September 15, 2009
In the Original
When ministers preach they will sometime use the caveat, “What it says in the original text is…” The preface sounds so benign that in my mind I thought they meant, ‘our Bibles are in agreement with the original text…but they aren’t using the same vocabulary.’ Boy was I wrong! Preachers are actually warning us that some of our Bible translations are NOT saying what the original text says. I’m grateful to ministers who bring us back to the original. However, if Sunday after Sunday the preacher has to ‘correct’ the text of my preferred Bible, then there is a loss of confidence in my translation and cause for concern. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15 ESV)
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Gail;
-----I don’t place full confidence in any translation because language is the transmitter of complex ideas. If ideas were simple, elemental objects such that one word expressed only one primary thought, and never anything else, and if it were that way throughout all languages, then one word in one language would express exactly the equivalent thought of a particular word in another language. Then there would be a translation which exactly expresses the ideas of the original language. But it is rarely the case that a word expresses a primary meaning. Words are not like opaque disks upon which are inscribed a certain and particular concept. They are more like translucent lenses through which cultural contexts are observed. Therefore, the meanings of words shift with cultural attitudes and bear overtones and connotations that can actually change their denotations to something quite different from what they once were. Most apparent in our culture is the practical shift in the meaning and general usage of “gay.” It once denoted an emotional state, but it currently denotes a sexual orientation. Another commonly known shift that occurred much less rapidly is the denotation of “prevent.” In the seventeenth century English it meant to be in readiness, to meet or satisfy in advance, to act ahead of or arrive before. Today it means to hinder and keep from happening. This drift of meaning is only one reason why there are so many different translations, for any translation must keep up with the motion of language. Another reason is because words overlap in connotations so much that there are usually several choices of words for each idea in every language. That complicates translation immensely, and it introduces much opportunity, and even some need, for blending interpretation with translation. And as we all know, the Bible speaks a simple message embedded within a forest of complexities, all open to varying degrees interpretive differences. Theologians love to propose their theologies through interpretation, taking full advantage of the complexities of languages, therefore translations are abundant, and I receive them more as the theological statement they are than I receive them as the actual Word of God.
-----Fortunately, God wisely gave us His Word in a self correcting format. Even The Kingdom Translation made by the Jehovah’s Witnesses must present the straight forward proclamation of Thomas, “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28, TKT) which casts a certain shade of light upon “…and the Word was a god.” (John 1:1c, TKT). Proverbs 15:33 reveals, “The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor.” (RSV) Without the godly attitudes the Bible calls from us, the book itself is no more than ink on paper no matter what translation it is, or even that it might be the original text. It does not come alive as the Word of God until it has been received in a heart searching for it and expressed in the actions of the soul having such a heart. For “…a man of understanding walks aright…” (Proverbs 15:21b), “…he who heeds admonition gains understanding,” (Proverbs 15:32) and “Wisdom abides in the mind of a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 14:33) These proverbs all reflect back upon humility - seeking one’s place within what is real rather than seeking what is real in one’s place, and having fear for the Lord - a healthy respect for who He really is rather than a demand for Him to be what we only know. When you humbly allow the Word of God to put its own message together, then your knowledge of Who He is and who He wants you to be will draw closer reality, no matter what relatively competent translation you use. For the Word is self-illuminating such that what becomes more beneficial than having the most correct translation is having made the broadest study of Scripture and the best submission to what it says.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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