Page 13 - Bible Study Methods-Textbook_Neat

3. Each language has hundreds of idiomatic expressions which make no sense when translated.
For example, J’ai le cafard in French is translated word for word in English to “ I have a cockroach.”
It means “I am depressed” or “I have the blues.” Another example of an idiomatic expression is the
German expression “Morgenstund hat gold im mund“and literally translated is, “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.” In other words, 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.

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.

Formal Equivalence – example: If a Hebrew or Greek word means “to run” then literal translators
render 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 Equivalence – example: Wie Heissen Sie? (How are you called?) 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.

The danger in translating the Scriptures dynamically is that this approach leaves the interpretation of a
passage up to the views of the translators, since they try to express the thoughts of the original writers
in the words that can be most easily understood by the audience. With a dynamic approach, the
translation could reflect more the theological views of the translators over the views of the original
authors.

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. The following passage is from Ephesians 1: 3-14:

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

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