DO NOT USE (deprecated)
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 ...
1
vote
1answer
123 views
Grammar-Literal Translation of Genesis 1:3 and 12:3
In Biblical Hebrew there are two simple verb types (Qal and Niphal) which convey no causation. Are the below revisions of the King James Version more accurate to the thoughts expressed by the grammar? ...
4
votes
2answers
35 views
Why does the YLT render “thunder” as “voices” in Exodus 20:18?
Most modern translations of Exodus 20:18a render it something like the ESV (all emphasis mine):
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet ...
6
votes
2answers
61 views
Blessed is the man who WALKS NOT or HAS NOT WALKED?
I noticed in studying the Psalms that Psalm 1 in the old Coverdale text reads, "Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, and hath not sat ...
6
votes
1answer
24 views
Is John 16:31 meant to be a question?
In the 1984 NIV, Jesus replies to his disciples in John 16:31 saying, "You believe at last!" However, there is also a footnote on the verse, "Or Do you now believe?" In the 2011 NIV, however, the ...
3
votes
1answer
33 views
How should the phrase ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ in John 16:8 be translated?
The 1984 NIV of John 16:7b-11 reads (emphasis mine):
Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of ...
3
votes
2answers
87 views
the word for “seven” compared with the word for “Sabbath” in Scripture
Is there a connection linguistically between the word for "Seven" and for "Sabbath" in the Biblical languages, Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek? If so, could someone explain it to me.
This is related to the ...
7
votes
2answers
119 views
In the Peshitta, what is the difference between the original word translated “Sabbath” and that translated “week?”
In Matthew 28:1 of the Aramaic Peshitta text, the word translated "Sabbath" and the word translated "week" appear similar but with slight variation.
Does anyone know what the significance is of the ...
5
votes
1answer
72 views
What is the name of Jesus in the Peshitta text?
In Matthew 1:21 what is the name of Jesus in the Peshitta text?
Is it the same as the name given in Luke 3:29, Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 which is rendered as Joshua in English?
10
votes
3answers
419 views
If Joshua can be translated why Is the name of Jesus translated “Jesus” but his name in hebrew was Joshua?
This question is in regard to Matthew 1:21, "His name shall be called Jesus for he will save his people from their sins." The question has two parts.
1) Strongs equates the name "Jesus" with the ...
8
votes
2answers
172 views
In the Peshitta NT, what was the original meaning of the word often translated “first day of the week”?
Is there an Aramaic word for "week" different from "Sabbath?"
Is the word for Sabbath used in the Peshitta New Testament in the following passages:
But on the eve of the Sabbath, when the first ...
4
votes
1answer
108 views
What has changed in Biblical scholarship since the Jerusalem Bible (1966) was published?
I have been reading through the Jerusalem Bible, published by the Roman Catholic Church, and have found a lot of pleasure in the copious footnotes and the surprisingly readable text. Obviously the ...
2
votes
2answers
116 views
What's the root definition of the word “judge” in Matthew 7:1?
What is the root definition of the word judge in the below scripture? Does it correlate to the currently accepted definition of judge?
Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1 KJV)
...
1
vote
1answer
36 views
Red Heifer or Heifer of Soil
How could we know if
פרה אדמה
in Num 19:2 refers either to
a red cow (parah edumah)
vs a cow of the soil (parah adamah)?
I would like someone to analyse the issue morphologically, ...
5
votes
2answers
93 views
Ezekiel 44:5 Mark Well
Ezekiel 44:5 ESV
And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, mark well, see with your
eyes, and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning
all the statutes of the temple of the Lord ...
2
votes
1answer
134 views
Psalm 23 - long long pursuit of the house of the LORD
I am puzzled by translations of the 23rd Psalm. I wish to bring those my puzzlement to your attention. Perhaps, someone could comment on it.
ינחני במעגלי צדק
The accepted translations are saying
...
2
votes
1answer
110 views
What kind of theological meaning does “pantokrator” carry?
Revelation 4:8 refers to God as κύριος, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, generally rendered Lord God Almighty. I'm interested in the last word: ὁ παντοκράτωρ. Would this have connoted omnipotence as the English ...
3
votes
1answer
103 views
A woman is not to put on a man's dress?
I came across a web page belonging to a christian person/org.
The page (carrying on a trait I find frequent among christian fundamentalist web sites) critiques other fundamentalist christian ...
4
votes
2answers
151 views
Exodus 20:5 - Jealous
I asked this question here
Exodus 20:5 NIV
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your
God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the
fathers to the ...
7
votes
1answer
179 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
74 views
Who were the “poor among the saints” in Jerusalem?
Near the end of Romans there are details about financial relationships between churches. It's never really occurred to me to read it as anything but the face value in English:
Romans 15:25-26 ...
2
votes
1answer
68 views
Who is judging who in Revelation 20:4?
The following verse towards the end of Revalation has an interesting turn of phrase:
Revelation 20:4 (ESV) (emphasis mine)
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the ...
4
votes
2answers
255 views
Psalms 46 - Be still or relax?
In Psalms 46-10 (Christian versions) or 46:11 (in Jewish versions), is the phrase
הרפו ודעו כי אנכי אלֹהים
In most English Bible translations הרפו is translated as
Be still .
With the ...
2
votes
1answer
78 views
Should קהלת actually translate to “Preacher”
Ecclesiastes starts with - words of קהלת son of David.
In Hebrew it does not say - the words of the קהלת.
Nor - words of the קהלת.
But simply - words of קהלת.
How do we know that קהלת translates to ...
2
votes
1answer
25 views
Is there a general way to know if a psalm or prophecy is talking about a tribe, a person or a mythical beast?
For example:
You rule the raging sea; you still its swelling waves.
You crush Rahab with a mortal blow; with your strong arm you scatter your foes.
Yours are the heavens, yours the ...
3
votes
2answers
130 views
What is the referent for “brother” in 1 John 4:20-21?
1 John 4:20-21
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this ...
8
votes
2answers
705 views
Was 'σκύβαλον' (skubalon) profanity?
In Philippians 3:8, Paul uses the word σκύβαλον (skubalon), which is usually translated as "dung" , "garbage", or "rubbish". I've heard that this was considered an impolite word with much stronger ...
5
votes
1answer
117 views
1 Pet 3:3 (NASB) “Your adornment must not be *merely* external”
1 Pet 3:3
Net Bible Let your beauty not be external – the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes
NIV Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate ...
1
vote
2answers
58 views
Who is the good and beautiful person in Zechariah 9:17?
There seem to be two main variants of English translations of Zechariah 9:17a:
The newer one, of which the NLT is a prime representative:
16On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people,
...
1
vote
1answer
59 views
Did God shut up Satan before he had the chance to accuse Yeshua?
Growing up with the the New Living Translation, I had alway thought that Zechariah 3:1 said that Satan was accusing Yeshua:
Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the ...
2
votes
1answer
279 views
Leaping over the threshold in Zephaniah 1:9
It would seem from the various translations of Zephaniah 1:9 that is is tricky to understand. Some translations give an apparently fairly vanilla, literal rendering:
On that day I will punish ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
What does “in the midst of the years” mean in Habakkuk 3:2?
The phrase "in the midst of the years" occurs in some more literal translations of Habakkuk 3:2:
Yahweh, I have heard the report of you, and your work, Yahweh, do I fear. In the midst of the years ...
7
votes
2answers
90 views
Is the usual translation of “ηὐχόμην” as “I could wish” justified in Romans 9:3?
In the early part of Romans 9, Paul speaks fervently of his hope and anguish concerning his fellow-countrymen, even contemplating losing his own salvation if it could gain theirs:
1I am speaking ...
4
votes
1answer
120 views
Is the death of the pious precious in the eyes of God?
How does one understand the word yakar in Psalms 116:15? Classic Jewish commentators explain the word in context to mean "difficult". However, that is not how is it commonly used nor is it in ...
11
votes
3answers
402 views
How should James 2:18 be translated?
James, when making the argument that faith without works is dead, makes this statement:
James 2:18-19 (ESV)
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith ...
6
votes
1answer
873 views
What does the term “principalities and powers” mean?
In some translations, I see the term "principalities and powers." To what does this refer?
This will not be exhaustive, but for example, consider the KJV's translation of Romans 8:38-39:
For I ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
Judgment like light(ning) in Hosea 6:5
ESV, NIV and NLT each have a rather distinctive translation of the last phrase of Hosea 6:5:
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment ...
1
vote
3answers
101 views
Is Hosea 4:11 teaching total abstinence from alcohol?
In Hosea 4:11 (ESV), God seems to condemn drinking wine:
They shall eat, but not be satisfied;
they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord
to cherish ...
4
votes
2answers
145 views
What are the four types of “wise men” in Daniel 2?
In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar has dealings with four types of "wise men". NIV and NLT render them "magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers." The ESV does something rather confusing and renders ...
3
votes
2answers
207 views
Is “wept on his neck” a Hebrew idiom?
In a number of places, the English Standard Version uses a phrase like "wept on his neck," e.g.
Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. —Genesis ...
6
votes
2answers
122 views
Brothers *and sisters* in modern translations
In the New Century Version, passages in the New Testament that were addressed to "brothers" are now "brothers and sisters". For example:
"Brothers and sisters, in the Scriptures the Holy Spirit ...
1
vote
2answers
76 views
Connotation of πλεονεξία in Colossians 3:5
Looking at Colossians 3:5 in Greek:
Νεκρώσατε οὖν τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν ἀκαθαρσίαν πάθος ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν, καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία.
Πλεονεξία, often translated ...
5
votes
2answers
218 views
Can “שָׂנֵא” mean “rejected”?
I have posted a question about the translation of μισέω in Romans 9:15, which quotes Malachi 1:2-3. To further dig into the question of whether "rejected" is a correct translation, I would like to ...
5
votes
3answers
610 views
How should ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion) be translated in Romans 3:25?
The word ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion) is often translated in Romans 3:25 as "propiation," "atonement," or "sacrifice [of atonement]" in Western conservative biblical translations. In Hebrews 9:5 it is ...
6
votes
1answer
464 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
1answer
133 views
How should Galatians 5:10 be translated?
Galatians 5:10 seems to have fairly separate meanings in modern translations
The NIV says that Paul is "confident in the Lord" that the Galatians will stay away from false teachings. I understand ...
4
votes
1answer
137 views
What is Shesh Mashzar?
The Hebrew words occuring all over the latter parts of Exodus:
שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר
mean some sort of fancy fabric. Is it reasonable to think of this as silk? I was thinking this might be derived from ...
2
votes
2answers
352 views
Is El-Shaddai “Sky God” where Sky==Breasts?
I found the name "El-Shaddai" mysterious, but while going over Genesis, found the following passage (Gen 49) Wikisource translation
From the god of your fathers, and he will help you, and the ...
1
vote
4answers
313 views
What else can “Fifteen cubits from above” in Gen 7:20 mean?
When translating Genesis, I took pains to preserve the implied flat-Earth cosmology that a naive reading suggests. One of the places where this made a big difference is in the story of Noah. Noah is ...
2
votes
1answer
229 views
Meaning of στοιχεῖον (stoicheion)
What does Paul mean by the word στοιχεῖον, and in particular the phrase τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου? Here is a list of occurrences of the word in the New Testament. Feel free to add discussion about the ...
