depth and breadth oceanographers no one knows... every verse... of every translation... in every...

Depth And Breadth

Oceanographers No one knows . . .

every verse . . . of every translation . . . in every language . . . over a 3400 year period

Old Scottish Proverb

“Greek, Hebrew, and Latin all have their proper place. But it is not at the head of the cross, where Pilate put them, but at the foot of the cross, in humble service to Christ”

Truth is never settled or proven by Greek words or grammar alone

In any language, a text out of context is a pretext “If only I knew the Greek…” We don’t have to know Greek to

know God…but somebody did

NT Writers & Foreign Words

Talitha koumMk.5:41

SiloamJn.9:7

TabithaAc.9:36

MelchizedekHb.7:1-2

I. Difficulties Of Translating

1. Traduttori, traditori

Translators are traitors Traitors betray their country Translators inevitably betray the mean-

ing of the author. A translation does not give complete meaning of original

Mt.26:41, English – Russian – English: “The vodka is fine but the meat is

rotten”

Angels on horseback

British Edition of 4 Maccabees 4:10, “angels on horseback”

British expression forced translators to change it: “angels mounted on horses”

In England, “angels on horseback” is a culinary expression: savoury of oysters wrapped in slices of bacon

Dust of Snow

The way a crowShook down on meThe dust of snowFrom a hemlock treeHas given my heartA change of moodAnd saved some partOf a day I had rued

The way a crowSprinkled meWith the snowy powderFrom a linden treeGave my heartA changing spiritAnd saved one partOf the day which I bewailed

Illustration: Ga.3:24

No single English word can define function of Jewish law

Schoolmaster & tutor imply a teacher Pedagogue: a household slave whose

duty was to conduct boys of the family to and from school and to superintend their conduct generally

Custodian or attendant are better.

Mr. French ‘School bus’

2. Lexical problems Many words have multiple meanings

“Set”: 194 different meanings [noun 58x; verb 126x; adjective 10x]

“Ball”: sphere; game to play; Cinde-rella; on the ball; have a ball

Latin, ago:

drive do discuss

live spend

Lk.23:23

Lit., with great (mega) voices

StoneMt.27:60

WindJn.6:18

Fish Jn.21:11

CityRv.11:8

Translators’ choices In English, a great voice refers to

quality, not volume. A singer. . . Literal translation of Lk.23:23 confuses Secondary meaning conveys thought

of original writer, but not w. exact word

[N]KJV et al.: with loud voices

hUPOLAMBANW

Take up, welcome, catch up (in speech), suppose Ac.1:9, take up (literal meaning) 3 Jn.8, welcome, receive (take up

from under, i.e., support, brace up, undergird, show hospitality to)

Lk.10:30, catch up (“Taking him up on this….”)

Ac.2:15, suppose

Translation difficulties

Some words in target language are unfamiliar to translators

Target language has no such word that corresponds to the Greek or Hebrew Algonquians: no word for “love”

How to say “wheat” in an area where it doesn’t grow? Substitute “grain”?

(Cf. figs, camels, ice, snow, etc.) “Denarius” (Mt.18:28)

Substitute “peso”? [Might give impression that events took place recently in their own context]

Footnotes help:

A denarius was a day’s wagefor a laborer” – ESV

Context clarifies meaning

Vulgate of Mt.11:5, series of opposites caeci . . . vident, et claudi . . . ambulant leprosi . . . mundantur et surdi . . . audiunt et mortui . . . resurgunt et pauperes . . . evangelizantur

Collection, 1 Co.16:1-2

(logeia) “…not found in profane authors” [Thayer, 379] Thayer lists “Biblical words” [705]

Thayer correctly defines it collection

(based on context) 2nd Century B.C. papyri use the word

in this sense (M-M, xv)

3. Grammatical problems

Passive voice Jack was hit by the ball.

Contrast: The ball hit Jack. Many West African languages have

no passive voice. Translators must supply an agent and an active verb

4. Discourse

Some languages use indirect speech Jn.14:6 in indirect speech–

“Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the life”

“Something is lost in translation”

5. Cultural context Job 2:7-9, Job laments unfortunate life. Tonga (Central Africa): blame such woes

on evil spirits They would expect Job & family to

supplicate his ancestral spirits His odd behavior would make them

think he was bewitched, probably by Mrs. Job

Ex.7:13, Pharaoh’s hard heart

In some languages, hard heart means “to be courageous” – a virtue

Translators must find a way to convey the idea that he was stubborn

6. Idioms A saying that cannot be understood by

the individual words that compose it.

“My girlfriend is cool” Uduks of Ethiopia: “worry”

“Do not shiver in your livers; you believe in God, believe also in me” (Jn.14:1)

“Peace” in some languages must be translated, “to sit down in one’s heart”

Biblical Idioms

stingyEvil eye, Dt.15:9

fertileFlow w. milk and

honey, Ex.3:8

restore to honor; execute

Lift up the head, Gn.40:13; 19

sexual relationsKnow, Gn.4:1

prepareGird up loins of mind, 2 Pt.1:13

inconsistent, fickleDouble-minded,

Ja.1:8

cause troubleTurn world upside

down, Ac.17:6

live (influence)Went in and out,

Ac.1:21

become angryEnlarged nostrils,

Ps.76:7

II. The Septuagint

I. Difficulties Of Translating

Translated 200+ B.C.

Met needs of Jews in Egypt who spoke Greek, not Hebrew

Autographs are actually inspired; accurate translations are virtually inspired Acts 2:38 – Greek / English The key: Ac.2:11, faithfully represent

the original

Why is LXX so important?

1. First attempt to reproduce the Scriptures in another language Style: Koine Before the discovery of the Dead

Sea Scrolls (1947), LXX was 1000 years older than earliest Hebrew MS

2. Majority of NT writers quote it

More than 300 quotations Approved examples of quoting from

a translation 1 Pt.2:7 (LXX), 8 (MT). Ac.2:11

3. NT reflects LXX influence

Both content and vocabulary Augustus and Tiberius scorned the title

“Lord”; it contradicted Roman concep-tion of the empire as a principate LXX: 6000+ times of JHVH NT: In reign of Nero (Ac.25:26) “Lord”

increases in frequency in NT as title of Jesus (cf. Ph.2:9, 11)

4. LXX helped evangelize world

Alexander spread the Greek language around the world. LXX prepared people for the coming Messiah Jews rejected the LXX about AD 100

Ac.8:32-33, word for word from LXX

of Is.53:7-8

5. Clarifies many NT words

“Church” does not occur in OT, but the same Greek word, so common in NT, occurs about 100 times (LXX)

6. Contributes to understandingof OT passages

Gn.3:15, seed of woman who would defeat Satan in LXX is “he,” not “it”

Is.7:14, LXX uses term that undoubt-edly means virgin

Dt.32:43, quoted in Hb.1:6, “let all the angels of God worship Him” (LXX and DSS; not in MT)

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