Aramaic Idiom - A Thorn In The Flesh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Aramaic Idiom - A Thorn In The Flesh


This phrase "a thorn in the flesh" is an actual Aramaic Idiom that is often used by the Near Eastern people.

In fact, we in the English educated community also use this phrase to mean the SAME thing, as them.


This phrase appears in several bible verses.

Let us look at 2 Corinthians 12:7,


2Corinthians 12:7 (KJV)

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.


The original Aramaic writings read like this:

 

 

 

 

 
Qn: Why did Paul wrote this verse?

Ans: Basing on evidential historical records, wherever Paul went, he constantly met with great opposition, persecution and verbal and non-verbal attacks. Some of the listeners also questioned Paul as a real apostle and went against his authority among the believers. Paul also faced many false teachers, and his many writings of the New Testament books were meant to counter such teachings.

Because of these constant accusations and attacks, they were considered to be a source of irritation, and that's why he used the phrase "a thorn in his flesh".


Other examples of such use of "thorns" or "thorns in the flesh/body" are:


Genesis 3:18 (ESV) ... THORNS and thistles it shall bring forth for you; ...


Numbers 33:55 (ESV) But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and THORNS in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.


Judges 2:3 (ESV) So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become THORNS IN YOUR SIDES, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”



This verse in 2 Corinthians 12:7 is very interesting. It was as if Paul didn't want his readers to misunderstand his Idiom, and so he explained himself by giving a further explanation on the idiom/phrase "a thorn in the flesh".


Side NOTE: Have you heard of the cult of "christian" believers in Philippines, where  they used all kinds of thorns to cut their own flesh (basing on this verse) because they believed that if Paul can be humbled by these thorns (which they believed to be "real" "physical" thorns from plants), so they too can whip their own flesh with thorns to make themselves humble and thus be acceptable by God. (God's acceptance of us has nothing to do with our futile efforts). These are people who believe in Jesus Christ and they numbered in the millions! This is an example of how a wrong interpretation of bible verse using contemporary languages (without looking accurately at the cultural, historical and linguistic relevance), can cause such massive damages and sway millions into danger and grave errors.



Qn: What was the further explanation of the idiom "a thorn in the flesh"?

Ans: Paul said that this "thorn in the flesh" is explained as "a messenger of Satan to buffet me". He meant "A TROUBLEMAKER".

In our modern English, Paul would have wrote "I AM HARASSED OR TROUBLED BY TROUBLEMAKERS."


Qn: What is the meaning "messenger of Satan" in 2 Corinthians 12:7?

Ans: It means a person who is a deceiver and a fraud who teaches wrong teachings and philosophies, to counter-attack on Paul. He is a Troublemaker. He is  a false teacher. His teachings are malicious and meant to harm Paul and to destroy his teaching and authority.

Paul’s thorn in the flesh wasn’t sickness or epilepsy or any other physical illness. It was the people who opposed and irritated him and continually caused him problems!
 

 

So now you know the meaning of "a thorn in the flesh".

HOW DID PAUL USE ARAMAIC IDIOMS IN THE BIBLE?

HOW DID PAUL USE ARAMAIC IDIOMS IN THE BIBLE?



Question: Why am I interested to know about Paul's writings?

Answer: Most of the bible scriptures in the New Testament was written by Paul, so unless you want to throw away the bible scriptures, it is worthwhile to understand what Paul wrote.


There are many many idioms that are used by Paul in his writings.

I want to look at just a passage in 2 Corinthians 6:11-12 (KJV)

2 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV) - O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

2 Corinthians 6:12 (KJV) -  Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.



Let us compare with the original Aramaic Text with interlinear English:

 

MOUTH

Qn: What is the meaning of "our mouth is open unto you".?

Ans: This is an Aramaic idiom meaning: "We have  told you everything".

During the times of Paul, in the Near East, when someone speaks in an honest and straightforward way, just being frankly and clearly, they used the Aramaic idiom "he has a big or large mouth".

Today in our modern English, whether we are using American English or UK English, it would be an insult. A person with a "big mouth" will mean that he cannot keep any secret or someone who talks too much. This is just the opposite of the meaning in the bible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOWELS

Qn: What is the meaning of "ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels".? Why "bowels".?

Ans: Here the original word for "bowels" is the Aramaic word "rahma". Literally translated, the word "rahma" has several meanings. It means "friends", "bowels", "womb", "bladder", "testicles", and the "female sexual organs".

However in this verse, the word "bowels" or "rahma" is used metaphorically to mean "love", "mercy", "kindness", "affection", "compassion", "benevolence", "friendliness", and "tenderheartedness".

Paul used the same word "bowel" or "rahma" in another scripture in Philippians 1:8


Philippians 1: 8 (KJV) - "For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels (or rahma) of Jesus Christ".

In the Interlinear English of this in Aramaic, it says "Surely God is my witness as to what manner I fiercely love you all through the tender love of Jesus the Messiah".



Isaiah said the same word as Paul in Isaiah 63:15

Isaiah 63:15 (KJV) Look down from heaven ... Where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels (rahma) and thy mercies toward me? Are they restrained?


The idiom "the sounding of thy bowels" means "tender affection and love".

What Isaiah is saying is, "turn your affections and love upon me".



Isaiah used the same word "bowel" or "rahma" in Isaiah 16:11

Isaiah 16:11 (KJV) Wherefore my bowels (rahma) shall sound like a harp for Moab.


The idiom "my bowels shall sound like a harp for Moab" means "my heart shall sorrow over Moab".



It is similarly used in love expression in the Song of Solomon in Song 5:4

Song 5:4 (KJV) - My beloved put his hand by the hole in the door, and my bowels (rahma) were moved for him.


The idiom "and my bowels were moved for him" means "and my passions stirred because of him".




This is just a small example of how Paul and others used idioms in their writings, that are meant to be interpreted metaphorically and within their cultural expression.

Poetry and Idioms in the Bible

Poetry and Idioms in the Bible

The bible is quite poetic in many of its books. The Psalms is full of poetry. Ecclesiastes is full of poetry. Song of Solomon is full of romantic poetry. Poetry is the language of the heart, while factual knowledge is the language of the mind.

The culture of the people that lived during the times when the books of the bible was written is a very poetic culture, and we shall see some of them.

The same can be said of poetry in the Chinese civilization, the Indian civilization and many of the ancient civilizations that have left behind holy writings for their followers.

English itself has gone through much poetry.

"If music be the food of love, play on." This is Shakespeare's poetry in old English in his book "Twelfth Night".

We accepted it as metaphorical poetry. As a language of the heart. We didn't question it like how can "love" digest "music", and through what physical digestion system. Or how can "music" be called "food".

Question: How are we going to distinguish what is poetry and what is not?

Answer: By looking at it through the "lens" and eyes of the Aramaic language and culture.  By doing so, we go back to the ORIGINAL meaning of the poetry, and we will NOT interpret the words according to our Western educated mindset, and definitely not according to the 21st Century "church" organization manner.

Let us  look at one such example:

Let us read Ecclesiastes 12:1-6 in the King James Version.

This  text came to my mind because of the impact of verse 1 that I had when I was in my youth. This is my memorable verse, admonishing me when I was in my twenties.

I will attempt to put in side by side, the King James Version text vs the original Aramaic text (or called the Aramaic Peshitta text), that had been translated into our modern day English via the Errico translation (you can Google this translation and check it up).

Ecclesiastes 12:

1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,

4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

Poetry:  In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,

Aramaic Meaning: the legs begin to tremble,

Poetry: the strong men shall bow themselves,

Aramaic Meaning: the arms lose their strength,

Poetry: the grinders cease because they are few,

Aramaic Meaning: loss of teeth and the ability to chew,

Poetry: those that look out of the windows be darkened,

Aramaic Meaning: the eyes grow dim,

Poetry: And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low,

Aramaic Meaning: the ears become so hard of hearing that the sound of women grinding at the mill is low,

Poetry: he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low,

Aramaic Meaning: have difficulty in distinguishing sounds and the songs of birds startles the individual,

Poetry: and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, (Note: Actually the KJV translation is wrong. The original Aramaic text reads: "and the locust shall multiply",

Aramaic Meaning: your children shall multiply quickly and you will see your grandchildren and great grandchildren,

Poetry: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

Aramaic Meaning: before life ends, or before the loss of sexual potency and virility.

Conclusion:

When you understand Aramaic poetry, you have a better translation of the bible, and you will NOT have a misunderstanding of the text of the bible.

I did touch on some of the other poetic texts in other articles, and how misinterpreting them literally have created havoc among the Christian churches and communities.

You can see them here:

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-shaking-of-powers-of-heavens.html

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/10-reasons-why-people-are-confused.html

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/how-to-interpret-bible.html

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2019/01/god-coming-on-clouds-in-old-testament.html

Bonus:

Remember when Jacob blessed his sons on his deathbed in Genesis 49:2..?

The Hebrew patriarch Jacob (also called Israel) called his 12 sons to appear before him. He began to bless each and every one of them and prophesied to them concerning their lives and their future generations.

Gen 49:2 (Aramaic version): "Gather yourselves together and hear, O sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father."

Jacob began to speak to each one of them, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and so forth.

When he came to Judah, he began to use Idioms and said:

Gen 49:11-12 (KJV): he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

Huh..?

How do you do that?

You CANNOT understand this verse at all, if you do not read it from the original Aramaic idiom language. Jacob was using Aramaic idioms.!!

Idiom: "to wash one's garments in wine and in the blood (juice) of grapes" and "to have eyes red with wine"

Aramaic Meaning: Judah would have many many farms upon farms of vineyards, and meaning that he would prosper abundantly.

Idiom: "his teeth white with milk"

Aramaic Meaning: Judah would possess many flocks of goats and sheep. He would have plentiful supply of milk.

So what was Jacob saying? Go wash your clothes in wine?

No. Jacob was prophesying that Judah would prosper and succeed through vineyards and livestock.

Aramaic prophecies using idioms

Aramaic prophecies using idioms

There are simply just hundreds and thousands of prophecies in the bible and if you were to examine them, you will find that they employ lots of Aramaic idioms and symbols to carry a message. This message is not meant to be understood literally word for word, but to be understood within the language and customs of the Aramaic/Hebrew people. That was the original intention of the author of these prophecies.

It is impossible to go through all these prophecies, but below I have highlighted some of them as examples:

1. Isaiah 2:12-14

Isa 2:12  For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: 

Isa 2:13  And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, 

Isa 2:14  And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, 

1a: Idiom: cedars of Lebanon

Meaning: those in power and have longevity

1b: Idiom: oaks of Bashan

Meaning: those noble, great, strong, proud and influential people

1c: Idiom: upon all the hills that are lifted up

        Meaning: upon those smaller powers that have exalted themselves

2. Isaiah 2:22

Isa 2:22  Cease yourself from man, whose breath is in his nostril, for in what is he to be esteemed? 

2a: Idiom: breath is in his nostril

Meaning: avoiding a man who is continually angry, explosive, and impulsive.

3. Isaiah 11: 6-8

Isa 11:6  The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 

Isa 11:7  The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 

Isa 11:8  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

3a. Idiom: wolf, leopard, lion, bear

        Meaning: They symbolize strong, powerful, dictatorial nations that oppress and seek to devour the helpless and defenseless nations.

3b. Idiom: Lamb, young goat, calf, cow

        Meaning: They symbolize weaker and smaller nations, nations that have no great military might or fortification.

3c. Idiom: A little child shall lead them

        Meaning: Political leaders shall be simple, sincere leaders, and not crooked leaders. (It does not mean literally a small child shall be a nation’s leader).

3d. Idiom: The suckling child playing with the cobra, putting hand in the den of the snake

        Meaning: The power of sincere pure-hearted leaders who can negotiate with the enemies of their country.

3e. Idiom: The lion shall eat straw like an ox

        Meaning: Powerful nations shall be contented with their own internal resources. They shall not plunder other nation’s resources.

[Note: Isaiah 11:6-8 is a prophetic passage that speaks about the coming of the Messiah that will reveal truth, justice and contentment to all humanity so that peace and harmony will reign among the nations.]

Aramaic idioms

 

Aramaic idioms

Before I venture into some of the Aramaic idioms written in the bible, let me give some background on the meaning of idioms.

The bible is FULL of idioms. 

When the bible was translated from Aramaic => Hebrew => Greek => Latin => English => other languages of the world, many of these idioms have been wrongly translated, and misunderstood because they were not explained in its original Aramaic context and culture of the Near Eastern people. 

(That was one of the reasons why we have so many different WRONG translations and interpretations of the bible today, resulting in about 40,000 Christian denominations, each claiming to be better and more correct than the other. This is still creating mis-understanding among churches and believers.)

In one of my previous writing, I gave a personal example of how mistranslation happened:

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2021/04/timeline-of-written-translation-history.html

Some years ago, I was under the tutelage of a Kiwi missionary in New Zealand. He told me that in one area of his mission, there was no translated version of the bible for their language, and as a result, they had to translate the New Testament for them to understand. However, these people never knew what sheep is, and how they look like or behave. So in order to make them understand, they replaced the word "sheep" with "pigs", which is their most prized possession.... hahaha..

Imagine us reading that "Jesus came for the lost pigs of Israel" in Matthew 15:24 in their bible.

Question: What are idioms?

Answer:

1. Idioms are words with a form of expression that is used specifically to a particular language, people or people groups.

2. Idioms are part of the language and dialect of those people that live in a particular culture or location of their country.

3. Idioms are not easy to understand if you do not understand the culture and the context of the language of that particular group of people.

4. Idioms cannot be translated literally into another language.

5. Idioms are expressions of speech that say one thing but actually mean something else. The meaning is totally different from the individual words forming the idiom.

6. Idioms are used commonly by the people that were living during that particular era, and can be understood easily because of their popular use. They are non-complicated normal words that have a special meaning that is known by almost everyone of their similar language culture.

7. The Near Eastern people (also the Middle Eastern people) use idioms in their  language on normal, secular and sacred usages on a daily basis.

8. The contemporary Western civilizations use less idioms in their languages, and remain quite ignorant of the Near Eastern idioms.

In view of the above, I should say that there are also idioms in all language groups in the world. Idioms have always been with us since antiquity till today. It’s a matter of more or less usage and how common these idioms are.

I am a Chinese living in Malaysia, and my father and ancestors come from China. So you can say that we are an Eastern people group. Even within our Chinese language, we have myriads of idioms that a Western English-educated person will never understand unless it is explained to him/her.

(Just a note: that among the various dialects of the Chinese people, such as the Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Hainanese, etc. there are also unique idioms that are found particularly within that dialect only.)

Examples of English Idioms

(These English idioms are commonly used, and we take it for granted that when we use them, everyone should understand what we mean. But when I translated it literally word for word and used it in another language like Indonesian or French, it may be disastrous, causing major misunderstand.)

1. Idiom: “See eye to eye”

1. This means “to agree with somebody”.

2. Example: The two friends can finally see eye to eye on their new venture.

2. Idiom: “speaking of the devil”

1. This means “the person you were referring to suddenly appears at that moment.”

2. Example: Sam, speaking of the devil, I was just telling him about the direction to your house.

3. Idiom: “Once in a blue moon”

1. This means “an event that doesn’t happen frequently.”

2. Example: Once in a blue moon, we can give ourselves an expensive treat.

4. Idiom: “cost an arm and a leg”

1. This means “something that is very expensive.”

2. Example: That car cost me an arm and a leg.

5. Idiom: “let the cat out of the bag”

1. This means “to accidentally let out a secret to others.”

2. Example: He let the cat out of the bag to his competitor about his financial plans.

6. Idiom: “to kill two birds with one stone”

1. This means “to resolve two problems at one go.”

2. Example: By eating healthily to reduce weight, he killed two birds with one stone, when his skin condition also disappeared.

7. Idiom: “beat around the bush”

1. This means: “not speaking directly about the issue or main topic.”

2. Example: He told his employee to stop beating around the bush and quickly say what is on his mind.

Examples of Cantonese (dialect of Chinese language) idioms

1. Idiom: “pulling a cow up a tree” or “laai ngau soeng syu”

1. This means: “having a vain attempt at a difficult task”

2. Example: Getting his son to fold his blanket in the morning is like “laai ngau soeng syu”.

2. Idiom: “pretend to be a ghost and pretend to be a horse” or “baan gwai baan maa”

1. This means: “to deliberately trick or deceive somebody”

2. Example: He dressed up as a girl to deliberately “baan gwai baan maa” to the headmistress.

3. Idiom: “eat a dead cat” or “sik sei maau”

1. This means: “becoming a scapegoat or tricked into taking the blame for something not their fault”

2. Example: His mother was very angry at him for dirtying the floor but actually he was “sik sei maau” for his sister.

4. Idiom: “greedy devil” or “waai sik gwai”

1. This means: “being a glutton”

2. Example: He rushed for the food like a “waai sik gwai”.

5. Idiom: “to throw a paper aeroplane” or “fong fei gei”

1. This means: “to break a promise, a commitment, or fail to turn up for an appointment”

2. Example: He really “fong fei gei” and didn’t even call when he missed our date.

6. Idiom: “a two headed snake” or “leuhng tauh seh”

1. This means: “a person who betrays and works for both sides in a deal”

2. Example: Don’t believe everything he said because he is a “leuhng tauh seh”.

7. Idiom: ” to eat slippers rice” or “sihk to haai faahn”

1. This means: “a man who is dependent on a woman for support”

2. Example: He lazes around the house everyday since he is good at “sihk to haai faahn”.

I believe that you can understand more about idioms now, and as we proceed to understand Aramaic idioms in the bible, you may do one or more of the following:

1. Label me as teaching false doctrine,

2. Refuse to accept the truth because of your personal opaque excuses,

3. Appreciate that the bible was written in an Aramaic context, within their language and culture, and the use of Aramaic idioms was very common within their common period.

There are literally more than a thousand Aramaic idioms in the bible and readers have mistakenly understood these idioms “literally”. Some translators have done a great job translating them accurately word for word but by taking them literally, the actual meanings have been interpreted wrongly.

I will address some of these idioms in future writings.

Extra:

1. How to interpret the bible by Charles Meek

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/how-to-interpret-bible.html