As a point of humility, it is important to note to self that what ever conclusions you come to are not equal to scripture. Therefore, your interpretation may be invalidated, but scripture remains not so.
GREEK
Contributed to the cause by the one buzzing around as, Buzz_B
We can make all sorts of claims, such as that all we need do is read our Bibles and trust God to do his part via the holy spirit and reveal the meaning to us he desires us to see. But what we are really doing is trusting in men, indeed, trusting in the men, not only the men who did the translating into our preferred language but also trusting in the men who then chose how those translated words would be placed together in an ordered exegeses more fitting to our preferred language.
The above fact alone creates huge problems for us but that problem is worsened when we lack faith that he who is in us is stronger than he who is in the world, so that we fear and shun learning from sources just because we fear those sources. Yet that is understandable to a degree when we are speaking of babes in Christ. Let those of us who have matured, be mature and dispense with that fear, knowing it is a poor substitute for faithfulness. Always we rightly advise the exercise of caution for the sake of our babes but we are not babes. He who is in us IS stronger than he who is in the world.
There are also other factors involved with our own immediate interpretations which can either allow or disallow us to build truth. An example would be as simple as the phrase “doth not commit sin” which occurs at 1 John 3:9 in the KJV. This particular case calls attention to the need for our translators to have a good understanding of the Koine' (the common non-literary type) Greek tenses which was used in the early Hellenist period when our New Testament writings were first being composed. So let us take a quick look at that. Rather than to doggedly search out my own wording I will quote from reference sources in places within them that I have tested and found to be reliable. If anyone desires further education in the Greek I would recommend the Phillip's Academy located at 180 Main St, Andover, Massachusetts, United States , 01810, located about 25 miles North of Boston.
The following excerpt, which I have determined to be very reliable, is from *** it-1 pp. 1006-1010 Greek *** (it = Insight on the Scriptures published in 1988 by the WTBTS)
Quote: “
Tenses. Another important and distinctive characteristic of Greek, contributing to its exactness, is its use of verb tenses. Verbs and their tenses involve two elements: kind of action (the more important) and time of action (of less importance). There are three principal points of viewing action in the Greek language, each with modifying characteristics: (1) action as continuous (“to be doing”), represented basically in the present tense, the primary force of which is progressive action or that which habitually or successively recurs; (2) action as perfected or completed (“to have done”), the principal tense here being the perfect; (3) action as punctiliar, or momentary (“to do”), represented in the aorist. There are, of course, other tenses, such as the imperfect, the past perfect, and the future.
To illustrate the difference in the Greek tenses: At 1 John 2:1, the apostle John says: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father” (KJ). The Greek verb for “sin” is in the aorist tense, hence the time of the action is punctiliar, or momentary. The aorist tense here points to one act of sinning, whereas the present infinitive would denote the condition of being a sinner or the continuous or progressive action in sinning. So John does not speak of someone carrying on a practice of sinning, but of one who does “commit a sin.” (Compare Mt 4:9, where the aorist indicates that the Devil did not ask Jesus to do constant or continuous worship to him, but “an act of worship.”)
But, if 1 John 3:6, 9 is read without taking into account the fact that the verb there is in the present tense, John seems to contradict his words above noted. The King James Version reads: “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not,” and, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” These renderings fail to carry over into English the continuous action denoted by the present tense of the Greek verbs used. Some modern translations, instead of saying here, “sinneth not” and “doth not commit sin,” take note of the continuous action and render the verbs accordingly: “does not practice sin,” “does not carry on sin” (NW); “practices sin,” “makes a practice of sinning” (CB); “does not habitually sin,” “does not practice sin” (Ph); “does not continue to sin” (TEV). Jesus commanded his followers at Matthew 6:33: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom,” indicating continuous effort, rather than merely “seek ye first the kingdom” (KJ).
In prohibitions, the present and aorist tenses are likewise distinctly different. In the present tense a prohibition means more than not to do a thing. It means to stop doing it. Jesus Christ, in route to Golgotha, did not merely tell the women following him, “Do not weep,” but, rather, since they were already weeping, he said: “Stop weeping for me.” (Lu 23:28) Likewise to those selling doves in the temple, Jesus said: “Stop making the house of my Father a house of merchandise!” (Joh 2:16) In the Sermon on the Mount he said: “Stop being anxious” about what you will eat, drink, or wear. (Mt 6:25) On the other hand, in the aorist a prohibition was a command against doing something at any given time or moment. Jesus is shown as telling his hearers: “So, never be anxious [that is, do not be anxious at any moment] about the next day.” (Mt 6:34) Here the aorist is used in order to indicate that the disciples should not be anxious at any time.
Another example of the need to take into consideration the Greek tense in translating is found at Hebrews 11:17. Some translations ignore the special significance in the tense of the verb. With reference to Abraham, the King James Version says: “He that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.” The Greek verb here translated “offered up” is in the imperfect tense, which may carry the thought that the action was intended or attempted, but not realized or accomplished. Hence, in harmony with what actually happened, the Greek verb is more appropriately rendered “attempted to offer up.” Likewise, in Luke 1:59, speaking of the time of circumcision of the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the imperfect tense used indicates that instead of the rendering, “They called him Zacharias, after the name of his father” (KJ), the passage should read “They were going to call [the young child] by the name of its father, Zechariah” (NW). This is in harmony with what actually took place, namely, that he was given the name John, according to the angel Gabriel’s instructions.—Lu 1:13.” End Quote.
For your convenience:
Bible Translations
AB The Amplified Bible (1965), Zondervan Publishing House
An The Anchor Bible (1964 and following years), W. F. Albright and D. N. Freedman, general editors
AS American Standard Version (1901; as printed in 1944), American Revision Committee
AT The Complete Bible—An American Translation (1939; as printed in 1951), J. M. Powis Smith and Edgar J. Goodspeed
BC Sagrada Biblia (1947), José María Bover and Francisco Cantera Burgos, Madrid, Spain
BE The Bible in Basic English (1949), Cambridge University Press
By The Bible in Living English (1972), Steven T. Byington
CB The New Testament—A Translation in the Language of the People (1937; as printed in 1950), Charles B. Williams
CC The New Testament (1941; as printed in 1947), Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Revision
CK The New Testament—A New Translation in Plain English (1963), Charles K. Williams
Da The ‘Holy Scriptures’ (1949 Edition), J. N. Darby
Dy Challoner-Douay Version (c. 1750; as printed in 1942)
ED The Emphatic Diaglott (1864; as printed in 1942), Benjamin Wilson
ER English Revised Version (1885; as printed in 1893), Cambridge University Press
Fn The Holy Bible in Modern English (1903; as printed in 1935), Ferrar Fenton
Int The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures (1985 Edition)
JB The Jerusalem Bible (1966), Alexander Jones, general editor
JP The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (1917; as printed in 1952), The Jewish Publication Society of America
KJ King James Version (1611; as printed in 1942)
Kx The Holy Bible (1956), Ronald A. Knox
La The Holy Bible From Ancient Eastern Manuscripts (1957), George M. Lamsa
Le The Twenty-Four Books of the Holy Scriptures (1853; as printed in 1914), Isaac Leeser
LXX Greek
Septuagint (originally produced in the third and second centuries B.C.E.), as edited by Alfred Rahlfs (1935)
LXX, Bagster
The Septuagint With Apocrypha: Greek and English (translation by L. C. L. Brenton, 1851; as printed in 1986)
LXX, Thomson
The Septuagint Bible (translation by Charles Thomson, 1808; revised by C. A. Muses, 1954)
Mo A New Translation of the Bible (1935; as printed in 1954), James Moffatt
MR The Modern Reader’s Bible (1907; as printed in 1924), Richard G. Moulton, editor
NAB The New American Bible (1970), Catholic Biblical Association of America
NAS New American Standard Bible (1971), Lockman Foundation
NC Sagrada Biblia (1944; as printed in 1972), Eloíno Nácar Fuster and Alberto Colunga
NE The New English Bible (1970)
NIV The Holy Bible—New International Version (1978)
NW New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References (1984)
Ph The New Testament in Modern English (1958; as printed in 1976), J. B. Phillips
Ro The Emphasised Bible (1902), Joseph B. Rotherham
RS Revised Standard Version (1952; as printed in 1971)
Sd The Authentic New Testament (1958), Hugh J. Schonfield
Sh The Holy Bible (1892), Samuel Sharpe
Sp The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (1937; as printed in 1948), Francis Aloysius Spencer
Sy Syriac
Peshitta, originally produced in the fifth century C.E. (edited by S. Lee, London, 1826, and reprinted by United Bible Societies, 1979)
TC The Twentieth Century New Testament, Revised Edition (1904)
TEV Today’s English Version (1976)
Vg Latin
Vulgate (originally produced c. 400 C.E. by Jerome; edited by R. Weber, Stuttgart, Germany, 1975)
VM La Santa Biblia, Versión Moderna (1966), Sociedades Bíblicas en América Latina
We The New Testament in Modern Speech (Fifth Edition, 1943; as printed in 1944), R. F. Weymouth; revised by J. A. Robertson
Yg The Holy Bible (Revised Edition of 1887), Robert Young
(I have only provided one subheading from that article. The entire article is a worthwhile read for those who desire to consider the subject further.)
