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NASB | Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 4:4 But Jesus replied, "It is written and forever remains written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'" [Deut 8:3] |
Subject: Why a Literal Translation? |
Bible Note: Greetings Tim! Thank you for the response! However, I would still stay with the Literal translation even though it would be helpful to have a more "idiomatic" translation to look at from time to time! I agree, Hebrews 4:13 could have been translated much better in the NASB without losing any "literalness".. Young's Literal Translation gives a much better alternative in Heb. 4:13: "..with whom is our reckoning." :-) I believe, like you, that throughout the vast majority of Scripture a Literal Translation would be very adequate and useful. However, I believe that there are many instances in a Dynamic Equivalent translation that seem to lose the original meaning of the text by being too "loose" in translation. For instance, Hebrews 11:11 in the NIV reads, "By faith Abraham, even though he was past age- and Sarah herself was barren- was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise." The NASB translates it this way... "By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised." The actual Greek says: "faith also herself Sara received strength to conceive seed.." The Greek doesn't even mention Abraham, but the NIV includes him in this verse. It appears that the NIV has "oversimplified" a bit, making Hebrews 11:11 much more confusing than it should be.. Also, Matthew 10:6 is rendered in the NIV as: "Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." The NASB states it this way: "but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In this instance, it appears that the NIV loses sight of the actual "contents" of the passage by dropping an entire word, "oikos" (house), and oversimplifying what the text clearly states on its own, without any need for simplification. 1 Corinthians 13:10 is stated in the NIV as: "..but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." The NASB renders this verse as: "..but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away." In my mind, the NASB is the superior rendering, since the Greek says "but when the perfect comes, then from portion be made void." Also, you have read the Living Bible and you know that there are certain places where a paraphrase goes "a little too far" in certain descriptions, and it is 'embarrassing' to read in public. This is also true in the KJV. In the NIV, I would point out Genesis 19:5 and 31:35, as being a few places in Scripture where the NASB not only proves to be the more 'dignified' rendering, but is also more respectable and gets the message across at the same time. I agree, every translation does practice a certain degree of 'interpretation', even though there is a difference between directly translating from what is clearly presented in the Greek and making an attempt to simplify or make the very same passage contemporaneous. I also agree with you on leaving out the paraphrases when it comes to serious translation study.. I believe that the emphasis should not be so much on making the Bible contemporaneous as much as it should be on remaining faithful to the original languages. Blessings to you my friend! Makarios |