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EPHPHATHA. An Aramaic word, found in the Greek text of Mar_7:34. We there read that Jesus said to a man who was ‘deaf and had an impediment in his speech, Ephphatha’ ( ἐööáèÜ ). The Evangelist appends a Greek translation of the word: ὅ ἐóôéí äéáíïß÷èçôé , ‘that is, Be opened.’
There are two Aram. [Note: Aramaic.] words of which ἘÖÖÁÈÜ may be a transliteration: (1) àָôַúַּç ; (2) àָôִçַç . The former is a contraction of àִçְôַçַּç Imperative Ithpaal; and the latter is a contraction of àִçְôְçַç Imperative Ithpeal of the verb ôּäַç ‘to open.’ In Greek MSS [Note: SS Manuscripts.] , à 3 [Note: designates the particular edition of the work referred] D [Note: Deuteronomist.] present ἑööáèÜ , which is certainly Ithpeal, whereas ἑööáèÜ may be Ithpaal. Jerome gives Ephphetha, and some Latin MSS [Note: SS Manuscripts.] give effetha, ephetha, and even effeta. Wellhausen in his Com. on Mar_7:34 prints ἑööáôá , but apparently without MS authority.
The form ἑööáèÜ , when compared with its Aram. [Note: Aramaic.] equivalent àçôúç , presents several interesting peculiarities bearing on the dialect spoken by our Lord. (1) We note the disappearance of the guttural ç . We know that in Galilee and Samaria the gutturals were much neglected, or even interchanged; and they are often ignored in transliterating Semitic words into Greek. Thus we find Ìåóóßáò from îùִׁéçָà ; ÂçèåóäÜ from áֵּéç çֶñִøָּà ; ãἑåííá from ðֵּé çִðֹּí ; Óßìùí from ùִׁîְòåֹï (side by side with Óõìåὡí , where the å does duty for ò . (2) We note the assimilation of ç to ô , giving ἑööáèÜ for ἑèöáèÜ ; or in Aram. àָôçַç for àִçְôçַç . This is quite in accordance with a rule in Palestinian Aramaic, that frequently, and especially with the labials ëּ , î and ô , the ç in the passive prefix çà is assimilated to the first radical (Dalman’s Aramaische Grammatik, p. 201). (3) It is noteworthy that we have the repetition of the aspirate letter ö . According to Hebrew analogy, àָôּçַç ought to give ἑôðáèÜ , inasmuch as the daghesh always indicates the harder and not the aspirated form of the letter ô . We infer, therefore, that in the Semitic language, which lies behind our Greek Test., there was a deviation from Hebrew rule as to the daghesh. If Heb. had been the basal language of the Gospels, we could not have had such forms as Âáñèïëïìáῖïò from áַø úּåֹìîַé and ÂçèöáãÞ from áִּéç ôָàðé . The aspirated forms ç and í after a closed syllable would be intolerable. The daghesh forte is also singularly treated in Ìáôèáῖïò from îַçִּé , à and Æáê÷áῖïò from åַëָé (4) The appearance of å in ἐööáèá may possibly indicate that the dialect spoken by our Lord used the Syriac prefix àָç eth with passive forms, and not àç ith, as is found in Palestinian Aramaic; in other words, used Ethpaal for Ithpaal.
As to what is the subject of the verb äéáíïß÷èçôé , ‘Be thou opened,’ there is room for difference of opinion. It may be the mouth, as in Luk_1:64 (so Weiss, Morison), or the ear, as in Targ. [Note: Targum.] on Isa_50:5 (so Bruce, Swete); or it may be the deaf man himself who is addressed. One door of knowledge being shut, the man is conceived of as a bolted chamber: ‘Jesus said to him, Be thou opened.’
Literature.—Zahn, Einleitung in das NT i. 1–24; Kautzsch, Gramm. des Biblisch-Aramaisch, § 5; Dalman, Aram. [Note: Aramaic.] Gramm. 201 f., 222; A. Meyer, Jesu Muttersprache, 52; Meyer, Bruce, Swete, etc., on Mar_7:34.
J. T. Marshall.