Aramaic word · H629

אׇסְפַּרְנָא

'aseparna'

diligently

A loanword from Old Persian, usually reconstructed as *usprnā, 'completely, fully, exactly'. Its meanings are 'thoroughly', 'diligently', 'with all exactness', 'without fail'.

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) thoroughly

2) (CLBL) eagerly, diligently

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezra 5:8

Range of meaning

A loanword from Old Persian, usually reconstructed as *usprnā, 'completely, fully, exactly'. Its meanings are 'thoroughly', 'diligently', 'with all exactness', 'without fail'.

Against the English

KJV: 'goeth fast on', which reads speed into the word. BSB and WEB 'diligently' and other modern versions' 'with great care' are closer. A modern rendering that stresses 'rapid progress' follows the KJV tradition more than the word itself.

How it drifted

The KJV translators worked before the Persian background of the word was understood. They inferred its sense from context, and 'fast' was a plausible guess. Comparative study of Old Persian later showed it to be a word for exactness and completeness.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Bible it occurs only in the Aramaic of Ezra (5:8; 6:8, 12, 13; 7:17, 21, 26), and always in royal or official contexts. In those passages kings order that something be done 'exactly/without fail': paying costs, buying sacrifices, carrying out penalties. Persian loanwords of this kind are typical of the chancery Aramaic (the official language of government offices) used across the Achaemenid empire.

From the study of Ezra 6:12

Range of meaning

Borrowed from Old Persian, probably usprnā, "completely, in full, exactly". It is an adverb: thoroughly, to the letter, with full care. It occurs seven times, all in official Persian contexts (Ezra 5:8; 6:8, 12, 13; 7:17, 21, 26).

Against the English

KJV "with speed" and YLT "speedily" follow the older rabbinic and medieval guess, made before the Persian origin was known. BSB "with diligence" and WEB "with all diligence" come closer. "Exactly" or "in full" is closest of all.

How it drifted

Medieval and early modern interpreters did not recognise the Persian word and guessed its meaning from context. Once Old Persian could be read again in the 19th century, the meaning "completely, exactly" was established.

Used elsewhere in the period

Old Persian usprna / uspṛna, "complete", is related to Avestan words meaning "full". It turns up as a loanword in Imperial Aramaic administrative style. HALOT and BDB (the latter tentatively) give "exactly, diligently, thoroughly".

Where it appears

Ezra · 7

  1. Ezra 5:8 אָסְפַּ֥רְנָא diligently

    Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.

    Here: A Persian loanword meaning 'completely, exactly, with full care'. It belongs to the vocabulary of the imperial administration. It describes thoroughness, not speed.

  2. Ezra 6:8 אָסְפַּ֗רְנָא diligently

    I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered.

  3. Ezra 6:12 אָסְפַּ֖רְנָא diligently

    May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.

    Here: A word borrowed from Persian meaning "completely, exactly". The decree is to be carried out to the letter and in full. Speed is not the main idea.

  4. Ezra 6:13 אָסְפַּ֥רְנָא diligently

    In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.

  5. Ezra 7:17 אָסְפַּ֨רְנָא diligently

    With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.

  6. Ezra 7:21 אָסְפַּ֖רְנָא diligently

    I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly,

  7. Ezra 7:26 אָסְפַּ֕רְנָא diligently

    If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.