Dave Black on Translations
I was thinking of quoting this comment from Dave Black myself, but Rod Decker beat me to it. We should give translators more respect!
Similar Posts
The Biblical Basis for Mission
ByhenryEddie Arthur has a fascinating post on language development and mission, particularly relating this question to the language development work of Wycliffe Bible Translators. I was particularly struck by this paragraph: An alternative way to view mission is to start with the character and activity of God as revealed across the whole of the Scriptural…
A Look at Reader’s Version of Greek and Hebrew Bible
ByhenryA few days ago I found the Reader’s Version of Greek and Hebrew Bible (HT: Tim Ricchuitti), and while I think it is a good tool, I greet such tools with mixed emotions and I would like to point out some excellent uses for it, as well as some not-so-excellent uses. Much too often students…
Response to Misquoting Jesus – I
ByhenryI have finally started reading Misquoting Jesus, by Bart Ehrman. It came in about a week ago via interlibrary loan, and I have now gotten through the introduction and the first chapter. Unlike my response to The God Delusion, I’m not going to post all sections at once, but rather I’ll just post my reactions…
Raymond Brown on Ambiguities and Literal Translation
ByhenryAfter my comments earlier about Piper and the ESV, I found this comment by Raymond Brown in An Introduction to the New Testament: For the purpose of careful reading or study, which concerns us here, one must recognize that sometimes the biblical authors did not write clearly, so that the original texts contain certain phrases…
English and Greek Ambiguity: 2 Corinthians 5:21
ByhenryThis relates to my previous post on translating ambiguous passages. The last clause of this verse reads, formally translated, “so that we might become [the] righteousness of God in him.” I’m interested in the range of meanings that might be heard by a modern English reader for the final phrase, “in him.” A number of…
Isaiah 49:2 – Mouths and Sharp Swords
ByhenryOne basis I use for comparing Bible translations is the way in which idioms are handled. It’s difficult to measure this precisely, because you have to consider several things: Is the idiom as used comprehensible to modern readers? Does it mean the same thing to modern as to ancient readers? Is there a reasonable English…