silentpoet said:
I am curious about a specific word in the bible. In different places especially in the new testement the word we translate as "soon" is present. I want to know what original greek or aramaic meanings really attach to the word. Also it is often present in the form "as soon as".
Also on a related note, what meanings would attach to the phrase "Not long"?
This is a matter of some importance to me. Yet my searches in the various bible software I have has not been very helpful. SO I turn to those who might know more about the original languages.
You don't state why this is a matter of importance to you. It is difficult to answer your question without knowing a specific passage to which you refer. Greek and Hebrew are quite different from English. There is not always a direct word-for-word correlation from one language to another. There are several Hebrew words that are translated in the KJV translation as "soon." They are "meheyrah," which has the basic idea of "short" but can mean "soon" in the sense of a short time. Another word is "mahar," which can mean "promptly" or "hastily" or "quickly." It comes from a root meaning "to hurry." Sometimes the word is part of a phrase used to translate one Hebrew word. "As soon as" is usually a translation of the Hebrew word "asher," which has many meanings, one of which is "when." It basically is a word indicating relationship of time or place.
In the NT Greek, the main word translated "soon" is "tacheos," which means "quickly" or "shortly." There is also the word "parachrema," which means immediately or instantly. This is the word used when the disciples wondered at how "soon" the fig tree had withered that Jesus had cursed. However, the phrase that often appears in many English translations as "as soon as" is usually not a specific Greek word at all, it is an English way of trying to express a certain complexity of Greek participles that have no exact equivalent in English. Sometimes, though, the Greek word "hotey" is translated "as soon as," but its meaning is usually more "when" or "while" or "as long as."
Regarding "not long," I could only find two places in the NT where that phrase occurs and they were in two different translations. I could find no OT occurrences of that phrase. In both cases in the NT, it was a translation for the Greek phrase "ou polu," which means literally "not many or much" and then followed by either the word for "after" or "before."
I must warn you, however, that without knowing a specific passage, the things I have said here are not likely to be very helpful or significant in trying to interpret any passage of scripture, and I would admonish you not to make much out of the English expressions "as soon as" or "soon" without more specifics about the passage or passages you are considering.
