Let me add a little substance to my post yesterday. I have a tenancy to be cynical when it comes to languages, not because I wish to display any ability of mine, but because I’ve learned that it is VERY important to ensure you are not adding to the Words of God by promoting your own meaning with His text. In all honestly, I’m just as likely to make mistakes at this point…I haven’t learned enough Hebrew to be effective in using it yet.
What makes Hebrew or Greek difficult?
1. In order to use a language, you need to know “syntax/grammar” not just the meaning of words. Remember sentence diagramming in elementary school, where you had to show the relationship of words? Well, that matters a lot in other languages too. The Greek word for “the” has 24 different forms. Why? Because how it is used in a sentence matters.
2. No word means the same thing every time it appears in Scripture. “Son” in Hebrew is used to identify children, distant relatives, and even the nation of Israel. We’d have some really interesting stories if we translated “the Sons of Israel” as if it always mean Jacob’s 12 sons. The Hebrew word “day” can mean a physical day, or an span of time.What indicates which meaning is being used? Lots of things, in particular, the words “evening” “morning” or “first day” always specify a 24 hour period of time. Hmmm…wish a lot more scientists were aware of that.
3. Greeks and Hebrews had idioms too. Have you ever heard the expression “my dogs are barking” or “we’re cooking with gas, now”? Well, they don’t mean the way they sound…which is why non-English speakers spend time specifically learning to identify these phrases before being thrown into the language. Greek has some word combination that can’t be easily translated either. How would you know? You’ve got to know the language!
4. What time frame is it? Greek and Hebrew have very different ways of specifying past, present, and future. Completed action, action in progress, and potential action. Greek builds it all into different forms of the verb. Hebrew uses the same verbs, in a specific order with other words. Either way, there’s a big difference between the statement if you get these elements wrong. “I am my beloved’s” vs. “I was my beloved’s” vs. “I might be my beloved’s” (just a humorous joke, not a real example)
So many people think that getting a tattoo in a foreign language is cool, and many who try take their phrases from the sacred words of Scripture.
This is not unlike people who know enough Hebrew or Greek to use Strong’s Concordance, or sound out the words of a phrase Jesus spoke and conclude that the sound of the Greek “Obama” points us toward the antichrist.
Tip for the world: if you don’t know the language, don’t use the language!!!
There’s a lot more too it than the meaning of individual words, and the picture above illustrates. This poor guy tried to copy the VERY popular phrase, I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…and ended up with a broken phrase that suggests incest with his father. Even in it’s proper form, this phrase speaks of a male lover: it can only truly be taken as a female’s statement.
Think this is just a fluke?
BadHebrew.com posts another tattoo every couples of days!
I check back for a good laugh all the time.
And the poor use of language for ’spiritual reasons’ is more common that its’ misuse on tattoos.
Continue reading about The Misuse of the Bible: This will make you laugh or cry!
After a year of intense reading, going through the pages of Scripture at a breakneck pace, I’ve decided to make sure my personal study of the Bible this coming year becomes much more thoughtful and interesting. Along those lines, I have sought out a Bible that boldly reorganizes the passages of Scripture so that I can read the different books along the lines of history.
After some initial disappointment over the lack of Chronological Bibles available, I stumbled upon a gem by Thomas Nelson. Full color pages, integrated discussions on parallel secular historical events, and beautiful illustrations drew me into the great resource, and I highly recommend that you take a moment to look at it yourself at http://www.chronologicalstudybible.com/
I also need to mention that in my opinion, Chronological Bible Reading Plans are an insufficient solution. There are a lot of them, both electronic and print, but they do not do justice to the experience I am looking for, for the following reasons:
- They do not help me understand where the events of the Bible fit into the events of the surrounding world and cultures.
- They don’t provide any commentary on how the passages they put together relate…so sometimes I do not know why I’m reading two passages on the same day.
- It’s not easy to follow reading plans…not as easy as simply picking up a single book and reading straight through it.
- A physical Bible allows me to write notes, and go back to a single book for later reference, and surf through the historical organization of the text by flipping through pages.
In the end, if you are a serious Christian looking for a great new experience in reading the Word of God, add this to your library. I plan on having it as a constant companion over the next few years, as a testimony to another read through the entire Bible, and as a reference for my library for future ministry.
Thanks Thomas Nelson Publishers! I know that this Bible project was not cheap, free from criticism, or easy. It’s a HUGE accomplishment and one that deserves a lot more appreciation than it has been given. For my part, I love it!
Buy it cheap at Christian Book.com
Continue reading about My New Bible: A Historical Journey through the Word of God
Lately I’ve gotten a few astounded remarks regarding my Bible in a Year post. People see it as such a huge accomplishment…and while I agree that it’s hard work, I think that its appropriate to put the work into perspective. It has been a humbling experience for me to realize some of the dynamics of reading below:
Everyone reads a lot more than they think they do:
Regardless of whether it is scrolling stock prices, passing billboards, online news headlines, or interesting novels on the shelves at Barnes and Noble, we live in a society of readers. And most of us digest a lot more text than we think. A year ago a friend of mine posted an astounding analysis of this very phenomenon on his blog, and it seems appropriate to share the results here:
What are we feeding our minds with?
The question is not, ‘Are we reading?’ The question is, ‘Is what we read building us up, or tearing us down?’ If the principle of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ is true, then what is our constant appetite for television shows like “Desperate Housewives” and “24″ doing to us? What is it turning us into?
Reading the Bible takes more time than reading a book:
The Bible is a book that involves deep meaning in every page. The act of reading it is an act that allows us to hear the voice of God. It should read at the speed of an academic paper…accompanied by notes, prayers, and appropriate amounts of research.
Thanks to Whitney, Dan and others for their insightful and challenging questions.
Continue reading about Bible in a Year, Follow up: It’s not that big a deal!
About this time 1 year ago, I decided to start following the Bible in 1 year plan laid out by the website, YouVersion.com. While I later left the website behind, I continued on their daily Bible reading plan, and even managed to finish early. The day before Thanksgiving I spent some time in prayer before wrapping up the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament.
Before you applaud my valiant effort and godly motivations, let me admit that much of the reading has been required for class, as well as being a part of my goals. This task has been done in boredom and in inspiration, with little results and with great results over the past year. My best thoughts from the experience are below.
1. The Bible must always been seen as a whole story. Too many misconceptions about God arise from an ill knowledge of the whole story of Scripture. It’s difficult to gain a full understanding of God with a limited knowledge of all that He has written and done.
2. There is infinitely more about the Bible than can be learned by reading it through once. The Bible is a huge book, meant to provide us with instruction throughout our entire lives. The meaning of some Scriptures are only open to us in certain periods or events in our life. It’s a pleasure to keep reading and experiencing all that God wishes to share. It’s humbling to know that I’ll never experience the full counsel of God in this lifetime…it’s too big for one person…He’s too big to know in one lifetime.
3. The books of prophecy are the most neglected books in Scripture…and because of that, we miss a lot as Christians. During the exciting historical books of the kings (1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles) the prophets are speaking to the kings, giving God’s perspective on all the events of the time. By failing to listen to them, we fail to hear God’s perspective on important events. I need to find a better resource for myself and for others to be able to experience the words of God in this part of the Bible.
4. Discipline is a major key to spiritual growth. Getting held to a schedule of regular Bible reading really gave more consistency to my thoughts and focus on God. It made my prayers more regular, my mornings more productive, and grew my willingness to focus on the Spirit of God at work in my life. Rigid discipline can push people to legalism and pride, but it also opens the door to greater intimacy with God. I encourage you not to fear it. More often than not, I believe you’ll find it working for good.
Continue reading about The Bible in 1 Year: Mission Accomplished!!!
