Welsh and Hebrew

Charles Edwards (1675) Hebrew Words and Expressions Still Extant in the Welsh Tongue

In 1675 Charles Edwards (“Hanes y Fydd”) published "A number of Welsh Cambro-Brittanic Hebraisms" in which he shows that whole phrases in Welsh can be closely paralleled by whole phrases in Hebrew.

From the list of Charles Edwards, L.G.A. Roberts (1919) made a selection and we have selected examples from Roberts after slightly modernising the Hebrew transliterations [1]: It should be noted that when account is taken for likely and known dialectical changes of pronounciation the examples given in effect show identical Welsh parallel phrases for the Hebrew original. The author of this article, Yair Davidiy, does not speak Welsh! Nevertheless, speakers of the Welsh Language (as testified by Darrell Bishop) have seen it and in principle confirmed it. Griffin Parry, who speaks Welsh also confirmed the reliability of the examples given below.

In Welsh: Gael hedd (Genesis 31:47) meaning Geledd i.e. heap of testimony= in Hebrew (גלעד) : Galaed.

In Welsh: Bagad meaning “A troop cometh” (Genesis 30:11) = in Hebrew (בגד) : Bagad.

In Welsh : Anudon meaning “Without God” = in Hebrew (אין אדון) : Aen Adon.

In Welsh : Yni all sy dda meaning “I am the Almighty God” (Genesis 17:1) = in Hebrew (אני אל שדי): Ani El Saddai.

In Welsh : Llai iachu yngwyddd achau ni meaning “Let him not live before our brethren” (Genesis 31:32) = in Hebrew ( לא יחיה נגד אחינו ) Loa yichei neged acheinu (Genesis 31:32).

In Welsh Ochoren ballodddi hoc-dena meaning “After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure?” = in Hebrew (אחרי בלתי היתה לי עדנה ) Acharei belothi hedenah (Genesis18:12).

In Welsh Bebroch fra am beneu ach ef, dyfet Deborah mam ianceth Ribecah meaning “When he fled from the face of his brother. But Deborah Rebecca’s nurse died” (Genesis 35:7-8) = in Hebrew (בברחו מפני אחיו ותמת דברה מינקת רבקה) Beborcho mpnei achiv vetamath Deborah mayneceth Ribecah.

In Welsh: Yngan Job yscoli yscoli cynghaws i (Job 6:1,2) meaning “Job answered, O that my grief were thoroughly weighed” = in Hebrew: (ויען איוב...שקול ישקל כעשי) Veya(g)n Eyub ....shocol yishocal ca(g)si

In Welsh: Amelhau bytheu chwi a bythau holl ufyddau chwi meaning “And they shall fill your house and the houses of all your servants” (Genesis 10:;6) = in Hebrew (ומלאו בתיך ובתי כל עבדיך) : Umalu bathechoh and bathei col avedochoh.

In Welsh Iachadd ni meaning “Thou hast healed me” = in Hebrew (החיתני): hechiyatni.

In Welsh Nesa awyr peneu chwi meaning “Lif thou up the light of thy countenance” = in Hebrew (נסה אור פניך) : nasa aor panechoh.(Psalms 4:6.).

In Welsh An annos meaning “None did compel” = in Hebrew (אין אנס : ain ones. (Esther 1:8).

In Welsh As chwimwth meaning “an angry man” = in Hebrew (איש חמס) : ish chamas (Psalms 140:12 Proverbs 16:29 meaning a wickedly-violent man).

In Welsh Be heulo, luerferfo (Job 6:4) meaning “When his candle shined ..... and by his light..” = in Hebrew (בהילו ..לאורו) : behilo, le-oro.

In Welsh Bwgythieu in gwarchaeni (Job 6:4) meaning “The terrors of God set themselves in array against me = in Hebrew (בעותי אלוה יערכוני) : Biu(g)thi elohai ya-a(g)rchuni.

In Welsh I far meaning “Shall be cursed” = Hebrew (יואר) : Yu-ar, yuv-ar. (Numbers 22:6).

In Welsh Am geryddo fo meaning “At his reproof” = in Hebrew (עם גערתו) : im ge-arato.

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Godfrey Hughes, “The Celtic Druids” (1829), quotes from a certain Welsh Translation of the Bible in which similar examples as the above are apparent:

In Welsh By-lllwng Adon-ydb holl neuodh Jago meaning “The LORD has swallowed up all the tabernacles of Jacob” (Lamentations 2:2) = Hebrew (בלע אדני......את כל נאות יעקב) : Balla(ng) Adoni eth col neoth Yacob.

In Welsh Dyrac buth-hi ai-i-sengyd meaning “The avenue of her dwelling he would go to tread” (Proverbs 7:8) = Hebrew (דרך ביתה יצעד) : Derech baithah yitsa(ng)d.

In Welsh Py yw-o sy maeloc y-cavad I-a-ywoo savwyod yw-o maeloc y-cavad, Selah meaning“Who is the king of glory [attainment]? The LORD of hosts , he is the king of glory. Selah” (Psalms 24:10) = Hebrew (מי הוא זה מלך הכבוד ה~ צבאות הוא מלך הכבוד סלה) Mi hu zeh melec hacavod Y....Tsavaoth hu melec hacavod selah.

See Also:

The Welsh Language

[1] There are different ways of transliterating Hebrew and the original version by Charles Edwards used a form of transliteration then extant in his time that further emphasised the inherent similarities between Welsh and Hebrew. There are also varying pronounciations found among different Jewish communities. In Ancient Israel indications are that there were differences in pronounciation among the Tribes, cf.

Judges 12:
6 then they would say to him, 'Then say, "Shibboleth"! And he would say, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.

cf.

Isaiah (KJB) 36:
11 Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

Note the Hebrew word translated here "the Jews' language," is "Yehudit," i.e. "Jewish." In some translations it is translated as "Hebrew" but this is wrong. The inhabitants of Jerusalem apparently spoke their own version of Hebrew known as "Yehudit." This shows that other versions existed. So too, among the Jews the Talmud tells us that dwellers of the Galilee had their own way of pronouncing Hebrew words.