\ rakkik mild, gentle; silk
^n Aph arken to lower, bow;
Ethpe etrken to bow
down
<<-r*> i \ rakM pi rafcftl horse
jiS ram high, loud (for verbs

see tics'*
Ax,\ rme/ramya fallen, pros-
trate, cast down; Aph
armi to cast, lay down,
lay before, offer
paA rmaz/nermoz to make ges-
tures
<<po^ remza sign, gesture
<<T*rn ram&J evening

6*\ rna/nerne to reflect, medi-
tate
tpta\ ras/nerros to sprinkle
<C*A r^d/ner^e to tend, keep

(flocks), to rule; Pa ra cc i
to appease, placate
<C^A rd c yd pi rcfayyd/

rd c awwdtd shepherd
<G^ re c ydna mind

Ai.*i Aph at* el to make tremble
<6n^.T ra c md thunder

<<a*i Ethpa etrappi to become
weak
<<coa i v re/wa stamp, kick
jBiaT raq/nerroq to spit
<<aeA refa head, heading, chap-
ter; reS-malake arch-
angel; rei-kdhne high
priest; men d-re? again
raSSi c impious
r$am/ner$om to draw
reldnd noble, prince
rtetd fear, trembling
Pa rattem to say gently

Sedd demon, devil
Sel/neSal to ask, demand;
Pa $a ' 'el I- to ask ques-
tions of; Aph aSel to
lend
Sera silk
Serdy silken
Sbaba neighbor
Sbdbutd neighborhood
Pa Sabbah to praise; Ethpa
e Stab bah to be praised
<<\.i^ jtoi/a track, path, trace

Sba c (f). fcj6 c a (m) seven
Sbaq/neSboq to leave,
abandon; forgive; Ethpe
eStbeq to be abandoned,
forsaken; to be forgiven
<&-it Sabbtd sabbath, Saturday
t- \t Ethpe eStgeS to be trou-
bled, disturbed
<<na=. Sdd/neSde to throw, cast

down
'iasc Pa laddar to send; Ethpa
eStaddar to be sent, dis-
patched
<<xx. Aph alvw to equate

AailT

219

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<eiac

ftzwe (m), jfavfya (f) wor-

^tA*

Sladdd corpse

thy

73<Aa=. Sdldm Salome (pr n)

<<it*-|eisc

Subhd (abs ^fow/ij glory

^

Slah/neSlah to send, dis-

-V*=c

Aph aSig to wash, wash

patch; to strip bare, take

away, purify

off (clothes); Ethpe

<^i^c\ciac

Sukdnd grace

eStlah to be sent

J3,CYJt

Sawzeb/nSawzeb to save;

V-

Pa Sallet to put in author-

Eshtaph eStawzab to be

ity; Ethpa eStallat b- to

delivered

gain dominion over

V*

Sdt/nSut to treat with con-

<<A at

Selyd, men Selyd, men-

tempt

Sel(y) at once, unexpect-

^iciac

£wa/i/ne.fwa/i to spring up

edly; Selyd peace, tran-

<<n.eiac

Swidd Shwida (pr n)

quility

<<3s\«lac

Suldmd end; nsab ~ to

<^Hi\t

Slihd messenger, apostle

come to an end

rBieUiAac

Slihutd message

<CXCV3C

Stfd firm ground, rock

\A-

Slit permitted

^eiat

Pa Sayyen to appease

y&x.

Slem/neSlam to be finished;

<<\aci3c

Supra beauty

to follow; Pa Salient to

<<ncV3t

Suqd market

finish (trs), fulfill; Aph

^Cteicvjc.

Suqrd falsehood

aSlem to turn over, hand

■Heist

Swar/neSwar to leap

over, betray; Ethpa eStal-
lam to be finished, ful-

<<^eiat

Surd city wall

filled

^■Heiac

Surdyd beginning

<<*tAt

Sldmd greetings, peace;

.S^naac.

Ethpau eStawtap to share

Sdlmd follower

■i- . ^^^

Sahhin hot

<<3lac

Smd (abs Sent) pi Smdhe

l-I.l>»■

Ethpa eStahhaq to be

name

vexed, troubled

QDks.

Ethpa eStammah to be

<l■-■.<••-

Shdqd adversity

named

■& y—

Sydgtd ablution

v»*

Smat/neSmot to draw, un-

V-

Sit mean, contemptible

sheathe

<^.««A- —

Sildhd Siloam

<<Jnac

Smayyd (pi) heaven

V*

Sayyen see ^a=.

ATisr.

Sma c /neSma c to hear; Aph

<^1iT

Saynd peace; cultivation,

aSma c to make hear;

prosperity

Ethpe eStma c to be heard

^■H^g.—

Sipdrd trumpet, clarion

^Ax.

Sem c 6n Simon, Simeon

<^TiT

SiSd marble

'OSX

Ethpa eStammar to be re-

(CTntT

Skdhtd discovery

leased

<<\ajt

Sakrd strong drink, liquor

<C*VJiac

Sdmrdyd Samaritan

<<1*

Sld/neSle to draw out

,T-*T»w:

Pa SammeS to serve

220

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

<6^

<<tUE.

<<3\at

SemSd (m & f) sun
SmeSgram Shmeshgram (pr

n)
Pa Sanni to depart
Senna (f) tooth; mountain

peak
Sendd torture
Pa Sanneq to inflict pain
Sattd pi Snayyd (abs Ina pi

Unin, const .frierf-) year;

Sentd sleep
Ethpa eSta"i to tell, relate
fti c /i see <&i.
M c td pi ftj c e (abs ft? c a pi

Sd c in) hour; fca/i b-Sd c td,

bar Sa c teh immediately
Spi c abundant
Sappir beautiful
Xpal and Spel/Sapla cow-

ard(ly)
$pa c /neSpa c to overflow
Spar/neSpar I- to seem

good to
Sapra pre-dawn, early

morning
Aph aSqi to give to drink
Sqil burdened, bearing
Sqal/neSqol to remove,

take away; Aph aSqel to

set forth, proceed; Ethpe

eStqel to be removed
Sra/neSre to stop, camp

( c al at, near); to loosen;

pass part (Sre/Saryd)

staying, sojourning; Pa

Sarri to begin (with /- +

inf or with impf or part);

Aph aSri to make dwell,

settle (trs)
iarba matter, story

&a\sc

Sarbtd tribe; generation

<&tCI*l3C

Mrutd feast, banquet

*U*lac

Sarrir true, trusty, faithful;

Sarrird'it truly, verily

^\jc

fti/to the rest

"\\x.

Pa Sarrar to fix firmly;

Aph aftfar to confirm,

keep (a promise)

<<i*i^.

Srdrd truth

^

Sef (f), Cctffa (m) six

<£lat

eSti/neite to drink

<&l£0<(^lac

Satestd pi Mtese (f) foun-

dation

xuasc

tor «<7 mute

JaAuc

Steq/neStoq to keep silence

<6a<kat

,fe&7<J silence

<<3aei<<2R

foma Thomas

^ain

tba c /netba c to seek, desire,

require, exact

r£u>_a^n

tba c td impost, tax

\zi&

tbar/netbar to break; Ethpe

ettbar to be broken

<!&

tdgd crown

<&\cn}n

tgurtd trade, commerce

<<\^ift

fdgra merchant

r&'voan^n

tedmurta pi tedmrdta

wonder, marvel

■\.<niR

f/iir marvelous

<C\«nisi

tahra and fe/ira astonish-

ment

C^l

taw m pi impt of <&<<

J3et2n

tab/ntub to repent

J3CI^\

fwb again; introduces a new

section or thought

f&unci^i

tawditd profession, confes-

sion

<&i\uci^n

tawhartd delay

221

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

<<iahi tawwdna inner room,
closet
Kiaaisi tuqdnd cultivation, work-
ing (of the land, e.g.)
<&i^Act^i tur^td breach
<<3acui^i thumd border
ineiuii thut (+ pron encl II) under
^Luj^n thet below, under
i^ua^Ai tahpitd veil

huiiA taht, l-taht men under, be-
low; Pali tahti to bring
down, bring low;
Ethpali ettahti to be
brought down, sent
down, brought low
<<Av<aruAv tydbutd repentance
^»Jte toyman south; taymndy

southern; (gabbd) taym-
ndyd south side
<<euAi h'qra scabbard
A^A\ rM c a/ faithful to, trusting

in; tkild'it faithfully
Aai» Ethpe ettkel c al to trust
<<jco^A\ taktoia contest

<^i tld/netle to lift up, hang
up; Ethpe ettli to be
hung
jAis tlah/netloh to rend
^rA2a r/irdy third
Ami^i tainted to make a disciple
(trs); Ethpal ettalmad to
become a disciple
i<uo\^ talmida disciple
is\in tldt (f)/tldtd (m) three
enroll tmah/netmah to be aston-
ished
<<cmx>^i tem/ia astonishment
cn^a^n tammih astonished

,rn^v tammdn there
<C^n^i tmdne (fytmdnyd (m) eight

<daaii

temra d- c aynd, ak metrap

in the twinkling of an

eye

<C>^

tnd/netne to repeat, narrate

y£l

fnan here

A^in

ta c /5 fox

JSUa^l

taqqip violent, weighty,

intense

^3^1

Pa taqqen to make right,

get ready, prepare; Aph

atqen to set in order;

Ethpa ettaqqan to be

constituted

Kmia

taqnd d-turd table land

StjAl

tqep/netqap to grow

strong, prevail

«^*l

trd (tri)/netre to get soaked

qpcuo^

tronos throne, altar

^iin

tren/tarten two (+ pron

encl, tray-, as trayhon

the two of them, both of

them)

^Ci^ia

trayydnd/trayydnitd second

M» AOl

tris correct, right, upright,

straightforward

i&aH^i

tarmydtd (f pi) foundation

AXet-V^vin

tarndgultd hen

<&4i 4 v^»

tarndgld (abs tarndgul)

cock

-LCoiin

tarsi/ntarse to nourish,

rear, supply

AAi»

tra c /netro c to break

through

<£i^A(l

tar^d (abs tra c ) gate,

doorway; trcf-malkutd

court, palace

i&a.i^n

tar c itd mind, opinion

yolAcn

torfen see frc«

(BUlCk^lac.A

teSbohtd glorification,

praise; hymn

222

SYRIAC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

<&iac^n^.^\ teSmeStd service, ministra-
tion
•x*.2ii tSa c {T)lte$ c a (m) nine
(&.w£i ta$ c itd pi ta$ c yata story,
tale
! util/-^a=.in teSri(n) hray November;
teSri(n) qdem October
<C^^vi\ tataraya Tatar

223

Preliminary exercise (p. xxv):

ZpcT_i .^Ao S\v> ZA2A .a Vit *3_nAj ./ "v»T-ia yO_s2
] **■■* -A d9i .Z_Aaia ^2 .] "yif-ia l_iaL2 .a i.-y

• • $ 4 / / / / s s t t / s t

-'-'» ^ .£2a ixa-2 .yift., A xsonxo . ^oou ^uuoiba

aJL.3? A\^o .2-Jt-a ^p ^^a a? .iioJJui ^1A ZAo .('-t,.A

. vl *A\ piiA r^oax^o A-~o 2AoaAte ..ej

afc'wn d 4 -b 2 a-Smayyd. net x qadd s a$ Smdk}. t*et}e malk 4 ut}dk}. neh-
we sebjydndkj ayk 4 annd d}-b 2 a-Smayyd dg} b 4 -ar c d. nab} Ian lah-
md dj-sunqdnan yawmdnd. wa-sV-oq Ian hawb 4 ayn. ayk 4 anndd}-
dg} hnan Sbjaqn l-hayydb}ayn. w-ld t ] a cc lan l-nesydnd. elld gos-
san men b 4 iSd. mettul d 4 -d 2 ildk}-i maUc 4 ut 3 d w-hayld w-t 2 eSb 4 oht 3 d
l- c dlam- c dlmin.

1 spirantized because preceded by a vowel

2 spirantized because preceded by an implied schwa (see p. xiii)

3 spirantized because the feminine ending -td is always spirantized

4 not spirantized because preceded by a consonant

5 not spirantized because the stop is doubled

Exercise 1

1 sleq men mdittd. 2 c erqat l-turd. 3 c raq men mdittd. 4 sleqen l-
turd. 5 ngal gabrd. 6 ketbat atttd. 7 c raq c ammd men hdrkd. 8 ktab
malkd l- c ammd. 9 c raqun men tammdn. 10 $em c at_ malktd. 11
c erqat atttd men mdittd. 12 c raq gabrd men malkd. 13 selqat atttd
men tammdn. 14 npal gabrd men turd. 15 la c raq malkd men
mdittd. 16 Id selqat atttd men hdrkd. 17 la Sma c l-malkd. 18 selqat
malktd men c ammd. 19 Id c raq gabrd l-tammdn. 20 selqat atttd la-
mdittd.

224

Exercise 2

1 ebad gabrd b-ar c d. 2 l-mdnd Id ntart l-ndmdsd? 3 sleqnan b-
saprd. 4 nepqet w-ezzet l-nahrd. 5 c bar c al ndmosd. 6 ktab la-ktdbd
malkd. 7 b-ramSd c barn l-nahrd. 8 mdnd emart l-gabrd attta ? 9
ezzet men mdittd b-saprd. 10 ngaqton men mdittd l-turd. 11 c raq
c ammd men qritd w-ezal la-mdittd. 12 gabrd qtal l-malkd. 13 Id
c barnan c al ndmosd. 14 man ehad gabrd men qritd? 15 sleq l-turd
w-tammdn ebad. 16 ma emart l- c ammd? 17 ebdat ba-qrita atttd. 18
l-mdnd Id qtalt l-malkd wa-l-malkta? 19 Id Sem c et l-gabrd. 20 ehdet
ktdbd w-ezzet l-nahrd. 21 la c raqn men qritd b-ramM. 22 la qtal l~
atttd. 23 ktabt (ketbat) l-malkd ktdbd. 24 c erqet men tammdn w-
ezzet l-hdrkd. 25 emret l-malkd c al atttd. 26 la emarnan l- c ammd
c al malkd. 27 l-mdnd Id emarton l-malkd c al ndmosd? 28 l-malkd
wa-l-malkta qtaln.

Exercise 3

1 man ezal c ammkon? 2 nhet malkd la-mdittd c am c ammd. 3 nesbet
l-kespd menndk. 4 ekal c amman. 5 nhetton c ad yammd. 6 c erqet
menneh. 7 Slah Iwdl malkd Sliha. 8 nsab_ gabrd l-fmqddnd
mennhon. 9 ezaln c ad qritd. 10 man c bad l-lahmd? 11 layt l-gabrd
kespd. 12 sleq Iwdt gabrd da- c raq men mdittd d-layt bah mayyd. 13
layt b-ar c d nbiyd. 14 layt Ian lahmd b-baytd. 15 la ntarnan l-
puqddnd da-nsab nbiyd men turd. 16 nehtet men turd w-ezzet c ad
yammd. 17 man Slab lak Iwdtan? 18 atttd d- c ebdat lahmd nepjjat w-
selqat c amm w- c ammeh. 19 it b-ar c d nahrd d-it bah mayyd. 20 it
ba-mdittd malkd w-malktd. 21 Uah kespd la-mdittd c am Hihd. 22
mdnd emarton la-Slihd da- c raq men tammdn? 23 layt lah baytd ba-
qrita. 24 ezal nbiyd Iwdt c ammd w-emar Ihon l-mdnd la ntarton l-
ndmdsd? 25 c raq gabrd menn. 26 eklet_ c ammdk lahmd. 27 sleq
men mayyd. 28 npaq mennan. 29 man emar lak c al kespd d-ehad
malkd men c ammd? 30 nehtet la-mdittd w-nesbet l-kespd men Slihd.

Exercise 4

/ rdap_ malkd bdtar b c eldbdbeh. 2 Sebqet l- c abdd d-haykld. 3 ehad
l-dahb b c eldbdb wa- c raq la-mdittd. 4 layt hdrka kespd d-dildk. 5 Id

225

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

c dar lak c abdan. 6 rdap gabrd l- c abdeh. 7 rhet c abdd d-haykld
bdtar gabrd d-ehad l-kespd d-dileh. 8 ezzet la-qritd da-nbiyd. 9
Sbaq l- c abdeh gabrd. 10 Id c dar li dahbdk. 11 Slab malkd la-Sliheh
Iwdtdk. 12 nsab gabrd kespd mennhon. 13 c bad aykannd da-pqad
Ihon malkd da-mdittd. 14 emret lah aykannd d-emart li. 15 rehtet
bdtarhon. 16 rdap_ bdtreh b c eldbdbd c ad yammd w-tammdn ebad.
17 qtal la-b c eldbdbeh d-malkd. 18 npaq nbiyd men bayteh b-saprd
wa-sleq l-turd. 19 redpet la-bfeldbdb ba-mdittd kolldh. 20 c dar Ian
c ammd kollhon. 21 emar li gabrd kollmeddem d-emrat leh atttd. 22
sbaq kollmeddem d-ehad men haykld wa- c raq. 23 ehdet_ koll-
meddem d-dil w-ezzet l-bayt. 24 rhetnan bdtar c abdd d-gabrd
aykannd da-p_qad Ian. 25 ekalt kolleh lahmd d- c ebdat lak atttdk? 26
l-mdnd Id c ebdat kollmeddem d-peqdet lah? 27 l-mdnd sbaq l-
baython d-ba-qritd w-ezal la-mdittd?

Exercise 5

1 rdap malke bdtar b c eldbdbe c ad mdinathon. 2 la Sbaqnan c abde
b-haykle. 3 l-dahban ehad gabre wa- c raq la-mdindtd. 4 rdap l-
c abde gabre. 5 rhet c abde bdtar gabre d-ehad l-dahbhon dilhon. 6
ezzet l-quryd da-nbiye. 7 la Sbaq l- c abde. 8 la c dar lak dahbe. 9
slab malke la-Slihe Iwdtan. 10 nsab gabre l-kespe mennan. 11 c bad
c abde aykannd da-pqad Ihon malke. 12 emrat leh atttd aykannd d-
emar lah neSse. 13 rhet bdtarhen neSSe. 14 rdap bdtar b c eldbdbd
c ad yammd w-tammdn li qtal. 15 kad qtal l-gabrd, selqat napSeh la-
Smayyd. 16 ha malake d-aldhd qreb leh la-nbiyd. 17 Sbaq la-mdittd
wa- c mar ba-qritd. 18 qreb l-baytdh d-emmhon. 19 man qtal
b c eldbdbhon d-malke? 20 qerbat malkutd da-Smayyd. 21 l-mdnd
rdap la-nbiye? 22 kad nhet men turd, npaq w-ezal l-bayteh. 23 qtal
1-napSeh. 24 Id qtal 1-napShon. 25 npaq nbiye men baytdh d-atttd.
26 rdap c ammd kollhon la-bf eldbdbeh d-malkd. 27 c mar neSSe b-
quryd. 28 kad qreb b c eldbdbd, c raq kollhon gabre. 29 l-ndmosd d-
aldhd ntar gabrd. 30 nhet malake men Smayyd. 31 ehdet lahme
kollhon men baytd w-selqet l-turd c am emm. 32 hdkannd emar
nbiyd kad nsab puqddne d-aldhd.

226

Index

Numbers refer to paragraphs in the text.

Aba, inflection of, 12.3
Adjectives, absolute state of 9. 1 ;

abstracted 20.4; attributive

9.1; construct state of 10.5;

emphatic state of 9. 1 ; ending

in -dnd/-dnitd 20.2; predicate

9.1
Adverbs 10.6
Aha, inflection of, 12.3
Dative constructions 1 1.4
Demonstratives. See Pronouns,

demonstrative.
Direct objects 2.2
Enclitics. See Pronouns.
Hwd, perfect of, 7.2
It 3.2
Koll 4.3; with absolute nouns

13.1
L- 1.4,2.2
Layt 3.2
Nouns, absolute 4.3; absolute

state 13.1; abstracted par-

ticiples 20.4; construct state
of 10.3, 10.4; emphatic state

1.1; emphatic plural 5.1; end-
ing in -u and -i 15.4; ending in
-dn(d)/ -dni(td) 20.2; gender
1.2; plural, with possessive
pronouns 9.3; states, App. B;
stems 4.1; substantivized
participles 20.3

Numbers 13.2

Participles, abstracted 20.4; ac-
tive, G-form 8.1; passive
12.1; substantivation 20.3;
uses 8. 1

Possession 4.2

Predication of existence 3.2

Prepositional phrases as relative
constructions 3.3

Prepositions, proclitic 1 .4; with
enclitics 3.1; with enclitic pro-
nouns 9.2

Proclitics 1.4

227

INTRODUCTION TO SYRIAC

Pronouns, anticipatory 4.2,
7.3; demonstrative 6.3; en-
clitic I 3.1; enclitic II 9.2; en-
clitic, with perfect verbs 8.3;
enclitic, with plural nouns 9.3;
enclitic objects with the per-
fect 10.2; enclitic objects with
Ill-weak perfect 12.2; enclitic,
with the imperfect 15.2; en-
clitic, with imperatives 15.5;
enclitic, with Ill-weak impera-
tives 15.6; independent 6.1;
koll 4.3; objects of infinitives
13.4; possessive 4.1; relative
3.3; short, as copulas 6.2

Relative clauses 3.3

States. See Nouns.

Substantivized participles 20.3

Verbs, y(h)ab 9.4; Aphel 17.1;
Eshtaphal 20.5(6); Ethpaal
19.1-3; Ethpahli 20.5(8);
Ethpaial 21.5(10); Ethpali
20.5(4); Ethpalpal 20.5(2);
Ethpeel 18.2-4; Ettaphal
20.1; geminate, perfect in-
flection 1 1 .2, imperfect inflec-
tion 14.7; hollow, perfect in-

flection 11.1, imperfect inflec-
tion 14.6; imperatives with
enclitic objects 15.5; imper-
fect inflection 14.1, uses 15.1,
with enclitic objects 15.2,
followed by perfect of hwd as
modal p. 161, note 1; infini-
tive 13.3, 13.4; medio-pas-
sive 18.1; negative 1.3; Pael
16.1, 16.2; Pahli 20.5(7);
Paiel 20.5(9); Pali 20.5(3);
Palpel 20.5(1); participial
conjugation 8.2; perfect 1.3,
2.1, with object suffixes 7.3,
with object suffixes 8.3;
Shaphel 20.5(5); I-alap 2.1;
l-dlap, imperfect 14.3; I-n,
imperfect 14.2; I-y, perfect
10.1, imperfect 14.4; Il-alap,
perfect inflection 1 1.3, imper-
fect 14.8; Ill-weak, perfect
7.1, with enclitic objects 12.2,
imperfect 14.5, imperfect with
enclitic objects 15.3, impera-
tives with enclitic objects 15.6
y(h)ab, perfect inflection 9.4

228

LANGUAGE / REFERENCE

Syriac is the Aramaic dialect of Edessa, an important center of early Christianity in
Mesopotamia. Today it is the classical tongue of the Nestorians and Chaldeans of Iran
and Iraq and the liturgical language of the Jacobites of Eastern Anatolia and the
Maronites of Greater Syria. Syriac is also the language of the Church of St. Thomas on
the Malabar Coast of India. Syriac belongs to the Levantine group of the central branch
of the West Semitic languages.

Syriac literature flourished from the third century on and boasts of writers like
Ephraem Syrus, Aphraates, Jacob of Sarug, John of Ephesus, Jacob of Edessa, and
Barhebraeus. After the Arab conquests, Syriac became the language of a tolerated but
disenfranchised and diminishing community and began a long, slow decline both as a
spoken tongue and as a literary medium in favor of Arabic. Of major importance is the
role Syriac played as the intermediary through which Greek learning and thought
passed to the Islamic world, for it was Syriac-speaking translators who first turned the
corpus of late Hellenistic science and philosophy from Syriac into Arabic. Syriac
translations also preserve much Middle Iranian wisdom literature that has been lost in
the original Persian.

In this text the language is presented both in the Syriac script, as it will always be seen,
and in transcription, which is given so that the pronunciation of individual words and
the structure of the language as a whole may be represented as clearly as possible. The
majority of the sentences in the exercises — and all of the readings in later lessons — are
taken directly from the Peshitta, the standard Syriac translation of the Bible. It is
recognized that most students learn Syriac as an adjunct to biblical or theological
studies and will be interested primarily in this text. Biblical passages also have the
advantage of being familiar, to some degree or other, to most English-speaking
students.

For many of those whose interest in Syriac stems from Biblical studies or from the
history of eastern Christianity, Syriac may be their first Semitic language. Every effort
has been made in the presentation of the grammar to keep the Semitic structure of the
language in the forefront and as clear as possible for those who have no previous
experience with languages of that family. Syriac is structurally perhaps the simplest of
all the Semitic languages. A chart of correspondences among Arabic, Hebrew, and
Syriac is given.

Wheeler M. Thackston is Professor of Persian and other Near East Languages at
Harvard University, where he has taught Persian and Arabic for over twenty years.
Author of numerous books and articles on the languages and literatures of the Near
East, his works include: An Introduction to Persian, A Millennium of Classical
Persian Poetrv and An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic.

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