Tafsīr (Judeo-Persian Translation): Ezekiel

And he said to me, O offspring of human, these bones are for all the house of Israel, they, behold, are saying: dry were our bones, and lost was our hope, and we were cut for us. (Ezekiel 37:11)

People say that these people were saying these words in exile: “when death comes, the bones will have dried. And the hope that we used to have of seeing…

Please login or register for free access to Posen Library Already have an account?
Engage with this Source

This Judeo-Persian translation of the book of Ezekiel, though fragmentary, is the largest surviving Judeo-Persian translation of any biblical work and is therefore of great significance for the study of medieval Judeo-Persian as a language and of those who spoke it. This Tafsīr consists of a translation of the Hebrew text, followed by a commentary. The text avoids Hebrew altogether and reflects two different dialects of Judeo-Persian. These excerpts reflect on the end times, what Ezekiel’s promises of corporeal resurrection mean, and what they might portend for Jews in particular.

Read more

You may also like