ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – ONCE TO DIE  –  DACHADA’  ZABATS NAMUTHU דחדא זבצ נמותו

Hebrews 9:27: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Hebrews 11:5:  “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death.”

If it is appointed unto man once to die, then what about Enoch who never died?  Is Paul contradicting himself? Hebrews 9:27 in the Aramaic presents something very curious. In the Greek is says that it is appointed unto man once to die.  But in the Aramaic, Paul’s native language,  it reads as:  “It is established unto man at one time he will be (spiritually) dead (spiritually condemned) then out of that condemnation they will be judge when they (physically) die.  

The word appoint in Aramaic is sum which means to establish You see the first time the word for death is prefixed with a Nun which in the Hebrew would put it in a Niphal form only the Aramaic does not have a Niphal form.  Checking the Grammar book by William Stevenson it appears that this could put that word into a Ithpeel which would be similar to the Hithpael. This makes it reflexive.  Thus this first death is one that we bring on ourselves.  But does not God have control over life and death?   The word death here is muth which can be both spiritual and physical death.

There are two deaths, spiritual and physical.  Paul teaches just a few chapters back: Hebrews 2:3 “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation.” Enoch was a sinner who found the great salvation and thus he did not die spiritually and according to the Aramaic rendering, even though he did not physically there would be no contradiction. I do respect those with opposing views, but they are entitled to their view as I am entitled to mine. As an old Jewish lady once said to me: “You believe your way, I believe my way, everybody happy.”