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Some Hebrew and Aramaic words were so charged with meaning that translators simply carried them across — untranslated — into Greek, then into Latin and English, and we still say them today. 'Amen' (Hebrew, 'so be it'), 'Hallelujah' ('praise the LORD'), 'Hosanna' ('save now'), 'Abba' (Aramaic, 'father'), 'Maranatha' ('Our Lord, come') and 'Talitha koum' ('little girl, arise') are fossils of the older languages embedded in the text. They are a standing reminder that every Bible you read is layered — Hebrew and Aramaic showing through the Greek and the English.
- From Hebrew: Amen, Hallelujah, Hosanna.
- From Aramaic: Abba, Maranatha, Talitha koum.
- Each was kept untranslated all the way from Hebrew/Aramaic through Greek to English.
What the evidence showsThese untranslated loanwords are a documented, visible feature of the text — direct traces of Hebrew and Aramaic preserved through every later translation.
Where it stopsThe survival of a few words does not mean the rest of the text is untouched by translation; it simply shows the layers are real and traceable.
Sources & further reading