Words wither and blogs fade away…
Forgive me if you’ve heard this song before, but I've decided to stop blogging at He is Sufficient. I truly appreciate all of the wit, wisdom and words of faith that you have shared with me over the past few years. I wish you well in all of your endeavors, whatever they may be and wherever they may lead you. “God is sufficient for the needs of His people”. Amen!
Category Archives: bible translation
Questions of cacophony and cadence in the 21st century
Reflecting on my last post, I thought it would be useful to gather some definitions of “cadence” to think about. Especially when thinking about how cadence is related to the specific vocabulary choices of a translation. “The natural sound pattern created by the spoken word.” “A rising and falling of the rhythms of speech in [...]
Posted in bible translation Comments closed
Vocabulary and cadence
I was recently reading a Theology Today article written by Burton H. Throckmorton, Jr. in 1990 regarding the *new* NRSV and REB translations (both had been released in 1989); I thought that the opening paragraphs were worth quoting: For over forty years, the Revised Standard Version has been widely thought of as the best English [...]
Also posted in quotes Comments closed
More wordplay: John 15.2-3 *updated*
Updated: Added Richmond Lattimore’s translation as well as the full NEB translation to the latter part of this post. Also added the NLTse for yet another approach. * * * * * Kenny Pearce added a comment to the BBB post on translating puns regarding the wordplay in the opening verses of John 15. Most [...]
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On the watch for wordplay in the Bible
I want to take a closer look at a couple of puns in the OT and Apocrypha that were mentioned in the comments to my post on the “smooth” punning in Genesis 3. But first, be sure to check out Mike Sangrey’s observations on what smooth might really mean, posted here and here. Ray McCalla [...]
Also posted in literary bible Comments closed
Cunning punning in Genesis 3
The value of a historical-critical study Bible does show itself from time to time. I was reading through the early chapters of Genesis, looking for more “once upon a time…” campfire stories, when I happened upon the study notes in my REB Study Bible for Genesis 3:1: 3.1: Serpent: an ancient extrabiblical story tells how [...]
Also posted in idioms, scripture study Comments closed
I peed my pants!
Returning to Kevin Sam’s list of interesting idioms in the NEB, I wanted to take a closer look at Ezekiel 21.7, which the NEB translates as: When they ask you why you are groaning, say to them, ‘I groan at the thing I have heard; when it comes, all hearts melt, all courage fails, all [...]
Also posted in idioms Comments closed
Bible translation authority revisited
Peter Lopez has written a “better late than never” response to my post on the authority of Bible translations: What Makes a Bible Translation Authoritative? My Top Five After a good discussion with several links worth checking out, Peter comes to the conclusion that “the only Bible translation that is in the top five in terms [...]
Also posted in choosing a bible Comments closed
Ambiguous grasping in John 1:5
I am continuing my survey of Bible Translation books, now reading Donald Kraus’ volume, Choosing a Bible For Worship, Teaching, Study, Preaching, and Prayer. Kraus is Executive Editor for Bibles at Oxford University Press and presents a fairly even-handed review of translation philosophies, from strict interlinear to cultural paraphrase, though most of his time is [...]
Also posted in books, quotes, scripture study Comments closed
Idiomatic indiscretions
Be sure to check out Kevin Sam’s latest post on various idiomatic indiscretions of the NEB (and REB)… Anyone for “loose livers”?
Posted in bible translation Comments closed
Hamlet and Hosea on country matters