Using as launching pad the (Greek language) Septuagint translation of the Hebrew scriptures prepared by Jews in Egypt two to three centuries before Christ, this article introduces readers to the challenges of translation. It includes an example of translating a Malay idiom into English and examples drawn from the two English versions dated c. 500 years apart (KJV and ESV).
Ever heard of the Masoretic Text? Know what it means? Know why it’s important? The Masoretic Text is relevant to this series on Nehemiah because the introduction in my commentary on Nehemiah says “the Masoretic notes on EzraNehemiah were not placed after each book, but after Nehemiah, a proof that the Masoretes regarded EzraNehemiah as …
What have you put in your pockets? Before I went to school, only two items could be found in my pockets: sweets and coins. After I was able to blow my own nose, a handkerchief was added to the list. I don’t think I’ve owned a handkerchief for several decades now. The handkerchief has been …
Pockets, cargo pants and self-interpreting Bibles Read More »
The language of daily commerce and interaction in Nehemiah’s Jerusalem was Aramaic. But Nehemiah was very passionate about Hebrew. He even cursed, beat, and pulled out the hair of some fathers whose children hadn’t been taught Hebrew. Why? In Nehemiah chapter 8, we read of a day when a great crowd of people camped …
I attended church services during my last two years as a student – also my first two years as a Christian. The preacher was invariably our pastor. I later learned that the elders, who had discerned God’s voice and called him to be pastor, had been adamant that God had called him to preach and …
It was Monday, 6.47 am. I’d been walking for about 15 minutes. Panting. Glad to be on a flat stretch of road. Glad to pause. I saw a string of lights on the road beneath the overpass I was on. The headlights of cars funnelling towards the road shoulder. I went to get a better …
On the 21st of February, 1944, after 8 months in prison, Dr Alfons Wachsmann, in Brandenburg prison in Berlin, Germany, wrote a letter to his sister Minka. It’s first line is “At three o-clock I must die.” Before his arrest and incarceration on 23rd June 1943, he had served for 15 years as parish priest …
Most of us have seen the following words, often on placards at protests. Some of us know that a man called Martin Niemoller spoke them: First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a socialist.Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— …
The clothes I wore the first time I attended a service made me look like green veggie stuck in the sparkling teeth of a TV news reader. The church was packed with people in their Sunday best. The men wore suits and ties. The women were poles of elegance, topped by hats. I had on …
I first saw Mr Seet Chot Chit when he walked into the first-floor classroom where Form 4A was housed. I was in Sekolah Seri Perhentian, Pontian, in 1974. I was one of about 40 pupils in the class. Looking out the doors and windows on the left, we could see the sports/football field, and beyond …
