Do you rely on someone Else's translation or do you read your scripture in the original language?

Answer 1

Not many people read ancient hebrew or greek..

Answer 2

Both. While I can read the Greek of the New Testament, I am not fluent enough in the Hebrew to do it without using an interlinear version. That is a version which has the original language in larger print with English words over them to help you if you are not familiar with a particular word.

I use both the original language and translations in my reading and studying. While I can make my way through the langauages, I am not a "scholar". So it is helpful to see how others interprete the passages. Sometimes there is no one English word that has exactly the same meaning as the original. So it is helpful to see how others translate it to get all of the possible shades of meaning from the word.

When reading in English, I prefer the New King James version. It is a good translation, but also keeps most of the early KJ readings that I grow up with. More a matter of "tradition" then because it is the perfect translation or anything.

Answer 3

Well when considering the Bible Hebrew and Greek scholars alike agree that for the most part modern committee translations do an excellent job of rendering the original language.

I know very very little Hebrew. And I have taken two Greek courses in college. Though I forget most of my grammar rules I am still away of the semantics and grammatical rules.

So my final answer is both. I usually will use the English translation then when something strikes my curiosity or an important word in the text I will look up. Or if I sense a possible bias in the translation in the text.

Answer 4

Both. When researching a matter involving the NT, I read 2 or more reliable translations. When researching an OT matter, I also use 2 or more reliable "Christian" translations and the JPS's 1914 Hebrew Bible (in English).

However, if the matter involves a controversial translation of a passage or word (OT or NT), I rely upon the knowledge of my teacher, who has degrees in Biblical Hebrew and Greek, (although he has many other degrees). He's a pretty wise man and I trust him.

Answer 5

I use a Stongs Concordance and Dictionary, which gives you the Hebrew and Greek words, ao as to give you a bit more meaning.

However I do rely on the New american Standard Translation and English Standard Version for my daily reading.

Answer 6

That logic is why it is better to not rely on one person's translation ability; and have a large diverse group do the translation (as was the case with the KJV). (I am assuming the person does not know the original language(s) presently).

Answer 7

I do it all. I have things to help me look up the word whenever I need the Hebrew or Greek word when I need it. That's why I believe in the Gap Theory of Genesis 1:1 - 1:2. It's allowable and I think that the Earth has been here longer than 6000 years.

Answer 8

I'm learning to read heiroglyphs so I don't have to rely on someone else's translation. And I'd love to learn Greek, too, so I can read the Corpus Hermeticum in the original Greek.

Answer 9

I'm only trilingual, but when I can I prefer to turn to the original. Most often, I will get a side by side translation. (english on one side, X on the other.) That way, you get the understanding of your orignal language, but you can spot a bad translation, and this is also a learning aid for the orignal language of the text.

Answer 10

Fortunately I live in a city with a large Jewish population and have many opportunities to learn Hebrew. I've been studying for some time and recognize many Biblical words and phrases, but haven't conquered the language...yet!

During Torah study, we frequently read passages that we know from prayers in our service; the entire group sings those verses.

L'Shalom!
.

Answer 11

I read them in English using the ESV or NASB literal translations. I have studied Hebrew and Greek, and rely upon these languages when I need to do so.

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