Endeavourer
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It's great you are drilling down on the word studies.
My favorite version is the KJV due to my familiarity with it and the beautiful language.
However, it has cultural biases or out dated linguistic forms in its translation with respect to gender.
First, Paul used gender inclusive language every time his comment was not specifically referring to a male human being. Even Christ is described as a person (not a man) whenever his office or functions are referenced, and as a man only in the most limited of cases when Christ's human male form was specifically being referenced. Reading a Bible full of "man" when "people" or "mankind" was specifically written instead changes the flavor significantly to a female reader since she can never really be certain if man/he includes her or not. In the 1600's is was common to reference humanity as "man"; however that linguistic approach leaves many questions to which verses apply to you if you are a woman. We generally filter the references OK, but I recently learned that a significant number of references I had thought were male specific actually were not so.
Second, 1 Timothy 2:12 was poorly translated, likely due to gender biases at that time. Paul actually wrote that "a" womAn should not violently assume authority over a man but should remain quiet (huscia, as in peaceable, not speechless). The KJV writers smoothed out the stridency of authentin into usurp (some translations have downgraded the word even further), and used silent/speachless instead of calm/peacable. The word authentin was not used anywhere else in Scripture. It is not the word that was used elsewhere as authority. The word the KJV translators used for "silent" was translated elsewhere in Scripture as calm/peaceable but only when used in reference to a woman it was translated as silent:
1 Tim 2:11 -- Let the woman learn in silence (2271 hésuchia)
1 Tim 2:12 -- a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence (2271 hésuchia)
2 Thess 3:12 -- that with quietness (2271hésuchia) they work, and eat
1 Tim 2:2 -- that we may lead a quiet and peaceable (2272 hésuchios) life in
1 Peter 3:4 -- of a meek and quiet (2272 hésuchios) spirit,
Third, there are many more, but one more example is in Romans 12, starting in v4. Paul's writing was entirely gender neutral, but the translators switched to HE when Paul's list came to teaching, exhorting and ruling:
4For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
There are many other examples, but I trust this will illustrate the problems in our translations from what Paul actually wrote in Greek as stated in English, particularly in the KJV and the ESV.
The ESV translation team proudly boasts that the ESV is a complimentarian Bible which purposefully translated everything that could be "he" as "he" rather than being diligent to the nuances of genders as Paul originally wrote. As you can imagine, there are a number of verses which, as changed, support and even create doctrines not originally identifiable in Paul's writings.
Happy studying!
E.
My favorite version is the KJV due to my familiarity with it and the beautiful language.
However, it has cultural biases or out dated linguistic forms in its translation with respect to gender.
First, Paul used gender inclusive language every time his comment was not specifically referring to a male human being. Even Christ is described as a person (not a man) whenever his office or functions are referenced, and as a man only in the most limited of cases when Christ's human male form was specifically being referenced. Reading a Bible full of "man" when "people" or "mankind" was specifically written instead changes the flavor significantly to a female reader since she can never really be certain if man/he includes her or not. In the 1600's is was common to reference humanity as "man"; however that linguistic approach leaves many questions to which verses apply to you if you are a woman. We generally filter the references OK, but I recently learned that a significant number of references I had thought were male specific actually were not so.
Second, 1 Timothy 2:12 was poorly translated, likely due to gender biases at that time. Paul actually wrote that "a" womAn should not violently assume authority over a man but should remain quiet (huscia, as in peaceable, not speechless). The KJV writers smoothed out the stridency of authentin into usurp (some translations have downgraded the word even further), and used silent/speachless instead of calm/peacable. The word authentin was not used anywhere else in Scripture. It is not the word that was used elsewhere as authority. The word the KJV translators used for "silent" was translated elsewhere in Scripture as calm/peaceable but only when used in reference to a woman it was translated as silent:
1 Tim 2:11 -- Let the woman learn in silence (2271 hésuchia)
1 Tim 2:12 -- a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence (2271 hésuchia)
2 Thess 3:12 -- that with quietness (2271hésuchia) they work, and eat
2271 hēsyxía (from hēsyxos, "quiet, stillness") – quietness, implying calm; for the believer, 2271 (hēsyxía) is used of their God-produced calm which includes an inner tranquility that supports appropriate action. This term "does not mean speechlessness, which is more directly indicated by 4602 (sigḗ) (J. Thayer).
1 Tim 2:2 -- that we may lead a quiet and peaceable (2272 hésuchios) life in
1 Peter 3:4 -- of a meek and quiet (2272 hésuchios) spirit,
2272 hēsýxios (an adjective derived from hēsyxos, "quiet, stillness") – properly, quiet (still), i.e. steady (settled) due to a divinely-inspired inner calmness.
2272/hēsyxios ("calmly quiet") describes being "appropriately tranquil" by not misusing (or overusing) words that would stir up needless friction (destructive commotion).
2272/hēsyxios ("calmly quiet") describes being "appropriately tranquil" by not misusing (or overusing) words that would stir up needless friction (destructive commotion).
Third, there are many more, but one more example is in Romans 12, starting in v4. Paul's writing was entirely gender neutral, but the translators switched to HE when Paul's list came to teaching, exhorting and ruling:
4For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
There are many other examples, but I trust this will illustrate the problems in our translations from what Paul actually wrote in Greek as stated in English, particularly in the KJV and the ESV.
The ESV translation team proudly boasts that the ESV is a complimentarian Bible which purposefully translated everything that could be "he" as "he" rather than being diligent to the nuances of genders as Paul originally wrote. As you can imagine, there are a number of verses which, as changed, support and even create doctrines not originally identifiable in Paul's writings.
Happy studying!
E.
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