One of the most influential Bible translation decisions in history is also one of the strangest. This was the decision to not translate or transliterate the name of God used in the Old Testament - Yahweh. "Yahweh" appears 6828 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, far more than any other name and nearly three times as much as "Elohim" (God). Since Yahweh is a name, one would normally expect to see it or something close to it in translations. Instead, in most modern English Bibles, Yahweh is translated as "The LORD," with LORD in all capital letters.
This translation decision did not originate in English translations. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament made before the time of Christ, rendered Yahweh with the Greek word "Kurios," meaning Lord. Kurios does not always refer to a divine being, but can also be an earthly lord or master. The Septuagint was a translation made by Jews, and perhaps the Jewish custom of not speaking the name of Yahweh out loud figured into this translation decision. The Greek New Testament continued the tradition, as did the Latin Vulgate, which uses "Dominus." More recently, the Holmann Christian Standard Bible chose to use "Yahweh" in some places (such as Exodus 6:3), yet it retains the usage of "The LORD" in most places.
This translation decision is too nearly unanimous and has too much church tradition behind it to call it seriously into question. Still, it has some disadvantages. Some passages have a confusing sound: "The LORD said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool" (Psalm 110:1, quoted also in Luke 20:42). Who is speaking, who is listening and who are they talking about? It would be easier to understand if the translation was "Yahweh said to my master..."
Also, in English, the words "Lord" and "God" are completely interchangeable - most any sentence that uses one of those words could use the other instead. However, the usage of the Hebrew originals "Yahweh" (The LORD) and "Elohim" (God) are very different. We tend to lose this distinction, possibly due to the translation decision. For example, Yahweh is used in an Israelite context (Daniel 9) and Elohim is used in a Gentile context (Daniel 1-8, 10-12). Elohim is used in a creation context (Genesis 1, Psalms 19:1) and Yahweh is used in a lawgiver/judge context (Genesis 2 and 3, Psalms 19:7). Because Yahweh is a personal name and Elohim is a title, the use of Yahweh is usually more personal than Elohim.
The best thing a non-Hebrew reader of the Bible can do is look for and notice the distinction between "The LORD" and "lord." The first is the translation of the name, Yahweh, while the second is a translation of "adonai," a word which can mean either a divine or an earthly master.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Bible Translation Decisions - Names
This is the first on what I hope will be several blog entries related to English Bible Translation Decisions. I hold a high view of the authority of scripture and hope that these entries are taken in a way that honors the Bible. This entry deals with names.
In English translations of the New Testament, names of cities match the names given in the Old Testament. Jerusalem is still Jerusalem, Bethlehem is still Bethlehem, etc. I am glad about this. I wish that the same thing had been done with names of people, but it was not. I do also think it is understandable that we use English pronunciations rather than Hebrew originals (Jerusalem is from the Hebrew Yerushalayim), as this is standard practice in the English language when dealing with foreign names.
Because the New Testament comes to us in Greek and the Old Testament in Hebrew, the New Testament (NT) names are often Greek transliterations of a Hebrew name, so they end up sounding different, even though they are really the exact same name. For example, Simon (NT) is Simeon (OT). Judas (NT) is Judah (OT). Also, Judas is the same name as Jude, the book before Revelation. Mary (NT) is Miriam (OT). A few names have carried over: Joseph is still Joseph. A strange one is that James (NT) = Jacob (OT). That switch seems different from the others, because James is not a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Jacob. This not due to the influence of King James, as both Tyndale and Wycliffe translated using James before King James was born. I've read that it is due to a roundabout Latin and French influence.
When the New Testament references Old Testament characters, the English Bible translations keep the Old Testament names, which is good because if it didn't it would really be confusing. Jacob is still Jacob in the New Testament, as long as the Jacob in question is Isaac's son/Abraham's grandson.
The name of Jesus is a special case, since Jesus is the Hebrew "Yeshua," which is a short form of Joshua, the son of Nun. The longer form "Yehoshua" is used throughout the Old Testament, except for one entry in Chronicles, which shortens it to "Yeshua." So I do think it is understandable that Jesus is not translated as Joshua, since the New Testament name is not the same name as the one usually used in the Old Testament.
If we understand that the New Testament uses many of the same names as Old Testament characters, it may increase our understanding of the unity of all scripture, both Old and New Testament.
In English translations of the New Testament, names of cities match the names given in the Old Testament. Jerusalem is still Jerusalem, Bethlehem is still Bethlehem, etc. I am glad about this. I wish that the same thing had been done with names of people, but it was not. I do also think it is understandable that we use English pronunciations rather than Hebrew originals (Jerusalem is from the Hebrew Yerushalayim), as this is standard practice in the English language when dealing with foreign names.
Because the New Testament comes to us in Greek and the Old Testament in Hebrew, the New Testament (NT) names are often Greek transliterations of a Hebrew name, so they end up sounding different, even though they are really the exact same name. For example, Simon (NT) is Simeon (OT). Judas (NT) is Judah (OT). Also, Judas is the same name as Jude, the book before Revelation. Mary (NT) is Miriam (OT). A few names have carried over: Joseph is still Joseph. A strange one is that James (NT) = Jacob (OT). That switch seems different from the others, because James is not a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Jacob. This not due to the influence of King James, as both Tyndale and Wycliffe translated using James before King James was born. I've read that it is due to a roundabout Latin and French influence.
When the New Testament references Old Testament characters, the English Bible translations keep the Old Testament names, which is good because if it didn't it would really be confusing. Jacob is still Jacob in the New Testament, as long as the Jacob in question is Isaac's son/Abraham's grandson.
The name of Jesus is a special case, since Jesus is the Hebrew "Yeshua," which is a short form of Joshua, the son of Nun. The longer form "Yehoshua" is used throughout the Old Testament, except for one entry in Chronicles, which shortens it to "Yeshua." So I do think it is understandable that Jesus is not translated as Joshua, since the New Testament name is not the same name as the one usually used in the Old Testament.
If we understand that the New Testament uses many of the same names as Old Testament characters, it may increase our understanding of the unity of all scripture, both Old and New Testament.
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