The primary, original language of the Tanakh.
26
votes
5answers
1k views
Does the Bible mention unicorns?
I was reading Psalm 22 (from this question) and I found this verse:
Psalms 22:21 (KJV)
Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
When I switched ...
20
votes
4answers
597 views
Is “kill” a valid translation for Exodus 20:13 (Thou shalt not kill)?
Exodus 20:13 (KJV)
Thou shalt not kill.
Many political statements have been made about this verse. This translation has been used by many to support their pacifist desires. However, it seems ...
15
votes
2answers
348 views
Understanding Numbers 11:25
As I am studying, I have encountered different renderings of the last phrase in this verse, which describes the prophesying of the seventy elders of Israel after the Spirit was placed on them. An ...
14
votes
4answers
622 views
Does Genesis's creation account depict creation “ex nihilo”?
I had once heard that one of the remarkable thing about the creation account in Genesis, as compared to the other creation accounts of the cultures of the surrounding area is that God creates the ...
14
votes
2answers
601 views
Translation of “Selah” (סֶלָה)
What is the current scholarly opinion on the possible translations for "Selah" (סֶלָה) as used in the Psalms?
13
votes
3answers
454 views
Does Gen 1:1 refer to day 1 or the entire 6 days of creation?
A natural reading of Gen 1:1 with it's immediate context is that it is part of the first day of creation
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and ...
12
votes
3answers
405 views
Does the original Hebrew support the NLT of Genesis 6:3?
Genesis 6:3 refers to when God set humans' lifespans to (approximately) 120 years. However, the NLT (the translation I prefer) has a slightly different translation for the 120-years part.
Genesis ...
12
votes
1answer
106 views
What is the proper translation of Hosea 11:12?
I have been researching Hosea 11:12 and have come to realize that it is translated differently in many differing translations of the Bible. It is sometimes translated that Judah walked (or ruled) with ...
11
votes
4answers
4k views
Translation of “Hosanna” (ὡσαννά)
What does "Hosanna" (ὡσαννά) mean (as it appears in the Gospels)? What is its etymology/derivation from Hebrew/Aramaic?
11
votes
2answers
525 views
How different is Biblical Hebrew from modern Hebrew?
It's been variously suggested on this site that the difference between Biblical Hebrew and modern Hebrew is like either the difference between:
Old English and modern English
Shakespeare's English ...
11
votes
4answers
303 views
Is there an English equivalent for Nephilim of Genesis 6:4?
Genesis 6:4 (NIV)Emphasis added
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes ...
11
votes
4answers
1k views
What does “Jealous” mean in Exodus 34:14?
Most translations seem to agree that "Jealous" is the best translation for this passage. For example:
Exodus 34:14 (NASB)
—for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is ...
11
votes
1answer
167 views
What word best captures the spirit of לִּילִית in Isaiah 34:14?
Isaiah 34:14 in the Masoretic Text is the following:
גְשׁוּ צִיִּים אֶת-אִיִּים, וְשָׂעִיר עַל-רֵעֵהוּ יִקְרָא; אַךְ-שָׁם הִרְגִּיעָה לִּילִית, וּמָצְאָה לָהּ מָנוֹח
Here, לִּילִית is supposedly ...
11
votes
2answers
917 views
Is “wait” in Isaiah 40:31 active or passive?
Some translations have this verse reading "They that wait (up)on the Lord" (eg. NKJV) while others have "They that wait for the Lord" (eg. ESV) and still others "Those that hope in the Lord". (eg NIV)
...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
Which 'modern' English translation of the Bible is considered the 'closest' or most accurate translation?
Which 'modern' (anything inclusive of King James Version to date) English translation of the Bible is considered the 'closest' or most accurate translation from the original Hebrew & Greek texts?
...
10
votes
4answers
447 views
Is there a modern English translation of the Bible that uses the second-person plural pronoun?
I'm looking for a modern translation of the Bible (ideally in the public domain) that retains the distinction between second-person plural and second-person singular. In Early Modern English (the ...
10
votes
4answers
462 views
What translation best translates the word “vanity” (in the KJV) in Ecclesiastes?
The word "vanity" (KJV) in Ecclesiastes has been mistranslated in the NIV as "meaningless".
Is "vanity" the best translation for the hebrew word hebel (Strongs 1892), does a newer version do it more ...
10
votes
2answers
104 views
Does Rashi's interpretation of Jephthah's fate hold water?
When Rashi looks back on the life of Jephthah, he notes:
Jephthah was afflicted with boils and dismemberment as it is stated, (below 12:7) “And he was buried in the cities [pl.] of Gilead.” (His ...
10
votes
4answers
309 views
Did Moses have an Egyptian name?
Moses got his name from Pharaoh's daughter:
When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
Comparison of English word “fool” in original Hebrew and Greek
Question is based on this comment on Christiantity SE.
In the OT, the word fool is apparently used to describe atheists:
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
Psalm 14:1 and Psalm ...
9
votes
4answers
3k views
What does “Under the Sun” mean in Ecclesiastes?
I noticed that the Teacher uses the phrase "under the sun" more than 20 times in Ecclesiastes. I have always understood this to simply mean "on earth" as The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament ...
9
votes
2answers
1k views
What is the translation philosophy for tachash skins in Exodus?
In Exodus (e.g.: 26:14) we learn one of the coverings for the tabernacle is to be made of "תחש" (tachash) skins. The translation of this term appears to be especially difficult or contentious as there ...
9
votes
4answers
156 views
On what basis is the name “Ephraim” given the etymology of “ash heap”?
The name Ephraim seems to commonly be given two etymologies, one referring to an "ash heap" and the other referring to "fruitfulness". Example I can understand the fruitfulness etymology linking ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views
What does “put the branch to their nose” in Ezekiel 8:17 mean?
Reading Ezekiel 8 in the ESV I came across verse 17 today and was puzzled by phrase there:
Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that ...
9
votes
1answer
81 views
Genesis 3:12: What is the underlying Hebrew word translated into English as “with me” (in KJV)?
In Genesis 3:12, is the underlying Hebrew word, translated into English as "with me" (in the KJV), supposed to be Strong's H5978 as the HCSB and HiSB suggests, or Strong's H5973 as the KJV suggests?
...
9
votes
2answers
516 views
How can I identify puns in the Hebrew Bible?
The Bible sometimes uses words with multiple meanings to the effect of an intentional pun or wordplay. Punning seems especially common in Hebrew. I think that being aware of these literary devices ...
8
votes
4answers
723 views
How tall was Goliath?
In 1 Samuel 17, David intends to battle against Goliath and ultimately wins by slinging a single stone into his forehead before decapitating him. As Wikipedia can confirm, there are multiple accounts ...
8
votes
3answers
257 views
Does the Hebrew in Judges 4:4 explicitly identify Deborah as a woman?
I have no skill at reading Hebrew, so I was using some tool to try and parse the sentence in Judges 4:4. I noticed that the definition given for the second word (אִשָּׁה) is "woman"; but what I'm ...
8
votes
2answers
186 views
Was there some connection between barley bread and Gideon in the mind of the Midianites?
Before attacking the Midianite camp, Gideon does a little spying:
When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of ...
8
votes
2answers
114 views
Should the title in Isaiah 9 be translated?
Translators publishing for the Christian market translate the title in Isaiah 9:6:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his ...
8
votes
2answers
167 views
How should the first line of Judges 5:2 be translated?
So at some point, I'm hoping to be able to answer this question. In the meantime, though, I keep running into more questions, this one concering the first line of the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:2).
It ...
8
votes
2answers
190 views
Did Ahaz burn up his sons in the fire or pass them through the fire?
I believe the literal translation is that he passes his sons through the fire. Does that mean that they still lived but were scarred for life, or did they lose their lives?
2 Chronicles 28:3 ...
7
votes
3answers
475 views
How many people were involved in the Exodus?
According to Numbers 1:20-46 (NJPS):
They totaled as follows:
The descendants of Reuben, Israel’s first-born, the registration of the clans of their ancestral house, as listed by name, head by ...
7
votes
5answers
687 views
What are the differences between Hebrew and Aramaic?
Can anyone give a review on the main differences between Hebrew and Aramaic? Of course, I am asking in the context of the Bible, but if there are some other known ones that lay outside of the biblical ...
7
votes
4answers
119 views
Before the Tower of Babel did all speak Hebrew as the original human language?
I find it fascinating that rabbinic literature suggests that Hebrew was the original human language. I have seen Christian authors also argue the same.
For example, from the Jewish Encyclopedia:
...
7
votes
1answer
177 views
Is LXX “Enoch pleased God” a reasonable idiomatic translation of Hebrew “Enoch walked with God”?
The Septuagint translates the Hebrew phrase
וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנֹוךְ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים
"Enoch walked with God," from Genesis 5:22 as
εὐηρέστησεν δὲ ενωχ τῷ θεῷ
"Enoch pleased God." I would have ...
7
votes
1answer
83 views
Is Malachi a pseudonym?
The ESV has a note on Malachi 1:1:
The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.1
1:1 Malachi means my messenger
Malachi's Wikipedia entry shows that this has caused interpreters ...
7
votes
1answer
78 views
What does Genesis 3:16 literally say?
I've noticed that sometimes words are repeated in the hebrew text.
Gen 3:16 אֶֽל־ H413 to הָ·אִשָּׁ֣ה H802 Unto the woman אָמַ֗ר H559 he said הַרְבָּ֤ה H7235 I will greatly אַרְבֶּה֙ H7235 ...
7
votes
4answers
186 views
What did Isaiah intend with his unusual usage of “create” in Isaiah 45:7?
In Isaiah 45:7 (ESV):
I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and create calamity,
I am the LORD, who does all these things.
The word "create" (01254) is the same word used in ...
7
votes
2answers
122 views
What is the “Water” of Genesis 1:2?
We read in the creation account:
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.—Genesis 1:2 ...
7
votes
1answer
107 views
Where can I find Targum Neofiti online?
I'm looking for Targum Neofiti online in the original Hebrew/Aramaic lettering. Does anyone know where I can find it?
7
votes
2answers
777 views
Is “breath of life” in Genesis 2:7 is the same as spirit?
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
What is the meaning of "breath of life" ...
7
votes
2answers
160 views
Who is the prophetess in Isaiah 8:3?
The bible doesn't seem to give much information for who "the prophetess" in Isaiah 8:3 is. Who is she? Many seem to assert that she is his wife, but cite no evidence to support this.
The word ...
7
votes
3answers
426 views
Synthesizing Differing Translations of Proverbs 18:24
In the King James, Prov. 18:24 reads "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." This appears to be an admonition for the reader to ...
6
votes
1answer
457 views
Why does the King James have “turtle” in Song of Solomon 2:12?
Ernie Harwell was famous for starting his first baseball broadcast of the Detroit Tigers spring with the following quote:
Song of Solomon 2:11-12 (KJV)
11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain ...
6
votes
2answers
131 views
Why is “raah” usually translated differently in Amos 3:6 and 9:4
Why is "raah" usually translated differently in Amos 3:6 and 9:4, even in a super-literal translation:
6Is a trumpet blown in a city, And do people not tremble? Is there affliction in a city, And ...
6
votes
1answer
150 views
Is “faith” a correct translation in Deut 32:20 and Hab 2:4?
I recently noticed that in the KJV, the word "faith" only appears twice in the OT: Deuteronomy 32:20 and Habakkuk 2:4. I thought maybe those anomalies were due translation so I looked up the same ...
6
votes
1answer
156 views
Is the ESV rendering “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever” in Genesis 6:3 accurate?
I am reading through Genesis in the ESV for the first time and was struck by some unfamiliar wording in Genesis 6:3. It reads: "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days ...
6
votes
3answers
590 views
Were the Nephilim in Genesis 6 aliens?
Could Genesis 6:1-4 be talking about aliens? (ESV):
When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were ...
6
votes
2answers
195 views
To whom does El-Gibbor refer in Isaiah 9?
I've asked about the translation philosophy of the long title in Isaiah 9. This question drills down into one of the phrases: El-Gibbor. According to Wikipedia, there are two basic options:
The ...
