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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 3:15 "bruise"

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  • From: Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>
  • To: Karl Randolph <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 3:15 "bruise"
  • Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 16:27:59 -0500

At 03:55 PM 12/22/2004, you wrote:
Jom:

All translations are paraphrases, at least to a certain extent.

agreed


First of all, on a grammatical basis, what is good grammar in one language often is nonsense in another. Already by adjusting the word order, one does a low level of paraphrasing.

agreed again


Secondly, and more importantly, lexemes often have meanings in one language that have no equivelant in another. Sometimes it will be broader, including meanings that are rendered by two or three different lexemes in the target language, sometimes narrower, sometimes a sentence is required to explain a concept that one word does in the originating text. This is not even counting figures of speech, literary devices and euphamisms.

absolutely


Because of these problems, all translations are paraphrases.

i agree and coutldn't agree more. Nonetheless some translations are more "paraphrastic" than others. For instance, the ASV stays fairly close to the hebrew and greek texts whereas the NIV and the TEV and the NWT stray rather widely from the mark. In this respect they resemble paraphrases such as the living bible much more than they do translations like ASV and NASB.


These same problems exist even working as a lexicographer, let alone translater.

We are, I think, at one.

Best,

Jim


++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies
Quartz Hill School of Theology

http://web.infoave.net/~jwest Biblical Studies Resources
http://biblical-studies.blogspot.com Biblical Theology Weblog







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