Bible versions and words - Sermon on the mount

[Charles Kasumba]

In the Cell meeting I am attending, we studying Mathew 5, 6 and 7. Because of the richness and depth of the passages, we end up doing only one verse per session (one and half hours). The encouragement is that we look at a passage and see what the different Bible versions say and of course application to us in the "now". Where the ESV says "Blessed" the Living Bible says "Happy". One version says "merciful", the other version says "pity"

 

Our next meeting is next Tuesday, and we agreed that we will do more research and where possible see what the original language says.

 

As anyone reached a point where s/he wants to read the New Testament in the Original Language and what is the good starting point?

[Jerry Linnins]

Charles, there are several good linear-Greek/Hebrew Bibles out there. Paired with Strong's Concordance or Vines Word Studies, they make excellent resources.

 

Additionally, while pricey, if you swing it the LOGOS BIBLE SOFTWARE is a awesome resource for learning the Word in original languages. You can start with a basic package and add on based on your interests/finances.  :-)

 

I have a couple of parallel bibles (one has 8 versions) and use a parallel Bible with the New King James and the Message versions as my devotional/daily reading Bible. It is great as you get both the "literal" and a paraphrase in modern English. 

[Ann H. LeFevre]

Hi Charles- One of the greatest blessings (and challenges) for me while I was in Seminary was learning Biblical Hebrew and Greek.  I had always wanted to be able to read the Bible as it was originally written and my classes gave me the ability to do so.  I took to Greek much more readily than Hebrew, but at least now I have the tools to be able to understand God's Word in a deeper and more meaningful way (even though I'm a bit rusty on both).  You are interested in the NT, which means you'll be learning Greek.  You may not be going to seminary but a lay person can still learn the language if they want to.  A good book for this is Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day by Jim Found.  It's a workbook that gets you acclimated to the Greek alphabet and the most common Greek words and grammar.   It will give you the ability to read NT Greek.  There are other workbooks and programs out there, but this one is very friendly and I used it to supplement my class lectures when I needed simpler instructions so that I could understand the more academic aspects.  There is also a DVD program called The Greek Tutor.  Most Christian Bookstores have it and I'm sure you can also find it on-line.   I don't remember who publishes it and the copy I owned I had loaned to a friend who has since passed away from cancer, so I'm not sure how to get it back.  But I think if you just find a website like ChristianBooks.com, you'd probably be able to find it.  The computer program helps you with vocab. drills and grammar.  It's also a good beginner's tool, plus it has the added bonus of being able to hear how the words sound as well.  Once you've mastered the workbook and DVD, you're ready to read the Scripture.  Having a Greek NT with English translation will help you when you come across a word you don't know.  Zondervan makes several parallet versions.  The one I have has the Greek, the literal translation of the Greek and the NIV and NAS translations in the margins.  It's a great tool.   I use it a lot.  If you want to do word studies that are a little more in depth than just using Strong's or another concordance, having a NT Word Study Dictionary is helpful.  It will use the same numbering system as Strong's, but will have full entries of all the words and their various meanings, plus the theological significance of those words.    Lastly,  there's a great translation out by Spiro Zohiates called "The Key Word Study Bible".  Mr. Zodhiates is a well respected Biblical Language expert/scholar.  I have seen this Bible in NIV, KJV and NAS.  He highlights some of the more prominent words in Biblical passages and includes a small Bible dictionary with the Bible so you can study the significance of certain words in many key passages.  He has underscored literally thousands of words in both OT and NT and done the word studies on them for you.  It doesn't help you learn Greek, but if you are looking for an additional  way to understand Greek, it's a good study tool.  I hope this has helped.  Study to show yourself approved!  God Bless- Ann

[Ann H. LeFevre]

Just be careful with The Message.  It is a paraphrase and I find that Peterson takes a lot of liberties with his word choices.

Jerry Linnins said:

Charles, there are several good linear-Greek/Hebrew Bibles out there. Paired with Strong's Concordance or Vines Word Studies, they make excellent resources.

 

Additionally, while pricey, if you swing it the LOGOS BIBLE SOFTWARE is a awesome resource for learning the Word in original languages. You can start with a basic package and add on based on your interests/finances.  :-)

 

I have a couple of parallel bibles (one has 8 versions) and use a parallel Bible with the New King James and the Message versions as my devotional/daily reading Bible. It is great as you get both the "literal" and a paraphrase in modern English. 

[Jerry Linnins]

Ann,

 

Agree. I also use a 26 Translation Bible and an 8 version parallel plus the Logos software. I do, however, like the nuances Peterson brings out in some verses. My primary version is ESV.

Ann H. LeFevre said:

Just be careful with The Message.  It is a paraphrase and I find that Peterson takes a lot of liberties with his word choices.

Jerry Linnins said:

Charles, there are several good linear-Greek/Hebrew Bibles out there. Paired with Strong's Concordance or Vines Word Studies, they make excellent resources.

 

Additionally, while pricey, if you swing it the LOGOS BIBLE SOFTWARE is a awesome resource for learning the Word in original languages. You can start with a basic package and add on based on your interests/finances.  :-)

 

I have a couple of parallel bibles (one has 8 versions) and use a parallel Bible with the New King James and the Message versions as my devotional/daily reading Bible. It is great as you get both the "literal" and a paraphrase in modern English. 

[Charles Kasumba]

Ann and Jerry

 

Thanks a lot for the excellent  advice!! wow!! I will go through the advice "line upon line".

In the meantime, I bought - "Learn to Read New Testament Greek" by DA Black published by Broadman and Holman Publishers. It is well written and well laid out, however, I am still  struggling with  the alphabet.

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart in "How to read the Bible for all its worth"  published by Zondervan write

"Firstly, it is probably a good practice to use mainly one translation, provided it really is a good one. This will aid in memorization, as well as give you consistency. Also, if you are using one of the better translations, it will have notes in the margin at many of the places where there are difficulties. However, for the study of the Bible, you should use several well chosen translations that one knows in advance will tend to differ. This will highlight where many of the difficult exegetical problems lie. To resolve these problems you will usually want to have recourse to your commentary"

 

 

 

 

[Jerry Linnins]

Love Fee and Stuart's book too!

Charles Kasumba said:

Ann and Jerry

 

Thanks a lot for the excellent  advice!! wow!! I will go through the advice "line upon line".

In the meantime, I bought - "Learn to Read New Testament Greek" by DA Black published by Broadman and Holman Publishers. It is well written and well laid out, however, I am still  struggling with  the alphabet.

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart in "How to read the Bible for all its worth"  published by Zondervan write

"Firstly, it is probably a good practice to use mainly one translation, provided it really is a good one. This will aid in memorization, as well as give you consistency. Also, if you are using one of the better translations, it will have notes in the margin at many of the places where there are difficulties. However, for the study of the Bible, you should use several well chosen translations that one knows in advance will tend to differ. This will highlight where many of the difficult exegetical problems lie. To resolve these problems you will usually want to have recourse to your commentary"