As I said before, until recently, most English Bible translations have opted to go with more of a literal approach in translating. I am convinced this is one of the leading reasons we, modern Christians, sometimes have difficulty understanding the Bible.
All three Biblical languages are pervaded with all kinds of figures of speech. E. W. Bullinger in his book, Figures of Speech in the Bible, cites for us over two hundred different types of figures of speech found in the Greek New Testament! Within each type could be hundreds of different expressions.
The earliest translators of our English Bibles were quite limited in their knowledge of the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. There were hundreds of words to which they did not know the literal meaning, nor could they determine the actual meaning behind the thousands of expressions that were not meant to be taken literally. It is sad, but true, that most Christians are unaware that even today, there are words in the original languages to which we still do not know the meaning. When a translator puts an English word in its place, they are merely guessing. The early reformation translators did much more guessing than the average Christian has been told. Quite often, from what I have been finding out, they guessed wrong, or translated according to the theology of their times.
The Roman Catholic Church for centuries had held the Latin Vulgate (Jerome’s translation of the Bible into Latin), as irreproachable and untouchable. Many of the Protestant denominations of Christendom maintained (and many still do), that the early English translations are “inerrant” and therefore there is no need for new English translations. There are some Christians who insist the King James Bible is the only “authorized” Bible in the world. When they use the word “authorized,” they mean that God has ordained this particular translation as His final Word to mankind. There are others who insist the Geneva Bible first printed in 1560, is the Bible we should all use. A study into this matter would prove this view quite false. Unfortunately, too few Christians are willing to take the time to study this out for themselves. The fact is, early English translations were far from perfect!
When scholars attempted to improve some of these early English translations, the leading one being the King James Bible, the fundamentalist wings of the Protestant church protested vehemently. (The word “wings” in the previous sentence is an example of using this word idiomatically.) Their powerful voice has greatly slowed the progress of getting at the meaning of the original Bible languages. Even the leading English Bibles of today, the NIV (number one best seller), the NASB, the NRSV, the NKJV, etc. have all been effected negatively by powerful voices wishing to keep us bound by the “traditions of men.”
Despite forces attempting to suppress the truth, the resources to help us understand God’s plans and purposes as revealed in writing have increased in recent years. If the Roman Catholic Church had had its way, our tie to the ancient Biblical languages would be lost forever. This church would have destroyed all links to the truths contained in the ancient languages and peoples of the Bible. (That is a book in itself.) However, in God’s wisdom, He preserved manuscripts, ancient ruins, even small tribes of people hidden away in the Middle East, all of which would speak to us in the language and spirit in which our Bible was originally written. It is not an accident that the Arab peoples, considered backwards by the Western culture, have sat on thousands of tells, (ancient ruins covered with sand). They have prevented the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches from destroying the archaeological evidence that will one day help us to understand the written records God has left for us. The Dead Sea Scrolls are an example of this kind of information. They were originally discovered by an Arab shepherd!
Along with the many artifacts and ancient manuscripts buried beneath the sands still waiting for the proper moment to tell their story, God has also preserved a people who still speak an Aramaic very similar to the Aramaic which Jesus spoke. The ancient figures of speech contained in the Old Testament are still employed by these “backward” peoples. When the Western “Greco-Roman” mind-set is willing to humble itself and come down from its theological towers, it will discover that God has preserved the true meaning of the original languages of our Bible. I have been spending much of my time lately searching out those “simple” places and finding great treasure. (At least to me it is treasure.) May these studies enlighten your understanding and satisfy your spiritual appetite.
Bread
Let me introduce the subject of “bread” by quoting from a man born in the Middle East, now deceased, who has brought into the English language for us a sense of the importance of bread to the ancient as well as some modern Semitic minds.
“As the son of a Syrian family I was brought up to think of bread as possessing a mystic sacred significance. I never would step on a piece of bread fallen in the road, but would pick it up, press it to my lips for reverence, and place it in a wall or on some other place where it would not be trodden upon. What always seemed to me to be one of the noblest traditions of my people was their reverence to the “aish” (bread; literally “the life-giver”). While breaking bread together we would not rise to salute an arriving guest, whatever the social rank. Whether spoken or not, our excuse for not rising and engaging in the cordial (Near East) salutation before the meal was ended, was our reverence for the food (hir-metal-aish).
We could, however, and always did, invite the newcomer most urgently to partake of the repastThe aish was something more than mere matter. Inasmuch as it sustained life, it was God’s own life made tangible for his child, man, to feed upon. The Most High Himself fed our hunger. Does not the psalmist say, “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing.”? (From The Syrian Christ by Abraham Rihbany, published 1916.)
Everything these Semites did, they did in the name of God. In the name of God, they would plant the seed. As they harvested, they would thank God for the harvest. As they ground the grain, the name of their God would be on their lips. When the wife kneaded and baked the bread, blessings would pour forth from her mouth. Is it any wonder then, that when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He began with “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed by thy Name. Give us this day our daily bread“?
Imagine, the most famous prayer, perhaps in the entire world-and after calling on His and our Father, Jesus prayed for “our daily bread.” Truly the traditions of many of these modern tribes who claim their traditions go back to the Biblical period is clearly reflected in Jesus’ own words. A Semitic poet wrote:
- Back of the loaf is the snowy flour;
- Back of the flour, the mill,
- Back of the mill is the wheat and the sower,
- and the sun,
- and the Father’s will.
When we see the word “bread” in our Bibles, we must also bear in mind that the word was used to speak of food in general, not just baked wheat or barley. We hear, even in America —”Man, I earned my bread today!”— a figure of speech meaning one worked hard for their earnings or livelihood that day.