Results 1 - 8 of 8
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | Hank | 63367 | ||
Wayne, your illustration of Matthew 1:19, the phrase "send her away secretly," is one among scores of other turns of phrase, idiomatic expressions, and single words that show up in various translations, especally those which strive for "literal accuracy," whose meanings to the contemporary reader of English so frequently are obscure. Consider the Hebrew idiom which translates literally "he slept with his fathers." Now this is more "literally accurate" I suppose than simply to say "he died," but is it none the less accurate and enormously clearer to say "he died"? I've been much a trumpeter for the more "literal" biblical translations until fairly recently when I've begun to rethink this issue and relax my views somewhat. Not only is our language an ever-changing one but so is our culture. Graduates from our schools, even the liberal arts schools, tend to be far less proficient in classical languages and literature than they were, say, a half-century or so ago. I argue neither that this trend is good or bad but merely point out that it is a fact. Times they are a changing, and if Christendom expects to reach the masses in our time, I believe it is necessary to take the message of Scripture out of the language of academia and put it into the everyday language of the people. That this can be done without essentially compromising accuracy of meaning has been demonstrated by such works as the New Living Translation and others. There are those who would argue that the use of paraphrase, even the most conservative use, constitutes an infidelity to the the biblical texts. To which various counter-arguments could be advanced. For example, is "divorced her" really a deceptive corruption of "send her away" or "died" of "slept with his fathers"? The New Testament was, by and large, written in the earthy, common language of the people, not in scholarly Greek. Is there any cogent reason why its translation into English or any other modern tongue should not be in contemporary, everyday language so that he who reads may understand? I think not. The King James Bible has been called "the noblest monument to English prose" and indeed has earned a place of primacy among the treasures of our language. For decades it was "The Bible" for millions of readers. It was, in 1611 and for many years following, a new and fresh translation that spoke to the reader in his language that he had little difficulty understanding. But how well does it serve the typical modern reader in conveying the message of God to them? I've heard great numbers of sermons by preachers who used the King James text. And almost invariably those preachers used roughly half of their pulpit time in actual exposition of the text and the other half in translation of obscure locutions of the King James Version. I've wondered on occasions when they spent so much time on explaining what the King James text meant by what it said why it would not have been better that these preachers revert to the Greek text and translate from it! I don't recall ever hearing a sermon delivered by even the most conservative preacher but what he used a generous sprinkling of paraphrase in explaining the meaning of the text. And even his most conservative listeners didn't seem to mind. Emerson observed that a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. What then can we offer as a rationale for a dogged adherence to "literal accuracy"? Should not understanding be placed high in our pecking order? The responsible translator has helped us, he has not deceived us or been unfaithful to the text, when he translates "he died" in lieu of "he slept with his fathers." --Hank | ||||||
2 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | wleman | 63371 | ||
Astute comments, Hank. It's refreshing to hear someone like yourself who has been able to move from one point of view to another, without sacrificing anything of the essentials, such as absolute communicated accuracy. Blessings, Wayne http://committed.to/fieldtesting |
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3 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | Hank | 63373 | ||
Thank you, Wayne, for your kind words. I rather like to think of my position on the translation question as being less a switch from one specific point of view to another than being a variation upon and expansion of the same theme -- a broader spectrum, if you will, of the same view -- and that theme is this: That there is no bona fide reason to cloak Scripture in arcane or archaic language. To the contrary, far more solid arguments can be made in favor of rendering the eternal word of God in standard contemporary English so that the reader need not be sidetracked by linguistics and forced to cudgel his brains in order to extract meaning from a text that would be crystal clear if it were rendered in language with which the contemporary mind is more apt to be familiar. Long ago in a classroom I learned a simple fact from a wise professor of English who time and time again enjoined us students never to forget that the purpose of language is, insofar as possible, the accurate communication of thought. Old words tire, wear out, become obsolete, change meaning. New ones, fresh and telling, come along to take their place. God's message is fresh and new to each succeeding generation. Do we therefore show God's message justice when we insist on keeping it in the old wine skins? --Hank | ||||||
4 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | justme | 63380 | ||
Hank:I find your view interesting and agree with what you have written. What I find bothersome, not in your notes, is that in most Christian book stores, the KJV still has a better sales record than any other version. I am refering to our area of Missouri. The NKJV which I do not have, but fine more readable, sells poorly. I have no clue as to why. As a note, the reading grade level of the KJV is 12th grade, the NIV is 7th or 8th grade. The changing of langauage is a big factor. However, equally problematic is the many students graduating from highschool, with low reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. These students would have a problem reading the Living Bible. Most highschools are teaching as if every student will be going on to college. Gone are the wood shops, metal shops, and automotive classes. Few schools even offer home ec's. Show a tape measure to most highschoolers and they don't know how to use it. Many colleges offer beginner math and english, and other non credit courses to prepare highschool graduates to start college. I know of one college that offers basic reading skills. With your note, and with what I have added into the mix, is there any way to find a contempoary language at a low enough grade level, for these pushed out non reading highschool graduates? The GOOD NEWS BIBLE was written for readers who had english as their second language. Would that version not even meet the needs of poor readers? I have doubts it would. I have seen in adult Sunday School classs people who won't read out loud, because they just are not able. This is a very real problem for many churches. With all that I have said, why do you suppose the KJV is still such a good seller? Hope you are feeling ok and the pacemaker is doing as it should. justme |
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5 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | EdB | 63383 | ||
Hank and Justme I have a little sidebar to this discussion. I have a very dear friend that is a chaplain in a beginning stage Alzheimer nursing home. When the New Living Translation came out he fell in love with it and uses it exclusively in his ministry. He holds services for about 15-20 patients each Sunday. Each Sunday he noticed more and more family of the patients showed up. Also the nursing home staff who was dead set against him started appearing. Soon he was asked to do funerals, hospital, weddings, visitations and fill the pastorial role for many non patients. He has become the pastor of about 65-85 people. When he questioned what drew them to him the answer was a resounding “We never understood the Bible before.” “You make it so clear” He has assured me many times the only thing he is doing is keeping it simple and using the NLT. Maybe if we would take the archaic language out of Christianity more people would get interested. EdB |
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6 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | John Reformed | 63388 | ||
Dear Ed, God bless your dear pastor friend! It seems like God has chosen to bless others (and your friend as well) in the midst of his trials. That having been said, I must admit that the NLB is not one that I know a great deal about. I believe it is paraphrased bible, is it not? Now in the hands of your friend it may be a wonderful tool for feeding the milk of the word to his flock. He probably can feed them meat as well through his lifelong study and the gift of teaching that he obviously possess. But I wonder if the NLB is suitable for study by the untrained reader. We know that even the best translations are not infallible for infallibility is ascribed to the original manuscripts alone. Now, I don't mean to say that the greek or hebrew copies are errant in any way. I believe that God has preserved His Word down through the ages for the church. My point is any translation from the original language is bound to have some problems, and then when fallible men begin to add words that that are meant to simplify or explain the original language it multiplies the existing problems and may add more on top. This is merely my opinion as a layman and I claim no expertise as a translator. What do you think, Ed? John |
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7 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | EdB | 63401 | ||
John I hesitate to respond the last time we communicated you told me you wanted no further communications from me. Has that changed? I never want to force myself on anyone. Your right the NLB is a paraphrase and a very bad one at that I would not recommend it to anyone. I removed it from my library many years ago. The Bible I'm talking about is the New Living Translation by Tyndale and is a completely different work. It came out in 1996 and is a very good translation. It is called a thought for thought translation and having read it through I can find nothing I would be concerned about. Interestingly it is one of the few translations where all the translators are listed and their work credited. EdB |
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8 | What does "send her away" refer to? | Matt 1:19 | John Reformed | 63447 | ||
Dear Ed, Thanks for clarifying the difference between the two translations for me. As far as our past is concerned, I regret anything unkind I may have said. Even in the closest of familys arguements break out and sharp words are spoken. It would be well if we all would remember Christ's prayer for the unity His church before we hit the submit button. Brother John |
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