Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jonathan Robie <jonathan.robie AT sagus.com>]

At 11:58 AM 3/31/99 +0200, Rolf Furuli wrote:
 
>>Since Louw and Nida have both influenced a great deal of influence on
>>modern linguistics, including lexicography, I assume they know how it's
>>done. You may disagree with their results, just as you may disagree with
>>certain translations of this passage.
>
>Your quotations above are excellent examples of how the "functional
>equivalence" model of Nida ( and de Waard) and the "semantic domain" model
>of Louw and Nida both allows and encourages  Bible translators to read
>orthodox theology into the biblical text.
>
>Nida's two central principles were: (1) There is only one target group: the
>general readers (who do not want to work with the text themselves). (2) The
>individual words have little meaning, what is to be translated are not
>words, but "kernels", which are found by a semantic (interpretative)
>analysis. (See J de Waard, E.A. Nida, 1986," Functional Equivalence in
>Bible Translating From One Language to Another")

You say that a translation is biased if it contradicts lexica. I see that
Louw&Nida is not a lexicon you accept. BAGD is the other major NT lexicon,
and it also clearly states that PRWTOTOKOS is used in a variety of settings
where "it is uncertain whether the force of -TOKOS (born) is still felt at
all", and gives examples to show this. In a separate section of the
definition, it also cites an example where heretics are called the
firstborn of the devil. These are the two major New Testament lexicons,
especially Louw&Nida, and the translation of the NIV does not contradict
their definitions here.

The major classical lexicon, Liddel-Scott-Jones, suggests that PRWTOTOKOS
is used metaphorically in this passage.

So if the definition of bias you are working with is to contradict the
lexica, and the three major lexical allow a particular translation, then it
can't be accused of bias by your definition, can it?

Jonathan
--
Jonathan Robie
R&D Fellow, Software AG
jonathan.robie AT sagus.com