← Babylonian (Talmudic) Aramaic
What does "two" mean in Babylonian Aramaic?
The word for "two" in the Aramaic of the Babylonian Talmud is תְּרֵי (trē), used with masculine nouns, and תַּרְתֵּי (tartē), used with feminine nouns. You will meet them on almost every page of the Talmud. Its arguments are full of pairs: two witnesses, two teachers who disagree, two readings of one verse, two rulings that cannot both stand. The best-known Aramaic song in Jewish life also turns on this word: Ḥad Gadyā, "One Kid", sung at the end of the Passover meal, tells of the little goat "that Father bought for two zuzim", דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי. Section F reads it.
The English learner should notice three things at once.
First, "two" has two genders. A masculine noun takes תְּרֵי: תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי (trē gavrē), "two men". A feminine noun takes תַּרְתֵּי: תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי (tartē shənē), "two years". The numeral comes before the noun, and the noun is in the plural.
Second, תַּרְתֵּי on its own means "two things". The Talmud uses the feminine with no noun for two points, two facts, two conclusions: תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ (tartē shəmaʿ minnah), "learn two things from it", and תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי (tartē də-sātrē), "two things that contradict each other". Both are standard terms of Talmudic argument.
Third, "both" is built from "two". With a pronoun suffix, "two" becomes "both": תַּרְוַיְיהוּ (tarwayhū), "both of them"; תַּרְוַיְיכוּ (tarwaykhū), "both of you". In the Talmud this is the ordinary word for "both".
The word itself goes back to the common Semitic word for "two", which began with a sound like the th of English thin. Hebrew turned that sound into sh and Aramaic into t: Hebrew שְׁנַיִם (shənayim), Aramaic תְּרֵי (trē); Arabic still keeps the th, اِثْنَان (ithnān). The same shift makes Hebrew שׁוֹר (shōr), "ox", into Aramaic תּוֹרָא (tōrā), a word you will meet in Ḥad Gadyā. The r of תְּרֵי is an Aramaic growth of its own.
In this lesson the romanisation follows a simple academic scheme: ʾ for א, ʿ for ע, ḥ for ח, ṭ for ט, ṣ for צ, q for ק, sh for שׁ, kh for soft כ, v for soft ב, f for soft פ; long vowels are marked with a macron (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū), and ə stands for the short vowel shewa.
- תְּרֵי (trē) = "two" with masculine nouns; תַּרְתֵּי (tartē) = "two" with feminine nouns - The numeral stands before a plural noun: תְּרֵי זוּזֵי, "two zuzim"; תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי, "two years" - תַּרְתֵּי alone = "two things": תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ, "learn two things from it" - תַּרְוַיְיהוּ (tarwayhū) = "both of them"; תַּרְוַיְיכוּ (tarwaykhū) = "both of you" - תְּרֵיסַר (trēsar) = "twelve" with masculine nouns - The Targum of Onkelos writes the longer forms תְּרֵין (trēn) and תַּרְתֵּין (tartēn); the Talmud prefers תְּרֵי and תַּרְתֵּי - Hebrew שְׁנַיִם and Aramaic תְּרֵי are the same word, changed by the sound-shift th → sh / t
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
58.1a תְּרֵי two גַּבְרֵי men
58.1b trē (TRAY) two-M gavrē (GAV-ray) men-M.PL
58.2a תַּרְתֵּי two שְׁנֵי years
58.2b tartē (TAR-tay) two-F shənē (sh'-NAY) years-F.PL
58.3a בִּתְרֵי for-two זוּזֵי zuzim
58.3b bi-trē (bit-RAY) for-two-M zūzē (ZOO-zay) zuzim-M.PL
58.4a אָתוּ came תְּרֵי two תַּלְמִידֵי students
58.4b ʾātū (AA-too) came-PERF.3M.PL trē (TRAY) two-M talmīdē (tal-MEE-day) students-M.PL
58.5a תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them אָמְרֵי say
58.5b tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M ʾāmrē (AAM-ray) say-PTCP.M.PL
58.6a תְּרֵי two סָהֲדֵי witnesses אָתוּ came לְבֵי to-house-of דִינָא judgment
58.6b trē (TRAY) two-M sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL ʾātū (AA-too) came-PERF.3M.PL lə-vē (l'-VAY) to-house-CONSTRUCT dīnā (DEE-naa) judgment-M.SG.EMPH
58.7a זְבַן bought אַבָּא father תְּרֵי two גַּדְיֵי kids בְּשׁוּקָא in-the-market
58.7b zəvan (z'-VAN) bought-PERF.3M.SG ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH trē (TRAY) two-M gadyē (GAD-yay) kids-M.PL bə-shūqā (b'-SHOO-qaa) in-market-M.SG.EMPH
58.8a תַּרְתֵּי two-things שְׁמַע hear מִינַּהּ from-it
58.8b tartē (TAR-tay) two-F-things shəmaʿ (sh'-MA') hear-IMP.M.SG minnah (MIN-nah) from-it-F
58.9a הֲוָה there-were לֵיהּ to-him תְּרֵי two בְּנֵי sons וְתַרְתֵּי and-two בְּנָתָא daughters
58.9b hăwā (ha-WAA) was-PERF.3M.SG lēh (LAY) to-him trē (TRAY) two-M bənē (b'-NAY) sons-M.PL wə-tartē (v'-TAR-tay) and-two-F bənātā (b'-NAA-taa) daughters-F.PL
58.10a יְתֵיב he-stayed תַּמָּן there תְּרֵי two יוֹמֵי days
58.10b yətēv (y'-TAYV) stayed-PERF.3M.SG tammān (TAM-maan) there trē (TRAY) two-M yōmē (YO-may) days-M.PL
58.11a תְּרֵי two כְּמֵאָה like-a-hundred
58.11b trē (TRAY) two-M kə-mēʾā (k'-MAY-aa) like-hundred-F
58.12a אֲמַר said לְהוּ to-them רַבָּה Rabbah לְתַרְוַיְיהוּ to-both-of-them זִילוּ go לְבֵיתַיְיכוּ to-your-houses
58.12b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ləhū (l'-HOO) to-them-M Rabbā (RAB-baa) Rabbah lə-tarwayhū (l'-tar-WAI-hoo) to-both-of-them-M zīlū (ZEE-loo) go-IMP.M.PL lə-vētaykhū (l'-vay-TAI-khoo) to-houses-your-M.PL
58.13a תְּרֵיסַר twelve יַרְחֵי months בְּשַׁתָּא in-the-year
58.13b trēsar (tray-SAR) twelve-M yarḥē (YAR-khay) months-M.PL bə-shattā (b'-SHAT-taa) in-year-F.SG.EMPH
58.14a תַּרְתֵּי two-things דְּסָתְרֵי that-contradict אַהֲדָדֵי each-other נִינְהוּ they-are
58.14b tartē (TAR-tay) two-F-things də-sātrē (d'-SAAT-ray) that-contradict-PTCP.M.PL ʾahădādē (a-ha-DAA-day) each-other ninhū (NIN-hoo) they-are-M.PL
58.15a אִי if תְּרֵי two סָהֲדֵי witnesses אָמְרֵי say הָכִי thus לָא not צְרִיךְ need לְאִשְׁתַּבּוּעֵי to-swear
58.15b ʾī (EE) if trē (TRAY) two-M sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL ʾāmrē (AAM-ray) say-PTCP.M.PL hākhī (HAA-khee) thus lā (laa) not ṣərīkh (ts'-REEKH) needed-PTCP.M.SG lə-ʾishtabbūʿē (l'-ish-tab-BOO-ay) to-swear-INF.ITHPAEL
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
58.1 תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי — trē gavrē — "Two men."
58.2 תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי — tartē shənē — "Two years."
58.3 בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי — bi-trē zūzē — "For two zuzim."
58.4 אָתוּ תְּרֵי תַּלְמִידֵי. — ʾātū trē talmīdē. — "Two students came."
58.5 תַּרְוַיְיהוּ אָמְרֵי. — tarwayhū ʾāmrē. — "Both of them say (so)."
58.6 תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי אָתוּ לְבֵי דִינָא. — trē sāhădē ʾātū lə-vē dīnā. — "Two witnesses came to the court."
58.7 זְבַן אַבָּא תְּרֵי גַּדְיֵי בְּשׁוּקָא. — zəvan ʾabbā trē gadyē bə-shūqā. — "Father bought two kids in the market."
58.8 תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ. — tartē shəmaʿ minnah. — "Learn two things from it."
58.9 הֲוָה לֵיהּ תְּרֵי בְּנֵי וְתַרְתֵּי בְּנָתָא. — hăwā lēh trē bənē wə-tartē bənātā. — "He had two sons and two daughters."
58.10 יְתֵיב תַּמָּן תְּרֵי יוֹמֵי. — yətēv tammān trē yōmē. — "He stayed there two days."
58.11 תְּרֵי כְּמֵאָה. — trē kə-mēʾā. — "Two (witnesses) are like a hundred."
58.12 אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבָּה לְתַרְוַיְיהוּ: זִילוּ לְבֵיתַיְיכוּ. — ʾămar ləhū Rabbā lə-tarwayhū: zīlū lə-vētaykhū. — "Rabbah said to both of them: Go to your homes."
58.13 תְּרֵיסַר יַרְחֵי בְּשַׁתָּא. — trēsar yarḥē bə-shattā. — "There are twelve months in the year."
58.14 תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי אַהֲדָדֵי נִינְהוּ. — tartē də-sātrē ʾahădādē ninhū. — "They are two things that contradict each other."
58.15 אִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי אָמְרֵי הָכִי, לָא צְרִיךְ לְאִשְׁתַּבּוּעֵי. — ʾī trē sāhădē ʾāmrē hākhī, lā ṣərīkh lə-ʾishtabbūʿē. — "If two witnesses say so, there is no need to take an oath."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
58.1 תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי
58.2 תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי
58.3 בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי
58.4 אָתוּ תְּרֵי תַּלְמִידֵי.
58.5 תַּרְוַיְיהוּ אָמְרֵי.
58.6 תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי אָתוּ לְבֵי דִינָא.
58.7 זְבַן אַבָּא תְּרֵי גַּדְיֵי בְּשׁוּקָא.
58.8 תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ.
58.9 הֲוָה לֵיהּ תְּרֵי בְּנֵי וְתַרְתֵּי בְּנָתָא.
58.10 יְתֵיב תַּמָּן תְּרֵי יוֹמֵי.
58.11 תְּרֵי כְּמֵאָה.
58.12 אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבָּה לְתַרְוַיְיהוּ: זִילוּ לְבֵיתַיְיכוּ.
58.13 תְּרֵיסַר יַרְחֵי בְּשַׁתָּא.
58.14 תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי אַהֲדָדֵי נִינְהוּ.
58.15 אִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי אָמְרֵי הָכִי, לָא צְרִיךְ לְאִשְׁתַּבּוּעֵי.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
1. Two forms, by gender. "Two" agrees with the gender of the noun it counts.
- Masculine: תְּרֵי (trē): תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי (trē gavrē), "two men"; תְּרֵי יוֹמֵי (trē yōmē), "two days"; תְּרֵי זוּזֵי (trē zūzē), "two zuzim" - Feminine: תַּרְתֵּי (tartē): תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי (tartē shənē), "two years"; תַּרְתֵּי בְּנָתָא (tartē bənātā), "two daughters"
You must know the gender of the noun. A noun whose singular ends in -תָא (-tā) is usually feminine: שַׁתָּא (shattā), "year"; מִילְּתָא (millətā), "word, thing". Most nouns ending in plain -א (-ā) are masculine: גַּבְרָא (gavrā), "man"; יוֹמָא (yōmā), "day". There are exceptions, and the dictionary decides.
2. Position and number. The numeral stands before the noun, and the noun is plural: תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי, "two witnesses", from סָהֲדָא (sāhădā), "witness". The usual masculine plural ending in the Talmud is -ē (-ֵי): גַּבְרֵי, יוֹמֵי, זוּזֵי, תַּלְמִידֵי. With a preposition the prefix attaches to the numeral: בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי (bi-trē zūzē), "for two zuzim"; לִתְרֵי (li-trē), "to two".
3. תַּרְתֵּי alone: "two things". Used without a noun, the feminine means "two matters, two points". This is how the Talmud counts conclusions and problems:
- תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ (tartē shəmaʿ minnah), "learn two things from it" - תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי (tartē də-sātrē), "two things that contradict (each other)": a position that holds two incompatible views at once
4. "Both": two + pronoun suffix. Add the suffixes you met in earlier lessons to the stem תַּרְוַי- (tarway-):
- תַּרְוַיְיהוּ (tarwayhū), "both of them" (the commonest form) - תַּרְוַיְיכוּ (tarwaykhū), "both of you"
Manuscripts and printed editions spell these forms in several ways (תרוייהו, תרווייהו). This lesson uses one spelling.
5. Twelve. "Two" combined with "ten" gives "twelve": תְּרֵיסַר (trēsar) with masculine nouns: תְּרֵיסַר יַרְחֵי (trēsar yarḥē), "twelve months". With feminine nouns the form is תַּרְתֵּי סְרֵי (tartē sərē).
6. Targumic forms. In the Targum of Onkelos, and in Biblical Aramaic, you will also see the longer forms תְּרֵין (trēn, masculine) and תַּרְתֵּין (tartēn, feminine). They mean the same; the Babylonian Talmud normally drops the final ן.
7. No reverse agreement for "two". From three to ten, Aramaic numerals show "reverse" agreement: masculine nouns take the form that looks feminine, as in Hebrew. "Two" does not. It is the plain, logical case: masculine with masculine, feminine with feminine.
- Using תְּרֵי with a feminine noun. ✗ תְּרֵי שְׁנֵי → ✓ תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי, "two years"; שַׁתָּא is feminine. - Putting the numeral after the noun, as an adjective. ✗ גַּבְרֵי תְּרֵי → ✓ תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי, "two men". (The numeral is sometimes found after the noun, as in סָהֲדֵי תְּרֵין in 57.19; learn the normal order first.) - A singular noun after "two". ✗ תְּרֵי גַּבְרָא → ✓ תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי. The noun is plural. - Confusing תַּרְתֵּי with תַּרְוַיְיהוּ. תַּרְתֵּי counts ("two things"); תַּרְוַיְיהוּ includes ("both of them"). - Reading Hebrew שְׁנַיִם into an Aramaic passage. The Talmud moves between Hebrew (the Mishnah) and Aramaic (the Gemara). שְׁנַיִם and שְׁתַּיִם are Hebrew; תְּרֵי and תַּרְתֵּי are Aramaic. The word tells you which language you are reading.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Jewish law requires two witnesses to establish a fact in court, following Deuteronomy 19:15: "on the testimony of two witnesses … shall a matter be established". The Gemara puts this into Aramaic with a short phrase: תְּרֵי כְּמֵאָה (trē kə-mēʾā), "two are like a hundred". Two qualified witnesses carry the same weight as any larger number. Where two witnesses say one thing and two others say the opposite, the Talmud calls the case תְּרֵי וּתְרֵי (trē u-trē), "two and two": the testimony cancels out and the matter remains a doubt.
The tractate Bava Metziʿa opens with a famous Hebrew sentence of the Mishnah: שְׁנַיִם אוֹחֲזִין בְּטַלִּית (shənayim ʾōḥăzīn bə-ṭallīt), "two are holding a garment". Each claims the whole of it. The Gemara then discusses the case in Aramaic. A student of the Talmud thus meets the same idea in both languages on the same page: Hebrew שְׁנַיִם, Aramaic תְּרֵי. The Genre Section of this lesson tells a story of the same kind.
Much of the Gemara is a record of disagreement, and "two" is the word that frames it. The Talmud speaks of תְּרֵי תַּנָּאֵי (trē tannāʾē), "two Tannaim", that is, two early teachers who transmitted a ruling differently. When a single verse or ruling yields two conclusions, the discussion ends with תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ, "learn two things from it". When a position is shown to require two incompatible things, it is rejected as תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי, "two things that contradict each other". The phrase is still used in modern Hebrew speech and in rabbinic writing for any self-contradictory position.
The zuz (זוּזָא, plural זוּזֵי) was a small silver coin of the Talmudic period. "Two zuzim" was a modest price, and Ḥad Gadyā uses it for the cheap little goat a father buys. Through the song, בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, "for two zuzim", is probably the best-known Aramaic phrase among Jews today.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Ḥad Gadyā ("One Kid"), the cumulative song that closes the Passover Haggadah, stanzas 1–3. Author unknown. The song was part of the Haggadah by the end of the fifteenth century; it first appeared in a printed Haggadah at Prague in 1590. It is written in Jewish Aramaic with some Hebrew words, and it is far later than the Talmud. It is chosen here because its refrain repeats בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, "for two zuzim", in every stanza. Text as in the Sefaria edition of the Haggadah.
F.1a חַד one גַּדְיָא kid חַד one גַּדְיָא kid דְּזַבִּין that-bought אַבָּא father בִּתְרֵי for-two זוּזֵי zuzim חַד one גַּדְיָא kid חַד one גַּדְיָא kid
F.1b ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH də-zabbīn (d'-zab-BEEN) that-bought-PERF.3M.SG.PAEL ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH bi-trē (bit-RAY) for-two-M zūzē (ZOO-zay) zuzim-M.PL ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH
F.2a וְאָתָא and-came שׁוּנְרָא cat וְאָכְלָה and-ate לְגַדְיָא the-kid דְּזַבִּין that-bought אַבָּא father בִּתְרֵי for-two זוּזֵי zuzim חַד one גַּדְיָא kid חַד one גַּדְיָא kid
F.2b wə-ʾātā (v'-AA-taa) and-came-PERF.3M.SG shūnrā (SHOON-raa) cat-M.SG.EMPH wə-ʾākhlāh (v'-aakh-LAAH) and-ate-PERF.3SG lə-gadyā (l'-GAD-yaa) OBJECT-kid-M.SG.EMPH də-zabbīn (d'-zab-BEEN) that-bought-PERF.3M.SG.PAEL ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH bi-trē (bit-RAY) for-two-M zūzē (ZOO-zay) zuzim-M.PL ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH
F.3a וְאָתָא and-came כַלְבָּא dog וְנָשַׁךְ and-bit לְשׁוּנְרָא the-cat דְּאָכְלָה that-ate לְגַדְיָא the-kid דְּזַבִּין that-bought אַבָּא father בִּתְרֵי for-two זוּזֵי zuzim חַד one גַּדְיָא kid חַד one גַּדְיָא kid
F.3b wə-ʾātā (v'-AA-taa) and-came-PERF.3M.SG khalbā (KHAL-baa) dog-M.SG.EMPH wə-nāshakh (v'-naa-SHAKH) and-bit-PERF.3M.SG lə-shūnrā (l'-SHOON-raa) OBJECT-cat-M.SG.EMPH də-ʾākhlāh (d'-aakh-LAAH) that-ate-PERF.3SG lə-gadyā (l'-GAD-yaa) OBJECT-kid-M.SG.EMPH də-zabbīn (d'-zab-BEEN) that-bought-PERF.3M.SG.PAEL ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH bi-trē (bit-RAY) for-two-M zūzē (ZOO-zay) zuzim-M.PL ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH ḥad (KHAD) one-M gadyā (GAD-yaa) kid-M.SG.EMPH
חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.
One kid, one kid, that Father bought for two zuzim: one kid, one kid.
וְאָתָא שׁוּנְרָא וְאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי. חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.
Then came the cat and ate the kid that Father bought for two zuzim. One kid, one kid.
וְאָתָא כַלְבָּא וְנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי. חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.
Then came the dog and bit the cat that ate the kid that Father bought for two zuzim. One kid, one kid.
חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.
וְאָתָא שׁוּנְרָא וְאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי. חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.
וְאָתָא כַלְבָּא וְנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי. חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.
- בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי. The preposition בְּ (bə) means "for" here: it gives the price. It joins the numeral, and the vowel changes: בְּ + תְּרֵי → בִּתְרֵי (bi-trē). זוּזֵי is masculine plural, so the masculine תְּרֵי is used. - חַד and תְּרֵי. The song sets "one" against "two" in its first line: חַד גַּדְיָא, one kid, bought בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, for two coins. Unlike "two", "one" follows the gender rule with a different word for the feminine (חֲדָא, ḥădā), and it takes a singular noun. - דְּ- "that, who, which". Every link of the chain is joined by the relative particle דְּ (də): דְּזַבִּין, "that (Father) bought"; דְּאָכְלָה, "that ate". The whole song is one long relative clause, growing backwards. - לְ- marking the object. In לְגַדְיָא and לְשׁוּנְרָא the prefix לְ does not mean "to". It marks a definite direct object, a common feature of Aramaic: "ate the kid", "bit the cat". - זַבִּין. "Bought" is a Pael (doubled middle letter) form of the root ז-ב-ן, the same root as זְבַן in 58.7. In the Babylonian Talmud the simple form usually means "buy" and the Pael "sell"; the song uses the Pael in the sense "bought". This is one of several signs that Ḥad Gadyā is late Aramaic, not Talmudic. - Hebrew inside the Aramaic. Later stanzas use Hebrew words: הִכָּה, "struck"; הַשּׁוֹחֵט, "the slaughterer"; מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת, "the angel of death"; הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, "the Holy One, blessed be He". Even the form וְאָכְלָה, with its final ה, follows Hebrew spelling habits. Read the song as Jewish Aramaic of the late Middle Ages, written by people who knew both languages. - The form. Ḥad Gadyā is a cumulative chain like "The House that Jack Built": each stanza adds one link and repeats all the rest. From cat to dog, stick, fire, water, ox, slaughterer and the angel of death, it ends with God, who destroys death itself. Commentators have long read the chain as an allegory of the nations who have oppressed Israel, and the father's two zuzim have been explained in many ways. In every stanza the refrain returns to the small price paid at the start: בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A short case story in the manner of the Gemara, written for this lesson. It is not a quotation from the Talmud. Rav Papa was a Babylonian teacher of the fifth generation of Amoraim.
58.16a תְּרֵי two גַּבְרֵי men אָתוּ came לְקַמֵּיהּ before-him דְּרַב of-Rav פָּפָּא Papa
58.16b trē (TRAY) two-M gavrē (GAV-ray) men-M.PL ʾātū (AA-too) came-PERF.3M.PL lə-qammēh (l'-qam-MAYH) to-before-him də-Rav (d'-RAV) of-Rav Pāpā (PAA-paa) Papa
58.17a תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them הֲווּ were נָקְטִי holding חַד one גְּלִימָא cloak
58.17b tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M hăwū (ha-WOO) were-PERF.3M.PL nāqṭī (NAAQ-tee) holding-PTCP.M.PL ḥad (KHAD) one-M gəlīmā (g'-LEE-maa) cloak-M.SG.EMPH
58.18a הַאי this-one אָמַר says כּוּלֵּיהּ all-of-it דִּידִי mine וְהַאי and-this-one אָמַר says כּוּלֵּיהּ all-of-it דִּידִי mine
58.18b hāy (HAI) this-M ʾāmar (AA-mar) says-PTCP.M.SG kullēh (kul-LAYH) all-of-it-M dīdī (DEE-dee) of-mine wə-hāy (v'-HAI) and-this-M ʾāmar (AA-mar) says-PTCP.M.SG kullēh (kul-LAYH) all-of-it-M dīdī (DEE-dee) of-mine
58.19a אֲמַר said לְהוּ to-them רַב Rav פָּפָּא Papa אִית there-is לְכוּ to-you סָהֲדֵי witnesses
58.19b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ləhū (l'-HOO) to-them-M Rav (RAV) Rav Pāpā (PAA-paa) Papa ʾīt (EET) there-is ləkhū (l'-KHOO) to-you-M.PL sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL
58.20a אֲמַר said חַד one אִית there-is לִי to-me תְּרֵי two סָהֲדֵי witnesses
58.20b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ḥad (KHAD) one-M ʾīt (EET) there-is lī (LEE) to-me trē (TRAY) two-M sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL
58.21a אָתוּ came תְּרֵי two סָהֲדֵי witnesses וְאָמְרֵי and-say בְּשׁוּקָא in-the-market זְבַנֵיהּ he-bought-it בִּתְרֵי for-two זוּזֵי zuzim
58.21b ʾātū (AA-too) came-PERF.3M.PL trē (TRAY) two-M sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL wə-ʾāmrē (v'-AAM-ray) and-say-PTCP.M.PL bə-shūqā (b'-SHOO-qaa) in-market-M.SG.EMPH zəvanēh (z'-va-NAYH) bought-PERF.3M.SG-it-M bi-trē (bit-RAY) for-two-M zūzē (ZOO-zay) zuzim-M.PL
58.22a אֲמַר said אִידַּךְ the-other אֲנָא I נָמֵי also אִית there-is לִי to-me תְּרֵי two סָהֲדֵי witnesses
58.22b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ʾiddakh (ID-dakh) the-other-M ʾănā (a-NAA) I nāmē (NAA-may) also ʾīt (EET) there-is lī (LEE) to-me trē (TRAY) two-M sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL
58.23a אָתוּ came תְּרֵי two אַחֲרִינֵי others וְאָמְרֵי and-say תַּרְתֵּי two שְׁנֵי years הֲוָה it-was גַּבֵּיהּ with-him
58.23b ʾātū (AA-too) came-PERF.3M.PL trē (TRAY) two-M ʾaḥărīnē (a-kha-REE-nay) others-M.PL wə-ʾāmrē (v'-AAM-ray) and-say-PTCP.M.PL tartē (TAR-tay) two-F shənē (sh'-NAY) years-F.PL hăwā (ha-WAA) was-PERF.3M.SG gabbēh (gab-BAYH) with-him
58.24a אֲמַר said רַב Rav פָּפָּא Papa תְּרֵי two וּתְרֵי and-two נִינְהוּ they-are
58.24b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG Rav (RAV) Rav Pāpā (PAA-paa) Papa trē (TRAY) two-M u-trē (oot-RAY) and-two-M ninhū (NIN-hoo) they-are-M.PL
58.25a וּתְרֵי and-two כְּמֵאָה like-a-hundred
58.25b u-trē (oot-RAY) and-two-M kə-mēʾā (k'-MAY-aa) like-hundred-F
58.26a לָא not יָדְעִינַן we-know הֵי which מִנַּיְיהוּ of-them קוּשְׁטָא truth
58.26b lā (laa) not yādʿīnan (yaad-'EE-nan) know-PTCP.1PL hē (HAY) which minnayhū (min-NAI-hoo) of-them-M qushṭā (QUSH-taa) truth-M.SG.EMPH
58.27a אֶלָּא rather נְזַבֵּין we-will-sell גְּלִימָא the-cloak בִּתְרֵי for-two זוּזֵי zuzim
58.27b ʾellā (EL-laa) rather nəzabbēn (n'-zab-BAYN) we-sell-IMPF.1PL.PAEL gəlīmā (g'-LEE-maa) cloak-M.SG.EMPH bi-trē (bit-RAY) for-two-M zūzē (ZOO-zay) zuzim-M.PL
58.28a וְכָל and-every חַד one מִנַּיְיכוּ of-you שָׁקֵיל takes חַד one זוּזָא zuz
58.28b wə-khol (v'-KHOL) and-every ḥad (KHAD) one-M minnaykhū (min-NAI-khoo) of-you-M.PL shāqēl (shaa-QAYL) takes-PTCP.M.SG ḥad (KHAD) one-M zūzā (ZOO-zaa) zuz-M.SG.EMPH
58.29a שַׁפִּיר well אָמַרְתְּ you-said אֲמַרוּ said תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them
58.29b shappīr (shap-PEER) well ʾāmart (AA-mart) you-said-PERF.2M.SG ʾămarū (a-ma-ROO) said-PERF.3M.PL tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M
58.30a נְפַקוּ went-out תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them וְכָל and-every חַד one נְקַט held חַד one זוּזָא zuz בִּידֵיהּ in-his-hand
58.30b nəfaqū (n'-fa-QOO) went-out-PERF.3M.PL tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M wə-khol (v'-KHOL) and-every ḥad (KHAD) one-M nəqaṭ (n'-QAT) held-PERF.3M.SG ḥad (KHAD) one-M zūzā (ZOO-zaa) zuz-M.SG.EMPH bīdēh (bee-DAYH) in-hand-his
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
58.16 תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי אָתוּ לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב פָּפָּא. — trē gavrē ʾātū lə-qammēh də-Rav Pāpā. — "Two men came before Rav Papa."
58.17 תַּרְוַיְיהוּ הֲווּ נָקְטִי חַד גְּלִימָא. — tarwayhū hăwū nāqṭī ḥad gəlīmā. — "Both of them were holding one cloak."
58.18 הַאי אָמַר: כּוּלֵּיהּ דִּידִי, וְהַאי אָמַר: כּוּלֵּיהּ דִּידִי. — hāy ʾāmar: kullēh dīdī, wə-hāy ʾāmar: kullēh dīdī. — "This one says, 'It is all mine,' and that one says, 'It is all mine.'"
58.19 אֲמַר לְהוּ רַב פָּפָּא: אִית לְכוּ סָהֲדֵי? — ʾămar ləhū Rav Pāpā: ʾīt ləkhū sāhădē? — "Rav Papa said to them: 'Do you have witnesses?'"
58.20 אֲמַר חַד: אִית לִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי. — ʾămar ḥad: ʾīt lī trē sāhădē. — "One said: 'I have two witnesses.'"
58.21 אָתוּ תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי וְאָמְרֵי: בְּשׁוּקָא זְבַנֵיהּ בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי. — ʾātū trē sāhădē wə-ʾāmrē: bə-shūqā zəvanēh bi-trē zūzē. — "Two witnesses came and said: 'He bought it in the market for two zuzim.'"
58.22 אֲמַר אִידַּךְ: אֲנָא נָמֵי אִית לִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי. — ʾămar ʾiddakh: ʾănā nāmē ʾīt lī trē sāhădē. — "The other said: 'I too have two witnesses.'"
58.23 אָתוּ תְּרֵי אַחֲרִינֵי וְאָמְרֵי: תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי הֲוָה גַּבֵּיהּ. — ʾātū trē ʾaḥărīnē wə-ʾāmrē: tartē shənē hăwā gabbēh. — "Two others came and said: 'It has been with him for two years.'"
58.24 אֲמַר רַב פָּפָּא: תְּרֵי וּתְרֵי נִינְהוּ, — ʾămar Rav Pāpā: trē u-trē ninhū, — "Rav Papa said: 'It is two against two,"
58.25 וּתְרֵי כְּמֵאָה. — u-trē kə-mēʾā. — "and two are like a hundred."
58.26 לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵי מִנַּיְיהוּ קוּשְׁטָא. — lā yādʿīnan hē minnayhū qushṭā. — "We do not know which of them is the truth."
58.27 אֶלָּא נְזַבֵּין גְּלִימָא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, — ʾellā nəzabbēn gəlīmā bi-trē zūzē, — "Rather, we will sell the cloak for two zuzim,"
58.28 וְכָל חַד מִנַּיְיכוּ שָׁקֵיל חַד זוּזָא. — wə-khol ḥad minnaykhū shāqēl ḥad zūzā. — "and each one of you takes one zuz.'"
58.29 שַׁפִּיר אָמַרְתְּ, אֲמַרוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ. — shappīr ʾāmart, ʾămarū tarwayhū. — "'You have spoken well,' both of them said."
58.30 נְפַקוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ, וְכָל חַד נְקַט חַד זוּזָא בִּידֵיהּ. — nəfaqū tarwayhū, wə-khol ḥad nəqaṭ ḥad zūzā bīdēh. — "Both of them went out, each holding one zuz in his hand."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
58.16 תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי אָתוּ לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב פָּפָּא.
58.17 תַּרְוַיְיהוּ הֲווּ נָקְטִי חַד גְּלִימָא.
58.18 הַאי אָמַר: כּוּלֵּיהּ דִּידִי, וְהַאי אָמַר: כּוּלֵּיהּ דִּידִי.
58.19 אֲמַר לְהוּ רַב פָּפָּא: אִית לְכוּ סָהֲדֵי?
58.20 אֲמַר חַד: אִית לִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי.
58.21 אָתוּ תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי וְאָמְרֵי: בְּשׁוּקָא זְבַנֵיהּ בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי.
58.22 אֲמַר אִידַּךְ: אֲנָא נָמֵי אִית לִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי.
58.23 אָתוּ תְּרֵי אַחֲרִינֵי וְאָמְרֵי: תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי הֲוָה גַּבֵּיהּ.
58.24 אֲמַר רַב פָּפָּא: תְּרֵי וּתְרֵי נִינְהוּ,
58.25 וּתְרֵי כְּמֵאָה.
58.26 לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵי מִנַּיְיהוּ קוּשְׁטָא.
58.27 אֶלָּא נְזַבֵּין גְּלִימָא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי,
58.28 וְכָל חַד מִנַּיְיכוּ שָׁקֵיל חַד זוּזָא.
58.29 שַׁפִּיר אָמַרְתְּ, אֲמַרוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ.
58.30 נְפַקוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ, וְכָל חַד נְקַט חַד זוּזָא בִּידֵיהּ.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
- Masculine and feminine "two" side by side. The story counts men, witnesses and zuzim with תְּרֵי (58.16, 58.20, 58.21) and years with תַּרְתֵּי (58.23), because שַׁתָּא, "year", is feminine. - "Both" as subject. תַּרְוַיְיהוּ, "both of them", can stand before the verb (58.17) or after it (58.29, 58.30). It does not change its form. - תְּרֵי וּתְרֵי. In 58.24 "two and two" is a legal term: two witnesses against two. With וְ- before a word beginning with a shewa, "and" becomes וּ (u): וּתְרֵי (u-trē). - "One" and "the other". חַד (58.20) introduces one man; אִידַּךְ (ʾiddakh, 58.22) is "the other". With תְּרֵי, the Talmud regularly divides a pair this way. - כָּל חַד, "each one". "Every one" in 58.28 and 58.30 means "each". מִנַּיְיכוּ, "of you", and מִנַּיְיהוּ, "of them" (58.26), are the preposition מִן, "from", with plural suffixes, built the same way as תַּרְוַיְיכוּ and תַּרְוַיְיהוּ. - Possession with אִית לְ-. Aramaic has no verb "to have": אִית לִי (ʾīt lī), "there is to me" = "I have" (58.20, 58.22); אִית לְכוּ, "you have" (58.19). - The participle as present. אָמַר (58.18), אָמְרֵי (58.21), נָקְטִי (58.17), שָׁקֵיל (58.28) are participles used as a lively present, as in the Gemara's own case stories. - The echo of the song. In 58.21 and 58.27 the price is בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, the phrase of Ḥad Gadyā in Section F.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
- IPA: /treː/ - תְּ (tav with dagesh) = /t/. At the start of a word tav has a dagesh and is a plain t in every reading tradition. - רֵ (resh with tsere) = /r/ followed by a long e, like the vowel of English "they" without the glide at the end. - The shewa under the tav is silent here, so the word is one syllable: trē, not te-rē.
- IPA: /tarˈteː/ - Two syllables, tar-tē. Both tavs are hard (/t/) in the vocalised text.
- IPA: /tarˈwajhu/ - The vav is consonantal (/w/, or /v/ in the modern Israeli and Ashkenazi traditions: tar-VAI-hu). The double yod marks the diphthong ay, as in English "eye".
Talmudic Aramaic has no living native speakers; it is read aloud in the traditions of Jewish communities. In the Ashkenazi tradition a tav without dagesh is pronounced s, so אָתוּ, "they came", is read AW-soo. The tavs in תְּרֵי and תַּרְתֵּי all have a dagesh and are t in every tradition. Ashkenazi reading also stresses many words on the second-to-last syllable (TAR-tay), while Sephardi and modern Israeli reading tend to stress the last (tar-TAY). The stress in this lesson's respellings mostly follows the Ashkenazi study-hall reading (TAR-tay, GAV-ray), which most English-speaking learners will hear; the consonants follow the vocalised text (hard t).
- ח (ḥet) /ħ/ or /χ/ in חַד, אַחֲרִינֵי: a rasping sound in the throat, like the ch of Scottish loch. Written kh in the respellings. - כ without dagesh /χ/ in כַלְבָּא, לְכוּ, מִנַּיְיכוּ: the same loch sound. - צ (tsade) /ts/ in צְרִיךְ: ts as in English "cats". - ק (qof) /q/ or /k/ in שׁוּקָא, קוּשְׁטָא: originally a k made further back in the throat; most readers today say a plain k. - ע (ʿayin) in שְׁמַע, יָדְעִינַן: originally a voiced sound in the throat; in most modern traditions silent or a slight catch. Written ' in the respellings.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)