Jesus shed his blood / garments for us: Scriptural punning?

[Elizium23]

Google search has failed me, so I am appealing to you scholars of Scripture to help me jog my memory, what is left of it. I am unclear on the details here, and I may be on the wrong track entirely, so please tell me if so.

In a Bible study about thirteen years ago, I seem to recall our Dominican priest explaining a Koine Greek pun in the New Testament. He said that the Greek word for “blood” and the Greek word for “garments” were similar, and that when Jesus said He would shed His blood for the New Covenant, He was also prophetically, but obliquely, referring to the garments He would shed in His Crucifixion.

Now, some experimentation with Google Translate tells me that the words for “blood” and “garments” don’t look anything like each other, so I am wondering now if my memory is faulty in this regard. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[DaveBj]

I can’t duplicate the Greek alphabet, but “blood” is spelled aima, pronounced “hai’ma,” while “garments” is imatia, pronounced “hima’tia.” To me, it’s kinda hard to make the argument that there was an intentional pun there. Besides, I think “to shed one’s garments” is an expression from English-language erotic writing. I don’t think that expression was used in the Greek of that time. At least in the NT, “shed” is never used in any other context than the shedding of blood.

Hope this helps.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

Besides, I think “to shed one’s garments” is an expression from English-language erotic writing.

Was that covered extensively in your new testament Greek class?

 

[patrick457]

I can’t duplicate the Greek alphabet, but “blood” is spelled aima, pronounced “hai’ma,” while “garments” is imatia, pronounced “hima’tia.”

Note, in Roman Koine (and Byzantine) Greek, αἷμα (aima “blood”) is pronounced more like e-ma (e as the e in bed), αι ai and ε e having merged together. For example, in one of the Bar Kokhba letters (early 2nd century), the word ποιησηται (poiēsētai, “you should do”) is spelled as ποιησητε poiēsēte.

 

[DaveBj]

Note, in Roman Koine (and Byzantine) Greek, αἷμα (aima “blood”) is pronounced more like e-ma (e as the e in bed), αι ai and ε e having merged together. For example, in one of the Bar Kokhba letters (early 2nd century), the word ποιησηται (poiēsētai, “you should do”) is spelled as ποιησητε poiēsēte.

I bow to your greater knowledge. There’s still a considerable difference between the two words.

 

[patrick457]

I bow to your greater knowledge. There’s still a considerable difference between the two words.

Ema and imatia do sound alike, but this is also the first time I’ve heard of them being connected with each other.