← Babylonian (Talmudic) Aramaic
What does "work" mean in Babylonian Aramaic?
The Aramaic of the Babylonian Talmud says "to work" with the verb פְּלַח (pəlaḥ). It is the verb of labour: the man who works in a field, the hired worker who works for a wage, the slave who works for his master. The Gemara asks, of a slave whose master does not feed him, מַאן פָּלַח לֵיהּ (man pālaḥ lēh), "who will work for him?" (Gittin 12b). You have met the word before in this course, in פָּלַח עַל אַגְרָא, "he works for wages".
The English learner should notice four things at once.
First, "work" and "do" are two different verbs. English says "do work" and "work" almost interchangeably. Aramaic keeps them apart. עֲבַד (ʿăvad), which you met in the last lesson as "do", is the general verb of doing and making; its noun עֲבִידְתָּא (ʿăvīdtā) is "work, a task". פְּלַח is the verb of labouring, of spending one's effort for someone or on something. The Targum of Onkelos puts both side by side: תִּפְלַח וְתַעֲבֵיד כָּל עֲבִידְתָךְ, "you shall work and do all your work" (Section F).
Second, the person you work for takes לְ- (lə-), "to, for". פָּלַח לְמָרֵיהּ (pālaḥ lə-mārēh), "he works for his master"; מַאן פָּלַח לֵיהּ, "who will work for him?". The place where you work takes בְּ- (bə-), "in": פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא (pālaḥ bə-ḥaqlā), "he works in the field". The wage takes עַל (ʿal), "for": פָּלַח עַל אַגְרָא.
Third, "work for" can also mean "serve", and "serve" can mean "worship". The same verb that describes a labourer describes a servant, and in religious language a worshipper: the Talmud speaks of those who פָּלְחֵי (pālḥē), "serve", an idol. Context decides. In this lesson the sense is always plain work.
Fourth, the verb has a guttural at the end. The last root letter is ח (ḥ), a sound made in the throat, and it pulls the vowel before it to a. So the participle is פָּלַח (pālaḥ), "works", where a verb like עָבֵיד (ʿāvēd), "does", has ē. The perfect פְּלַח (pəlaḥ), "he worked", and the participle פָּלַח (pālaḥ), "he works", differ only in the first vowel: ə against ā.
The root פ-ל-ח is shared with Hebrew, where it means "to cleave, split", and with Syriac, where ܦܠܚ (plaḥ) is the ordinary verb "to work" and a farmer is a ܦܠܚܐ (pallāḥā). The sense "to work the soil" lies between the two: the ploughman splits the earth. The Targum of Onkelos regularly uses פְּלַח where the Hebrew Torah has עָבַד in the sense of "work, till, serve": Adam is put in the garden לְמִפְלְחַהּ וּלְמִטְּרַהּ, "to work it and to keep it" (Genesis 2:15).
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.
- פְּלַח (pəlaḥ) = "he worked"; פָּלַח (pālaḥ) = "he works, is working" - פָּלְחֵי (pālḥē) = "they work"; פָּלַחְנָא (pālaḥnā) = "I work"; פָּלְחִינַן (pālḥīnan) = "we work" - לְמִפְלַח (lə-miflaḥ) = "to work"; נִיפְלַח (niflaḥ) = "let us work, we shall work", and also "let him work" - פָּלַח לְ- = "work for (someone)"; פָּלַח בְּ- = "work in (a place)"; פָּלַח עַל אַגְרָא = "work for wages" - פְּלַח is "labour"; עֲבַד is "do, make"; עֲבִידְתָּא is "work, task" - In religious contexts the same verb means "serve, worship" - הֲוָה פָּלַח (hăwā pālaḥ) = "he used to work, he was working"
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The sentences of Sections A to C and of the Genre Section are written for this lesson; they are not quotations from the Talmud. The only quotations are in Section F.
60.1a פָּלַח works אַבָּא father
60.1b pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH
60.2a פָּלְחֵי work גַּבְרֵי men
60.2b pālḥē (PAAL-khay) work-PTCP.M.PL gavrē (GAV-ray) men-M.PL
60.3a פְּלַח he-worked כּוּלֵּי all יוֹמָא the-day
60.3b pəlaḥ (p'-LAKH) work-PERF.3M.SG kullē (kul-LAY) all-of yōmā (YOH-maa) day-M.SG.EMPH
60.4a לָא not פָּלַחְנָא I-work הַשְׁתָּא now
60.4b lā (laa) not pālaḥnā (paa-LAKH-naa) work-PTCP.1SG hashtā (hash-TAA) now
60.5a פָּלַח works בְּחַקְלָא in-the-field
60.5b pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG bə-ḥaqlā (b'-khaq-LAA) in-field-M.SG.EMPH
60.6a עַבְדָּא the-slave פָּלַח works לְמָרֵיהּ for-his-master
60.6b ʿavdā (av-DAA) slave-M.SG.EMPH pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG lə-mārēh (l'-maa-RAYH) for-master-his
60.7a אֲגִירָא the-hired-man פָּלַח works עַל for אַגְרָא wage
60.7b ʾăgīrā (a-gee-RAA) hired-man-M.SG.EMPH pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG ʿal (AL) for ʾagrā (ag-RAA) wage-M.SG.EMPH
60.8a הֲוָה was פָּלַח working בְּחַקְלָא in-the-field תַּרְתֵּי two שְׁנֵי years
60.8b hăwā (ha-WAA) was-PERF.3M.SG pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG bə-ḥaqlā (b'-khaq-LAA) in-field-M.SG.EMPH tartē (TAR-tay) two-F shənē (sh'-NAY) years-F.PL
60.9a לָא not שָׁרֵי it-is-permitted לְמִפְלַח to-work בְּשַׁבְּתָא on-the-Sabbath
60.9b lā (laa) not shārē (shaa-RAY) permit-PTCP.PASS.M.SG lə-miflaḥ (l'-mif-LAKH) to-work-INF bə-shabbətā (b'-shab-b'-TAA) on-Sabbath-F.SG.EMPH
60.10a הֵיכִי how נִיפְלַח we-shall-work וְלֵית and-there-is-not לַן to-us אַגְרָא wage
60.10b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how niflaḥ (nif-LAKH) work-IMPF.1PL wə-lēt (v'-LAYT) and-there-is-not lan (LAN) to-us ʾagrā (ag-RAA) wage-M.SG.EMPH
60.11a מַאן whoever דְּלָא that-not פָּלַח works לָא not אָכֵיל eats
60.11b man (MAN) whoever də-lā (d'-LAA) that-not pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG lā (laa) not ʾākhēl (aa-KHAYL) eat-PTCP.M.SG
60.12a אֲמַר said לֵיהּ to-him רַבָּה Rabbah לַאֲגִירָא to-the-hired-man כַּמָּה how-many יוֹמֵי days פְּלַחְתְּ you-worked
60.12b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG lēh (LAYH) to-him Rabbā (RAB-baa) Rabbah la-ʾăgīrā (la-a-gee-RAA) to-hired-man-M.SG.EMPH kammā (KAM-maa) how-many yōmē (yoh-MAY) days-M.PL pəlaḥt (p'-LAKHT) work-PERF.2M.SG
60.13a תַּלְמִידֵי students דְּפָלְחֵי who-work בִּימָמָא by-day גָּרְסִי study בְּלֵילְיָא at-night
60.13b talmīdē (tal-MEE-day) students-M.PL də-fālḥē (d'-FAAL-khay) who-work-PTCP.M.PL bi-ymāmā (bee-maa-MAA) by-day-M.SG.EMPH gārsē (GAAR-say) study-PTCP.M.PL bə-lēlyā (b'-layl-YAA) at-night-M.SG.EMPH
60.14a אַבָּא father הֲוָה was פָּלַח working בְּחַקְלָא in-the-field וְאִימָּא and-mother הֲוַת was עָבְדָא doing עֲבִידְתָּא the-work בְּבֵיתָא in-the-house
60.14b ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH hăwā (ha-WAA) was-PERF.3M.SG pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG bə-ḥaqlā (b'-khaq-LAA) in-field-M.SG.EMPH wə-ʾimmā (v'-IM-maa) and-mother-EMPH hăwat (ha-WAT) was-PERF.3F.SG ʿāvdā (AAV-daa) do-PTCP.F.SG ʿăvīdtā (a-veed-TAA) work-F.SG.EMPH bə-vētā (b'-vay-TAA) in-house-M.SG.EMPH
60.15a לָא not פָּלְחִינַן we-work עַל for אַגְרָא wage אֶלָּא but מִשּׁוּם because דְּרָחֲמִינַן that-we-love לֵיהּ him
60.15b lā (laa) not pālḥīnan (paal-KHEE-nan) work-PTCP.1PL ʿal (AL) for ʾagrā (ag-RAA) wage-M.SG.EMPH ʾellā (EL-laa) but mi-shshūm (mish-SHOOM) because-of də-rāḥămīnan (d'-raa-kha-MEE-nan) that-love-PTCP.1PL lēh (LAYH) him
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60.1 פָּלַח אַבָּא. — pālaḥ ʾabbā. — "Father is working."
60.2 פָּלְחֵי גַּבְרֵי. — pālḥē gavrē. — "The men are working."
60.3 פְּלַח כּוּלֵּי יוֹמָא. — pəlaḥ kullē yōmā. — "He worked all day."
60.4 לָא פָּלַחְנָא הַשְׁתָּא. — lā pālaḥnā hashtā. — "I am not working now."
60.5 פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא. — pālaḥ bə-ḥaqlā. — "He works in the field."
60.6 עַבְדָּא פָּלַח לְמָרֵיהּ. — ʿavdā pālaḥ lə-mārēh. — "The slave works for his master."
60.7 אֲגִירָא פָּלַח עַל אַגְרָא. — ʾăgīrā pālaḥ ʿal ʾagrā. — "The hired man works for a wage."
60.8 הֲוָה פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי. — hăwā pālaḥ bə-ḥaqlā tartē shənē. — "He worked in the field for two years."
60.9 לָא שָׁרֵי לְמִפְלַח בְּשַׁבְּתָא. — lā shārē lə-miflaḥ bə-shabbətā. — "It is not permitted to work on the Sabbath."
60.10 הֵיכִי נִיפְלַח, וְלֵית לַן אַגְרָא? — hēkhī niflaḥ, wə-lēt lan ʾagrā? — "How are we to work, when we have no wage?"
60.11 מַאן דְּלָא פָּלַח לָא אָכֵיל. — man də-lā pālaḥ lā ʾākhēl. — "Whoever does not work does not eat."
60.12 אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבָּה לַאֲגִירָא: כַּמָּה יוֹמֵי פְּלַחְתְּ? — ʾămar lēh Rabbā la-ʾăgīrā: kammā yōmē pəlaḥt? — "Rabbah said to the hired man: How many days did you work?"
60.13 תַּלְמִידֵי דְּפָלְחֵי בִּימָמָא גָּרְסִי בְּלֵילְיָא. — talmīdē də-fālḥē bi-ymāmā gārsē bə-lēlyā. — "Students who work by day study at night."
60.14 אַבָּא הֲוָה פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא, וְאִימָּא הֲוַת עָבְדָא עֲבִידְתָּא בְּבֵיתָא. — ʾabbā hăwā pālaḥ bə-ḥaqlā, wə-ʾimmā hăwat ʿāvdā ʿăvīdtā bə-vētā. — "Father used to work in the field, and Mother used to do the work in the house."
60.15 לָא פָּלְחִינַן עַל אַגְרָא, אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם דְּרָחֲמִינַן לֵיהּ. — lā pālḥīnan ʿal ʾagrā, ʾellā mi-shshūm də-rāḥămīnan lēh. — "We do not work for a wage, but because we love him."
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60.1 פָּלַח אַבָּא.
60.2 פָּלְחֵי גַּבְרֵי.
60.3 פְּלַח כּוּלֵּי יוֹמָא.
60.4 לָא פָּלַחְנָא הַשְׁתָּא.
60.5 פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא.
60.6 עַבְדָּא פָּלַח לְמָרֵיהּ.
60.7 אֲגִירָא פָּלַח עַל אַגְרָא.
60.8 הֲוָה פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא תַּרְתֵּי שְׁנֵי.
60.9 לָא שָׁרֵי לְמִפְלַח בְּשַׁבְּתָא.
60.10 הֵיכִי נִיפְלַח, וְלֵית לַן אַגְרָא?
60.11 מַאן דְּלָא פָּלַח לָא אָכֵיל.
60.12 אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבָּה לַאֲגִירָא: כַּמָּה יוֹמֵי פְּלַחְתְּ?
60.13 תַּלְמִידֵי דְּפָלְחֵי בִּימָמָא גָּרְסִי בְּלֵילְיָא.
60.14 אַבָּא הֲוָה פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא, וְאִימָּא הֲוַת עָבְדָא עֲבִידְתָּא בְּבֵיתָא.
60.15 לָא פָּלְחִינַן עַל אַגְרָא, אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם דְּרָחֲמִינַן לֵיהּ.
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1. The perfect: what was done. The perfect tells a finished action in the past. Its endings are added to the stem פְּלַח:
- פְּלַח (pəlaḥ), "he worked" (60.3) - פְּלַחְתְּ (pəlaḥt), "you (m.) worked" (60.12) - פְּלַחוּ (pəlaḥū), "they worked" (60.30)
2. The participle: what is being done. The participle is the Talmud's present tense, and it is also used for what is done habitually or will soon be done. It agrees with its subject in gender and number, and for "I", "you" and "we" it takes a short pronoun on its end:
- פָּלַח (pālaḥ), "he works" (60.1) - פָּלְחֵי (pālḥē), "they work" (60.2) - פָּלַחְנָא (pālaḥnā), "I work" (60.4) - פָּלְחִינַן (pālḥīnan), "we work" (60.15)
Compare עָבֵיד (ʿāvēd), "he does": most verbs have ē in the second syllable of the participle. Because the last root letter of פְּלַח is the guttural ח, the vowel becomes a: פָּלַח, not pālēḥ.
3. "Used to" and "was doing": הֲוָה + participle. Put the past of "be" before the participle and the action is set in the past as something continuous or habitual: הֲוָה פָּלַח (hăwā pālaḥ), "he was working, he used to work" (60.8, 60.14). The verb "be" agrees with the subject: הֲוָה for a man, הֲוַת (hăwat) for a woman, as in וְאִימָּא הֲוַת עָבְדָא (60.14).
4. The infinitive: לְמִפְלַח, "to work". The infinitive is formed with לְמִ- (lə-mi-) before the root: לְמִפְלַח (lə-miflaḥ). It follows words such as שָׁרֵי (shārē), "it is permitted" (60.9), and expresses purpose: אֲגַר תְּרֵי אֲגִירֵי לְמִפְלַח בַּהֲדֵיהּ, "he hired two workers to work with him" (60.17).
5. The imperfect: נִיפְלַח. The prefix נ- (ni-) makes a first person plural, "let us work, are we to work": הֵיכִי נִיפְלַח (60.10), built on the question הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד you learned in the last lesson. In the Babylonian Talmud the same prefix also serves for "let him": in Section F, מַאן דְּבָעֵי נִיפְלְחֵיהּ is "let whoever wishes work for him". Context tells you which is meant.
6. The imperative: פְּלַח, "work!" The command to one man has the same letters as the perfect: פְּלַח כְּוָתֵיהּ (60.29), "work as he does". The sentence tells you whether it is a command or a past action.
7. Whom, where and for what. The verb is joined to its complements by prepositions:
- לְ- (lə-), for the person you work for: פָּלַח לְמָרֵיהּ (60.6), "he works for his master"; פָּלַח לֵיהּ, "he works for him" - בְּ- (bə-), for the place: פָּלַח בְּחַקְלָא (60.5), "he works in the field" - עַל (ʿal), for the wage: פָּלַח עַל אַגְרָא (60.7), "he works for a wage" - בַּהֲדֵי (ba-hădē), for a companion: לְמִפְלַח בַּהֲדֵיהּ (60.17), "to work with him"
8. פְּלַח and עֲבַד. פְּלַח is "labour, work for, serve". עֲבַד is "do, make", and its noun עֲבִידְתָּא (ʿăvīdtā) is "work, task, a piece of work". When the Aramaic speaks of doing a particular job, it uses עֲבַד with עֲבִידְתָּא; when it speaks of labouring, or of working for someone, it uses פְּלַח.
- Writing פָּלֵיח for the participle. The guttural ח takes a before it: ✗ פָּלֵיח → ✓ פָּלַח. - Confusing פְּלַח and פָּלַח. The first vowel decides the tense: פְּלַח (pəlaḥ) "he worked", פָּלַח (pālaḥ) "he works". In an unpointed text both are written פלח; the context must decide. - Translating "do work" with פְּלַח. For "he does work, he does a job" say עָבֵיד עֲבִידְתָּא, not פָּלַח עֲבִידְתָּא. The noun עֲבִידְתָּא goes with עֲבַד. - Leaving out the preposition for the employer. ✗ פָּלַח מָרֵיהּ → ✓ פָּלַח לְמָרֵיהּ, "he works for his master". - Reading נִיפְלַח always as "we". In the Talmud the prefix נ- also marks "let him": read the sentence before deciding. - Forgetting the soft פ. After a vowel or a prefix the פ loses its dot and is read f: לְמִפְלַח (lə-miflaḥ), דְּפָלְחֵי (də-fālḥē), וּפְלַח (u-fəlaḥ).
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The rabbis of the Talmud were not, for the most part, professional scholars. Many of them worked with their hands, and the Talmud's Aramaic sayings about work are blunt. Rav told his student Rav Kahana: פְּשׁוֹט נְבֵילְתָּא בְּשׁוּקָא וּשְׁקֵיל אַגְרָא, "skin a carcass in the market and take your wage" (Pesachim 113a), and do not say that you are a great man and the work is beneath you. Skinning a dead animal was among the lowest of trades. The point of the saying is that any honest work is better than dependence on others.
The hired worker, the אֲגִירָא (ʾăgīrā), appears again and again in Talmudic law. The Torah commands that his wage be paid on the day he earns it, and the Talmud discusses his rights at length: when he may leave a job, what he may eat from the field he works in, what happens when the work is interrupted. The vocabulary of this lesson, אַגְרָא "wage", אֲגִירָא "hired man", פְּלַח "work", is the vocabulary of those discussions.
The Genre Section of this lesson tells of a labourer who works half a day and is paid a full day's wage, because he did more in half a day than the other did in a whole one. The story is written for this lesson, but its shape is old. The Jerusalem Talmud (Berakhot 2:8) tells how Rabbi Zeira, mourning Rabbi Bun bar Ḥiyya, who died young, compared him to a worker hired by a king: the king paid him in full with the others, and when they complained he answered that this man had done more in two hours than they in a whole day. The parable belongs to the Talmud of the Land of Israel; the Genre Section retells its idea in the Aramaic of Babylonia.
The verb פְּלַח does not stop at the field. A servant works for his master; a worshipper serves his God. The Targum of Onkelos uses פְּלַח both for tilling the ground and for the service of God, and the Talmud uses it for the worship of idols. The double sense survives in Hebrew עֲבוֹדָה, which means both "work" and "worship", and in English "service".
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Two passages. The first is from the Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 12b, text as in the William Davidson (Vilna-based, vocalised) edition on Sefaria. The Gemara is discussing a slave whose master does not provide for him, and asks how such a slave is to live. The second is the Targum of Onkelos on Exodus 20:9, the commandment of the Sabbath, text as in the vocalised edition of Mechon Mamre, checked against the Sefaria edition. They are chosen because the first shows פְּלַח in the everyday Aramaic of the Gemara, with the person worked for in לְ-, and the second sets פְּלַח beside עֲבַד and עֲבִידְתָּא in a single clause.
F.1a דְּאִי for-if לָא not עַבְדָּא the-slave מַאן who פָּלַח works לֵיהּ for-him מַאן whoever דְּבָעֵי that-wishes נִיפְלְחֵיהּ let-him-work-for-him
F.1b də-ʾī (d'-EE) for-if lā (laa) not ʿavdā (av-DAA) slave-M.SG.EMPH man (MAN) who pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG lēh (LAYH) for-him man (MAN) whoever də-vāʿē (d'-vaa-'AY) that-wish-PTCP.M.SG nifləḥēh (nif-l'-KHAYH) work-JUSS.3M.SG-for-him
F.2a שִׁתָּא six יוֹמִין days תִּפְלַח you-shall-work וְתַעֲבֵיד and-you-shall-do כָּל all עֲבִידְתָךְ your-work
F.2b shittā (shit-TAA) six yōmīn (yoh-MEEN) days-M.PL tiflaḥ (tif-LAKH) work-IMPF.2M.SG wə-taʿăvēd (v'-ta-a-VAYD) and-do-IMPF.2M.SG kol (KOL) all ʿăvīdtākh (a-veed-TAAKH) work-F.SG-your-M.SG
דְּאִי לָא עַבְדָּא מַאן פָּלַח לֵיהּ?! מַאן דְּבָעֵי נִיפְלְחֵיהּ!
For if not the slave himself, who will work for him? Let whoever wishes work for him!
שִׁתָּא יוֹמִין תִּפְלַח, וְתַעֲבֵיד כָּל עֲבִידְתָךְ.
Six days you shall work, and do all your work.
דְּאִי לָא עַבְדָּא מַאן פָּלַח לֵיהּ?! מַאן דְּבָעֵי נִיפְלְחֵיהּ!
שִׁתָּא יוֹמִין תִּפְלַח, וְתַעֲבֵיד כָּל עֲבִידְתָךְ.
- The argument in Gittin. Rav has ruled that if a master consecrates the work of his slave's hands, the slave still works and feeds himself from it, "for if not the slave himself, who will work for him?": no one else will provide for him. The Gemara then turns the question back as an objection: if the master owes him nothing, why should that matter? "Let whoever wishes work for him!" The same words are first a reason and then a retort. - מַאן פָּלַח לֵיהּ. The participle פָּלַח with לְ- and a pronoun suffix, לֵיהּ, "for him": the person worked for, exactly as in 60.6. Here "work for him" comes close to "provide for him". - נִיפְלְחֵיהּ. The Babylonian imperfect with the prefix נ-, used here for the third person, "let him work", with the suffix -ֵיהּ (-ēh), "for him", attached directly to the verb. Compare 60.10, where נִיפְלַח is "we". - מַאן דְּבָעֵי, "whoever wishes". מַאן דְּ- is "he who, whoever", as in 60.11, and בָּעֵי (bāʿē) is the participle "wants". - עַבְדָּא. The noun "slave, servant" comes from the root ע-ב-ד, the root of עֲבַד "do" and עֲבִידְתָּא "work". The Aramaic of the Gemara uses the root for the person who serves, and פְּלַח for the service he gives. - The Targum's pairing. The Hebrew Torah has שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ, "six days you shall labour and do all your work". Onkelos renders Hebrew עָבַד "labour" with פְּלַח, Hebrew עָשָׂה "do" with עֲבַד, and Hebrew מְלָאכָה "work" with עֲבִידְתָּא. The verse is a small lesson in the difference between the two Aramaic verbs. - תִּפְלַח, תַּעֲבֵיד. The second person singular imperfect takes the prefix תּ- (ti-, ta-). It is used here, as often in law, for a command: "you shall work". - A difference of editions. The Sefaria edition (Metsudah) points the verse differently, תִּפְלָח וְתַעְבֵּד כָּל עִבִדְתָּךְ; the consonants are the same. This lesson follows the Mechon Mamre pointing.
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A short story in the manner of the Gemara, written for this lesson. It is not a quotation from the Talmud.
60.16a הָהוּא a-certain גַּבְרָא man הֲוָה was פָּלַח working בְּחַקְלֵיהּ in-his-field לְחוּדֵיהּ alone
60.16b hahū (ha-HOO) that-M.SG gavrā (gav-RAA) man-M.SG.EMPH hăwā (ha-WAA) was-PERF.3M.SG pālaḥ (paa-LAKH) work-PTCP.M.SG bə-ḥaqlēh (b'-khaq-LAYH) in-field-his lə-ḥūdēh (l'-khoo-DAYH) alone-his
60.17a אֲגַר he-hired תְּרֵי two אֲגִירֵי workers לְמִפְלַח to-work בַּהֲדֵיהּ with-him
60.17b ʾăgar (a-GAR) hire-PERF.3M.SG trē (TRAY) two-M ʾăgīrē (a-gee-RAY) hired-men-M.PL lə-miflaḥ (l'-mif-LAKH) to-work-INF ba-hădēh (ba-ha-DAYH) with-him
60.18a חַד one פְּלַח worked מִצַּפְרָא from-morning עַד until רַמְשָׁא evening
60.18b ḥad (KHAD) one-M pəlaḥ (p'-LAKH) work-PERF.3M.SG mi-ṣṣafrā (mits-tsaf-RAA) from-morning-M.SG.EMPH ʿad (AD) until ramshā (ram-SHAA) evening-M.SG.EMPH
60.19a וְאִידַּךְ and-the-other לָא not פְּלַח worked אֶלָּא except מִפַּלְגָּא from-half דְּיוֹמָא of-the-day
60.19b wə-ʾiddakh (v'-ID-dakh) and-the-other-M lā (laa) not pəlaḥ (p'-LAKH) work-PERF.3M.SG ʾellā (EL-laa) except mi-ppalgā (mip-pal-GAA) from-half-M.SG.EMPH də-yōmā (d'-YOH-maa) of-day-M.SG.EMPH
60.20a לְאוּרְתָּא in-the-evening יְהַב he-gave לִתְרֵי to-the-two פָּלְחֵי workers אַגְרָא wage כִּי like הֲדָדֵי each-other
60.20b lə-ʾūrtā (l'-oor-TAA) at-evening-F.SG.EMPH yəhav (y'-HAV) give-PERF.3M.SG li-trē (lit-RAY) to-two-M pālḥē (PAAL-khay) work-PTCP.M.PL ʾagrā (ag-RAA) wage-M.SG.EMPH kī (KEE) like hădādē (ha-daa-DAY) each-other
60.21a אֲמַר said קַמָּא the-first כּוּלֵּי all יוֹמָא the-day פָּלַחְנָא I-work
60.21b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG qammā (QAM-maa) first-M.SG.EMPH kullē (kul-LAY) all-of yōmā (YOH-maa) day-M.SG.EMPH pālaḥnā (paa-LAKH-naa) work-PTCP.1SG
60.22a אַמַּאי why שָׁקֵיל takes מַאן he-who דִּפְלַח worked פַּלְגָּא half דְּיוֹמָא of-the-day כְּוָתִי like-me
60.22b ʾammay (am-MAI) why shāqēl (shaa-QAYL) take-PTCP.M.SG man (MAN) he-who di-flaḥ (dif-LAKH) that-work-PERF.3M.SG palgā (pal-GAA) half-M.SG.EMPH də-yōmā (d'-YOH-maa) of-day-M.SG.EMPH kəwātī (k'-waa-TEE) like-me
60.23a אֲמַר said לֵיהּ to-him מָרֵיהּ the-owner דְּחַקְלָא of-the-field אַגְרָא the-wage דְּכוּלֵּי of-all יוֹמָא the-day דִּפְלַחְתְּ that-you-worked שְׁקַלְתְּ you-took
60.23b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG lēh (LAYH) to-him mārēh (maa-RAYH) master-its də-ḥaqlā (d'-khaq-LAA) of-field-M.SG.EMPH ʾagrā (ag-RAA) wage-M.SG.EMPH də-khullē (d'-khul-LAY) of-all-of yōmā (YOH-maa) day-M.SG.EMPH di-flaḥt (dif-LAKHT) that-work-PERF.2M.SG shəqalt (sh'-QALT) take-PERF.2M.SG
60.24a הַאי this-one פַּלְגָּא half דְּיוֹמָא of-the-day פְּלַח worked וּפְלַח and-worked טְפֵי more מִינָּךְ than-you
60.24b hāy (HAI) this-M palgā (pal-GAA) half-M.SG.EMPH də-yōmā (d'-YOH-maa) of-day-M.SG.EMPH pəlaḥ (p'-LAKH) work-PERF.3M.SG u-fəlaḥ (oo-f'-LAKH) and-work-PERF.3M.SG ṭəfē (t'-FAY) more minnākh (min-NAAKH) from-you-M.SG
60.25a אֲמַר said קַמָּא the-first הֵיכִי how יָדְעַתְּ you-know כַּמָּה how-much פְּלַח he-worked
60.25b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG qammā (QAM-maa) first-M.SG.EMPH hēkhī (HAY-khee) how yādʿat (yaad-'AT) know-PTCP.2M.SG kammā (KAM-maa) how-much pəlaḥ (p'-LAKH) work-PERF.3M.SG
60.26a אֲמַר said לֵיהּ to-him חֲזֵי see חַקְלָא the-field דִּפְלַח that-he-worked בֵּיהּ in-it
60.26b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG lēh (LAYH) to-him ḥăzē (kha-ZAY) see-IMP.M.SG ḥaqlā (khaq-LAA) field-M.SG.EMPH di-flaḥ (dif-LAKH) that-work-PERF.3M.SG bēh (BAYH) in-it
60.27a פַּלְגָּא the-half דִּפְלַח that-he-worked אִיהוּ he שַׁפִּיר is-fine מִפַּלְגָּא than-the-half דִּפְלַחְתְּ that-you-worked אַתְּ you
60.27b palgā (pal-GAA) half-M.SG.EMPH di-flaḥ (dif-LAKH) that-work-PERF.3M.SG ʾīhū (EE-hoo) he shappīr (shap-PEER) fine-M.SG mi-ppalgā (mip-pal-GAA) than-half-M.SG.EMPH di-flaḥt (dif-LAKHT) that-work-PERF.2M.SG ʾatt (AT) you-M.SG
60.28a אֲמַר said קַמָּא the-first אִי if הָכִי so לְמָחָר tomorrow פָּלַחְנָא I-work כְּוָתֵיהּ like-him
60.28b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG qammā (QAM-maa) first-M.SG.EMPH ʾī (EE) if hākhī (HAA-khee) thus lə-māḥār (l'-maa-KHAAR) tomorrow pālaḥnā (paa-LAKH-naa) work-PTCP.1SG kəwātēh (k'-waa-TAYH) like-him
60.29a אֲמַר said לֵיהּ to-him פְּלַח work כְּוָתֵיהּ like-him וְשָׁקְלַתְּ and-you-take כְּוָתֵיהּ like-him
60.29b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG lēh (LAYH) to-him pəlaḥ (p'-LAKH) work-IMP.M.SG kəwātēh (k'-waa-TAYH) like-him wə-shāqlat (v'-SHAAQ-lat) and-take-PTCP.2M.SG kəwātēh (k'-waa-TAYH) like-him
60.30a וּלְמָחָר and-the-next-day פְּלַחוּ worked תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them כּוּלֵּי all יוֹמָא the-day
60.30b u-lə-māḥār (oo-l'-maa-KHAAR) and-tomorrow pəlaḥū (p'-la-KHOO) work-PERF.3M.PL tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M kullē (kul-LAY) all-of yōmā (YOH-maa) day-M.SG.EMPH
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60.16 הָהוּא גַּבְרָא הֲוָה פָּלַח בְּחַקְלֵיהּ לְחוּדֵיהּ. — hahū gavrā hăwā pālaḥ bə-ḥaqlēh lə-ḥūdēh. — "There was a certain man who used to work in his field alone."
60.17 אֲגַר תְּרֵי אֲגִירֵי לְמִפְלַח בַּהֲדֵיהּ. — ʾăgar trē ʾăgīrē lə-miflaḥ ba-hădēh. — "He hired two workers to work with him."
60.18 חַד פְּלַח מִצַּפְרָא עַד רַמְשָׁא. — ḥad pəlaḥ mi-ṣṣafrā ʿad ramshā. — "One worked from morning until evening."
60.19 וְאִידַּךְ לָא פְּלַח אֶלָּא מִפַּלְגָּא דְּיוֹמָא. — wə-ʾiddakh lā pəlaḥ ʾellā mi-ppalgā də-yōmā. — "And the other worked only from midday."
60.20 לְאוּרְתָּא יְהַב לִתְרֵי פָּלְחֵי אַגְרָא כִּי הֲדָדֵי. — lə-ʾūrtā yəhav li-trē pālḥē ʾagrā kī hădādē. — "In the evening he gave the two workers the same wage."
60.21 אֲמַר קַמָּא: כּוּלֵּי יוֹמָא פָּלַחְנָא! — ʾămar qammā: kullē yōmā pālaḥnā! — "The first said: I have been working all day!"
60.22 אַמַּאי שָׁקֵיל מַאן דִּפְלַח פַּלְגָּא דְּיוֹמָא כְּוָתִי? — ʾammay shāqēl man di-flaḥ palgā də-yōmā kəwātī? — "Why does one who worked half a day take as much as I?"
60.23 אֲמַר לֵיהּ מָרֵיהּ דְּחַקְלָא: אַגְרָא דְּכוּלֵּי יוֹמָא דִּפְלַחְתְּ שְׁקַלְתְּ. — ʾămar lēh mārēh də-ḥaqlā: ʾagrā də-khullē yōmā di-flaḥt shəqalt. — "The owner of the field said to him: You have taken the wage for the whole day that you worked."
60.24 הַאי פַּלְגָּא דְּיוֹמָא פְּלַח, וּפְלַח טְפֵי מִינָּךְ. — hāy palgā də-yōmā pəlaḥ, u-fəlaḥ ṭəfē minnākh. — "This one worked half a day, and he worked more than you."
60.25 אֲמַר קַמָּא: הֵיכִי יָדְעַתְּ כַּמָּה פְּלַח? — ʾămar qammā: hēkhī yādʿat kammā pəlaḥ? — "The first said: How do you know how much he worked?"
60.26 אֲמַר לֵיהּ: חֲזֵי חַקְלָא דִּפְלַח בֵּיהּ. — ʾămar lēh: ḥăzē ḥaqlā di-flaḥ bēh. — "He said to him: Look at the field he worked in."
60.27 פַּלְגָּא דִּפְלַח אִיהוּ שַׁפִּיר מִפַּלְגָּא דִּפְלַחְתְּ אַתְּ. — palgā di-flaḥ ʾīhū shappīr mi-ppalgā di-flaḥt ʾatt. — "The half that he worked is finer than the half that you worked."
60.28 אֲמַר קַמָּא: אִי הָכִי, לְמָחָר פָּלַחְנָא כְּוָתֵיהּ. — ʾămar qammā: ʾī hākhī, lə-māḥār pālaḥnā kəwātēh. — "The first said: If so, tomorrow I will work as he does."
60.29 אֲמַר לֵיהּ: פְּלַח כְּוָתֵיהּ, וְשָׁקְלַתְּ כְּוָתֵיהּ. — ʾămar lēh: pəlaḥ kəwātēh, wə-shāqlat kəwātēh. — "He said to him: Work as he does, and you will take as he does."
60.30 וּלְמָחָר פְּלַחוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ כּוּלֵּי יוֹמָא. — u-lə-māḥār pəlaḥū tarwayhū kullē yōmā. — "And the next day both of them worked the whole day."
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60.16 הָהוּא גַּבְרָא הֲוָה פָּלַח בְּחַקְלֵיהּ לְחוּדֵיהּ.
60.17 אֲגַר תְּרֵי אֲגִירֵי לְמִפְלַח בַּהֲדֵיהּ.
60.18 חַד פְּלַח מִצַּפְרָא עַד רַמְשָׁא.
60.19 וְאִידַּךְ לָא פְּלַח אֶלָּא מִפַּלְגָּא דְּיוֹמָא.
60.20 לְאוּרְתָּא יְהַב לִתְרֵי פָּלְחֵי אַגְרָא כִּי הֲדָדֵי.
60.21 אֲמַר קַמָּא: כּוּלֵּי יוֹמָא פָּלַחְנָא!
60.22 אַמַּאי שָׁקֵיל מַאן דִּפְלַח פַּלְגָּא דְּיוֹמָא כְּוָתִי?
60.23 אֲמַר לֵיהּ מָרֵיהּ דְּחַקְלָא: אַגְרָא דְּכוּלֵּי יוֹמָא דִּפְלַחְתְּ שְׁקַלְתְּ.
60.24 הַאי פַּלְגָּא דְּיוֹמָא פְּלַח, וּפְלַח טְפֵי מִינָּךְ.
60.25 אֲמַר קַמָּא: הֵיכִי יָדְעַתְּ כַּמָּה פְּלַח?
60.26 אֲמַר לֵיהּ: חֲזֵי חַקְלָא דִּפְלַח בֵּיהּ.
60.27 פַּלְגָּא דִּפְלַח אִיהוּ שַׁפִּיר מִפַּלְגָּא דִּפְלַחְתְּ אַתְּ.
60.28 אֲמַר קַמָּא: אִי הָכִי, לְמָחָר פָּלַחְנָא כְּוָתֵיהּ.
60.29 אֲמַר לֵיהּ: פְּלַח כְּוָתֵיהּ, וְשָׁקְלַתְּ כְּוָתֵיהּ.
60.30 וּלְמָחָר פְּלַחוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ כּוּלֵּי יוֹמָא.
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- The story's opening. הָהוּא גַּבְרָא (60.16), "a certain man", is the way the Gemara begins a story about an unnamed person. הָהוּא is "that", used here for "a certain". - Perfect for the story, participle for the speech. The narrator tells the events in the perfect: פְּלַח (60.18, 60.19, 60.24), אֲגַר (60.17), יְהַב (60.20), פְּלַחוּ (60.30). The speakers use the participle for what is true now or will happen: פָּלַחְנָא, "I have been working" (60.21) and "I will work" (60.28), שָׁקֵיל, "he takes" (60.22). The English translation changes tense; the Aramaic participle does not. - The relative דְּ- with the perfect. דִּפְלַח, "that he worked" (60.22, 60.26, 60.27), and דִּפְלַחְתְּ, "that you worked" (60.23, 60.27), join a clause to a noun: מַאן דִּפְלַח, "he who worked"; חַקְלָא דִּפְלַח בֵּיהּ, "the field that he worked in". Note the soft פ: di-flaḥ. - The participle as a noun. In 60.20, פָּלְחֵי, "those who work", stands for "workers", beside the noun אֲגִירֵי, "hired men", of 60.17. - Comparison. Aramaic has no comparative ending like English -er. It uses מִן (min), "from": שַׁפִּיר מִפַּלְגָּא, "finer than the half" (60.27); טְפֵי מִינָּךְ, "more than you" (60.24). - כְּוָת-, "like". With a suffix it means "like me, like him, as much as": כְּוָתִי (60.22), כְּוָתֵיהּ (60.28, 60.29). כִּי הֲדָדֵי (60.20) is "like each other, the same". - The imperative and its promise. In 60.29, פְּלַח כְּוָתֵיהּ וְשָׁקְלַתְּ כְּוָתֵיהּ joins a command to a participle with "and": "work as he does and you take as he does", that is, "and you will take". - The echo of lessons 58 and 59. תְּרֵי (60.17, 60.20) and תַּרְוַיְיהוּ (60.30) come from lesson 58; הֵיכִי, כַּמָּה and הָכִי (60.25, 60.28) from lesson 59.
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- IPA: /pəˈlaħ/ - פְּ (pe with dagesh) = a plain p at the start of the word. - ח (ḥet) at the end = /ħ/ or /χ/, the rasping sound of Scottish loch. It is written kh in the respellings: p'-LAKH. - The stress falls on the last syllable.
- IPA: /paːˈlaħ/ - A long aa in the first syllable distinguishes the participle "works" from the perfect "worked": paa-LAKH against p'-LAKH.
- IPA: /ləmifˈlaħ/ - After the syllable mi- the פ has no dagesh and is read f: l'-mif-LAKH. The same holds in דִּפְלַח (dif-LAKH), נִיפְלַח (nif-LAKH) and דְּפָלְחֵי (d'-FAAL-khay).
- IPA: /paːˈlaħnaː/ - Three syllables, stress on the middle one: paa-LAKH-naa. Keep the throat sound before the n.
- ח (ḥet) in חַקְלָא, חַד, חֲזֵי, לְחוּדֵיהּ, רָחֲמִינַן: a rasping sound in the throat. Written kh in the respellings. - צ (tsade) in מִצַּפְרָא: /ts/, as in English cats. Doubled here: mits-tsaf-RAA. - ט (ṭet) in טְפֵי: originally an emphatic t; most readers today say a plain t. - ק (qof) in חַקְלָא, קַמָּא, שָׁקֵיל: originally a k made further back in the throat; most readers today say a plain k. - ע (ʿayin) in עַבְדָּא, יָדְעַתְּ, בָּעֵי: a voiced sound in the throat, in most modern readings silent or a slight catch. Written ' in the respellings.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)