We had an interesting discussion at our Men's fellowship the other day. It was around the use of language and how it has evolved - in particular, with reference to the Bible. We have so many different translations of the Scriptures, all seeking to be more accurate, more relevant, more understandable. However, as language changes so does the meaning and context of a verse.
Read Psalm 66:5 for example:
"Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!" - New International Version
"Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men." - King James Version
"Come and see what our God has done,what awesome miracles he performs for people!" - New Living Translation
"Take a good look at God's wonders — they'll take your breath away." - The Message
"Come and see what God has done:he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man." - English Standard Version
For me, they all convey the same truth, but some of them sound 'better' to me. But that could do with my age, my upbringing, my education, my first language, my country.
So tell me, which one do you prefer? I'd love to know.
Living in Grace,
D3LM3
2 comments:
They all convey the same meaning to me. How well they do it for us personally will depend on the language we are used to hearing. Some ways of phrasing things though do grab one better than others. At the same time though we have to be mindful of the historical or social context that the translator was working in if we are to accurately hear the intention of the translation.
Absolutely Simon. I wouldn't want us to become 'critical' about the various translations as we need to understand their contexts - for example, 'Terrible' meant something very different 300 years ago & likewise 'Awesome' now means something different in modern usuage.
Thanks for the feedback.
Be blessed
Delme
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