The Bible is one of the most widely translated books in history, but it was not originally written in English, Latin, or any modern language.
So, what language was the Old and New Testament written in?
The short answer is:
- The Old Testament was written mainly in Hebrew, with some portions written in Aramaic.
- The New Testament was written in Koine Greek.
Those simple answers, however, only tell part of the story.
The Bible was written over many centuries, across different regions, by different authors, and under changing political and cultural conditions. Because of that, the languages of the Bible reflect the history of the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world.
Understanding these original languages can help explain why Bible translations sometimes differ and why certain words, phrases, and ideas are difficult to translate perfectly into English.
What Language Was the Old Testament Written In?
The Old Testament was written primarily in Biblical Hebrew.
Hebrew was the language of ancient Israel and became the main language of most of the books that Christians call the Old Testament and Jews call the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh.
Books written primarily in Hebrew include:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Joshua
- Judges
- Samuel
- Kings
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Ezekiel
- Many of the Minor Prophets
However, the Old Testament was not written entirely in Hebrew.
Several sections were written in Aramaic, another Semitic language closely related to Hebrew.
What Is Biblical Hebrew?
Biblical Hebrew is the form of Hebrew found in most of the Old Testament.
It belongs to the Semitic language family, which also includes languages such as Aramaic and Arabic.
Biblical Hebrew looks and sounds different from English because the languages developed in very different linguistic traditions.
One major difference is that Hebrew is traditionally written from right to left.
Ancient Hebrew also relied heavily on consonants.
The system of vowel marks seen in many printed Hebrew Bibles was developed and standardized much later by Jewish scribes known as the Masoretes.
They carefully preserved the traditional pronunciation and reading of the biblical text.
Modern Hebrew is related to Biblical Hebrew, but they are not identical.
A modern Hebrew speaker may recognize a great deal of biblical vocabulary, but grammar, pronunciation, and usage have changed over time.
Why Was the Old Testament Written in Hebrew?
Hebrew was closely connected to the people of ancient Israel.
The Old Testament tells the history, law, worship, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom traditions of Israel, so it is natural that most of it was preserved in the language used by that community.
Hebrew was especially suited to the literary forms found in Scripture.
For example, Hebrew poetry often relies on:
- Parallel ideas
- Repetition
- Wordplay
- Sound patterns
- Compact expressions
- Symbolic imagery
Some of these features are difficult to reproduce exactly in English translations.
That is one reason different Bible translations may word the same Hebrew verse differently while still communicating essentially the same meaning.
Which Parts of the Old Testament Were Written in Aramaic?
Although Hebrew dominates the Old Testament, some important sections appear in Aramaic.
The largest Aramaic sections are found in the books of Daniel and Ezra.
Daniel 2:4 through 7:28 is largely written in Aramaic.
Several chapters of Ezra also contain Aramaic material, especially official letters and administrative documents.
There is also a brief Aramaic sentence in Jeremiah 10:11.
A few individual Aramaic words or expressions can appear elsewhere as well.
This means the Old Testament is better described as mainly Hebrew with some Aramaic.
What Is Aramaic?
Aramaic is an ancient Semitic language closely related to Hebrew.
Over time, it became one of the most important languages of the ancient Near East.
During the periods of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian influence, Aramaic became widely used in administration, diplomacy, trade, and ordinary communication.
Because the Jewish people lived under these empires, Aramaic became increasingly important in Jewish life.
By the centuries leading up to the time of Jesus, varieties of Aramaic were widely spoken among Jewish communities.
This historical development helps explain why portions of later Old Testament books contain Aramaic.
Was the Entire Old Testament Originally Written in Hebrew?
No.
Most of it was, but saying the entire Old Testament was written in Hebrew would be inaccurate because of the Aramaic portions.
Another complication is the question of textual transmission.
The Old Testament books were copied by hand for centuries.
Different ancient manuscript traditions survive, including:
- The Masoretic Text
- The Dead Sea Scrolls
- The Samaritan Pentateuch
- Ancient translations such as the Septuagint
These sources are extremely important for scholars studying how the biblical text was transmitted.
The existence of different manuscripts does not mean the Old Testament was originally written in many unrelated languages. Rather, it shows how ancient texts were copied, preserved, and translated over long periods.
What Was the Septuagint?
The Septuagint, often abbreviated as LXX, is an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
It was produced over time, beginning several centuries before the birth of Jesus.
Greek had become extremely important after the conquests of Alexander the Great.
Many Jewish communities lived outside Judea and spoke Greek more comfortably than Hebrew.
As a result, the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek for Greek-speaking Jewish readers.
The Septuagint later became very important in early Christianity because many of the first Christians also spoke Greek.
The New Testament authors sometimes quote Old Testament passages in forms that closely resemble the Septuagint.
This does not mean the Old Testament was originally written in Greek. It means that an influential Greek translation existed before and during the rise of Christianity.
What Language Was the New Testament Written In?
The New Testament was written in Koine Greek.
Koine Greek was the widely used common form of Greek across much of the eastern Roman Empire and the wider Mediterranean world.
The word koine means “common.”
It was not exactly the same as the highly literary Classical Greek associated with writers such as Plato.
Instead, Koine Greek was the international language of everyday communication, commerce, education, and administration across many regions.
This made it an ideal language for early Christian writings intended to circulate among people in different cities and countries.
Why Was the New Testament Written in Greek?
At first, this may seem surprising.
Jesus was Jewish, his earliest followers were Jewish, and many events in the Gospels took place in Jewish regions.
Why, then, was the New Testament written in Greek?
The answer is largely historical.
By the first century AD, Koine Greek was widely understood throughout the eastern Mediterranean world.
The Roman Empire ruled politically, but Greek remained an important shared language in many areas.
Early Christianity spread rapidly beyond Judea into places such as:
- Syria
- Asia Minor
- Greece
- Macedonia
- Rome
- Other parts of the Mediterranean
Writing in Greek made Christian texts accessible to a large international audience.
Paul’s letters, for example, were sent to churches in Greek-speaking urban centers such as Corinth, Thessalonica, and Philippi.
Greek was therefore a practical language for communicating across cultural and regional boundaries.
Did Jesus Speak Greek?
Jesus likely lived in a multilingual environment.
Scholars generally agree that Aramaic was an important spoken language among Jews in Galilee and Judea in the first century.
Jesus almost certainly spoke Aramaic.
Hebrew was also used in religious contexts and may have been known by Jesus and other Jewish teachers.
Greek was widely used in the surrounding region, so it is possible that Jesus also had some ability to communicate in Greek.
However, exactly how fluent Jesus was in Greek cannot be known with certainty.
The important distinction is this:
Jesus and many of his earliest followers probably spoke Aramaic in ordinary life, while the New Testament documents were composed in Greek.
Are There Aramaic Words in the New Testament?
Yes.
Although the New Testament was written in Greek, it preserves several Aramaic words and expressions.
For example, Mark 5:41 records Jesus saying:
“Talitha koum.”
This is an Aramaic expression meaning something like, “Little girl, arise.”
Mark 15:34 also preserves Jesus’ cry from the cross:
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
The Gospel writer then provides the meaning for Greek-speaking readers.
Another well-known Aramaic word preserved in the New Testament is:
Abba
This word means “father” and appears in passages such as Mark 14:36 and Romans 8:15.
The preservation of these Aramaic expressions reminds readers that the events described in the New Testament took place in a multilingual setting.
Was Any of the New Testament Originally Written in Hebrew?
The standard scholarly position is that the books of the New Testament as we have them were composed in Greek.
There have been historical traditions suggesting that the Gospel of Matthew may have had some connection to a Hebrew or Aramaic form.
Early Christian writers made comments that have led to extensive debate about the issue.
However, the surviving Gospel of Matthew is Greek, and most modern scholars consider its present form to have been composed in Greek.
Therefore, it is most accurate to say:
The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, although it reflects a Jewish and Aramaic-speaking cultural background.
What About Latin?
Latin was the official language associated with Rome, but it was not the primary original language of the New Testament.
Greek remained widely used throughout much of the Roman Empire, especially in the east.
Latin became extremely important later in Christian history.
One of the most influential Bible translations was the Latin Vulgate, largely associated with Jerome in the late fourth and early fifth centuries.
For many centuries, the Vulgate became the standard Bible of Western Christianity.
However, it was a translation from earlier Hebrew and Greek texts rather than the original language of the biblical books.
What Languages Were Spoken in Biblical Times?
The biblical world was highly multilingual.
Depending on the time period and location, people encountered languages such as:
- Hebrew
- Aramaic
- Greek
- Latin
- Egyptian
- Akkadian
- Persian
- Phoenician
- Other regional languages
The Bible itself reflects political and cultural shifts over hundreds of years.
For example, Aramaic became more prominent during periods of foreign imperial rule, while Greek became increasingly widespread after the conquests of Alexander the Great.
Understanding this multilingual setting helps explain why the Bible contains foreign names, borrowed words, translated expressions, and passages written in different languages.
Why Do the Original Biblical Languages Matter?
Most people can understand the Bible perfectly well through a reliable translation.
You do not need to know Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek to read Scripture meaningfully.
However, studying the original languages can provide additional insight.
1. Some Words Have Multiple Meanings
A single Hebrew or Greek word may have several possible English meanings.
Translators must determine which meaning best fits the context.
This can explain why two translations use slightly different words.
2. Wordplay Can Be Lost in Translation
Biblical writers sometimes use puns or sound patterns that do not carry naturally into English.
A translation may need a footnote to explain the original wordplay.
3. Grammar Can Affect Interpretation
Greek and Hebrew grammar can communicate details about emphasis, tense, relationships between clauses, or the structure of an argument.
Studying those features can help readers understand difficult passages.
4. Cultural Expressions Do Not Always Translate Directly
Idioms rarely translate word for word.
A phrase that made immediate sense to an ancient Hebrew or Greek speaker may sound strange if translated literally into modern English.
Good Bible translations therefore try to communicate both the wording and the intended meaning.
Why Are There So Many Bible Translations?
The original languages help explain why modern readers have many different Bible translations.
Translation is rarely a matter of simply replacing one word with another.
Translators must make decisions about:
- Grammar
- Vocabulary
- Idioms
- Historical context
- Poetry
- Literary style
- Manuscript differences
- Readability
Some Bible translations aim for a more word-for-word approach.
Others emphasize thought-for-thought readability.
Most fall somewhere between these approaches.
Differences in translation do not necessarily mean one version is wrong. In many cases, translators are choosing between several legitimate ways of expressing the same Hebrew or Greek idea in English.
Frequently Asked Questions
What language was the Old Testament written in?
The Old Testament was written mainly in Biblical Hebrew, with several portions written in Aramaic.
What language was the New Testament written in?
The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, the common Greek language widely used throughout the eastern Mediterranean world.
Did Jesus speak Hebrew or Aramaic?
Jesus almost certainly spoke Aramaic. He likely also knew Hebrew in religious contexts, and he may have had some knowledge of Greek.
Was the Bible originally written in Latin?
No. Latin became important later through translations such as the Vulgate. The original biblical languages were primarily Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Was the New Testament written in Aramaic?
The surviving New Testament books were written in Greek, although they preserve some Aramaic words and reflect an Aramaic-speaking cultural environment.
Why was the New Testament written in Greek instead of Hebrew?
Greek was widely understood throughout the Mediterranean world and allowed early Christian writings to reach readers across different regions and ethnic groups.
Final Thoughts
So, what language was the Old and New Testament written in?
The answer can be summarized simply:
The Old Testament was written mainly in Hebrew, with some sections in Aramaic, while the New Testament was written in Koine Greek.
These languages reflect the historical worlds in which the biblical books were produced.
Hebrew was the central literary and religious language of ancient Israel. Aramaic became increasingly important throughout the ancient Near East and appears in several Old Testament passages. Greek became the international language of much of the Mediterranean world and provided early Christians with an effective way to communicate their message across cultures.
The Bible was later translated into many other languages, including Latin, Syriac, Coptic, English, and thousands of modern languages.
That long history of translation is one reason the Bible has reached readers in so many different cultures.
Understanding the original languages does not mean you must become fluent in Hebrew or Greek to understand Scripture. Reliable translations make the Bible accessible to ordinary readers.
However, knowing that the Bible came from a Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek linguistic world can deepen your understanding of its history and explain why translators sometimes make different choices.
The Bible may now be read in languages around the world, but behind those translations stand three ancient languages that played the greatest role in its original composition:
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.