How can my friend claim to follow God's Word in the Bible? He doesn't read Latin or Greek.?

Question

They're are no English translations that stick to the originals. It is impossible to transcribe meaning from one language to another exactly. You always get the interpetation of the translator. Which of course you then have to interpet yourself.

Answer 1

Hi, I am a student (35+yrs now) of the original manuscripts.
The King James 1611 has a letter printed in it from the translators that says that when they were translating from the original languages (Hebrew, Greek, Chaldee) that although they could basically get the verse to translate over to English, most of the deeper thought, or fuller thought would be lost in the attempt. The letter says that to get that deeper understanding , it will be necessary to go back to the original manuscripts. Thats why I started studying in them instead of the regular Bible, but I had to learn the three Bible languages to do it.
If a person cannot handle the languages, there is a book you should get called the "Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible". It contains every single word in the Bible, and takes it back to its original word in the language it comes from.
A simple example;
Moses. Okay, everyone knows who Moses is. But when you take it back to the Hebrew, you find its "drawn up from the water". You see how there is more information contained in it. Thats true of almost every name of a person or place in Scripture, and theres a wealth of information in that.
Another tool I insist my students have is a Companion Bible. This is a King James Version Bible, but it tells you what the manuscripts actually say about each and every verse contained in the King James.
It also has a large appendix with lots of other important information that is contained in the manuscripts, but not in your regular Bible.
When you state that its impossible to translate meaning from one language to another, yes, you are absolutely correct.
So very much is lost, and here is a real good example of that:

In the Garden of Eden, where it says Eve had Cain and then AGAIN bore his brother, Abel. That word "again" is not in the manuscripts. What IS THERE is "continued in labor". Eve had Cain and then her labor continued and she had a second child, Abel.
When you have a baby and your labor continues and you have a second one, what does that mean?? You just had twins.
Most people do not realize that Cain and Abel were twins. They would if they had the proper study tools, though.

Answer 2

Actually, there are interlinear translations that give you word for word like the Greek New Testament. I have one and read it often comparing that text with the NASB which is a non paraphrase translation. So your friend does have access to tools that get him closer to the original Greek or Hebrew. By the way... the Latin Vulgate Bible is a translation of the original Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew texts. Any historical document which has been translated from its original language into Latin or English will loose something in the translation; that phenomenon is not limited to the Bible. The beauty of the Bible is that the good Latin and English translations jive well with the original text. What's more, God is more than able to preserve the integrity of His Word!

Answer 3

Do you like the TV show "Ugly Betty"? Well you can't because you don't understand spanish. I think that was the original language. Most TV shows are copied from another country. That means, by your definition, you can't watch since they started in another country.

With the Bible, there are many modern translations. Most of which are suprisingly close in line with the oldest recorded manuscripts. The minor differences in language are the result of geography and time where meaning of words change. In english, the same word can mean three or four different things depending on use in a sentence.

Comparing the scriptures in modern translations gives us proper interpetation. Context of the scripture gives us the meaning.

Answer 4

No, there are people who are experts in translation alive today. So there are Latin and Greek scholars who have created updated versions of the Bible that are more accurate than ever before. The New American Standard Bible is the most word-for-word translation from the original texts. Next best is the New International Version. Translators generally avoid interpreting. They leave that to the pastors and teachers of the Bible. Finally, interpretation can be studied out, if you're honest about it. If you really want to know the original intent and meaning of something, you'll research it yourself. Not depend on somebody else to determine if it's correct or not.

Answer 5

Is your problem with;
1) Your friend?
2) That your friend claims to follow God's Word?
3) That your friend follows God Word?
4) That your friend doesn't read Latin or Greek?
5) That there are supposedly no English translations that stick to the originals?
6) That it is supposedly impossible to translate meanings exactly from one language to another?
7) God's Word?
8) God?
Cut out all the other garbage and be honest with yourself.

Answer 6

There are some very good translations from the original languages available. They render what they say, not intertpetations of what the translators thought they meant. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is a good example.

To the hear-say advocates.... 3 generations means the original hearers and witnesses were probably still alive... a generation being only 20 years. The gospels were written by the apostles who were there.

Answer 7

The bible as well as other useful work is addressed to individual human beings. There are no two individuals with the same spiritual maturity and recognitions, therefore, you can expected different understanding and interpretations of these works. However, if men would make the right effort to comprehend the values contain in them and seek to adjust accordingly, then things will be quite different from what they are at present. Truth is eternal and unchangeable. Wherever there is any disagreement amongst people about what they think is the truth, then the people involved should re-examine themselves.

Answer 8

I understand presently what you are talking about. Accepting the translation, (in USA usually English) will get one on the way. One way to minimize the translation hurdle is to use a version with multiple translators, such as the King James Version. (It is not 'perfect' either, but that brings up another issue(s)).
Would you prefer 100% ignorance of God's word currently versus '90%' knowledge of God's word?

Answer 9

Well, we do our best with what we have. That is why its good to study commentaries and translations that are closer to the original language. We lose some in the translation, you're right, but that doesn't mean that you can't get the main point.

Answer 10

Ever heard of the Strongs Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible with the Hebrew, Latin, Greek and others original languages?

Besides -

http://wings-of-an-eagle3.com/A_Biblical_And_Historical_Study_Of_The_Bible.doc