Page 66 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible revised

Each language has hundreds of idiomatic expressions which make no sense when translated. Ex. J’ai le
cafard in French, translated word for word in English = I have a cockroach. It means “I am depressed”
or “I have the blues.” Another example of an idiom is this: Morgenstund hat gold im mund. = “Morning
hours have gold in the mouth.” It is an idiomatic saying that is similar to our English saying, “The early
bird catches the worm.” I.e., in translating, one must not only match words, but must decipher
meaning! You must ask the question, “What is this author really saying and what words best express his
thoughts?” This brings us to the great debate on how to translate the Bible.

The debate is over dynamic vs. formal equivalency.

Formal equivalency is the method of translating that gives as literal a translation as possible. This
perspective seeks a word-for-word translation from one language to another.

Example: If a Hebrew or Greek word means “to run” then literal translators rend the word “run” in the
target language instead of shuffle, amble, move, skip, prance, or stroll, because none of these verbs
convey the most literal sense of running.

Dynamic equivalency seeks to translate the meaning from one language to another, even if this
involves sacrificing a word-for-word translation in the process.

Example: The German words, “Wie heissen sie?” (word-for-word: “How called you?”) is better
translated in English, “What’s your name?” Even though it is not translated word for word, the meaning
is clearer when translated culturally as the target language expresses the same thought.

Quickly look through the four gospels and you will find that every fourth or fifth sentence begins with
the word, AND. The authors of the Bible wrote very long sentences. For example, Eph 1:3-14 is really
one sentence in the Greek New Testament, comprised of 270 words. There is no way to read it in one
breath! You can tell how literal a translation is (formal equivalence) by looking at this passage and
counting the sentences of your translation.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: 5 having foreordained us unto adoption
as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the
glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: 7 in whom we have our redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he
made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 making known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him 10 unto a dispensation of the fulness of the
times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, I
say, 11 in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of
him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will; 12 to the end that we should be unto the praise
of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: 13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth,
the gospel of your salvation,-- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise, 14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, unto
the praise of his glory.

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