Each cell shows the word in its own script, then an easy pronunciation in gold, then the scholarly transliteration in small italics. Scroll sideways on a narrow screen. "Not verified" means we could not confirm the form and have left it empty on purpose. See the guide for the key.
English
Arabic
Hebrew
Aramaic (Syriac)
Mandaic
אֱלֹהִים
e-lo-heem
ʾĕlōhîm
God (plural form, singular meaning)
ܐܠܗܐ
a-la-ha
ʾalāhā
God
wikt · Peshitta Mark 12:29
ࡀࡋࡀࡄࡀ
a-la-ha
alaha
“false god, deity” in Wiktionary
caution
Allāh is commonly explained as al-ilāh, “the God”; Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians also say Allāh. In Mandaic, Wiktionary glosses alaha as “false god” (citing the Mandaic dictionary, p. 18), and the usual Mandaean name for the highest being is Hiia Rabbia, “the Great Life”. So the Mandaic cell is a cognate of the word, not a statement of Mandaean belief.
رَبّ
rabb
rabb
lord, master; the Lord
רִבּוֹן
ree-bon
ribbôn
master, sovereign (later Hebrew)
ܪܒܐ
rab-ba
rabbā
chief, master
ࡓࡁࡀ
rab-ba
rba
great (as in Hiia Rabbia, “Great Life”)
Arabic rabb is found in rabb al-ʿālamīn, “Lord of the worlds” (Quran 1:2). Jewish prayer has Ribbon ha-ʿolamim, “Master of the worlds”, with the same shape.
prayerṣ-l-w (Arabic, Syriac)
صَلَاة
sa-laah
ṣalāh
Arabic likely from Syriac
תְּפִלָּה
te-fee-la
tĕfillâ
different root (p-l-l)
not verified
Wiktionary treats Arabic ṣalāh as borrowed from Syriac ṣlōṯā. Hebrew uses tĕfillâ, from a different root (p-l-l).
to prostrate, bow downs-g-d / s-j-d
سَجَدَ
sa-ja-da
sajada
Arabic likely from Aramaic
סָגַד
sa-gad
sāḡaḏ
to bow down (rare)
rare in Hebrew
ܣܓܕ
se-gad
sgaḏ
to worship, bow down
Peshitta Matt 4:10 (tesgūd)
script not verified
sgad
sgad
“to bow, worship”
Wiktionary derives Arabic sajada from Aramaic sĕḡiḏ (probably via Syriac), so the Arabic j for the g of the others reflects borrowing rather than inheritance. In the Hebrew Bible sāḡaḏ is rare and used of worshipping idols (Isa 44:15, 17, 19; 46:6); the usual Hebrew verb is hištaḥăwâ. Biblical Aramaic has it for bowing before a king and God (Dan 2:46; 3:5).
place of worship, mosques-g-d / s-j-d
uses a different word (bet knesset, “house of gathering”)
ܡܣܓܕܐ
mas-ge-da
masgĕdā
place of worship
not verified
Wiktionary notes that masjid is the “place of” form of sajada and is likely borrowed from a regional Aramaic term for a place of worship, matching Syriac masgĕdā.
صَوْم
sawm
ṣawm
origin debated
ܨܘܡܐ
sow-ma
ṣawmā
wikt · Peshitta Matt 6:16 (ṣāymīn)
Wiktionary cites a scholarly view (Nöldeke) that Arabic ṣawm is borrowed from Aramaic, and the opposing view (Jeffery) that the verb comes from the noun. The root is shared in any case.
alms, charityṣ-d-q / z-d-q
صَدَقَة
sa-da-qa
ṣadaqa
alms, charitable gift
Arabic likely from Aramaic
צְדָקָה
tse-da-ka
ṣĕḏāqâ
righteousness; charity
ܙܕܩܬܐ
zed-ke-ta
zedqtā
alms
Peshitta Matt 6:2
ࡆࡉࡃࡒࡀ
zid-qa
zidqa
righteousness; alms
Another Syriac and Mandaic z for the Arabic and Hebrew ṣ. In the Mandaic dictionary, ahab zidqa means “giving of alms”.
purification, zakatz-k-w / z-k-y
زَكَاة
za-kaah
zakāh
almsgiving, purification
Arabic likely from Aramaic
זְכוּת
ze-khoot
zĕḵûṯ
merit, privilege
ܙܟܘܬܐ
za-koo-ta
zākūṯā
victory, purity
ࡆࡀࡊࡅࡕࡀ
za-koo-ta
zakuta
victory
Wiktionary treats Arabic zakāh as borrowed from Aramaic zākūṯā, which elsewhere means “merit, victory” and not “alms”; the Arabic sense developed from there. This is a shared word with different senses, so we mark it as related, not identical.
نَبِيّ
na-bee
nabī
Arabic likely from Aramaic
script not verified
nbee-ha
nbiha
“prophet” (also nbiia)
Wiktionary: Arabic nabī is borrowed from Aramaic nĕḇiyyā; the root n-b-ʾ is cognate to Hebrew nāḇîʾ. Mandaic is from the Mandaic dictionary (“Abraham the prophet of Ruha”).
رَسُول
ra-sool
rasūl
different root (r-s-l)
שָׁלִיחַ
sha-lee-akh
šālîaḥ
emissary (later Hebrew)
different root (š-l-ḥ)
ܫܠܝܚܐ
shlee-kha
šlīḥā
messenger, apostle
script not verified
shlee-ha
šliha
“the Apostle” (title of a Mandaean figure)
Arabic rasūl comes from r-s-l. Hebrew, Syriac and Mandaic use š-l-ḥ, “to send”. Both mean “one who is sent”. They are not the same root, so we show the match in meaning, not in form.
to sendr-s-l | š-l-ḥ | š-d-r
أَرْسَلَ
ar-sa-la
ʾarsala
r-s-l
not verified
Three different roots for the same idea. Quran 14:4 uses this Arabic verb: ʾarsalnā, “We sent”.
סֵפֶר
se-fer
sēfer
different root (s-p-r)
script not verified
k-ta-ba
ktaba (often kdaba)
“book” (plural ktabia)
Arabic kitāb matches Syriac ktāḇā. Hebrew sēfer matches Arabic sifr, “a large book” (Quran 62:5, asfār), and Hebrew ketav means “writing”. In Mandaic, ktaba is often written kdaba.
script not verified
ktab
ktab (kdab)
“to write”
In the Mandaic dictionary ktb is the “more original but rarer” form of kdb, which is the usual one.
قَرَأَ
qa-ra-a
qaraʾa
to read, recite
קָרָא
ka-ra
qārāʾ
to call; to read
ܩܪܐ
kra
qrā
to read, call
Peshitta Luke 4:16 (lmeqrā)
script not verified
kra
qra
“to read, call”
Quran 96:1 begins iqraʾ, “read, recite”, and al-Qurʾān is from the same root. In Hebrew, miqrāʾ is a name for Scripture.
מַלְאָךְ
mal-akh
malʾāḵ
messenger, angel
script not verified
ma-la-ka
malaka
“an angel”
Wiktionary: Arabic malak is a shortened form of malʾak. The root meant “to send”, so an angel is “one who is sent”, like the messenger above.
ܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ
hay-ma-noo-ta
haymānūṯā
not verified
Same root as Amen (Greetings page).
truth, justiceq-š-ṭ / q-s-ṭ
قِسْط
qist
qisṭ
justice, equity
probably related
קֹשֶׁט
ko-shet
qōšeṭ
truth (Prov 22:21)
probably related
ܩܘܫܬܐ
koosh-ta
qūštā
truth, justice
Usually treated as related. Arabic has s where the others have š, and the Mandaic initial k is unexpected, so we call this probable and not certain. The usual Arabic words for “truth” are ḥaqq and ṣidq.
truth, steadfastness (a second word)š-r-r
a different word (ḥaqq, ṣidq)
a different word (ʾĕmet)
ܫܪܪܐ
shra-ra
šrārā
truth
wikt · Peshitta John 18:38
ࡔࡓࡀࡓࡀ
shra-ra
šrara
truth, steadfastness
Shared by Syriac and Mandaic only, from our sources.
قُدْس
quds
quds
holiness, purity
Compare Arabic al-Quddūs, “the Most Holy”, a name of God (Quran 59:23), and Hebrew qādôš, “holy”.
spirit, wind, breathr-w-ḥ
رُوح
rooh
rūḥ
spirit; breath
רוּחַ
roo-akh
rûaḥ
spirit; wind
ܪܘܚܐ
roo-kha
rūḥā
spirit; wind
ࡓࡅࡄࡀ
roo-ha
ruha
spirit
see note
Arabic also has rīḥ, “wind”. In Mandaic, Ruha is the name of a figure of Mandaean scripture (Wiktionary: “Queen of the Underworld”), which is not the same idea as the Spirit of God in the Quran.
مَلَكُوت
ma-la-koot
malakūt
Arabic likely from Aramaic
Wiktionary notes that Arabic malakūt is borrowed from Aramaic. It is used in the Quran (for example 6:75). The ending -ūt is the Aramaic and Hebrew way of making an abstract noun.
بَرَأَ
ba-ra-a
baraʾa
to create (rare; the usual verb is khalaqa)
Arabic likely from Syriac
script not verified
bra
bra
“to create”
Wiktionary: Arabic baraʾa is borrowed from Syriac brā. Compare al-Bāriʾ, “the Creator” (Quran 59:24).
عَالَم
aa-lam
ʿālam
world, the worlds
עוֹלָם
o-lam
ʿôlām
world; eternity
Compare rabb al-ʿālamīn, “Lord of the worlds” (Quran 1:2). The ʿ is lost at the start of the Mandaic word. How the senses “world” and “eternity” are related is debated.
ܚܝܐ
khay-ya
ḥayyā
Peshitta John 6:51
Al-Ḥayy, “the Ever-Living”, is a name of God in the Quran (2:255). Mandaic h stands for ḥ.
عَبْد
abd
ʿabd
servant, slave
script not verified
ab-da
abda
“slave”
The Mandaic dictionary lists abda as both “slave” and “deed”. Arabic ʿabd Allāh and Hebrew ʿeḇeḏ YHWH (“servant of the LORD”) are the same pattern.
سَبَّحَ
sab-ba-ha
sabbaḥa
to glorify (God)
שִׁבַּח
shib-bakh
šibbaḥ
to praise (Ps 117:1)
ܫܒܚ
shab-bakh
šbaḥ
to praise, glorify
Peshitta Luke 2:13 (mšabbḥīn)
script not verified
sab-hit
sabhit
attested form: “I praised”
Arabic s corresponds to š in the others. The Syriac verb is shown from its Peshitta use in Luke 2:13.