[b-hebrew] authorities?
dwashbur at nyx.net
dwashbur at nyx.net
Wed Oct 22 14:26:28 EDT 2008
On 22 Oct 2008 at 7:58, K Randolph wrote:
> So which is the priority, the text itself, or what others, e.g. translators,
> say about it?
As with so many things, I think balance is the key. Using those dictionaries and grammars
and concordances etc. that you mentioned is quite similar to using a translation; in each
case we're asking what somebody else who went before came up with. And even if one
ends up with a totally different idea, the way you have done with lexicology and I have done
with grammar, we're still standing on the shoulders of giants, whether lexicographers,
grammarians, commentators or translators.
That said, when I want to read English I use the NIV. If I hit a passage with a word or two
that I can't remember and don't feel like looking it up, I go to that translation because it's the
most readable one I have. I don't consult a whole slew of translations, even though I have a
bunch available. Like you, I go to the Hebrew text first. But I can see where translations
are useful for those with limited or no knowledge of Hebrew.
Dave Washburn
"I'll hold the nail. And when I nod my head, you hit it with the hammer."
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