H0576a H0576a
I (Aramaic first-person pronoun)
The Aramaic first-person pronoun 'I,' appearing in Daniel and Ezra. In these texts, Persian authorities and Daniel himself use this pronoun in official decrees and personal accounts. The Aramaic sections of Scripture preserve the actual administrative language of the Persian period, when Aramaic served as the lingua franca across the empire. This simple pronoun carries the weight of personal authority and royal decree, marking statements that determine the fate of peoples and the restoration of Jerusalem.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Ezra 6:12 has King Darius declare, 'I Darius have issued a decree,' stamping his personal authority on the command to support temple rebuilding. Ezra 7:21 records Artaxerxes' decree: 'I make a decree'—royal first-person speech that allocated resources for Jerusalem's worship. Daniel 2:8 uses it when the king says, 'I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time.' The pronoun anchors royal and prophetic authority, making clear who takes responsibility for the words that follow. 3×
AR["أَنا", "أَنَا"]·ben["আমি"]·DE["[אנה]", "ich"]·EN["I"]·FR["[אנה]", "je"]·heb["אנה", "אני"]·HI["मैं"]·ID["Aku", "aku"]·IT["[אנה]", "io"]·jav["kawula"]·KO["나", "나는"]·PT["eu"]·RU["я"]·ES["yo"]·SW["mimi"]·TR["Ben", "ben"]·urd["میں"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אֲנָא Dn 2:8; Ezr 6:12; 7:21 in common edd.: v. אֲנָה.