The news at the moment is that there are some updates to the ESV (see the list here). The ESV is, in my opinion, one of the poorer modern translations available, primarily because of its tendency to use outdated English, but there are also other problems with it. This post will not be a detailed…
Category: translation
the “plain meaning” fallacy
There are many fallacies to which readers and commentators on the Bible fall victim from time to time (D. A. Carson has written a very useful book on many of them, replete with sometimes amusing examples), but there is one which is often overlooked yet often committed: what I’ll dub the “plain meaning” fallacy. This…
be there dragons in isaiah 6?
Isaiah 6 is a magnificent account of Isaiah’s encounter with the true king. The scene features supernatural creatures, the שרפים (śĕrāphîm). Most translations going back as far as the Greek simply transliterate the Hebrew and so call the creatures “seraphim” (the Greek has σεραφιν). But I think there may be a viable alternative. Seraph is…
job’s wife
February 8th is International Septuagint Day. In celebration, this year I thought I’d post one of the two major differences between the LXX and MT in the Book of Job, the details of Job’s wife. For those unfamiliar with her, this is all we hear of and from Job’s wife in the MT: ותאמר לו…
genesis 1 is not poetry
What can I say? Genesis 1 is not poetry, nor is it some weird hybrid of poetry and prose. Genesis 1:27 alone is poetry, but the rest of the chapter is pretty much stock-standard biblical Hebrew narrative in regards to its syntax. It is not poetry! Why is this an issue? It’s an issue because…
the origins of the use of κυριος for יהוה
All extant manuscripts of the NT consistently use the Greek word κυριος (kyrios, ‘lord’) when translating the name of God in the OT, יהוה (Yhwh). The background to this is not entirely clear nor uncontested, but it is worth noting a few points about what is and isn’t known, and what is and isn’t likely.
should ‘christ’ be removed from english bibles?
Yes, in the tradition of tabloid journalism my heading for this post sounds controversial, but hear me out. We’re all used to seeing the word ‘Christ’ in English Bible translations. The only exceptions are the few which use the term ‘Messiah’ in its place (such as the HCSB). ‘Christ’ is, of course, a transliteration of…
why all is not fleeting in qohelet/ecclesiastes
Translators and scholars have long debated the best translation for the term הבל (hebel, traditionally “vanity”) in Qohelet (Ecclesiastes). The term refers to vapour, something intangible, but is almost always used metaphorically in the Hebrew Bible. Now rather than discuss all possible meanings, in this post I’d like to examine one particular proposal: that הבל…
is agape (ἀγάπη) love specially divine?
This last weekend I heard a talk in which it was claimed that the word ἀγάπη (agapē) was little used prior to the New Testament in Greek and was infused with new and special meaning by the writers of the NT, a meaning that reflects a divine, selfless, love. This is not a new claim,…
should the word ‘trinity’ appear in an english bible?
Opponents of the doctrine of the Trinity occasionally throw up the assertion that the word ‘Trinity’ never appears in the Bible as a supposed problem for the doctrine. The objection is, however, largely without merit. Read below the link for an assessment of this contention!