What Languages Did Jesus Speak?

Have you ever wondered that?  What languages did Jesus speak?

That's an interesting question isn't it for the Jews of Jesus day did speak speak a form of Hebrew and possibly an Aramaic dialect. However, when Jesus read the  the words of Luke 4: 16-21 concerning the coming of the Messiah it reportedly was in Hebrew and he apparently did not translate what he read into any form of Armaic.

 But would he have been clearly understood? There was a number of languages in common use during this time in Palestine. Professor G. Ernest Wright says that "Greek and Aramaic were evidently the common tongues" and that the Roman military and officials used mainly Latin. And orthodox Jews could have used a late form of Hebrew -- the the Hebrew Isiah was originally written in.

Greek was also frequently used by Roman governors according to Alan Millard in his book  Discoveries from The Time of Jesus. And according to  Millard Jesus could have answered Pilate during his tile in that language.

The Bible is silent on this at John  18: 28-40 but there is no mention of an interpreter and Pilate more than likely would have likely understood only Greek and Latin.


According to professor Wright he is uncertain whether Jesus could spreak Greek or Latin, but it is known that during Jesus' ministry he regularly spoke in either Aramaic or highly Aramaized Hebrew. 

For more information on this refer to Biblical Archaeology; 1962, page 243.