The Lowly Preposition

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

Even though rulers sit and speak against me, your servant meditates on Your statutes.  Psalm 119:23  NASB Against – You will translate this tiny preposition according to the way you read the previous verse.  Why?  Because bĕhas a very wide range of meanings and context is often the only way to tell which English word to use.  Harris notes:…

Interpolation and Explanation

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

Both low and high, rich and poor together.  Psalm 49:2  NASB Both – By now you realize that translations are often interpretations rather than textual communication.  Remember Robert Alters’ warning: “ . . . modern English versions, impelled by the misconception that modern readers cannot make sense of parataxis and that everything in the biblical text…