What Language Was the Bible Originally Written In?

What Language Was the Bible Originally Written In?

One of the most common misconceptions about the Bible is that it was originally written in Latin. Others assume it was all Hebrew, while some argue for Aramaic or even claim the New Testament was first written in Hebrew or Syriac (the Peshitta). The truth is more complex—but also more secure. The Bible was written over many centuries, by dozens of authors, in a few key languages. Understanding this clears up common myths and helps us appreciate why our modern translations rest on solid ground.

The Old Testament: Hebrew with Some Aramaic

The bulk of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the language of Israel. However, certain sections are in Aramaic—a related Semitic language that became common in the Near East after the Babylonian exile.

• Most of the Old Testament: Hebrew (e.g., Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah).

• Key Aramaic sections: parts of Daniel (Daniel 2:4–7:28), parts of Ezra (Ezra 4:8–6:18; 7:12–26), and a few single words or verses elsewhere (e.g., Jeremiah 10:11).

This explains why Jewish scholars and early Christians often needed both languages to fully grasp the Scriptures.

The New Testament: All Greek, With Some Aramaic Expressions

The entire New Testament was originally written in Greek—specifically Koine Greek, the common language of the Eastern Roman Empire. This is crucial: the Christian Bible was not written in Latin and not in Hebrew.

Jesus Himself spoke Aramaic as His everyday tongue (see Mark 5:41; 15:34). Some of His words are preserved in Aramaic, but the inspired record of the apostles was written in Greek. Greek was the international language of trade, culture, and communication, making it the perfect vehicle for the gospel to spread “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Bible of the Early Church: All Greek

By the time of Jesus and the apostles, the Jewish Scriptures were already widely read in Greek translation, known as the Septuagint (LXX). This translation began in the 3rd century BC under Ptolemy II in Alexandria, when Jewish scholars translated the Torah into Greek, followed by the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures.

The Septuagint became the Bible of the Greek-speaking Jewish world—and, crucially, the Bible of the Early Church.

• Jesus and the apostles quoted from it. Many Old Testament citations in the New Testament match the Septuagint’s wording, not the later Hebrew Masoretic Text (for example, Hebrews 1:6 quoting Deuteronomy 32:43).

• It contained more than the Hebrew Bible. Books like Wisdom of Solomon, Tobit, Judith, and Maccabees were included—and used by the early Christians as Scripture.

• It made Scripture accessible. By the 1st century AD, most Jews outside Judea no longer spoke Hebrew. Greek was the common language, and the Septuagint ensured the Scriptures could be read and proclaimed to the nations.

Thus, when the apostles and early Christians preached, taught, and wrote, they leaned on the Greek Old Testament and added their own writings in Greek Koine. The result was a completely Greek Bible—Old and New Testaments together—used in the church for centuries before Latin or other translations took hold.

This explains why the New Testament is full of Greek phrasing, why many Old Testament quotes align with the LXX rather than the Hebrew text, and why the earliest complete Christian Bibles we possess (Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus) are Greek manuscripts containing the Septuagint with the New Testament.

What About Latin?

Latin was the language of the Roman Empire’s western provinces, but it was never the language of the Bible’s original authors. The Latin Vulgate—translated by Jerome around AD 400—became the official Bible of the Western Church for over a thousand years. This led many later Christians to mistakenly assume Latin was original. In reality, Jerome himself translated from the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and Hebrew texts of the Old Testament.

The Peshitta and the “Aramaic New Testament” Claim

Some groups claim the New Testament was written in Syriac/Aramaic (the Peshitta). While Syriac translations are ancient and valuable, the earliest church fathers overwhelmingly quote the New Testament in Greek, not Syriac. The Peshitta shows signs of being a translation from Greek, not the other way around. This means the “Aramaic New Testament” theory does not hold up historically.

Hebrew New Testament Claims

Others insist the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew because Jesus was Jewish. While Hebrew fragments of Matthew or sayings of Jesus may have circulated early on, no manuscript evidence supports the claim that the New Testament was first written in Hebrew. Every early manuscript we possess—from the first-century fragments of John, to the great codices like Sinaiticus and Vaticanus—is in Greek. The entire structure, vocabulary, and grammar of the New Testament are Greek, not Hebrew.

How Do We Know This?

1. Manuscript Evidence – Over 5,800 Greek manuscripts survive, some dating within decades of the apostles. No Hebrew or Latin originals exist for the New Testament.

2. Church Fathers – Writers like Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Irenaeus quoted Greek New Testament texts as authoritative within the first century after the apostles.

3. Historical Context – Koine Greek was the universal language of the Roman world. For the gospel to spread, it had to be written in Greek.

A Timeline of the Bible’s Languages

• 1400–400 BC – Old Testament written primarily in Hebrew, with some Aramaic.

• 250–100 BC – Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) widely used by Jews and later Christians.

• AD 40–100 – New Testament written entirely in Greek.

• AD 150–250 – Early translations into Latin, Syriac, and Coptic.

• AD 405 – Jerome’s Latin Vulgate completed.

• AD 1382–1395 – Wycliffe Bible, first complete English translation (from Latin).

• AD 1526 – Tyndale New Testament (first English from Greek manuscripts).

• AD 1535 – Coverdale Bible (first complete printed English Bible).

• AD 1560 – Geneva Bible (popular among Reformers, used by the Pilgrims).

• AD 1611 – King James Version, commissioned by King James I, based on Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.

Conclusion

So, what language was the Bible originally written in?

• Old Testament: Hebrew (with portions of Aramaic).

• New Testament: Greek (Koine Greek), with a few Aramaic expressions preserved.

• Bible of The Early Church: All Greek.

It was not originally in Latin, and claims of a Hebrew or Syriac New Testament collapse under historical evidence. The Bible we hold today rests on thousands of Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, supported by translations and quotations from the earliest centuries. This history confirms not only the accuracy of Scripture, but also God’s wisdom in choosing languages that carried His Word across the nations.