The word קום (qum, pronounced KOOM) is both a Hebrew and Aramaic verb meaning "to stand, arise." The term can also mean "to rise up (against)" a person in combat. An Aramaic example is found in Daniel 3:24: "Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up (וקם) quickly." A Hebrew example can be found in Genesis 4:8: "And when they were in the field, Cain rose up (וקם) against his brother Abel, and killed him." This verb also makes an appearance in the New Testament, when in Mark 5:41, Jesus, speaking his native Aramaic, resurrects a little girl: "He took her by the hand and said to her, 'Talitha koum' (Greek: κουμ, a Hellenized transliteration of the Aramaic קום), which means, 'Little girl, get up'!"
Saturday, September 30, 2023