I am an octogenarian and in Malta it was always the impression that the word Razul meant the person of the chief of the people who came with St Paul in Malta. Paul was considered their big chief. And that is what the word Razul means.

In Semitic, the word ras means head, chief. And when un is added to a name it means something big as when we say “vase” it is just a vaz, but when we add un to it, it becomes vazun which means “a big vase”. Also “a cistern” gibja, a gibjun is a big gibja.

And so razun is a big ras. But the “n” changed to “l” in time and we got Razul.

Razul is no name of any person, but the title of the person who ejected the water from the wall of dry rocks. For which those semitic people gave him the title of “big chief” Razul. St Paul is the razun or Razul of Malta.

Joseph S. Ellul

Zurrieq