Lost in Translation

Itinerary

Pastoral Prayer: Lindsay Lagasse

Special Music: Originally, Katherine Hankey (unsure of the singers of the video I present)

Sermon: Lindsay Lagasse

Closing Prayer: Amber Clark

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Welcome Service

Pastoral Prayer: Father, we come to You today with eyes that are blind. The words you spoke through Your many worshippers have been lost to us, and we know not how to uncover the Truth. We pray to You here, Father, that You'll guide us to Heavenly knowledge and insight, so that we may do all that is pleasing You. Work with us here to help us retain what is said, so that as the end-time approaches, we can understand and do what You want from us. In Christ's name we pray, AMEN.



Tell me the Old, Old Story--Hymnal 196

http://www.digitalhymnal.org/dhindex.cfm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXmqCgCEWEo

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Good day, Brothers and Sisters! Today is a wonderful day to serve the Almighty Lord! It's cold outside, but the day still carry on. Every day we wake up breathing is a blessing from the Father. Anyway, I was doing my Bible study Thursday morning when I came across this idea for a sermon. But it wasn't right away that it hit me. I do my four chapters of reading like a lot of people do, but then I get this daily "Pocket Testimony" Bible study email. This week they mentioned Matthew 24, which claims it is easier to get a camel through a needle than it is for a rich man to get into Heaven. It went on to explain that in the original Bible, it was the Needle, not a needle. You see, in Jerusalem, they followed the Sabbath laws of no buying or selling on Sabbath. To discourage any breaking of this sacred law, they closed the main gates to carriages and such. But, they kept one small gate open for foot traffic. This gate was called Needle Gate. In order for a camel to fit, you had to unload everything from the camel and just pray the camel was not too big! It was difficult, but possible. That was what the Bible was relating it to. It took 17 years for me to find that out! All this time I thought it was pretty much saying it was impossible for a rich man to enter Heaven (seeing as it's impossible to fit a camel through a needle)! Talk about lost in translation! I didn't get God's hint until Thursday night, though. I was rereading the status I put up about the whole thing to my ma when it suddenly clicked. God had to be patient for ol' thick-headed Lindsay over here :)



But that is just one example of so many. In this sermon I present here today, I am going to cover just a few of the things I have uncovered that have been lost in translation from old Hebrew to modern English. Some things I say here today will, in fact, be repeats from past sermons, but that's quite alright, in my eyes. Doing repetitive things will help solidify what is to be taught in the lessons. Enjoy.



Part One; Alcohol

The word “wine” in the Bible sometimes refers to the new—or fresh juice of the grape; other times it is used to describe the aged or fermented product containing the drug alcohol. The translators never used the term “grape juice.” In the Hebrew text, the writers use different words to distinguish between the two. The word tîyrôsh is used for new unfermented wine, and yayin is generally used for fermented wine, but there were some exceptions (Isaiah 16:10). However, in the New Testament, only one Greek word is used to describe both fermented and fresh grape juice: oinis . But this shouldn’t be a problem. By simply understanding the context of the word in a passage, the appropriate meaning will usually surface. So, unless the passage says old or new wine (as in Luke 5:37–39), the context will often tell us what kind of grape juice is being described.



There are 52 occurrences of the Hebrew word tiyrosh. It is translated as wine in Gen 27:28, Gen 27:37, Deu 11:12-14 (3), Deu 12:17, Deu 14:23, Deu 18:4, Deu 28:51, Deu 33:28, Jdg 9:13, 2Ki 18:32, 2Ch 31:5, 2Ch 32:28, Neh 5:11, Neh 10:37, Neh 10:39, Neh 13:5, Neh 13:12, Psa 4:7, Pro 3:10, Isa 24:7, Isa 36:17, Isa 65:8 (2), Jer 31:12, Hos 2:8-9 (2), Hos 2:22, Hos 4:11, Hos 7:14, Hos 9:2, Hos 9:4, Hos 14:7, Joe 1:10, Joe 2:19, Joe 2:24, Mic 6:15, Hag 1:11, and Zec 9:17. It is translated as new wine in Neh 10:39, Neh 13:5, Neh 13:12, Pro 3:10, Isa 65:7-8 (2), Hos 4:11, Hos 9:2, Hag 1:10-11 (2), and Zec 9:17, and sweet wine in Mic 6:15. The new wine in the New Testament is not the same as the new wine mentioned in the Old Testament. The use of new wine in Acts 2:13 "These men are full of new wine." is the Greek gleukos, akin to glukus. This use in Acts 2:13, the only occasion of the Greek word gleukos, is not talking about fresh wine, but a highly intoxicating wine. If you read Acts 2:12, 13, you'll realize that in this occurrence, they are using the terms new wine to try and describe what they believe to be insanity. They think their fellows are drunk. So, one of the few occurrences that actual wine is used, it is for a negative purpose. The Greek word glukus is used three times and is in James 3:11 and Revelation 10:9-10. In Revelation 10:9-10 it is used two times and is translated sweet and one time in James 3:12 where it is translated fresh.



Words used for wine in the Old Testament

• gath (treading out grapes)


• chemer (fermenting)


• chamar (wine)


• yayin (intoxication)


• yeqeb (wine vat)


• mamsak (wine mixed with water and spices)


• sobe (concretely)


• enab (a grape)


• asiys (fresh grape juice)


• shekar (an intoxicant, intensely alcoholic liquor)


• tiyrosh (fresh grape juice)

Words used for wine in the New Testament

• glyoo'-kos (sweet wine, fermented)


• oinos (wine)


• oinophlugia (excess of wine)


• paroinos (concretely)

Part Two; Meat

I know many hate this part. Now, hey, you eat what you want. I am here to merely point out what has been lost in translations. Read Roman chapter 14, I believe, and you will see that God will not judge us based on what we eat, as long as we're not gluttonous and greedy. So I am not here to sway you on over to my vegetarian cult (though it'd be fantastic), I am merely here to point out a few things.



For example, in John 4:8 it states: "For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat." The word meat was taken from the Greek word trophe, which actually means nourishment. This is exactly the same case in Acts (9.19): "And when he had received meat, he was strengthened." When translated accurately it means that by receiving nourishment, he felt stronger. Now does that say yea or nay to meat? Not at all! I am pointing out the soul fact that just because our modern translations say meat, does not mean it IS meat.



In Luke (8.55) we find, "And her spirit came again and she arose straightaway: and he (Jesus) commanded to give her meat." The word meat in this case was translated from the Greek word phago, which translated correctly simply means to eat. Okay, so it doesn't make sense to our mind, but that's what it says! I suppose in proper english it would be that He commanded to give her something to eat? That's just my opinion on that one. Literal Old Hebrew to English is tough stuff...especially when English is such a wacky, disorganized language! :)



In I Corinthians (8.8) it states: "But meat commendeth us not to God, for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither if we eat not, are we the worse." The word for meat here is broma, which actually means food. Therefore, this verse signifies that eating or not eating food has little to do with our relationship to God and not, as some people think, that eating meat holds no wrong.



In Romans (14.20-21) the verses are: "For meat destroy not the word of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." The word for meat here is broma, which again is a general word that means foods, and the word for flesh is kreas, which does mean flesh. Therefore, this verse is another that is not necessarily supportive of eating meat, but makes it clear that flesh eating is unacceptable.



Part Three; Word Count

Faithful believers, we affirm without doubt the Bible to be totally infallible and inerrant, our sole and supreme authority of faith and practice. We affirm the Verbal Plenary Inspiration (VPI) and Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) of the Holy Scriptures and identify VPI and VPP Texts to be the Hebrew Masoretic and Greek Received Texts on which the Reformation Bible—the King James Bible—is based. But "what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (Rom 3:3-4).



Those who deny VPP believe that some words of God have been lost and remain lost leading to a "scribal error" view of the OT Scriptures. For instance, W Edward Glenny denies that God has perfectly preserved His Word so that no words have been lost. He says, "The evidence from the OT text suggests that such is not the case. We might have lost a few words …" (One Bible Only?, p121). Based on his "lost words" view of the Bible, he was quick to point out "obvious discrepancies" in the OT like 2 Chronicles 22:2, and pontificates, "These obvious discrepancies in the KJV and the Hebrew manuscripts on which it is based show that none of them perfectly preserved the inspired autographa." (One Bible Only?, p115).



Now, know that 2 Chronicles 22:2 reads "forty-two" in the KJV. A number of the modern versions like the NASV, NIV, and ESV read "twenty-two" instead. So which is the original, inspired reading: "forty-two" (in KJV), or "twenty-two" (in NASV, NIV, and ESV)? In making such a textual decision, we must have a perfect standard, and that infallible and inerrant standard is the inspired and preserved Hebrew Scripture, and not any translation ancient or modern.



It is significant to note that every single Hebrew manuscript reads "forty-two" (arebba’im wushetha’im) in 2 Chronicles 22:2. There is no evidence of lost words—every word to the letter is preserved, and reads precisely as "forty-two" as accurately translated in the KJV. If every Hebrew manuscript reads "forty-two" in 2 Chronicles 22:2, then on what basis do the NASV, NIV, and ESV change it to "twenty-two"? They change "forty-two" to "twenty-two" on the basis of the Septuagint (LXX) which is a Greek version of the Hebrew Scripture just like the NIV is an English version of it. In other words, they use a version or translation to correct the original Hebrew text!



A godly approach is one that presupposes the present infallibility and inerrancy of God’s Word not only when it speaks on salvation, but also when it speaks on history, geography or science. "Let God be true, but every man a liar" (Rom 3:4). Such a godly approach to difficult passages seeks to compare (not correct) Scripture with Scripture. There are two possible solutions to the so-called "problem" or "error" in 2 Chronicles 22:2. "Forty-two" could be either (1) Ahaziah’s years counted from the beginning of the dynasty founded by Omri, or (2) the year in which Ahaziah was actually seated as king though anointed as one at "twenty-two" (2 Kgs 8:26). Whatever the answer may be, the truth and fact is: the inspired and preserved Hebrew reading in 2 Chronicles 22:2 is "forty-two" and not "twenty-two," and no man has the right to change or correct God’s Word by "conjectural emendation,". "[..]taking heed to the serious warning not to add to or subtract from the Holy Scriptures" (Rev 22:18-19).



Part Four; Making a Point

Translating things wrong can have an immense affect on those who read it. For example: "Let's go eat, Grandma" verses "Let's go eat Grandma" is a HUGE difference! One little comma killed Grandma; imagine what a mistranslated word could do!

Just for your enjoyment (and to make my point more memorable), here are a few other funny translation errors made in modern times.

• Japanese hotel room - You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid


• Paris hotel elevator - Please leave your values at the front desk


• Tokyo hotel - It is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such a thing is please not read this notice


• Bucharest hotel - The list is being fixed for the next day. During this time you will be unbearable


• Leipzig elevator - Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up


• Athens hotel - Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11am daily


• Belgrade elevator - To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving then going alphabetically in national order


• Sarajevo hotel - The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid


• Moscow hotel - You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday


• Swiss menu - Our wines leave you nothing to hope for


• Hong Kong tailors shop - Ladies may have a fit upstairs


• Bangkok dry cleaners - Drop your trousers here for best results


• Paris dress shop - Dresses for street walking


• Rhodes tailor shop - Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation


• Hong Kong advert - Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists


• Rome laundry - Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time


• Swiss mountain inn - Special today... no ice cream


• Copenhagen airline - We take your bags and send them in all directions


• Norwegian lounge - Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar


• Tokyo shop - Our nylons cost more than common but they are better for the long run


• Acapulco hotel - The manager has personally passed all the water served here

A young believer once asked his pastor this question, "Pastor, are there any mistakes in the Bible?" The pastor assures the young believer with what he claims to be an "honest" answer, "There are no mistakes in the Bible that should cause you any worry." The pastor didn't know it, but he was lying to that poor believer. One must be so careful when exploring the wonders of the Word. I pray you open your eyes, Brothers and Sisters. I pray the Father guides you to Truth, rather than the Serpent leading you to lies. Have a great week.

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Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for blessing us with this beautiful day. Thank you for the words Lindsay has shared with us today and help us bring them to heart. I pray that this week you'll watch over all of us, help us with tests or projects we may have for school, and watch over all the travelers going home for break this weekend. Please help us remember to set aside time for you this week, I know often times we forget. It's in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.