Day 48 of 75 · Light and darkness
Q-Sh-Ṭ
qushta: truth
קושתא · בקושתא
ܩܘܫܬܐ · ܒ݁ܩܽܘܫܬ݁ܳܐ
The feel
Qushta means truth, and its root means straightness. It names a way of speaking and living that does not bend. Aramaic has two words for truth. Qushta comes from straightness and shrara from firmness, and shrara is the more usual one in the Gospels.
The root family
| Form | Pattern | Transliteration | Script | Standard | Qala rendering |
|---|
| Noun, "truth" | b- + quštā, "in truth" | bquštā | בקושתא ܒ݁ܩܽܘܫܬ݁ܳܐ | truth | truth (Mt 22:16; Lk 20:21) |
| Noun, "and truth" | w- + quštā | wquštā | וקושתא ܘܩܽܘܫܬ݁ܳܐ | truth | truth (Jn 1:14) |
| Sister word, "truth as firmness" | different root, sh-r-r | shrārā | שררא ܫܪܳܪܳܐ | truth | truth: the Gospels' usual word (Jn 8:32 etc.) |
In the Gospels this root appears only as a noun, qushta, truth.
In his voice
Matthew 22:16
They sent their students to him, along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you are truthful, and that you teach the way of God in truth. You don't bend for anyone, because you show no partiality.
bquštā, "in truth." The men asking are setting a trap, yet what they say is true. He teaches the way of God in truth and does not bend for anyone.
Luke 20:21
They put their question to him. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you speak and teach rightly. You show no partiality, but teach the way of God in truth.
bquštā, "in truth." This is Luke's telling of the same trap. Beside it stands datriṣāʾit, "rightly," another word for straightness.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We saw his radiance, the radiance of the unified one from the Father, full of favor and truth.
wquštā, "and truth." The narrator sums up the whole life in one phrase, full of favor and truth. The word for truth here is qushta, from the root of straightness.
Practice
Think of one place where you tend to flatter people or bend what you say. Plan one honest sentence you could say there without harshness, then trace a straight line with your hand and say qushta aloud.
Connections