Why I Began the Mechanical Translation Project

While reading the Bible, I came across an excellent example of why I was motivated to create a mechanical translation of the Bible.

Behold, you have driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from your face shall I be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one who finds me shall slay me. (Genesis 4:14, KJV)

The word "earth" is found twice in this verse and I assumed that "earth" was the translation of the Hebrew word erets, which it usually is. But when I looked these two words up, I found that I was wrong. The first occurrence is the word adamah, meaning "ground." The second occurrence is the word erets.

I believe the author chose the word for ground because it connects back to the blood crying out from the ground from verse 10.

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. (Genesis 4:10, KJV)

But because the translators have decided to translate as they did, it is impossible for the reader to make this connection.

I should point out that some translations do translate these two words differently, such as the ESV, NKJV, NASB and the NIV. However, in the case of the NIV, in verse 10 it translates adamah as “ground,” but in verse 14 it translates it as “land,” so the reader would still not make this connection with these two verses in the NIV.

Here are verses 10 and 14 in my Revised Mechanical Translation.

and he said, what did you do, the voice of the bloodshed of your brother is crying out to me from the ground, (Genesis 4:10, RMT)

Though you cast me out today from upon the face of the ground, and I will be hidden from your face, but I will exist in the land staggering and nodding, and it will come to pass, all the ones finding me will kill me, (Genesis 4:14, RMT)