Aramaic word · H6739

צְלָא

umetzale'

to pray

To pray. It is the normal Aramaic and Syriac word for prayer (Syriac ṣallî; it also lies behind Arabic ṣalāh).

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

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Pael) to pray

Aramaic of tsa.la (צָלַע "to limp" H6760)

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 Daniel 6:10

Range of meaning

To pray. It is the normal Aramaic and Syriac word for prayer (Syriac ṣallî; it also lies behind Arabic ṣalāh).

Against the English

'Prayed' is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

The only other biblical use is Ezra 6:10, where Darius asks the Jews to 'pray for the life of the king and his sons.' The word is common in later Aramaic and Syriac for prayer.

From the study of Ezra 6:10

Range of meaning

To pray, to make petition to a god. It is the ordinary word for prayer across Aramaic dialects. An older derivation from "to bend or bow" is possible but uncertain, so the meaning should not be built on it.

Against the English

Every major version says "pray," and that is accurate. What English does not show is that the form continues the same "may be …-ing" structure as the offering verb, so praying and offering belong together as one ongoing duty.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Bible only here and in Daniel 6:11 (6:10 in English), where Daniel prays privately at his window, so the word is not limited to ritual. The closest outside parallel uses this same verb: in TAD A4.7 (407 BCE) the Elephantine Jews promise a Persian official that if their temple is rebuilt, offerings will be made in his name "and we shall pray for you at all times."

Where it appears

Ezra · 1

  1. Ezra 6:10 וּמְצַלַּ֕יִן and praying

    Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.

    Here: "And praying," still governed by "they may be," so offering and praying are one continuing duty. The priests are to do this as part of their service, and the prayer has a named subject.

Daniel · 1

  1. Daniel 6:10 וּמְצַלֵּ֤א and [was] praying

    Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

    Here: The ordinary Aramaic word for prayer. The only other biblical use is Ezra 6:10, where it is prayer 'for the life of the king.' Here Daniel prays to God, which the decree forbids.

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