Or maybe not
I am part of a discipleship group of this church. As part of the group experience, we discuss the passage of Scripture that was taught in the sermon. Personally, I think this is a great idea because many times people do not remember the sermons they listed to from week-to-week. In our study, though, we came across an interesting word. Our study text is Titus 2:11-15. Within this passage, we found one of the most difficult conundrums of the night: verse 15
“Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” Titus 2:15
So this sounds simple, right? Well, no so much. As what may be normative in many small group settings, many of us had a different translation. I am fond of the ESV and NASB. I typically use the ESV, but when I do some word searching and more serious study, I refer to the NASB or NAS. Other people in the group had an NIV and another translation I do not remember, but I will take a risk and say NCV.
First off, let me be clear
I have no problem with these other translations. I simply have preference. I used the NIV for the longest time and I still enjoy it. The conundrum was in the working of verse 15, in particular the last phrase “Let no one disregard you.” The NIV translates it this way:
“These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.” Titus 2:15, NIV
Obviously, these are two different words which hold two different meanings. So, what do we do?
- Do not simply throw out the translation you don’t agree with. I know, for some of you this is difficult. But you must know that people are NOT going to hell for reading a translation other than the KJV. Get over it.
- Read the passage in the context of it’s surrounding verses, then to its chapter, and get an overall understanding of the core message being communicated in the text
- Then understand that message in light of the entire book (in this case, it was Titus).
Somewhere in between 2 and 3 you can do an original word study.
That is precisely what I intend to do in my next blog post!
Until then, you can tell me how terrible I am to build suspense and not follow through with the answer. Don’t worry, I will still love you! Or, you can tell me what you think this verse means. And by the way, I know some of you are waiting for my next post on worldviews. Don’t worry, I have it. I am just waiting to post it. It should be up in the next couple days. Thanks for waiting!
—Jonathan
 300x250.jpg)
The differences between translations can be stark at times.
I remember several passages in Hosea where the teacher was using NASB and I was in my ESV, and…somehow, the ESV translated things with a near-opposite meaning.
Makes me wonder how much of Bible translation is more subjective than we want to think. Maybe that's why I don't think about it often!
You have a point here. I don't think we should get ourselves in major debates over these things. I must admit that I do not consider the message paraphrase to be the Bible. That doesn't mean I don't read from it or learn from it, but if I ever quote it I will most certainly say "The Message Paraphrase" and not say, "The Bible" or "Scripture." The translation thing really isn't a bid deal to me.