Original languages · a quick guide
Hebrew, Greek & the Aramaic Bible
You don’t need to read Hebrew or Greek, in Bubble Bible you just tap a word to see what it means. Here’s what each language is, why it helps, and when to reach for it.
Hebrew
the Old Testament
- What it is
- Almost all of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (a few passages in Daniel and Ezra are in Aramaic).
- Why it matters
- A single Hebrew word can hold a picture, or a range of meaning, that one English word can’t, and names often mean something. Seeing the original word fills that back in.
- When to use it
- When a word seems vague, keeps repeating, or sits at the heart of a passage, and you want the exact sense behind the translation.
How: Look up any Bible word in Word study, its Hebrew root, its meaning, and the other places it appears. (Or just tap a word while you read.)
Greek
the New Testament
- What it is
- The New Testament was written in everyday (Koine) Greek, the common language of the first-century world.
- Why it matters
- Greek often splits apart words English blurs together, it has several different words for “love,” for example, and its verb forms can shade meaning (a one-time act vs. an ongoing one).
- When to use it
- When you’re unpacking a loaded term (like grace, faith, or word), or comparing two words that look the same in English.
How: Look up any Bible word in Word study, its Greek word, its meaning, and example verses. (Or just tap a word while you read.)
The Aramaic Bible
the Targums
- What it is
- After the exile most Jews spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew, so in the synagogue each Scripture reading was followed by an Aramaic translation read aloud, so ordinary people could follow. Those translations are the Aramaic Bible. (Scholars call them the Targums.)
- Why it matters
- A Targum doesn’t just translate, it quietly explains as it goes. So it’s a window into how the first Jewish readers understood a passage. Famously, the Aramaic of Isaiah 53 names the servant “the Messiah” outright.
- When to use it
- When you want the ancient Jewish reading of a passage, or the world and context behind a verse.
How: Open the Aramaic Bible and tap any word for its dictionary entry, beside the English.
Every original-language word traces to an established public-domain dictionary, never an AI translation.