Learning How to Read #5
We draw near the end of this little discourse on how to read scripture. This post and the next will wrap it up and will deal with the whole matter of languages and translations. For starters, contrary to what some may think, the Bible was not originally written in King James English. A funny story illustrates this. Once some enterprising seminary students took it upon themselves to criticize the translation my New Testament professor used in chapel one day. To their dismay he showed them what he used- the Greek text itself. The writers of King James English would put their reaction this way- "Behold they shutteth their mouth." Every Bible the average reader picks up is a translation from the original languages in which it was written thousands of years ago.
Nearly the entire Old Testament was written in Hebrew. This very ancient language is earthy, its words and phrases are picturesque. For example, the common way of saying "behind," quite literally is "away from the face of." Think about that the next time you see a child do something when his mother isn't looking or behind her back The first time you pick up the bizarre looking Hebrew script you could be forgiven if your initial reaction is to think that you're looking at something written on another planet. There is power, though, in the notion that when one looks at Hebrew, one is seeing the language God used for his first communication with humanity.
The entirety of the New Testament was written in Greek. Everyone who has ever walked across a college campus has seen some of the Greek alphabet- alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, psi, chi, omega, etc. emblazened on sweaters and on the tops of fraternity/sorority houses. The vocabulary of Greek can occasionally be somewhat familiar- pneuma (breath, wind, spirit) is the root from which we get pneumonia and pneumatic. Dunamis (power) is the root from which we get dynamite, dynamic, dynamo, etc. Beyond the familiarity of some of the letters and words, Greek is an incredibly precise and complex language making it very difficult to master. It should be noted, that both Hebrew and Greek have evolved considerably since the books of the Bible were written, so ancient Hebrew and Greek are substantially different from the Hebrew and Greek used in Israel and Greece today.
Any Bible translation today- whether King James, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, etc. is an attempt to convey into English was was written in another language. The translation is made difficult because there is seldom an exact correlation between the Greek/Hebrew word and a similar English word. Furthermore, the basic structure of the languages is different. There are verb tenses and forms that exist in those languages that don't exist in English and vice versa. Sentence structure and word order can be different.
Because of these difficulties in translation, someone doing detailed study should refer to two or three translations. You don't do this to find the phrasing of a verse that sounds the best or is the most poetic. Rather, when you do this look for the differences between the translations. In Isaiah 11:1 we are told that a shoot willl come from the "stump" of Jesse. Differerent translations use either "stock," "stump," "or "stem" for there. Basic word study with a lexicon shows that the Hebrew word "geza" there comes from an old root meaning to cut down. In this case, therefore, what is pictured isn't just the stem of a tree, but the stump of an old one that has been cut down or is dead.
Enjoy and relish your reading of the written word of God. Occasionally, though, pick up a different translation to get a different flavor. Next time, I'll wade into the veritable alphabet soup (KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, NRSV, NLT, etc.) of Bible translations
Nearly the entire Old Testament was written in Hebrew. This very ancient language is earthy, its words and phrases are picturesque. For example, the common way of saying "behind," quite literally is "away from the face of." Think about that the next time you see a child do something when his mother isn't looking or behind her back The first time you pick up the bizarre looking Hebrew script you could be forgiven if your initial reaction is to think that you're looking at something written on another planet. There is power, though, in the notion that when one looks at Hebrew, one is seeing the language God used for his first communication with humanity.
The entirety of the New Testament was written in Greek. Everyone who has ever walked across a college campus has seen some of the Greek alphabet- alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, psi, chi, omega, etc. emblazened on sweaters and on the tops of fraternity/sorority houses. The vocabulary of Greek can occasionally be somewhat familiar- pneuma (breath, wind, spirit) is the root from which we get pneumonia and pneumatic. Dunamis (power) is the root from which we get dynamite, dynamic, dynamo, etc. Beyond the familiarity of some of the letters and words, Greek is an incredibly precise and complex language making it very difficult to master. It should be noted, that both Hebrew and Greek have evolved considerably since the books of the Bible were written, so ancient Hebrew and Greek are substantially different from the Hebrew and Greek used in Israel and Greece today.
Any Bible translation today- whether King James, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, etc. is an attempt to convey into English was was written in another language. The translation is made difficult because there is seldom an exact correlation between the Greek/Hebrew word and a similar English word. Furthermore, the basic structure of the languages is different. There are verb tenses and forms that exist in those languages that don't exist in English and vice versa. Sentence structure and word order can be different.
Because of these difficulties in translation, someone doing detailed study should refer to two or three translations. You don't do this to find the phrasing of a verse that sounds the best or is the most poetic. Rather, when you do this look for the differences between the translations. In Isaiah 11:1 we are told that a shoot willl come from the "stump" of Jesse. Differerent translations use either "stock," "stump," "or "stem" for there. Basic word study with a lexicon shows that the Hebrew word "geza" there comes from an old root meaning to cut down. In this case, therefore, what is pictured isn't just the stem of a tree, but the stump of an old one that has been cut down or is dead.
Enjoy and relish your reading of the written word of God. Occasionally, though, pick up a different translation to get a different flavor. Next time, I'll wade into the veritable alphabet soup (KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, NRSV, NLT, etc.) of Bible translations
Thanks Dan, I enjoyed the insight. I have used a story in my Bible studies just to point out different ways of thinking from Hebrew to Greek. Here is the "blurb": Each semester a speaker on biblical Israel named Ray Vander Laan talks with his students and points this out to them."Close your eyes and imagine God," he says. "Now shout out some descriptions of who God is."The students begin and every time I hear things like: "God is ... love, good, omniscient, omnipresent, holy, righteous, omnipotent ..."All of these things are true, right? Of course! However, if you asked the same question of a group of Hebrews, they would say: "God is a rock, an eagle's wing, a consuming fire, a shield ..."
ReplyDeleteSimply put, Greek thought describes objects in relation to appearance (observation, logic, etc.). Hebrew thought describes objects in relation to its function (attribute, feeling, etc.)
THis is the first blog post of yours I have read, so I will go back and read more. Enjoyed this, keep posting!