- Nov 29, 2011
- 8,530
- 4,776
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Democrat
My native language is 20th-21st Century English. I learned to speak and understand the language when I was a baby and learned to read at a very early age. Since language is a form of communication it is very important that I clearly understand what is said or written. That ability doesn't change change when I read the Bible.
I leave the art and science of Bible translation to those committees of scholars who have, in almost all cases, devoted their lives to understanding the ancient languages -- both content and meaning -- and converting them into the language that is native to me for my entire life. That is no easy task for several reasons...
1) There is no "original" Bible. The Bibles that we have have been compiled from thousands of years of Hebrew, Aramaic, and koine Greek writings, both religious and not, most of which are a) not complete and b) not always in agreement.
2) Because of the historic and cultural differences, there is rarely, if ever, a direct correspondence between the source documents and modern English. Not only do words have different meanings in context, but there are verb tenses and idioms that have no parallel in English. We don't live or speak the way the ancient people lived and thought, so the art of the translators is to interpret what was written to make sense in our minds.
3) It is bizarre to me that some think the art of translation stopped 400+ years ago and that the King James Version is the Word of God. (This also applies to other old versions). Again, we don't live or speak the way the people lived and thought centuries ago. I want a translation that means in my mind what it meant to the ancient people. Putting an intermediate step makes that process even harder.
If there is inevitably some difficulty in translating the ancient texts and conveying their meaning, then I want good explanatory notes to accompany the text. My goal is to understand what the early text said and meant, with as little difficulty as possible.
4) I have little tolerance for people who, without real qualification, tell me what the Bible really means, as though they have some secret understanding that I lack. That is just egotistical nonsense. If I have need for understanding I leave that up to the Holy Spirit to reveal that to me, not some self-appointed "expert".
Before I sit down to read the Bible (daily), I always pray for understanding and for my mind to be cleared of any and all thoughts that might interfere with my comprehension. I also generally read part of a separate book giving me the history and background of what I'm about to read. I don't want my understanding to be entirely subjective; I want to understand the culture and the writer's intentions before I begin reading the Scripture. My favorite book about this is "How to Read the Bible Book by Book: a Guided Tour" by Douglas Stuart and Gordon Fee. I also read the introductions to each Bible book written by the translators and then pay attention to the explanatory footnotes that accompany the text.
I try to read the Bible at least 30 minutes daily; with COVID-19 isolation I generally read for at least an hour (that is in addition to introductory information and explanatory notes).
I am not reading to try to prove to others that I know more than they do, or that I have some secret insight, a fault that I find all too common on this forum. I am depending on the Holy Spirit to reveal to me what I should know and understand, not some unqualified "amateur".
BTW, my most used translation is the New English Translation (NET), version 2.1 Not only is it a great balance between formal and functional equivalence, but there are approximately 60,000 translators' notes that assist me in understanding both the text difficulties and the meaning of passages that are difficult for those of us who live and think in today's culture. I also like the NIV -- specifically the very informative First Century Study Bible edition -- the NRSV, and the Geneva Bible (1599 edition) with its explanatory notes (that were removed by the KJV translators).
I would be interested to know how you read the Bible, along with the reasons that you do so.
I leave the art and science of Bible translation to those committees of scholars who have, in almost all cases, devoted their lives to understanding the ancient languages -- both content and meaning -- and converting them into the language that is native to me for my entire life. That is no easy task for several reasons...
1) There is no "original" Bible. The Bibles that we have have been compiled from thousands of years of Hebrew, Aramaic, and koine Greek writings, both religious and not, most of which are a) not complete and b) not always in agreement.
2) Because of the historic and cultural differences, there is rarely, if ever, a direct correspondence between the source documents and modern English. Not only do words have different meanings in context, but there are verb tenses and idioms that have no parallel in English. We don't live or speak the way the ancient people lived and thought, so the art of the translators is to interpret what was written to make sense in our minds.
3) It is bizarre to me that some think the art of translation stopped 400+ years ago and that the King James Version is the Word of God. (This also applies to other old versions). Again, we don't live or speak the way the people lived and thought centuries ago. I want a translation that means in my mind what it meant to the ancient people. Putting an intermediate step makes that process even harder.
If there is inevitably some difficulty in translating the ancient texts and conveying their meaning, then I want good explanatory notes to accompany the text. My goal is to understand what the early text said and meant, with as little difficulty as possible.
4) I have little tolerance for people who, without real qualification, tell me what the Bible really means, as though they have some secret understanding that I lack. That is just egotistical nonsense. If I have need for understanding I leave that up to the Holy Spirit to reveal that to me, not some self-appointed "expert".
Before I sit down to read the Bible (daily), I always pray for understanding and for my mind to be cleared of any and all thoughts that might interfere with my comprehension. I also generally read part of a separate book giving me the history and background of what I'm about to read. I don't want my understanding to be entirely subjective; I want to understand the culture and the writer's intentions before I begin reading the Scripture. My favorite book about this is "How to Read the Bible Book by Book: a Guided Tour" by Douglas Stuart and Gordon Fee. I also read the introductions to each Bible book written by the translators and then pay attention to the explanatory footnotes that accompany the text.
I try to read the Bible at least 30 minutes daily; with COVID-19 isolation I generally read for at least an hour (that is in addition to introductory information and explanatory notes).
I am not reading to try to prove to others that I know more than they do, or that I have some secret insight, a fault that I find all too common on this forum. I am depending on the Holy Spirit to reveal to me what I should know and understand, not some unqualified "amateur".
BTW, my most used translation is the New English Translation (NET), version 2.1 Not only is it a great balance between formal and functional equivalence, but there are approximately 60,000 translators' notes that assist me in understanding both the text difficulties and the meaning of passages that are difficult for those of us who live and think in today's culture. I also like the NIV -- specifically the very informative First Century Study Bible edition -- the NRSV, and the Geneva Bible (1599 edition) with its explanatory notes (that were removed by the KJV translators).
I would be interested to know how you read the Bible, along with the reasons that you do so.