How to Reconstruct a

New Testament Verse Back Into Hebrew

A Practical, Step-by-Step Guide for Any Reader

HOW TO RECONSTRUCT A NEW TESTAMENT VERSE BACK INTO HEBREW

A Practical, Step-by-Step Guide for Any Reader

The New Testament was preserved in Greek, but the ideas, worldview, and expressions behind it are thoroughly Hebrew. Reconstructing a verse back into Hebrew helps you hear the original voice of first-century Jewish teachers like Yeshua and His disciples.

This page shows you exactly how to do that using simple tools and a repeatable method. Anyone can learn this.

Why Reconstructing the Hebrew Matters

Yeshua taught, prayed, debated, and instructed in Hebrew and Aramaic. When those teachings were later written down in Greek, the message remained intact, but the “feel” shifted because Hebrew and Greek operate differently.

Reconstructing the Hebrew helps you:

Recover covenant language
Understand the intended meaning
Connect the New Testament back to Torah
Strip away later philosophical layers
Hear the words as a Hebrew speaker would say them

This is not about replacing Greek. It is about discovering the Hebrew thinking underneath it.

STEP-BY-STEP METHOD

Step 1 — Start With the Greek Text

Use a reliable Greek edition. These are free:

SBL Greek New Testament: https://sblgnt.com

STEP Bible (Greek tools): https://www.stepbible.org

Example verse: Matthew 3:2

“metanoeite, engiken gar he basileia ton ouranon.”

Step 2 — Identify the Key Greek Words

Find the words that carry meaning. For Matthew 3:2:

metanoeite (repent)
engiken (has come near)
basileia (kingdom)
ouranon (heavens)

Tools for this step:

Blue Letter Bible Greek Lexicon: https://www.blueletterbible.org

BibleHub Interlinear: https://biblehub.com/interlinear

Step 3 — Check the Septuagint (LXX) for Hebrew Equivalents

The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. It shows which Hebrew words the Greek ones usually represent.

LXX tools:

LXX Interlinear (BibleHub): https://biblehub.com/sep

NETS LXX translation: https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/

Examples from Matthew 3:2:

metanoeo → almost always translates “shuv” (return)
basileia → often “malkut” (kingdom)
ouranos → “shamayim” (heavens)
engiken → “karav” (to draw near)

These Hebrew words are the likely source concepts.

Step 4 — Select the Most Likely Hebrew Terms

Choose the Hebrew words the author would naturally use.

For our example:

Repent → shuv

Has come near → karav

Kingdom → malkut

Heavens → shamayim

Step 5 — Rebuild the Sentence Using Hebrew Syntax

Hebrew prefers:

Verb → subject → object
Action-focused language
Short, concrete phrasing

Greek: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”

Hebrew reconstruction:

Shuvu ki karvah malkut shamayim.

שׁוּבוּ כִּי קָרְבָה מַלְכוּת שָׁמָיִם

Meaning: “Return, because the kingdom of Heaven has approached.”

This sounds like a prophet speaking, not a Greek philosopher.

Step 6 — Confirm Using Second Temple Hebrew and Aramaic Idioms

Check whether your reconstruction matches how Jews actually spoke at the time. Consider:

Dead Sea Scroll phrases
Hebrew blessings
Synagogue language
Aramaic influence

The reconstruction of Matthew 3:2 works perfectly in this context.

Step 7 — Cross-Check With the Peshitta (Early Syriac)

The Peshitta preserves early Semitic wording close to Hebrew.

Peshitta tool: https://dukhrana.com/peshitta

For Matthew 3:2, the Peshitta uses:

“tubu” for repent (return)
“qarvat” for has come near

Both match the Hebrew structure of shuv and karav.

Step 8 — Write the Final Reconstructed Hebrew and Transliteration

Hebrew:

שׁוּבוּ כִּי קָרְבָה מַלְכוּת שָׁמָיִם

Transliteration:

Shuvu, ki karvah malkut shamayim.

English Meaning:

“Return, because the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near.”

Clarification:

The traditional English translation uses “Repent” because the Greek word metanoeō literally means “change your mind.”

But the Hebrew concept behind it — שׁוּב (shuv) — means “return” or “come back to God and His ways.”

Both words appear in translations, but:

Repent reflects the Greek wording.
Return reflects the original Hebrew idea.

This reconstruction uses “return” because it aligns with the covenant-centered meaning that John and Yeshua were communicating in Hebrew.

FULL WORKED EXAMPLE 2 — Philippians 4:7

Greek Phrase:

“hē eirēnē tou theou”

Meaning: the peace of God

LXX Evidence:

The Greek word eirēnē consistently translates the Hebrew word shalom in the Septuagint.

This makes shalom the strongest Hebrew equivalent.

Reconstructed Hebrew:

שְׁלוֹם אֱלֹהִים

Transliteration:

Shalom Elohim

English Meaning:

“The peace of God.”

Clarification:

The Greek word eirēnē means “peace,” but in Hebrew, shalom carries a far deeper meaning. It includes:

wholeness
completeness
harmony
restoration
being put back together

So while the typical English rendering “the peace of God” is correct, the Hebrew reconstruction expands the meaning, showing that Paul was referring to the wholeness and restoring harmony that comes from God — not merely a calm feeling.