Bible Fact · John 19:20 — 'The title was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.'
The Languages of the Bible
The Fact
The Bible was composed in three ancient languages. The Old Testament was written primarily in Biblical Hebrew — a Semitic language from the ancient Near East. However, several passages are in Aramaic: portions of Daniel (2:4–7:28), Ezra (4:8–6:18; 7:12–26), and two words in Genesis 31:47. Aramaic was the international diplomatic language of the ancient Near East and the common language of Judea in the Second Temple period, which is likely the language Jesus spoke in daily life. The New Testament was written entirely in Koine Greek — the common dialect spoken across the Mediterranean world after Alexander the Great's conquests. This Greek was not the elite classical Greek of Homer, but the everyday language of merchants, soldiers, and ordinary people. The use of Koine Greek meant that the New Testament could be immediately read and understood across the Roman Empire, facilitating the rapid spread of the gospel.
Context
Jesus likely spoke Aramaic as his mother tongue, read and taught in Hebrew at the synagogue, and may have used Greek in interactions with Roman officials and non-Jewish crowds.
Significance
God chose existing human languages — not a special divine tongue — to communicate his revelation. Scripture is fully divine and fully human in its composition, just as Christ is fully God and fully man.
Reflection
God inspired his word in the common languages of ordinary people. How does knowing the Bible was written in 'street Greek' and everyday Hebrew change how you approach reading it?