Am I reading my Bible correctly?
Is my Bible translated accurately?
Are Bible truths lost in translations?
Would you be surprised to learn that God does not “make” covenants, he “cuts” them? This is a major distinction that is erased in the translations.
I invite you to join me on a journey as we dig deep into the history of the Bible, its people, their culture and their language, and uncover hidden truths that have been lost through centuries of mistranslations, misinterpretations and textual manipulation.
By Jeff A. Benner
The Bible is an Ancient Near Eastern text, which was written millennia ago within a time and culture that is vastly different from our own. The authors of the Bible had a perspective on life and the world around them that was steeped with their own traditions, customs and thoughts. When reading and studying this text we cannot interject our own cultural perspectives into the text, to do so would bring about interpretations and conclusions that are far removed from its intended meaning. But if we read the Bible from the perspective of those who wrote it and study their language, philosophy and culture from within its original context, the Bible will spring to life in ways you never thought possible. (332 pages)
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Lost in Translation: The Aaronic Blessing
You are probably familiar with the English translation of the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:24-26.
The LORD bless you and keep you: The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. (RSV)
Notice that many of the words in this translation are abstract words, including; bless, keep, gracious, countenance and peace.
While we modern Western thinkers are comfortable with abstract thought, the Hebrew people were not. The Hebrew language uses words that are filled with concrete imagery that are lost when translated into English.
When we examine each of these words from their original cultural and linguistic perspectives, the message in this passage comes to life.
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