"but
I say unto you, that every one who doth from-loose his woman, except for the
cause of fornication, attempteth to
make her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is from-loosed is perceived to commit adultery."
Most translations of the Bible that profess to be literal, also add italic words. These additional words are not literally present in the text, but clarify the sense of the verse. The Etymological New Testament also uses this same method. In the verse above two key words are added to make clear Jesus' teaching on divorce and remarriage.
The husband (or wife) who divorces a partner for frivolous reasons is actually attempting to make their spouse an adulterer. And, in that particular Jewish culture, the person who married the divorcee is often perceived to be committing adultery. Jesus teaching on marriage, here and elsewhere, shows that two things are important concerning marriage: a very strong commitment AND a non-judgmental attitude toward the one who is unfairly divorced.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Matthew 5:31
"It
was said also to those of old time,
Whosoever shall from-loose his woman, let him give her a writing of from-stand."
In this section of Matthew 5, Jesus says some words about what we call divorce. The Etymological New Testament translates the verb and noun ultra-literally in verse 31 above. The verb is "from-loose" while the noun is "from-stand." To divorce one's spouse is to loose that person from the marriage bond. The resulting state is that they now stand from that former relationship.
In this case, the person being divorced, or from-loosed, is "his woman." The Greek text has no special word for "wife" (or "husband"). Rather, the context determines the translation...for most Bibles. The ENT consistently uses the literal "woman" or "man" which allows the reader to see the semantic range of these words in various contexts.
In this section of Matthew 5, Jesus says some words about what we call divorce. The Etymological New Testament translates the verb and noun ultra-literally in verse 31 above. The verb is "from-loose" while the noun is "from-stand." To divorce one's spouse is to loose that person from the marriage bond. The resulting state is that they now stand from that former relationship.
In this case, the person being divorced, or from-loosed, is "his woman." The Greek text has no special word for "wife" (or "husband"). Rather, the context determines the translation...for most Bibles. The ENT consistently uses the literal "woman" or "man" which allows the reader to see the semantic range of these words in various contexts.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Matthew 5:29 ...and Figures of Speech
"And
if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee:
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should be
from-whole-loosed, and not thy whole body be cast into Hinnom-Ravine."
The genres of scripture are many and varied. Even within Matthew's Account of Jesus' life, the reader must be aware of the various literary types. In this 29th verse of the fifth chapter, the Etymological New Testament remains very literal. The ENT provides no additional clues to the figures of speech being used. That is a limitation of ultra-literal translation. Versions of scripture that tend toward paraphrase can be very helpful in passages such as these. And, many good commentaries also make clear the hyperbole intentionally used by Jesus with his first century audience.
After his use of hyperbole to encourage us to pluck out our eye, Jesus speaks of what happens to us if we fail to live a disciplined life. The end result is being cast into Hinnom-Ravine. Many translations that are known as being very literal, translate "Hinnom Ravine" as "hell" in this and related verses. The problem is that translating as "hell" is actually a paraphrase rather than literal translation. It could be that one might be able to demonstrate that Jesus' linguistic use of the Hinnom valley southwest of Jerusalem was figurative. But, one would then need to go on to show what the specific literal concept was. But, if a translation is set forth as being a literal one, then it needs to fulfill that role. The proper place for speculation or theological argumentation is in a commentary or at least in a paraphrase of the text.
The Aramaic word GEHENNA is thus rendered ultra-literally in the Etymological New Testament as Hinnom-Ravine. How to understand this expression, whether literally or as a figure of speech, is left to the research of the reader.
The genres of scripture are many and varied. Even within Matthew's Account of Jesus' life, the reader must be aware of the various literary types. In this 29th verse of the fifth chapter, the Etymological New Testament remains very literal. The ENT provides no additional clues to the figures of speech being used. That is a limitation of ultra-literal translation. Versions of scripture that tend toward paraphrase can be very helpful in passages such as these. And, many good commentaries also make clear the hyperbole intentionally used by Jesus with his first century audience.
After his use of hyperbole to encourage us to pluck out our eye, Jesus speaks of what happens to us if we fail to live a disciplined life. The end result is being cast into Hinnom-Ravine. Many translations that are known as being very literal, translate "Hinnom Ravine" as "hell" in this and related verses. The problem is that translating as "hell" is actually a paraphrase rather than literal translation. It could be that one might be able to demonstrate that Jesus' linguistic use of the Hinnom valley southwest of Jerusalem was figurative. But, one would then need to go on to show what the specific literal concept was. But, if a translation is set forth as being a literal one, then it needs to fulfill that role. The proper place for speculation or theological argumentation is in a commentary or at least in a paraphrase of the text.
The Aramaic word GEHENNA is thus rendered ultra-literally in the Etymological New Testament as Hinnom-Ravine. How to understand this expression, whether literally or as a figure of speech, is left to the research of the reader.
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