Greek and Hebrew: which language, which testament
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, with some Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek. Here is how to tell which one you are looking at.
Updated 2026-10-15
Two languages, one Bible
Almost all of the Old Testament is Hebrew. A few passages are Aramaic, including parts of Daniel and Ezra. The New Testament is Koine Greek, the everyday Greek of the eastern Roman world, not the classical Greek of Athens centuries earlier.
When you study a Psalm, ask for Hebrew. When you study a letter of Paul or a story in the Gospels, ask for Greek. LogosRealm follows that split. If a result offers Greek for Genesis or Hebrew for Romans, treat it as a mistake and check a lexicon.
The New Testament quotes the Old
Gospel writers and apostles often quote the Old Testament in Greek, frequently from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Greek word in Romans is not always a one-for-one twin of the Hebrew word in the verse being quoted.
A careful study names both when a quotation is in view: the Hebrew word in the source passage, and the Greek word in the New Testament sentence. They can illuminate each other. They are not the same word.
How to read a transliteration
Transliteration spells the sound with Latin letters: agapē, hesed, logos. It is a pronunciation aid. It is not the word. Two schemes exist for the same Hebrew consonants, so do not be troubled if one book writes chesed and another writes hesed.
Say the word slowly once, then go back to the meaning in the sentence. Pronouncing a word does not mean you know it. The sentence is still the teacher.
What “original” does not mean
We do not hold Paul’s handwritten sheet. We hold carefully copied manuscripts, compared by editors into a printed Greek or Hebrew text. Word studies on this site assume the standard text behind common English Bibles. A footnote about a variant is a separate question.
That is not a reason to shrug. It is a reason to stay modest. Say “the Greek text commonly printed here reads…” when the point is fine, and do not build a doctrine on a single disputed letter.