Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Exodus 24:9-10 NASB Saw – There’s just one little problem. “‘But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face,…
The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. Joshua 4:12 NIV Ready for battle – What does the odd Hebrew word ḥămūšîm really mean? In the NIV it is translated “ready for battle,” but in the NASB it appears as “in…
Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Philemon 1:20 NASB Benefit – We’re reaching the end. Just one more remark and Paul will wrap up his appeal. And since we’re reaching the end, it’s time to back off a bit from the aggressive exhortation. Now Paul lightens up. …
And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No, but we shall spend the night in the public square.” Genesis 19:2 NASB Rise early and go – Robert Alter…
Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the people which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; so they came to the land of Canaan. Genesis 12:5 NASB People – Language evolves. Words that used to mean one thing now mean…
As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-Cain, who forged every tool of copper and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. Genesis 4:22 Robert Alter Who forged – Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan offers the following translation of the phrase in this text: “a maker of all copper and iron implements,” but he notes that the Targum…
So the king consulted, and he made two golden calves; and he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people…
For He sates the thirsting throat and the hungry throat He fills with good. Psalm 107:9 Robert Alter Throat – Robert Alter stresses the need to translate Hebrew terms consistently. His point is simple. Hebrew has a rather sparse vocabulary. Often a single Hebrew word has many different potential English translations. Since English style tends…
Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, Genesis 9:8 NASB Saying – Note the same verse translated by Aryeh Kaplan: “God said to Noah and his sons with him.” [The Living Torah] And by Robert Alter: “And God said to Noah and to his sons with him.” [The Hebrew Bible]…
I have excerpted material from the following academic PDF so that you can have a better understanding of some of the issues surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls and the impact on modern biblical translations. Enjoy. Excerpts from: Emanuel Tov Understanding the Text of the Bible 65 Years after the Discovery of the Dead Sea…
