אֱלָהּ בִּשְׁמַיָּא · אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא · אֱלָהָא
ORIGINALBA-008
Biblical Aramaic · Nouns and the Three States
Absolute, construct, emphatic
BA-008Biblical AramaicAramaic of Daniel and Ezra
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE FIRST
אֱלָהּ בִּשְׁמַיָּא · אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא · אֱלָהָא
Pedagogical transliterationelah vi-shemayya · elah shemayya · elaha
Plain meaninga God in heaven · God of heaven · the God/God in emphatic form
Pointing follows Miqra according to the Masorah (MAM). Cantillation is omitted on the lesson card for visual focus; the underlying evidence retains the complete source reading. Transliterations are pedagogical aids, not replacements for the source.WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT
Absolute, construct, emphatic
Aramaic noun state is morphology tied to syntax. The noun אֱלָהּ is absolute in אֱלָהּ בִּשְׁמַיָּא, ‘a God in heaven,’ but the same visible spelling is construct in אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא, ‘God of heaven,’ because the next noun directly completes it. אֱלָהָא is emphatic. The emphatic state often has a determined force, but it is not safe to translate every emphatic noun with English ‘the.’
HEAR THIS LESSONListen to the full public explanation.Teacher narration is separate from original-language pronunciation.
Audio settings
SEE HOW IT WORKS
Keep the form, reading, and meaning together.
elah vi-shemayya · elah shemayya · elaha
READINGPedagogical reading guide
a God in heaven · God of heaven · the God/God in emphatic form
MEANINGBiblical Aramaic
absolute: אֱלָהּ + prepositional phrase · construct: אֱלָהּ + שְׁמַיָּא · emphatic: אֱלָהָא
EXAMPLES
Examples supplied by the approved curriculum.
Daniel 2:28 — אֱלָהּ בִּשְׁמַיָּא — ‘a God in heaven’ · Daniel 2:18 — אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא — ‘God of heaven’ · Daniel 2:20 — שְׁמֵהּ דִּי־אֱלָהָא — ‘the name of God’
SOURCE REFERENCE
Daniel 2:18; 2:20; 2:28
APPROVED STUDY LAYERS
Source-specific guidance from the curriculum.
Learning objective
Recognize absolute, construct, and emphatic noun states in authentic phrases without equating state mechanically with English definiteness.
Morphology and syntax
OSHB: Daniel 2:28 אֱלָהּ ANcmsa; Daniel 2:18 אֱלָהּ ANcmsc; Daniel 2:20 אֱלָהָא ANcmsd/Td.
Dialect boundary
Biblical Aramaic of Daniel and Ezra. Later Targumic, Jewish Babylonian, and Zoharic forms are not imported into this lesson.
Practice
Label the state of each form of אֱלָהּ/אֱלָהָא. Why can the absolute and construct forms look identical here?
Answer key
Daniel 2:28 אֱלָהּ is absolute; Daniel 2:18 אֱלָהּ is construct because שְׁמַיָּא directly completes it; Daniel 2:20 אֱלָהָא is emphatic. The absolute and construct spellings can coincide, so syntax distinguishes them.
Source notes
MAM and OSHB differ in Daniel 2:18 on רָזָא/רָזָה elsewhere in the verse; the noun-state examples displayed here are unchanged across the two witnesses.
REMEMBER