Paul's Passing Thoughts

….some things are just better left alone. The GS movement has been busily running about setting up there own spiritual infrastructure for some time now, and apparently, they wanted their own, unique Bible as well. The Bible of choice for the Sonship / GS faithful is the ESV, published in the very contemporary year of 2001. In the advertisement posted at the end of this article—featuring the who’s who of GS doctrine, Francis Chan says: “I’ve loved using the ESV translation because [it’s the GS thing to do] I trust the scholarship [emphasis mine] behind it and the accuracy [emphasis mine] of the interpretation.” Hmmmm: he’s wrong about Jesus being our Beverly Hills 90210 boyfriend—could he be wrong about the ESV as well?

The GS tsunami of the past ten years has fooled some into thinking that the ESV should be “The Bible of the future—ideal for public worship and private reading.” And apparently, not if Mark L. Strauss has anything to do with it. He recently wrote:

“So I like the ESV. I am writing this article, however, because I have heard a number of Christian leaders claim that the ESV is the ‘Bible of the future’—ideal for public worship and private reading, appropriate for adults, youth and children. This puzzles me, since the ESV seems to me to be overly literal—full of archaisms, awkward language, obscure idioms, irregular word order, and a great deal of ‘Biblish.’ Biblish is produced when the translator tries to reproduce the form of the Greek or Hebrew without due consideration for how people actually write or speak. The ESV, like other formal equivalent versions (RSV; NASB;NKJV; NRSV), is a good supplement to versions that use normal English, but is not suitable as a standard Bible for the church. This is because the ESV too often fails the test of  standard English.”

His entire review can be read here: http://bible-translation.110mb.com/improvingesv.pdf , but I will post the snafu’s documented by Strauss that even made me blush, and at times, laugh:

[Begin Strauss excerpt] For example, the ESV (following the RSV) originally rendered Gen. 30:35, “But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped …and put them in charge of his sons.”It is remarkable that Laban had so much confidence in his goats! This gaffe was pointed out and a second printing of the ESV corrected it, taking authority away from Laban’s goats: “… and put them in the charge of his sons.” Here are a few more “oops” translations that I have found in the ESV.

“Grinding Together”?!

Luke 17:35 ESV “There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

Comment: In contemporary English, “grinding together” suggests seductive dancing or something worse. (Perhaps both should have been taken for judgment!) Most versions clarify that this means grinding “grain,” “meal” or “flour” (cf. TNIV, NIV, NLT, HCSB, NET, NRSV, REB, etc.)

Rock badgers are people too!

Prov. 30:26 ESV “the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;”

Comment: In addition to the tortured word order, the ESV’s use of “people” is very strange. We sometimes joke that animals are people too, but surely ants and rock badgers are “creatures” or “species,” not people.

Nice legs!

Ps. 147:10 ESV “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,”

Comment: Taking pleasure in a man’s legs will surely leave readers chuckling. TNIV reads “in the power of human legs”; NET has “by the warrior’s strong legs.”

Such clean teeth!

Amos 4:6 ESV “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities”

Comment: It sounds like God is distributing toothbrushes to the Israelites. The Hebrew idiom means they had nothing to eat. The TNIV reads “I gave you empty stomachs,”; HCSB: “I gave you absolutely nothing to eat.” NET: “I gave you no food to eat.”

Trembling loins?

Psalm 69:23 ESV Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.

Comment: This translation will surely send twitters through the junior high group. Trembling loins sounds like someone has to go to the bathroom.

“Double-tongued” deacons?

1 Tim. 3:8 ESV Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain

Comment: Sounds like a mock “Indian-speak” (with forked-tongue) or some strange alien creature. The Greek is dilogoi (etymologically, “two words/messages”), which means “insincere,” “lacking integrity,” “hypocritical,” or even “two-faced” (NET; GW).

Keep that faith to yourself!

Rom. 14:22 ESV The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.

Comment: The ESV seems to be discouraging believers from sharing their faith. But the word pistis here refers to personal convictions about food and drink, not about saving faith.6 TNIV So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. REB If you have some firm conviction, keep it between yourself and God.

Showing off the flesh

Gal. 6:12 ESV It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised….

Comment: “A good showing in the flesh” sounds like a bikini contest.

Ruth the mother of Boaz?

Ruth 4:14-15 ESV Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, Who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be Renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

Comment: The only antecedent to “him” is Boaz. It sounds like Ruth gave birth to her husband Boaz.

Planting ears?

Psalm 94:9 ESV He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?

Comment: “Planting an ear” sounds like an agricultural metaphor. The Hebrew nata in this context means “formed,” or “fashioned.” TNIV Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?…NET Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?

Watch out for falling lots!

Acts 1:26 ESV And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias…

Comment: One hopes Matthias was not hurt when the lot fell on him. The TNIV has “the lot fell to Matthias.” The NET has “the one chosen was Matthias.”

Israel’s gender confusion

Hosea 8:14 ESV For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.

Comment: Readers will probably wonder why he gets the cities and she gets the strongholds.

Comforted or not?

Acts 20:12 ESV And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

Comment: “Not a little comforted” sounds like they were not comforted in the least by Eutychus’ recovery. The meaning of course is the opposite, that they were greatly comforted. TNIV: …and were greatly comforted.

REB: …greatly relieved that he was alive.

A man without a city

Acts 21:39 ESV Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city.”

Comment: Paul sounds like a man without a city. TNIV is only slightly better (“a citizen of no ordinary city”). NLT captures the sense: “Tarsus in Cilicia, which is an important city.”

Oh man!

Rom. 2:1 ESV Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges.

Comment: In contemporary English, “Oh man!” is an exclamation, not a vocative. It sounds like Paul is saying, “Oh man, are you in trouble!” which of course is something like what he means (!), but not what the ESV intended. Even a literal version like the NASB recognizes the potential misunderstanding of the vocative, translating, “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment.”