Language of the Bible... why is translation needed?

Question

If (hypothetical) the Bible is the inerrant word of God, why was it not set down in some universally understandable language of divine design, or at least in a way that translation and transliteration did not alter or obfuscate the meaning? After all, if it's the word of God and therefore infallible, shouldn't it be much more conducive to universally compatible interpretations instead of the current superfluity of conflicting beliefs based on the various Bibles?

Obviously looking for the Fundamentalist "Bible is the WORD of GAWD" type answers here. I understand it's a work of man.

No, there is no "universally understandable" language, but that is my point. Shouldn't an onmipotent god be able to communicate universally in his primary communication in which he provides all the rules, etc?

I don't understand "Latin Vulgate". That alone makes it not universally understandable, obviously.

rhsaunders, guys like you ruin good bar room debates. Just last Friday a guy like you interfered right before we figured out whether Bush would have sent Jenna and Barbara back in time to defeat Hitler if he had a time machine and they both had rings that would summon a giant magical genie when they put them together and said "Shazaam!"

Answer 1

If you like the Tower of Babel story, you would suppose that different languages were deliberately imposed to preclude such universal understanding. But the story, like god, is fiction, and there is little point in attempting to read the mind of a fictional character.

Answer 2

A very good question put forth by you. Firstly; the Bible was written for the few called the "elect" or "chosen" since all people are not being drawn nor called to Christianity today (see: John, chapter 6, verse 44) - God, the Father, does the choosing ! Further; the Bible is written in a way, which requires "devine inspiration" [Holy Spirit] within a "chosen" or Christian "elect" to decipher its meaning (see: John, chapter 14, verse 26). Finally; the "mysteries of heaven" were given only to the "elect" to understand (see both, Matthew, chapter 13, verse 11 & Luke, chapter 8, verse 10).
Now; the question arrises: "Why do Chrisitians even, bother spreading the Gospel message ?" The answer: to bear or announce to the world [public] that Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God, the Father, and us humans ! And, that at His return to the earth, EVERYONE, who never had a chance to become an "elect" - a Christian ... will then be given his or her chance. This includes any human ever born from the beginning of this earth forward. No work of man could last thousands upon thousands of years nor proclaim the past, present and future (with accuracy) like the Holy Bible has / is ! Even; archeologists (Hebrew University in Israel) use it to find and / or verify ancient relics, cities, towns etc. Conversly; some of those discoveries from digs, further, prove the Biblical historical record and validity of the Bible.
Since the Bible is largly not discussed openly, people assume that there is no evidence to substantiate it with. If you know where to look and what information to reference, you begin to see why it is the world's number 1 seller of all-time.

Answer 3

The Septuagint Version (285 BC) – This was a translation of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Probably done in Alexandria. The Samaritan Pentateuch BC?) – A copy of the Hebrew text done in Samaritan characters. The Peschito or Syriac (1st or 2nd Century AD) – A common language translation of the entire Bible used in parts of Syria. The Codex Sinia us(330 AD) – A manuscript that contained the Greek Bible. It was purchased from Russia in 1933 by Great Britain and is now housed in the British Museum. The Codex Vatican us (340 AD) – this manuscript is currently housed in the Vatican library in Rome. It originally contained the whole Bible, but parts have been lost. The Vulgate (400 AD) – A Roman Catholic scholar in Bethlehem by the name of Jerome translated the entire Bible into Latin. This Bible became the standard in the Catholic church for well over 1,000 years. The Codex Alexandrinus (425 AD) – This Bible is another Green translation. It is currently housed in the British museum, complete except 40 leaves. Early English Versions All of the earliest attempts at translating the Bible into English were fragmented. For example, Bishop Aldhelm of Sherbourne translated the Psalm into Old English around 709. Venerable Bede, a monk at Jarrow, translated a potion of the Gospel of John. By 900 AD all the Gospels and most of the Old Testament had been translated into Old English. John Wycliffe (1380) – was the first to plan a complete English translation of the Bible from the Latin. His translation was based on the Latin Vulgate. He completed the New Testament prior to his death, and his friends completed the work after his death.

Answer 4

What "universally understandable language" are you talking about? The [alleged] universally understood mathematical communication model spoken of in the movie "Contact?" The only generally-known communications, in my opinion, are a "sword" (act of aggression) and a "kiss" (act of friendship/attraction), and those are terribly difficult to put into a universally understandable written form - especially a form that would dictate any sort of detail regarding the subject.

If you want to talk about people arguing over the translation, meaning, and intention of the Bible, you should also consider other written documents that cause debate. There are well-paid members of our (America's) government that do nothing but research the time period and documents of the revolutionary era to realize the 'true' meaning of USA's Constitution, and how the writers' political opinions affected the initial forming of our government. These "Constitution Scholars" impact the legislation of the laws we live by today.

If you're concerned with personal interpretation of old documents, the documents of your country would seem to be a more worthwhile subject to be concerned with - not the doctrines of a religion you don't apparently adhere to and thereby wouldn't affect your activities and daily life.

Answer 5

why was it not set down in some universally understandable language of divine design,

It was.....called the Latin Vulgate and created by St Jerome at the request of the Pope some 1600-1700 years ago. This translation is still considered the recognized official version and is the most correct and accurate of any translation from the actual original tongues.

According to the parameters you have set, this version qualifies. The most accurate, oldest, and universal... able to be read by any learned/educated person from any country or nationality.

Answer 6

You would think he would just come down and tell them. The people of the time were illiterate. Even today a large percentage of the worlds population is illiterate.

Answer 7

God wants us to seek him not just his word. The letter killeth but the spirit gives life. Anything worthwhile is worth studying. Which we are told in scripture to do. Study to show yourself approved unto God a workman that needs not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.

Answer 8

God's love is universal. That is the message that the Bible delivers to us.

Out of all the diffrent diversities of dominations that tell us what sin is and isin't and how not to sin, how to sway from it... none of that even comes close to the clear message of his love and that we can be forgiven of those sins, ever how unclear they might be.

Rules, LAWS... the purpose of those laws are there to teach us how to live for him, so that others might see and want to walk with him as we do. In the beggining God had one law for man, but that law was broken just as we break the "laws" that he has given to us today.

If we do not understand something and believe because of what our dominations have tought us, if we are confused about what he wants us to do. God sees this and understands that we are trying to learn about him, and trying to live for him. He can read deep into our hearts and know our intentions.

Answer 9

It was transcribed through man, but it is Divinely Inspired. So it's not *entirely* a work of man. Any "errors" in it would be human ones, nothing to do with God. Just wanted to clear that up.

Answer 10

Well, God gave us the ability to learn Greek and Hebrew instead. It's just that most people are too lazy.