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As an unsavory address to one’s interlocutors, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν “brood of vipers”, which both John the Baptist and Jesus use, is one of the more memorable in the New Testament. (For Strack & Billerbeck on γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, see their Kommentar, vol. 1, p. 114.) Here are verses (Mt 3:7, Mt 12:34, Mt 23:33) where it occurs in Greek, Armenian (Künzle), and various Georgian versions with, as usual, vocabulary lists and grammatical notes. (A-89/A-844 is given in both asomtavruli and mxedruli.)

Mt 3:7

Ἰδὼν δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων ἐρχομένους ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς;

Եւ տեսեալ զբազումս ի սադուկեցւոցն եւ ի փարիսեցւոց եկեալս ի մկրտութիւնն նորա, ասէ ցնոսա· ծնունդք իժից, ո՞ ցոյց ձեզ փախչել ի բարկութենէն որ գալոցն է։.

• [the order of “Pharisees and Sadducees” is flipped]
• մկրտութիւն baptism
• ծնունդ, ծննդեան, -դոց generation, offspring (also nativity, birth, as in ծնունդ Քրիստոսի = Xmas)
• իժ, -ից viper
• ցոյց aor 3sg ցուցանեմ, ցուցի to show, indicate, point out
• փախչել inf of փախչիմ, -եայ to flee
• բարկութիւն anger, wrath
• գալոց (inf >) ptcp գամ, եկի to come (see Meillet, Altarm. Elementarbuch § 105e for this kind of ptcp)

3:7 Adishi

[და] ვითარცა იხილნა ფა[რ]ისეველნი და ს[ად]უკეველნი, მომავალნი ნათლის-ღებად მისგან, ჰრქუა მათ: ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო, ვინ გიჩუენა თქუენ სივლტოლაჲ მერმისა მისგან მომავალისა რისხვისა?

• [Nothing for πολλούς. An apparent doublet: მერმისა…მომავალისა for μελλούσης.]
• ი-ხილ-ნ-ა aor 3sg N ხილვა to see
• მომავალი coming, to come (adj), future
• ნათლის-ღებაჲ baptism (lit. receiving, taking [ღება] the light [ნათელი]; the active counterpart is ნათლის-ცემაჲ, giving the light > to baptize)
• ნაშობი born, child
• იქედნეჲ snake (< ἔχιδνα)
• გ-ი-ჩუენ-ა aor 3sg O2 ჩუენება to show
• სივლტოლაჲ running, flight (v.n.)
• მერმეჲ following, next, future
• რისხვაჲ wrath, anger

3:7 Athonite

და ვითარცა იხილნა მრავალნი ფარისეველნი და სადუკეველნი, მომავალნი ნათლის-ღებად მისგან, ჰრქუა მათ: ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო, ვინ გიჩუენა თქუენ სივლტოლაჲ მერმისა მისგან რისხვისა?

Mt 12:34

γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, πῶς δύνασθε ἀγαθὰ λαλεῖν πονηροὶ ὄντες; ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίας τὸ στόμα λαλεῖ.

Ծնունդք իժից· զիա՞րդ կարիցէք բարիս խաւսել որ չարքդ էք· քանզի ի յաւելուածո́յ սրտի խաւսի բերան։.։.

• զիա՞րդ how?
• կարիցէք pres subj 2pl կարեմ, կարացի to be able
• չար, -աց bad, wicked
• խաւսի pres 3sg խաւսիմ, -եցայ to speak
• յաւելուած, -ոց surplus, increase

12:34 (A-89/A-844)

ႬႠႸႭႡႬႭ ႨႵႤႣႬႤႧႠႬႭ ႥႤႰ ჄႤႪ ႢႤႼႨႴႤႡႨႱ ႩႤႧႨႪႨႱႠ ႱႨႲႷႭჃႠႣ Ⴐ~ ႧႵ~Ⴌ ႭჃႩႤႧႭჃႰႬႨ ႾႠႰႧ Ⴐ~ ႬႠႫႤႲႠႥႨႱႠႢႠႬ ႢႭჃႪႨႱႠ ႮႨႰႨ ႾႨႲႷჃႱ

ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო ვერ ჴელ-გეწიფების [კე]თილისა სიტყოჳად რ(ამეთოჳ) თქ(ოჳე)ნ ოჳკეთოჳრნი ხართ რ(ამეთოჳ) ნამეტავისაგან გოჳლისა პირი ხიტყჳს

• ჴელ-გ-ე-წიფებ-ი-ს pres 3sg O2 (indir. vb) ჴელ-წიფება to be able
• უკეთური bad, evil
• ხ-არ-თ pres 2pl ყოფა to be
• ნამეტავი excessive, extra
• პირი mouth
• ხ-ი-ტყუ-ი-ს pres 3sg სიტყუა to speak

12:34 Adishi

ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო, ვითარ უძლოთ კეთილისა სიტყუად? რამეთუ თქუენ უკეთურნი ხართ, რამეთუ ნამეტავისაგან გულისა პირი იტყჳს.

• უ-ძლ-ო-თ aor 2pl ძლება to be able
• იტყჳს as above, only w/o ხ-

12:34 Athonite

ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო, ვითარ ჴელ-გეწიფების კეთილისა სიტყუად, რამეთუ თქუენ უკეთურნი ხართ? რამეთუ ნამეტავისაგან გულისა პირი იტყჳნ.

• as Adishi, except with the verb ჴელ-გეწიფების as in A-89/A-844

Mt 23:33

ὄφεις, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, πῶς φύγητε ἀπὸ τῆς κρίσεως τῆς γεέννης;

Աւձք, ծնունդք իժից զիա՞րդ փախնուցուք ի դատաստանէ գեհենին։.

• աւձ, -ից snake, serpent
• փախնուցուք pres subj 2pl փախնում, -խեայ to flee
• դատաստան, -աց judgement

23:33 (A-89/A-844)

ႫႠႧႠ ႧႵ~ႬႧႠჂ ႢႭჃႤႪႬႭ ႣႠ ႬႠႸႭႡႬႭ ႨႵႤႣႬႤႧႠႬႭ Ⴅ~ႰႫႤ ႢႠႬႾႤႰႬႤႧ ႱႠႸႿႤႪႱႠ ႢႤჀႤႬႨႠჂႱႠႱႠ

თქ(ოჳე)ნთაჲ გოჳელნო და ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო ვ(ითა)რმე განხერნეთ საშჯელსა გეჰენიაჲსასა

• [თქ(ოჳე)ნთაჲ is a plus, as is the და between გოჳელნო and ნაშობნო]
• გუელი snake
• გან-ხ-ე-რ-ნ-ე-თ aor conj 2pl (form also aor) განრომა to survive, be saved
• საშჯელი judgement

23:33 Adishi

გუელნო, ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო, ვითარმე განერნეთ სასჯელსა გეჰენიაჲსასა?

• განერნეთ as above, only w/o ხ-

23:33 Athonite
გუელნო და ნაშობნო იქედნეთანო, ვითარმე განერნეთ საშჯელსა მას გეჰენიისასა?

• [და is a plus, as in A-89/A-844]

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As I mentioned in a recent post, I’ve been at work on a little document presenting the Christmas story in Old Georgian. From a philological perspective, and from the perspective of language pedagogy, the Gospels stand out as a special group of texts, because in many languages we have multiple translations or revisions of earlier translations. In addition, of course, there is the fact that a number of passages exist in more or less similar versions across the four Gospels. All that to say, the Gospels offer students of this or that language and those interested in the variety of ways a text may appear in different translations an excellent opportunity for study. (Other genres where similar benefits accrue from the same kind of surviving multiple translations are philosophy and patristics.) The benefit derivable from a study like this to some extent depends on the format of its presentation. (For an excellent presentation of the Syriac Gospels, see George Kiraz’s Comparative Edition of the Syriac Gospels, 4 vols.) A digital presentation of the requisite texts certainly offers promising possibilities, but at least strictly for the texts, a conventional 2-D display with one layer, whether on paper or on screen, can be very valuable for those who read it closely.

From here (unidentified ms).

It is this conventional single surface and single layer presentation that I have followed here. Since we’re in the Christmas season now, it’s a fitting time to read over any relevant texts, whether for language practice or some other reason. In the New Testament, the Christmas story, of course, is found in Matthew 1:18-25 and 2:1-12 and in Luke 1:26-38 and 2:1-20. It is only the last section that I have included here. In this document (xmas_story_old_georgian) I’ve given that text verse-by-verse first in Greek as a kind of anchor point, then in Georgian in each of the Adiši, Pre-Athonite, and Athonite redactions, all of which are freely available online thanks to TITUS/Armazi. Following the text in these versions, comes an almost comprehensive lexicon and full verbal concordance, hopefully to make the document a more useful reader for students and because lexical tools for Old Georgian in English are quite meager, and any addition to that small list of instrumenta will, I think, have value. (I have similar documents, too, for the Temptation and Transfiguration pericopes, and outside of the Gospels, some other passages from the rest of the Bible, both OT and NT.)

I welcome any comments on the document, not only corrections, but also remarks on the layout, on the worth of a lexicon for such a small text selection, whether more grammatical information should be supplied (and if so, how much), &c.

As always, thanks for reading and best wishes in your studies!