[B-Greek] hWSANNA

Jim West jwest at highland.net
Fri Feb 17 20:16:18 EST 2006



Bert de Haan wrote:
> I read that hWSANNA is a Hebrew word that means something like -oh save- 
> which sounds like an imperative.

It's actually two Hebrew words- "hoshi annah" = Save! Now!  (both 
imperative forms).

> I was wondering how this came to be an exclamation of praise in hWSANNA TWi 
> hUIWi DAUID

Hebrew to Greek transliteration is always a dicey affair.  The LXX is 
full of examples where the sound of the word was altered because Greek 
letters don't handle Hebrew sounds very well sometimes.

> It is an exlamation of praise is it not? It can't really mean Oh save (us) 
> son of David because then the dative does not make sense.
> Is this similar to the Nazi salute Heil Hitler? (Obviously I only mean to 
> compare hosanna and heil, and not the persons.)

It isn't really a request so much as a statement of fact.  Imperative in 
essence but statements more than requests.

> I think that Heil has a meaning similar to save or salvation as well. (I am 
> comparing heil to a Dutch word for saviour, Heiland.)

Heil in German is in fact the same as "save" in English.  But Heilige 
means "Holy".  "Heilsgeschichte" = "salvation-history", etc.

> 
> One more question about this word. Had this word become a common exclamation 
> that it did not get translated into Greek, in the same way that amen did?

I'm not sure but I think it was basically the same as "amen" which in 
Hebrew means "may it so be" or the like.  I.e., yes, it was just a loan 
word that was transliterated but not translated.

Hope this helps.

Jim

-- 
Jim West

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