With a population of over a billion people, China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It’s massive, it’s diverse, and it has an incredibly rich history. And in all that history I’m interested in exploring the question of how the Bible was first translated in China. What were the different challenges people faced? What can we learn from their mistakes and triumphs? We’re going to talk about this and more across multiple episodes.

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We’ve said before on this podcast that translating bibles can be like making sausages; a peek behind the curtain of the process can reveal some unpleasant realities. But part of my goal with this podcast is to cut through any saccharine veneer that people might have in their minds and help them understand what doesn’t always get talked about. I especially want people interested in serving in Bible translation (BT) to get a clearer picture of what they may face so that they can count the cost. We’ve talked a lot about the joys of BT, and they’re real. But today we’re going to dip into some things that may be disillusioning or disenchanting. Sometimes you might just end up talking about poop, bastards, and testicles for hours as a translation consultant. Find out why in this episode.

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As we continue our discussion of the Tyndale House Greek NT with Dr. Dirk Jongkind, we’re going to tackle some more in-depth questions about early translations of the NT into languages like Latin and Syriac, and how they factor into the textual criticism of the NT. We’re also going to discuss some of the ways NT and OT textual criticism differ, especially in terms of reliance on manuscripts of translated versions as opposed to manuscripts of the original language they were composed in. Finally, we’re going to hear Dr. Jongkind share his biblical theology of the transmission of the text and why God has ordained that textual criticism be necessary.

The Bible Translation Fellowship

If you’d like to enter to win a copy of Dr. Jongkind's new book An Introduction to the Greek New Testament produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge, simply email me at [email protected] by April 17th, and tell me 1) how you discovered this podcast and 2) what one of your favorite episodes has been. Or, if you’re a Mac or iPhone person, another way you can enter is by leaving a review of this podcast on iTunes and sending a screenshot of that review to my email. This is open to people living in any country. 

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As we touched on last time, in Bible translation it’s important to be able to decide what text you’re going to translate before you get to the task of translation. So to do that we need to compare manuscripts and ancient versions, and weigh the evidence, which is called textual criticism. This will be the first part of a conversation with Dr. Dirk Jongkind, the editor of the Tyndale House Greek New Testament. At Tyndale House Dr. Jongkind does research in the transmission of the text of the New Testament and maintains an interest in lexical and grammatical studies. So get ready to learn some new things and stretch your mind.  

Peter Gurry's evaluation of Coherence-Based Genealogical Textual Criticism.

If you’d like to enter to win a copy of Dr. Jongkind's new book An Introduction to the Greek New Testament produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge, simply email me at [email protected] by April 17th, and tell me 1) how you discovered this podcast and 2) what one of your favorite episodes has been. This is open to people living in any country.

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In this episode we’re going to look at some concrete examples of where the knowledge and discipline of textual criticism is important to help us navigate what text we are actually going to translate. Often these are little details that make simple verses turn into more difficult challenges than one might imagine. We’ll focus on the book of 1 Samuel and see how a simple narrative on the surface can turn out to be a complex balancing act underneath.

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The Passion Translation (TPT) has sold millions of copies and is recommended by some big names in the evangelical world. I think it needs to be addressed because there are some slippery, sneaky things going on behind it that many people may not know how to deal with. This is an episode on how Bible translation can go horribly wrong and make someone a boatload of money at the same time. It’s the story of how spiritual language, the supernatural, and sophomoric talk about the biblical languages can impress a lot of people. To some of you this may be a terrifying episode, but I hope it proves helpful to those who have been wondering about this translation.

Article on Polysemy and Homonomy in Biblical Hebrew

Fact sheet about TPT

Problems with Peshitta Primacy

Mike Winger's critiques on YouTube

The Peshitta Study Tool

The Gospel Coalition critique from Dr. Shead

Sid Roth's interview with Brian Simmons

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If you go to the entry page on Wikipedia for the word 'almah you’ll find this: “despite its importance to the account of the virgin birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, scholars agree that it has nothing to do with virginity.” They sound very sure of themselves, and this tide needs to be turned. Dr. Rico is helping us see how this sort of definition is completely wrong based on the evidence, unhelpful, and obscures the contextual meaning of Isaiah 7:14. This episode is full of everything from musicology to exposition. It's going to be a good one.

Make sure to get your own copy of Dr. Rico's book here. For those who might want the French version, it's available here.

This is his book that teaches Greek as a living language.

Wikipedia pages on 'almah and Isaiah 7:14.

Sing, O Barren One

Other music and YouTube links 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

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We’re continuing a series on the translation of Isaiah 7:14, which says: Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and bear a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel. If you’re like me, it’s always good to review what we heard last time, so Dr. Rico’s going to recap and add some detail along the way, and then he'll get into the positive arguments for why we should translate 'alma as young virgin.

Make sure to get your own copy of Dr. Rico's book here. For those who might want the French version, it's available here.

This is his book that teaches Greek as a living language.

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Isaiah 7:14 in the KJV reads: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” But then the RSV came out in 1952 and translated virgin as young woman. Without a doubt more has been written on the interpretation of this term than on any other verse in the Old Testament. The majority of modern scholars for the last century have asserted that the Hebrew word ‘alma refers merely to a young woman. Are they right, or are the KJV translators and church fathers correct that it means virgin, as the apostle Matthew implied in the first chapter of his gospel?

Make sure to get your own copy of Dr. Rico's book here. For those who might want the French version, it's available here.

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Since last time we talked about the book of Job, I wanted to touch on another translation issue in the book that many people haven’t heard of or thought about. This is found in 42:6, where Job is speaking to God after hearing his voice out of the whirlwind. If you’re reading the ESV it’ll sound like this: “therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” And then you’ll notice this little footnote on the word repent that says “or and am comforted.” These are wildly different translations, and the average Bible reader doesn’t have the tools to make any sense of it. So let’s talk about it. 

עַל־כֵּ֭ן אֶמְאַ֣ס וְנִחַ֑מְתִּי עַל־עָפָ֥ר וָאֵֽפֶר׃

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