Threads from Henry's Web

Category: Bible Translation

  • John MacArthur Discovers the Greek Word DOULOS

    T. C. Robinson posted the promotional video, in a post titled John MacArthur Charges Bible Translators with Conspiracy, which I’ll embed here for reference:

    One must make some allowance here for publisher hype, but nonetheless I find the promo a bit cringe-worthy. One of the commenters asks what MacArthur did before he discovered the meaning of the word doulos. Of course, I doubt he did discover it; this is marketing.

    On the other hand I believe there is some validity to the idea that doulos should be translated slave more frequently than it often is.

    What does bother me here is the implicit accusation against Bible translators. One way to get persecuted–today as in the past–is to translate the Bible. I like to have respect for these folks. They do hard work, and quite frankly get little thanks for it. It’s one reason I also object to pastors telling congregations that their translations are “wrong” or “inaccurate” and claiming that they’ll provide the correct translation. As I often say when I’m asked to translate on the fly, “Don’t expect me to produce a better translation while I’m standing here than a highly qualified committee produces working over a period of months.” In most cases, when I hear a pastor say tell the congregation that their English translations are “wrong,” it would be more correct to say the pastor is wrong.

    My favorite instance was when a speaker announced that a text was not accurately translated, then said it consisted of four Greek words (wrong!) and then he said the four Greek words, none of which were in the Greek text. I know this because I was, as usual, following along with my Greek New Testament.

    Besides the misinformation, this makes people distrust their English translations. There is a certain healthy level of mistrust that goes with any translation, but it’s easy to overstate, and it’s easy for people who don’t understand translation to misunderstand what does and does not work in translation.

    The fact is that while I’ll frequently complain about various translations, it’s not because the renderings are stupid or incompetent, it’s just that I disagree. Likely some members of the translation committee disagreed as well. But you have to use one rendering in the end.

  • Best Pew Bible?

    Ken Schenck answers the question of what translation he’d endorse as a pew Bible. I must say that I give him the “Henry Neufeld award” for hedging his answer. For those of you who haven’t met me in real life, I’m known for giving long answers that provide plenty of verbal provisos or footnotes. At one church I attended, the education director called me aside one day to tell me that when church members asked me a question about the Bible they didn’t want a dissertation! My suggestion: Then don’t ask me!

    The best Bible version is one you readThis applies to any form of the “which Bible version is best” question. It’s nice when people specify “best for …” so at least you can limit it to some extent. Across the front of my little book What’s in a Version? I have the sentence: “The best Bible version is the one you read!”

    I’ve had any number of people tell me about the many cases in which that would be wrong. My point is that the Bible is not about possessing it, it’s about reading and absorbing it, and if you don’t read it, forget it. The most theoretically accurate translation is of no value if you can’t or don’t read it.

    Even with that on the front of the book, at practically every show where we’ve displayed it, someone asks, “But really, Henry, what is the best Bible version?” The answer:  It depends!

    So now that I’ve proven I can’t answer a question briefly, what about pew Bibles? I agree with a number of comments that Ken Schenck made in his post, though I would disagree mildly that for detailed study of a text in a class you want a heavily formal equivalence translation. There is a value in such a translation, but in my opinion, there is a great danger in the heavily literal style in that people read it under the impression they’re getting closer to the meaning of the Greek or Hebrew, but they really aren’t.

    I’m tempted to suggest that people go from a mildly dynamic translation straight to the original languages. With a dynamic version, you know that the translators are trying to interpret the text and express the thought. In literal translation, all too frequently people believe that interpretation is not taking place, and that if they just have an English word for every Greek and Hebrew word (or a short phrase), they’re getting close. They aren’t.

    While I have problems with certain renderings in every translation I own, I don’t find dynamic translations generally weaker in that area. I think those of us who read the original languages regularly tend to understand a literal translation according to what we know the original says, and thus miss the many ways in which someone who isn’t aware of the source text might misunderstand the literal rendering.

    My own recommendation regarding a pew Bible would be:

    • Give strong consideration to the way the text sounds when read.
    • Consider the congregation. An older congregation might be more comfortable with the RSV or even the KJV, though I think the latter can interfere with mission. A very young congregation which includes children in the main service might do well with the CEV. I agree with the NLT as a good pew Bible.
    • Consider cost. Some Bibles are printed in economical pew Bible editions.
    • Consider what your congregation uses mostly for study. I recall one congregation that ordered NRSV pew Bibles for a congregation that was used to the NIV. The pastor preached from the NIV. The pew Bibles gathered dust.
    • Consider not having pew Bibles. Projecting texts on screen is an option, but I would consider skipping that as well. (See below.)

    I must confess that I have a serious problem with the whole idea of pew Bibles. I grew up without them. I always had my own Bible. I honestly can’t remember I time when I didn’t. Now I enounter Sunday School classes that have a shelf of Bibles so class members can grab a Bible if they need one. Sunday School in which you might not need a Bible? The idea makes me sick.

    The whole notion strikes me as part of worship as a spectator sport. Convenience is OK, but not if it reduces involvement. What about marking one’s Bible? What about gathering questions and getting into discussion? What about looking at the text later when you get home?

    So if you want my bottom line recommendation, it would be not to have pew Bibles at all. If you project text on screen, do so only for the scripture reading and for responsive readings (one of the few good reasons for pew Bibles, in my opinion).

  • New Edition of the New American Bible

    You can read about it at Unsettled Christianity.

    While it never has been one of my top tier of translations for regular use, I was impressed with the NAB because it combined strong idiomatic language with a fairly strong score for literal translation on the scoring system I use at MyBibleVersion.com.

    In addition, I like the notes, which give a Catholic perspective, and of course the inclusion of the apocrypha.

  • ISV Whole Bible Available

    The ISV whole Bible is available in electronic form. It’s a sort of pre-release, with a module available for eSword, along with Word 2003 and 2010 docs. I now have the whole Bible, even though corrections may be made before printing, so I’m planning to check my key verses and make up my numbers to post on mybibleversion.com.

    I recently found what I consider a wonderful, though simple, wording in the ISV New Testament, “no inconsistency or shifting shadow” in James 1:17.  I’ll be interested in seeing how the Old Testament translation compares with the new. I will post a link here once I’ve written up my notes.

    (HT: Better Bibles)

  • Why is This Translation Important?

    Because obviously the most important thing about being a man is the way you use the bathroom. Potty training issues, maybe?

    (This is the second time there’s been a video of this guy preaching this. I blogged about it earlier here. Hat tip for this round: Abnormal Interests).

  • Do We Need More English Bible Translations?

    Allan Bevere suggests we don’t, and we need to stop making them.  I’ve had a poll about this on this blog for over a year (now on the lower left of the footer), and the results are interesting:

    [poll id=”2″ type=”result”]

    I will be closing that poll and substituting another one.

    I would prefer that we cut down on the production of new English Bible versions, though I’d be more interested in seeing less editions of the Bible. The problem is deciding who doesn’t get what they want.

    I suspect that what is needed is a simple change–simple in concept but difficult to effect–in our attitude in the American church. This isn’t about us, it’s about the world. We need to be looking outward, to get a mission attitude. That might well bring us into more balance on many, many topics.

    I have a great appreciation for those companies that dedicate part of their revenue from printing English Bibles to producing new translations.

  • David Ker is at It Again!

    David Ker has started an interesting series. As usual, he’s doing something very different, and the result is some interesting posts. He uses a spreadsheet to randomly choose a chapter from the King James Version and then he writes a post about it.

    He has an announcement about the series, and I’d suggest his post For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses (Ezekiel 23) as a good example of the new post genre:

    When I was a little boy in Sunday School this was one of our favorite chapters. My buddies and I, we gravitated to this chapter, verse 20 in particular, and snickered. How did we even find the verse? Maybe like dirty jokes, naughty bits of the Bible are passed down from older boys to the younger.

    Read the rest and follow the series!

  • James 1:13 – Tempted by Evil?

    In the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on James (my review) the suggestion is made that apeirastos kakwn should be translated as an objective genitive, as “tempted to do evil.” They oppose this to a subjective genitive (“tempted by evil”) or one alternative which does not involve a new way of reading the genitive (67, 70-71).

    It’s interesting to note that nearly all translations choose “by evil.” (I say “nearly” because all the translations I have in my library do so.) This is a time when I feel the limitations of my library, but Wallace (125) uses it as an example of a genitive of means, Robertson calls it ablatival (515-517), and Blass-deBrunner-Funk discusses it in a passage covering other cases of the genitive following an adjective, including examples that could have different translations, such as 1 Corinthians 9:21 (anomos theou/ennomos christou). The BDAG entry on apeirastos suggests “tempted to do evil” (and also cites the same passage from Blass-deBrunner-Funk that I have).

    As I look at this passage it seems to me that the more natural translation is “tempted by evil,” while I don’t deny the possibility of the alternative. At first glance, the context seems to suggest something more like “tempted to do evil,” since this then forms the basis for the claim that God does not tempt anyone.

    But I would suggest a logical connection to another phrase, James 1:17 “no inconsistency or shifting shadow” (ISV). Yes, this phrase is separated from the phrase in question, but it appears to me that James entwines multiple topics together as he relates them throughout the book. His point in 13 is that God is reliable and cannot be moved, a point which is actually supported by either translation.

    Thus my second reflection is that the traditional translation of this passage actually fits the logic quite well.

    Any thoughts?

  • Praying Without Ceasing and Hyperbole

    Mike Sangrey has a post on translating 1 Thessalonians 5:17 at Better Bibles Blog where he suggests “Don’t stop praying!” would be more accurate than “Pray without ceasing,” which is what most of us are used to hearing. He arrives at this conclusion by looking at various uses of the Greek word in question (adialeiptws). Nonetheless the key argument seems to be that:

    the words “without ceasing” carry the idea of “unending, continuous prayer” to the English mind.  I think such an action is impossible and others think so, too.

    Just so! I think it’s impossible as well. But as the first commenter notes, this is likely a form of hyperbole. Now I’m quite comfortable with interpretive translations that try to adapt one idiom into another, or take a rhetorical device from the source language that is absent (or different) in the target language and replace it with another.

    My concern in this case is that hyperbole is a perfectly good rhetorical device in English. We use it regularly. Sometimes our “holy filter” keeps us from seeing it in scripture, but that’s not because it’s absent from the language.

    My question is this: If Paul was using hyperbole here, then what is wrong with hyperbole in an English translation? To be more precise, I could ask whether a Greek speaking reader might have heard the passage as “unending, continuous prayer,” realize he had encountered hyperbole, and apply it appropriately. If so, why not let an English speaking reader do the same?

    If I might illustrate further, when Jesus says that if your right eye offends you, pluck it out (Matthew 5:29), is it not likely that we have just a small amount of hyperbole? If so, should I translate this verse into something non-hyperbolic, such as “it might be better to be blind than to have your eyes lead you into lust”? (I’m not proposing that as a good translation–just a pointer.)

    I’m leaving comments open, but suggesting you comment at Mike’s post or on your own blog to keep the discussion linked.

  • Tyndale NLT Contest

    I received the following e-mail from Adam Sabados of Tyndale:

    Dear Bloggers,

    I wanted to fill you in on an exciting contest that is currently being run and sponsored by the New Living Translation.  We’re highlighting three ministries, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Oasis International, and The Dream Center, (click on the link to learn more details about these ministries) and by voting for one of these ministries you’ll be entered to win one of many prizes.

    To enter, visit the NLT Facebook page by clicking here.

    There are several levels of prizes you can win, here are the details:

    With the Give the Word Bible Contest and Giveaway:
    • Ministries win: Each time the NLT Facebook Page reaches a fan count milestone, votes will be tallied and the three ministries will receive cash donations from the New Living Translation and Tyndale House Publishers.
    • Everyone wins: Everyone who enters on the Bible Contest website wins a free download of Matthew West reading the Christmas story.
    • Daily NLT Study Bible winners: Vote on the NLT Facebook page and you will be entered to win two NLT Study Bibles—one to keep and one to give away. A new winner will be chosen every day.
    • Weekly Give the Word Locally winners: Tell us about a deserving local ministry on the NLT Bible Contest website and they could win five NLT Study Bibles and $250 worth of NLT products.
    • One Grand Prize winner will enjoy a unique trip customized just for them and their family (or three guests of their choice), to Wycliffe Bible Translators world headquarters and the WordSpring Discovery Center where they will experience firsthand the exciting world of Bible translation. The Grand Prize winner could also choose to donate the value of the trip–$2000–to Wycliffe instead.

    Here’s how you can win instantly!

    1.   Post information about this contest on your blog with a link to the NLT Facebook Page.

    2.   After you post the information click here and enter your information.

    The first 100 people to enter their information will win a free copy of the Life Application Study Bible NLT.

    The first 10 people will win a free copy of the Life Application Study Bible NLT and a free copy of the NLT Study Bible!

    I will contact the winners by email on December 29th.

    Thank you for being a part of the Tyndale Blog Network!

    For information on future contests or other fun stuff feel free to follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/adamsab or the Tyndale House Publishers account at www.twitter.com/tyndalehouse.

    Adam Sabados

    Tyndale House Publishers

    Digital Media Coordinator

    Consider me entered!  And if you are not yet a member of the Tyndale Bloggers Network, join, then receive and review some very nice books.  [Update note:  You don’t have to be a member of the blogger network to enter the contest on Facebook. I’m just recommending that as well!]

    This contest supports a very good cause, so you can give and get at the same time!