HERMENEUTICS
TRANSLATIONS
 Grasping
God’s Word, (2nd ed.) by J. Scott
Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Chapter 9
 How to Read the Bible for All its Worth (3rd
ed.) by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart,
Chapter 2
Additional
resource: Bible Gateway
 http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible/
Why not use only one
translation?
•
Signals your implicit agreement with that
translation’s exegesis
•
•
Narrows your hermeneutical options
•
•
Its mistakes will be your misunderstandings
Only the originals are believed to be inerrant
Deprives you of the expertise of other
translators
•
Proverbs 11:14
•
Where no counsel is, the people fall:
but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Terms used by translators
•
•
•
•
Original language
Receptor language
Historical distance
Textual criticism
Translation theories
•
•
•
Literal (favoring formal equivalence)
Free (seeks to eliminate historical distance)
Dynamic Equivalent (favoring functional
equivalence)
L
I
T
E
R
A
L
F
R
E
E
DYNAMIC EQUIVALENCE
Bible Translations
•
Introduction
•
The Bible version (or translation) is different
from the marketing format used by the
publishers.
•
Translation - transferring a message in one
language into another language.
•
Translation is unavoidable unless everyone
wants to learn Hebrew and Greek. It allows
us to hear what God has said.
•
How did we get our English Bible?
•
God worked through the various human authors,
including their background, personality, cultural
context, writing style, faith commitments, research,
and so on, to that what they wrote was the inspired
Word of God.
•
Approaches to translating God’s Word
•
Not as simple as defining each word and
stringing together the definitions. Don’t
assume that literal automatically equals
accurate.
•
Languages differ:
•
•
•
•
No two words have exactly the same meaning.
The vocabulary of any two languages varies in
size.
Languages put words together differently.
Languages have different stylistic preferences.
•
Translation involves reproducing the
meaning of a text in a source language as
fully as possible in the receptor language.
•
Three main approaches to translation:
•
•
•
Formal – tries to follow the wording and
structure (“forms”) of the original language
Functional (a.k.a. Dynamic Equivalent) – tries to
express meaning of original text in today’s
language
Free – seeks to translate the ideas, with less
concern about using the exact words of the
original language
No translation is entirely formal or functional.
Formal
Functional
KJV
NASB
RSV
NRSV
ASV
NKJV
HCSB NET
NAB
NIV
Free
NJB
NCV
GNB
TNIV REB
NLT
CEV
The Message
ESV
– A paraphrase is not a translation from the
original languages, but a restatement or
explanation of an English translation.
– Use paraphrases like you would use
commentaries.
•
Choosing a translation
•
Uses modern English (whole point of
translation)
•
Based on the standard Hebrew and Greek
critical texts
•
Made by a committee rather than an
individual
•
Appropriate for your specific purpose at the
time
Problems Translators Face
Terms for Money
• Will always be subject to change due to
shifting currency values
• Luke 19:16
•
mina = a British pound (KJV) = $2.01
•
•
Translated an equivalent value at the time
mina = mina (NIV) = about three months
wages
•
Transliterated the word and added a note
Problems Translators Face
Euphemisms and idioms are used in most
cultures for matters of sex or toilet
1. Translate literally?
2. Translate formal equivalent?
3. Use a functionally equivalent
euphemism?
•
Gen.31:35, 18:11
•
1 Sam. 25:22, 1 Kings 14:10, 21:21
•
2 Sam. 13:14, Gen. 4:1
Problems Translators Face
Vocabulary variations
•
The Amplified Bible translators’
solution: provide a range of possible
meanings for readers to choose from
•
John 17:1 “Glorify and exalt and honor
and magnify Your Son, …”
•
1 Cor. 7:14, Gal. 1:7, 1 John 3:8 & 24
•
•
Can God make Himself known to us?
Is this how human persons talk?
Problems Translators Face
Wordplays
Grammar and Syntax
Matters of Gender
Choosing a Translation
•
Choose one main translation as your
personal companion
•
•
•
•
NIV is the most reliable
Uses modern English (the whole point of
translation)
Based on the standard Hebrew and Greek
critical texts
Made by a committee rather than an individual
How many translations should
you use?
•
Give it some friends to help it
•
A Formal Equivalent translation
•
•
A Free Translation
•
•
•
NASB is the best here
The Message or New Living Translation are both very interesting
Keep a copy of KJV in your library, for its historical and
lyrical value
Primary Goal of Your Primary Translation Choice:
•
•
Faithfulness to the text, and not
Ease of reading
A Common (or Pulpit) Bible
•
Problems when no single translation is
favored by the pulpit and C.E. ministries
•
•
•
•
Memorization
Delayed recognition, delayed response, delayed
application
Reduced authoritativeness
Benefits
•
•
Wakes people up
Encourages critical reading
A Common (or Pulpit) Bible
•
Can you gain the benefits that using a
multiplicity of translations may bring, without
encouraging multiple choice, flavor-of-theday, version-du-jour translation shuffling?