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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Translation of the Greek word "aion" | Eph 3:9 | Jubalee | 214807 | ||
Hello, I've been studying the ages of time and am hoping there are some Greek experts here that can help me out. I'm looking at how the Greek word "aion" is translated and there seems to be some major conflict among the various translations I'm using. Example: Ephesians 3:8-11 KJV 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the BEGINNING OF THE WORLD hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the ETERNAL purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: Ephesians 3:8-11 NASB 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for AGES has been hidden in God who created all things; 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the ETERNAL purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, The same Greek word is translated three different ways, each of which means something entirely different. beginning of the world ages eternal From my understanding, Young’s Literal Translation gives the clearest rendering. Ephesians 3:8-11 And to cause all to see what is the fellowship of the secret that has been hid FROM THE AGES in God, who the all things did create by Jesus Christ, that there might be made known now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenly places, through the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God, according to A PURPOSE OF THE AGES, which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord. Can someone explain why the KJV and NASB translators would have translated “aion” as “beginning of the world” and “eternal” in this passage? Also are there any free online or software tools such as a good Hebrew/Greek dictionary that would be helpful to me? Thanks. |
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2 | Translation of the Greek word "aion" | Eph 3:9 | Morant61 | 214829 | ||
Greetings Jubalee! You are correct that Young's Literal translation is the more literal of the three. Eph. 3:9 literally says, "...the mystery hidden from the ages by God, Who created all things." Eph. 3:11 speaks of a 'purpose of the ages which He has done in Christ Jesus our Lord.' It is easy to see how v. 11 could be translated as 'eternal purpose'. V. 8 though is more difficult. The KJV apparently saw 'from the ages' as a reference to creation. Personally, I would stick with the more literal. As for resources, try 'e-sword'. Just google it! :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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3 | Clarifications re "aion" | Eph 3:9 | Jubalee | 214834 | ||
Thanks to all for your responses and links to study aids. Tim, I understand you are the Greek expert here. Could you clarify a few things for me? -Is there a difference between the modern Greek spoken today and the Greek of the New Testament as far as it making a difference in translation? -You said, “It is easy to see how v. 11 could be translated as 'eternal purpose'.” Coud you explain what you mean? It seems that the translators of the KJV/NAS were inserting their own interpretation into the translations, weren’t they? -In the KJV, the translators have many times rendered “aion” as “eternal” or “forever”. However, as I have been studying this I’ve come to the conclusion that “aion” can only be correctly rendered as: a limited time, an age, and the plural means ages. Am I correct in this? Thanks for your help. |
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4 | Clarifications re "aion" | Eph 3:9 | Morant61 | 214836 | ||
Greetings Jubalee! In the spirit of full disclosure, I am by no means a Greek expert. :-) I have been trained in it and have a decent working knowledge of it. All translation involves interpretation. Words are very fluid and flexible things. For instance, if you were to find an English document some 3,000 years in the future, how would you translate the word 'level'? It could be a verb, or a noun, or an adjective. Words can sometimes be used in Greek to express idioms or meanings that may not be apparent from a very literal translation. Having said that, I think a more literal translation is preferable when possible. 'Age' or 'ages' can refer to a definite period of time or an indefinite period of time. Thus, one possible meaning is 'eternal'. In the case of v. 11, the literal 'purpose of the ages' could be translated as 'eternal purpose' in the same way that 'bush of fire' could be translated as 'fiery bush'. You wrote: "In the KJV, the translators have many times rendered “aion” as “eternal” or “forever”. However, as I have been studying this I’ve come to the conclusion that “aion” can only be correctly rendered as: a limited time, an age, and the plural means ages. Am I correct in this?" This is a mistake that a lot of beginners in language studies make. Many feel that one should simply be able to take a strong's concordance and plug a particular meaning into a translation all through out Scripture. However, translation is much more difficult than that. :-) I don't really know much about modern Greek. However, google has a translation feature. When I typed in 'eternal' it translated it into 'aionios'. I hope this helps some! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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