Note 360 — Chapter XII
Reading edition
In St. Matthew xiii. 36 the Peshitto Syriac has [Syriac letters] 'declare to us' and in St. Matthew xv. 15 the very same words, there being no various reading in either of these two passages.
The inference is, that the translators had the same Greek word in each place, especially considering that in the only other place where, besides St. Matt. xiii. 36, v. 1., διασαφειν occurs, viz. St. Matt. xviii. 31, they render διεσαφησαν by [Syriac letters]—they made known.
Since φραζειν only occurs in St. Matt. xiii. 36 and xv. 15, we cannot generalize about the Peshitto rendering of this verb. Conversely, [Syriac letters] is used as the rendering of other Greek words besides φραζειν, e.g.
of επιλυειν, St. Mark iv. 34; of διερμηνευειν, St. Luke xxiv. 27; of διανοιγειν, St. Luke xxiv. 32 and Acts xvii. 3.
On the whole I have no doubt (though it is not susceptible of proof) that the Peshitto had, in both the places quoted above, φρασον.