The lexicon of the Tabernacle accounts in the Syrohexapla version of Exodus

Book section

The Harklean New Testament and the Syrohexapla are ―mirror‖ translations of Greek Scripture, both produced in the early seventh century CE. The translators of both these works relied on centuries of expertise in rendering Greek biblical and theological texts into Syriac, and yet they may not have previously encountered certain technical terms they were required to translate.

This paper examines the nature of the Syrohexapla’s renderings for items in the Tabernacle described in Exodus. It asks to what degree such terms already existed in Syriac, and how consistent the translators were in using them. It illustrates something of the working methods of the ancient translators and their lexicographical expertise.

Authors: Salvesen, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Gorgias Press
• Host title: Contemporary Examinations of Classical Languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, and Greek): Valency, Lexicography, Grammar, and Manuscripts
• Series: Perspectives on Linguistics and Ancient Languages
• Place of publication: Piscataway, NJ
• Publication date: 2016-12-12
• Acceptance date: 2016-07-01
• ISBN: 9781463206567
• Keywords: Bible; Syriac; SBTMR; Greek