The Mechanical Translation of the Psalms is unlike any other translation available. Each Psalm is presented word-for-word in its original Hebrew order, preserving the structure and concrete meaning of the language rather than reshaping it into polished devotional English. The aim is not to interpret the text for you, but to let the Hebrew speak for itself.
Alongside the mechanical rendering is a revised version arranged into clearer English while remaining faithful to the original wording. This is an ongoing project, and new translations and commentaries are added as they are completed.
I have been told that a word for word translation is not possible as each word can have several meanings and the context will determine how each word is to be translated. I have found that this is not exactly true and it is possible to translate each word the same each time it occurs. However, the problem is that we need to understand the Hebrew vocabulary from a Hebraic perspective. To demonstrate this philosophy, let me use the English word branch as an example. [Continue the article]
The Mechanical Translation of the Hebrew Bible project began in 2005 with the publication of my Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. This lexicon laid the foundation for a translation of the Hebrew Bible where each word would be translated faithfully according to its original linguistic and cultural perspective. My vision of this translation included a translation that; [Continue the article]
If you are not familiar with my Bible translation work, I must first warn you. The translation you are about to read will seem very strange and foreign to you. The reason for this, is that the Bible was written in a world very different and foreign to our own. What you are seeing in this translation is an unabridged look at the Psalms from the perspective of the Biblical author. The translations most people are familiar with have “fixed” this foreignness of the text by replacing the ancient Hebraic flavor of the text with a more palatable modern English-friendly flavor. While this makes for easier reading, it unfortunately erases much of the original intent of the author. [Continue the article]
1 HAPPY {אַשְׁרֵי / ash'rey} the~MAN {הָאִישׁ / ha'ish} WHICH {אֲשֶׁר / a'sher} NOT {לֹא / lo} he~did~WALK(V) {הָלַךְ / ha'lakh} in~COUNSEL {בַּעֲצַת / ba'a'tsat} LOST~s {רְשָׁעִים / rê'sha'iym} and~in~ROAD {וּבְדֶרֶךְ / uv'de'rekh} FAILURE~s {חַטָּאִים / hha'ta'im} NOT {לֹא / lo} he~did~STAND(V) {עָמָד / a'mad} and~in~SETTLING {וּבְמוֹשַׁב / uv'moshav} MIMIC(V)~ing(mp) {לֵצִים / leytsiym} NOT {לֹא / lo} he~did~SETTLE(V) {יָשָׁב / ya'shav} RMT: Happy is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the lost ones, and in the road of the ones of failure he does not stand, and the settling places[1] of the mockers he does not settle. [Continue the chapter]