Matthew 5:5

"Happy are the meek: for they shall inherit the land."  When one considers what personal qualities might lead to long term happiness, being "meek" isn't necessarily the first one that comes to mind.  Even within the community of folks who proclaim loudly their fealty to Jesus, a propensity to name calling rather than reasoned discourse is very evident.  Sometimes, the missing characteristic of Christians on the Internet seems to be a meek spirit.  It is a very strange omission. And, perhaps the times have always been this way.  One thing is clear: Jesus was being counter-cultural even in first century Palestine. But, as we do follow this path, the deeper our sense of happiness becomes.  And we do inherit the land!

Matthew 5:4

"Happy are those who mourn: for they shall be beside-called."  Rather than the typical "comforted", the Etymological New Testament has "beside-called."  PARAKALEO is a two part Greek word (indicated in the ENT by a hyphen) that is ultra-literally "beside-called".  As one reads the ENT, the various ways that this word is used becomes evident.  Sometimes the sense is encouragement.  Other times rebuke.  In this case, the context is that the one who is calling alongside is there to comfort. An alternatively literal translation, one might read: "Happy are those who mourn, because they will be comforted by those calling alongside." This can be found at www.holywindlivingbreath.blogspot.com.

Matthew 5:3

"Happy are the poor, in wind: for theirs is the realm of upward-vision." 

Though it uses the framework of the American Standard Version, the Etymological New Testament provides many Greek etymologies in each passage of scripture.  This combination of a very literal ASV framework and ultra literal information can be very useful in personal reflection upon the text. 

In the ENT's translation of verse three of Matthew five, it is important to note that it is the poor as such and not the "poor in spirit" who are the subject of Jesus' beatitude.  And, these poor have a happiness, even in poverty: theirs is the new realm of a higher vision in life. 

Revelation 22:20

"The one who testifieth these things saith, Yea: I am coming swiftly, Amen: be coming, Affirmer Jesus."  Most contemporary Bibles have the word "soon" rather than "swiftly" in this verse.  What sounds like a fine difference can have some interesting implications, however, in how we understand what's being said. In this case, the Etymological New Testament seems to have the more consistent translation, one of speed rather than imminence.  As noted in the last post, the ENT makes clear in these several verses that Jesus "is coming", or as the request is here, in verse 20, "Be coming!" The ongoing nature of this coming of Jesus to us, to the holy-ones, can be both a promise and our present experience.

Revelation 22:17

"And the Wind and the bride say, Be coming.  And the one who heareth, let the same say, Be coming.  And the one who is athirst, be coming.  The one who is willing: be taking the water of life freely."  We hear the invitation from two sources: the Wind and the Bride.  The Spirit beckons as do the people of God.  Inward and outward calls to "be coming".  This English form is used several times in this passage in the Etymological New Testament to make emphatic the continuing, ongoing nature of the call.  If we are continually willing, we may be continually coming to the water of life.  The present tense helps us to grasp the realized eschatology of much of the Revelation. And as we shall see in the next post, Jesus is also said, to be continually coming.

John 3:13

"And no one hath up-stepped into upward-vision, but the one who down-stepped  out of upward-vision, even the Son of humanity, who is continually in upward-vision."  Jesus' self-described title is "Son of humanity."  Not only did this connect him to the prophetic motif of the OT, but it emphasizes his common humanity.  And, as a son of humanity, he is continually in upward-vision.  The ENT uses italics when a word is not literally present in the Greek text.  In this case, it is used to add a word that emphasizes the present tense used in the original.  This implied word makes clear that Jesus was amazingly living in upward vision even as conversing with Nicodemus.

John 3:8

 "The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but perceivest not from which place it cometh, and to where it is under-leading; so is everyone who is becoming of the wind."  There is an inherent mystery to our experience of the wind.  Its origin is undefined, as is its destiny.  We only know what we feel in the wind at the moment of our experience. Though we do not know from where it comes or where it goes, we are able to hear "the voice thereof".  The Wind's Voice can be heard!  That is the salient fact.  Listening to this voice is much more important than formulating some abstruse theological construction.  May we all be becoming of the wind.

John 3:6,7

"That which is becoming of the flesh is flesh; and that which is becoming of the wind is wind.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, You must be becoming up-place."  As human beings, we are true to our source.  If we are of the flesh, then we spill over with bitter invective, sarcasm, and just plain mean-ness.  If we are of the wind, then our speech and our writing are full of divine grace. Our lives genuinely reflect what our true natures are.  Given our tendency to "un-mark", to miss the mark, we stand in need, like Nicodemus (Public-Overcomer), of becoming "up-place", of being birthed from above in a new way.  Note that Jesus says "unto thee" (singular in Greek and, here, in English) that "you" (plural) must experience this new becoming.  It is a corporate need, expressed individually.

John 3:5

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be becoming of water and wind, the same cannot  be coming into the realm of Placer."  One advantage of retaining some of the flavor of the American Standard's Elizabethan English, is that (like Greek) one can easily see whether Jesus is addressing one person or a group.  Thee vs. You. Some Friends still retain some of this 'plain speaking' among themselves. In the Etymological New Testament, unlike many modern translations, one can see that Jesus is specifically addressing Nicodemus, here, in verse five by using "thee".  Two verses later, when he says, "You must be becoming up-place.", he is clearly addressing more than one person.  Perhaps the nation itself?  Perhaps all humanity.  As you read the ENT, notice the use of the 'old time' singular and plural second person...and enjoy the shades of meaning.  Finally, as Jesus notes, we must be becoming, be birthed from water and wind to be coming into this new realm.  The literal use of wind as translating PNEUMA will become very significant later in this passage.

Etymology vs. Meaning

In the last few days there have been several reviews on various blogs about the Etymological New Testament.  And they are genuinely appreciated!  Even when the blogger obviously did not understand the purpose of the ENT, the tone of the post has been fair.  One particular point, however, needs to be very clear.  As the back cover of the ENT has it, "Etymology is not meaning."  That is obvious.  However, as the next sentence states, "But it does provide fascinating insight into the origins of many New Testament words!" Not only is the reader thus cautioned, but the point becomes redundant when one opens the book and turns to page 3 (introduction) and  reads the last paragraph which begins, "This brings us to a very key point about this method and the ENT in particular: etymology must not be confused with meaning.  One cannot repeat this caution too often."  After illustrating the point with the word PROSKUNEO, the paragraph concludes with, "Fun information.  Root words.  But, meaning is determined by usage, not by etymology."  If one reads with this in mind, the info learned while reading the ENT can be quite fun and a blessing as well. 

Many of us love the New Testament.  The ENT is one more way for many readers to be drawn into the text as they pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of our Savior.  Thanks for reading this blog.  We'll be returning to John 3 in the next post. 

John 3:4

"Public-Overcomer saith unto him, How can a human be becoming when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be becoming?"  We call him by his transliterated name, from Greek to English, Nicodemus.  In the Etymological New Testament, his name is rendered ultra literally from its two component parts.  And the irony is a fun one: "public-overcomer" proves to be neither!  He comes by night, very non-publicly.  And he doesn't overcome much!  At least not yet.  But, he is, at least, asking questions. "How can a human..." The ENT distinguishes between the Greek word for all humans and those specifically for males and females. Sometimes cumbersome in translation, this distinction between Greek words can prove very helpful in some contexts.   But the concern here is about a new birth, or etymologically, a new becoming.  The ENT, throughout the New Testament, allows one to see the connection between the family of Greek words stemming from the root sense of "to become".  We will look at Jesus' reply in the next post.

John 3:3

"Except one be-becoming up-place, he cannot be perceiving the realm of Placer." Nicodemus came toward Jesus by night, intrigued by the signs, or symbols, that he saw in Jesus.  It is in this context that Jesus says one must be becoming "up-place".  Some versions translate the Greek word ANOTHEN as "again" while others have "from above".  Ultra literally, it is a two part word in Greek. So, the Etymological New Testament hyphenates the two roots as up-place.  It would appear that John intentionally uses a double entendre, conveying both the idea of again or newness as well as the sense of upwardness.  To be able to perceive this realm that Jesus experienced, we must be becoming into an upward place...an entirely new and higher vision of life.

Luke 9:62

"But Jesus said unto him, No one, having cast his hand on the plow, and looking into the things behind, is well-placed in the realm of Placer."  The last few verses of Luke 9 are exchanges between Jesus and those who seem to want to embrace this new realm. After reminding one person that even foxes have holes, but that he does not, Jesus then encourages another to "from-let" the dead, to allow the deadness of life to stay buried.  In the last exchange Jesus notes that once we have our "hand on the plow", we cannot look "into" the things behind.  We can look back, but we cannot focus on the past, we cannot look "into" what we've left behind.  If we do lose focus on the present moment (by looking backwards too intently), then we are "un-placed" in Placer's realm.  The Etymological New Testament allows one to see the connection between the verb and the noun in this last verse of chapter 9.  Often rendered "fit" ( a good translation), it ultra literally refers to how well placed we are in this new placing realm.  The word doesn't imply that we are totally unfit.  We simply need to ensure that we are better placed in our lives to live in this new way, this new realm.

Luke 9: 55,56

"But he turned, and on-valued them and said, You know not what manner of wind you are of.  For the Son of humanity is not come to from-whole-loose human life, but to make whole."  The word typically translated as "rebuke" in verse 55 is a two part word in Greek.  So, the Etymological New Testament hyphenates its very literal English translation: on-value.  At the root of rebuking is the idea of "adding value"!  After this on-valuing, there comes the challenge to understand what kind of spirit, what type of "wind" we are of.  And, though not always explicit, this is often the point of much of the New Testament: in what spirit do we act or think or live?  Ultra literally, the ENT always uses "wind", whether human or divine.  Finally, if we are of the right kind of wind, then we will grasp how this son of humanity understood his purpose. Not to totally loose, not to destroy; but to make whole.