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Languages in the New Testament
Most of the New Testament was written in Greek. It is also called Koine Greek or common Greek. This is the type of Greek people spoke to each other at the time the New Testament was written.
There are a few places in the New Testament where a different language was used. This language is called Aramaic. This is the language that Jesus and the Jews at that time spoke. Aramaic was similar to the Hebrew language (see: Mark 5:41; 7:34; 14:36, 72; 15:34; John 19:13, 17; Acts 1:19).
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About 300 years before Jesus was born, there was a Greek leader named Alexander the Great. The armies of Alexander the Great conquered most of the kingdoms in the known world at that time. Alexander the Great required the people in all the kingdoms he conquered to learn Koine Greek. Therefore, by the time of Jesus, most people in the known world at that time understood Greek.
The Israelites of the Old Testament times spoke Hebrew. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The Jews started speaking Aramaic instead of Hebrew during the time that they were forced to live in Babylon. This was about 600 years before Jesus was born.
The main language of the Roman Empire was Latin. None of the New Testament was originally written in Latin. However, the Bible mentions that Latin was one of the languages used on the sign that was put above Jesus’ head on the cross (see: John 19:20).
See: Israel; Old Testament (Law and Prophets); Babylon; Exile; Rome