How much of the bible is ambiguous due to the fact it was originally written in another language?

Question

Some words or phrases loose their 'true' meanings when they are translated.How much of the bible is possibly 'untrue' now in its present form?

Answer 1

At this point, no one really knows how much has been lost in translation and re-translation of a book written in hundreds of versions over the course of the last 1800 years or so. Do you realize that? NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS.

Answer 2

That depends on your edition. With the King James or the New King James very little, because it was directly translated, and any words that did not have an original translated meaning had words created for them.

Other editions, which are almost invariably further translations and extrapolations of the KJV are slightly more ambiguous, but again not much because that translation was within the "same" language.

Undoubtedly, many phrases lose important inferenced meanings, and certainly some words lose their flare. I feel that much of the poetry is lost when you move beyond the KJV or the New KJV, but overall I would say that the message is intact.


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Answer 3

Most remarkable is the way the Bible has come down to this day. For thousands of years, and until the invention of printing about five hundred years ago, copies of the Bible had to be made by hand. It was copied over and over again, but always with great care. Today, there are still in existence about 16,000 handwritten copies of the Bible, or parts of the Bible, some even surviving from the second century before Christ. No other literary work of ancient times was so diligently copied and recopied. By comparing many handwritten copies, it has been proved that the errors made in recopying were very few, and, further, it has been possible to establish the original text of the Bible. A leading authority on Bible manuscripts, Sir Frederic Kenyon, says: “The last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed.” Moreover, accurate translations have been made into nearly all of earth’s languages, from the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages in which the Bible was originally written.

Some have tried to discredit the Bible by saying it is inaccurate. But in recent years, archaeologists have dug into the ruins of ancient cities in Bible lands and have found inscriptions and other evidence proving conclusively that the persons and places mentioned even in the oldest Bible records actually existed. They have unearthed much evidence pointing to a global deluge, which the Bible says took place more than 4,000 years ago, in Noah’s day. On this point, Prince Mikasa, who is well-known as a student of and authority on archaeology, states: “Was there really a Flood? As the result of excavations by archaeologists in recent years, the fact that the flood actually took place has been convincingly proved.”

In fact, the Bible in itself bears the stamp of accurate history. Events are linked to specific times and dates, unlike those of most ancient myths and legends. Many events recorded in the Bible are supported by inscriptions dating from those times. Where there is a difference between the Bible and some ancient inscription, the discrepancy can often be attributed to the ancient rulers’ distaste for recording their own defeats and their desire to magnify their successes.

Answer 4

There are numerous translations of the bible in every conceivable language. It is enough to just look at the English versions to realize that the word of God is diluted indeed.
Here are some examples between King James Bible and the New international Version:

Matt. 9:13
King James Bible
...I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

New International Version
...I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

John 6:47
King James Bible
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life

New International Version
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

As you can see that whilst the changes are small, the meaning is very different. There are numerous examples of this…

Answer 5

Not only was it written in another language, but in another culture. Like did you know that the whole Turn the other check thing is not a form of passivness? In Bible times, a master would backhand slap a servant and foreward slap an equal. Turning the other check would make the person slap you as an equal.

Answer 6

nope.. that's why the English in the bible is so proper or old, so that it can give the true meaning.. I speak Arabic which is very close to the Jesus language (Aramaic). I always compare my bible which was written in Aramaic to the one in English, and I find the phrases and words are all the same. so No, everything is true.

Answer 7

Since there are still people ALIVE that can read those languages, I would suspect there's NOT a lot lost. That's why those "translators" at the U.N. get paid so much. The learn a foreign language and "translate" what is being said. It's NOT a big mystery.

Answer 8

There's not just a "lost in translation" issue, but men are known to taint stories with their own opinions. If I tell a story, I tell it from my point of view...and another may see it differently. Who's story is true? Same goes for cultural differences. Two people may view an event at the same exact moment, but to one it may be one thing, but to another it may be completely opposite, even though they both saw the same event. I believe the true meaning of the bible lies not within its words, but more impotantly, what those words create in the heart of its reader. Truth comes from within yourself.

Answer 9

what you mean by change in meaning. don't be sceptical. the god's spirit is the same. thank god that bible has been translated to many language. we are able to read. imagine a Muslim don't know Arabic and a Hindu who don't know Sanskrit, if they meet ,how both will communicate each other?

Answer 10

You are right. Additionally, even when they are having a next edition, the words may change, added, deleted or replaced, unknowingly or even deliberately.

The above is true for all scriptures or even political newses in elctronic media.