These questions about Proverbs 29:1 come in via the About page: 1. Is it possible that this verse refers to, or alludes to, a broken neck (spinal column), with no possibility of mending (except, in modern times, T-cells)? 2. What is with the references to “reprover” and “fire” in the LXX? The verse is (NRSV):…
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Thanks to A. Admin for pointing out an interview with Dr. Benjamin Shaw. I do want to credit the interviewer for asking for input both from those who agree and who disagree with Dr. Shaw. But I’m always skeptical of people like Dr. Shaw who recommend the KJV for accuracy. Even ignoring the flawed translation…
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Clayboy has an informative and well-written post about the mistakes that often follow after someone tries the “what the Greek really says” argument: One of the biggest warning flags in a sermon comes when the preacher says: “Now, in Greek, the word is … which (literally) means …” Sometimes they know what theyre talking about.…
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I recently observed master teacher and musician Kenny Green telling children about the Jewish month of Adar. “Once Adar begins, we increase our happiness,” he explained, using the usual terminology. Then he added with a self-mocking grin, “yes, I talk that way at home, too.” There’s a Hebrew verb hirbah that means generally “to do/have/make…
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Exodus 15:22-26 deals with drinking water. The People of Israel come to Marah (the name of a place, but the word also means “bitter”) and when they find that the water there is undrinkable, Moses throws a log into the water and it becomes drinkable. It’s a fairly simple concept (thought a complex trick), yet…
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I’m thrilled to announce that my latest book, And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original Meaning, goes on sale today. I want to keep “God Didn’t Say That” as commercial-free as possible, so I’ve set up a separate blog for the book here, though the book is about Bible translation, so I’m…
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Because this is a blog about translation, I’m curious when people read it in translation. Recently the logs showed me that someone used Google to translate the blog from English into Turkish. I took a look at what the site looked like in Turkish, and then used Google to translate the Turkish back into English.…
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Mark 15:9 demonstrates how translation can make people forget their own grammar. A curiosity of English generally prevents anything from appearing between a verb an its object. This is why “I saw yesterday Bill” is such an awkward sentence in English. (It’s fine in French, Modern and Biblical Hebrew, Greek, and many other languages.) Yet…
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Recent posts from my Ancient Wisdom, Modern Lives:
