Bosco Peters notes that a new new revised standard version of the Bible is emerging from the bruit of the modern world. He has committed himself to the RSV traditions. One reason he gives is for memorization. I agree with him that it is very hard to memorize 100 different translations. (And I am sure he hasn't read mine!)
Let's face it, the Bible is a big library representing 1000s of years of 'tradition' as the Fiddler notes. How does God get a good word about character to the billions of people to be spoken to?
Flood, fire, tempest, war, persecution, or a book? I suspect consequences are among God's modes of communications. God simply does not have time, (just all of it), to get to the folks to be loved and cherished. Consequences are a blunt instrument. I suspect also that the invisible and non-confrontational but sharp voice of tenderness is another mode. Does God use the churches? Committees, drafts, studies, scholarship, layer upon layer of signs and tongues, and revision after revision?
Who knows!
As the king of Nineveh says. This God may turn and sigh, and turn from his fierce anger and we will not perish.
The king was right in his assessment of anger. Jonah was wrong in his schadenfreude implying his assessment of punitive damages deserved. Who is revealing the character of God?
Here is God as revealed to Moses. This is the verse (Exodus 34:6) that you need to memorize and see how often it is referred to in the Old Testament. (Yup - it's in the story of Jonah.)
| וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר יְהוָ֥ה ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהוָ֣ה ׀ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀ |
6 And Yahweh, passed over before him, and he called, Yahweh, Yahweh, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in kindness and truth, | |
| v viybor ihvh yl-pniv viqra ihvh ihvh al rkum vknun arç apiim vrb-ksd vamt |
22 11 |
vi/ybr ihvh yl pn\iv vi/qra ihvh ihvh al rkvm v/knvn arc ap\im v/rb ksd v/amt |
Bosco believes that the RSV tradition is "as literal as possible, as free as necessary". This policy is simply not followed by the NRSV, no matter what they say. I noted a number of thoughts on NRSV in the Biblical Studies carnival 189 published Dec 1. E.g. in Habakkuk 1 and 2:1, how do you read the gloss punishment for the root that indicates correction, or referee, or reproof (yod-kaf-chet)? And then read in the very next chapter, that they fail to use the same gloss for the same root.
The traditional translations in the versions derived from the KJV use punish for a half a dozen roots and sometimes when there is no root at all to match the gloss with. But even KJV does not use punish for i-c-k (yod kaf chet in SimHebrew) and in that translation the two glosses (correction / reproof) don't match, but at least the imputation for the character of God is acceptable. This is only one of the many tangles of glosses that are used in the standard / authorized versions.
Should we be memorizing the implication that God is one who punishes rather than corrects or reproves or visits or whatever? These translations - called standard and authoritative - bear false witness to the character of God.
Here's my story of Jonah - layer upon layer of signs interpreted, language, music, and character revealed. It's free (but the Ninevites paid dearly as did the Hebrews). Let me know if you like it.
My translation has been on the market for 2 years. It has been a dedicated 15 year effort. It has been published with the Hebrew text in a left-to-right accurate readable full-spelling. It's the only recent single-person translation I know of that has been published with a full concordance online. It is all in an Oracle database so it is updatable. This is a big job. What I have done is to comb out the tangles in the beloved's hair. But there is still work to be done. I have no doubt I have reduced the complexity of management of a translation. Equally I have no doubt there are blunders that should be corrected. Like Habakkuk, I am waiting for my own correction.
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