“Matthew ,βφκβ᾽ ῥήματα, ,βφξ᾽ στίχοι,
while the corresponding figures for Mark and Luke are
Mark ,αχοε' ,αχδ᾽ and Luke ,γωγ᾽ ,βψν᾽
“No explanation, as far as I know, has ever been given of these curiously numbered ῥήματα. The word is, certainly, a peculiar one to use, if short sentences are intended, such as are commonly known by the terms ‘cola and commata.’
“It has occurred to me that perhaps the explanation might lie in the fact that ῥῆμα was here a literal translation of the Syriac word ܦܬܓܡܐ (or ܐܡܓܬܦ). Let us then see whether ܦܬܓܡܐ (or ܐܡܓܬܦ) is the proper word to describe a verse, either a fixed verse, like a hexameter, or a sense-line. A reference to Payne Smith's Lexicon will show that it may be used in either of these senses, for example, we are told that it is not only used generally of the verses of Scripture, but that it may stand for ‘comma, membrum versus, sententia brevior quam versus, στίχος, Schol. ad Hex. Job. ix. 33; ܦܬܓܡܐ ܡܒ (or ܒܡ ܐܡܓܬܦ), Tit. ib. Ps. ix; ܦܬܓܡܐ ܐܠܦܐܒ (or ܒܐܦܠܐ ܐܡܓܬܦ). Ex. xxx. 22 marg.: insunt in Geneseos libro ܦܬܓܡܐ (or ܐܡܓܬܦ) mmmmdix, coloph. ad Gen., it. C.S.B. 2 et sic ad fin. cuiusque libri; in libris poeticis sententia est hemistichio minor, e.g. in Ps. i. insunt versus sex sed ܦܬ ܞܕ (or ܕܞ ܬܦ); in Ps. ii. versus duodecim, sed ܦܬ ܠܚ (or ܚܠ ܬܦ).’
“It seems, therefore, to be used in Syriac much in the same way as στίχος in Greek.
“Now there is in one of the Syriac MSS. on Mount Sinai (Cod. Sin. Syr.) a table of the Canonical books of the Old and New Testaments with their measured verses. We will give some extracts from this table; but first, notice that the Gospels are numbered as follows:
Matthew has 2522 ܦܬܓܡܐ (or ܐܡܓܬܦ)
Mark has 1675
Luke has 3083