Subject: hyh vs eithe what is the diference? |
Bible Note: Very good points, Tim! Your illustration about John MacArthur's parsing of "independent" reminds me of what a school boy wrote down on his test sheet when he was asked to give a synonym for _nevertheless_. In a burst of inspiration he wrote _alwaysthemore_. ..... Your first point, the one about consistency in translation, calls to mind something Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds." An astute observation and wise counsel to apply to Bible translation. In their preface ("The Translators to the Reader") to the Authorized Version (King James) of 1611 the translators spoke of this "foolish consistency" when they wrote: "Another thing we think good to admonish thee of, gentle Reader, that we have not tied ourselves to an uniformity of phrasing, or to an identity of words." The translators continue at length to explain why they didn't always translate the same Hebrew or Greek word in a text by using the same English word throughout all texts in which the word appeared. They were saying in 1611 essentially the same thing that responsible contemporary translators all say: context determines meaning. An isolated word, whether in English or another language, rarely has a great deal of meaning of itself, apart from how it is used in spoken or written language. What does "if" mean, standing alone on a page? The answer obviously is that the word by itself has little or no meaning, and really doesn't make sense standing alone. ...... I agree with you, Tim, that there indeed are modern self-appointed "translators" who evidently think that the small investment in a concordance or a Hebrew or Greek entry-level textbook qualifies them not only to translate but to correct the errors that they believe seasoned translators have made. Once in a while one of these yokels appears on SBF and proceeds to pontificate upon matters about which he knows nothing. The only real show he puts on is not one of erudtion but of ignorance. --Hank |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 3 | Author | ||
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sqkeener1955 | ||
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Grace460 | ||
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Grace460 | ||
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Necie | ||
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LJ777 | ||
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NADI | ||
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sunshinegurl | ||
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sunshinegurl | ||
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rcdave99 | ||
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humbledbyhisgrace | ||
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Morant61 | ||
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Hank | ||
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humbledbyhisgrace | ||
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kimbo |