Ten Commandments Translated Wrong, Claims Scholar

PR Newswire ^ | June 17, 2010

[Alex Murphy]

NEW YORK, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ten Commandments don't forbid coveting or killing, claims Dr. Joel M. Hoffman, a noted Bible scholar and linguist who has applied modern translation techniques to the Bible.

Hoffman reports that the commandment commonly quoted as "thou shalt not covet" is more accurately translated as "do not take," and that the commandment applies only to actions, not to states of mind.

"We now know that the Ten Commandments take no position on how you feel, only on what you do," he says.

Hoffman claims that flawed translation techniques led to the familiar but inaccurate rendering of the Hebrew in this case. His evidence comes from how the Hebrew verb in the commandment is used elsewhere in the Bible.

"Perhaps more than any other part of the Bible, the Ten Commandments have shaped Western culture," Hoffman suggests. "The good news is that most of the commandments have been translated accurately. The bad news is that two have not."

According to Hoffman, the other mistranslated commandment is the one that concerns killing. (It's the sixth commandment for most Protestants and Jews, the fifth for Catholics.)

One familiar rendering, "do not kill," is too broad, he says, because the original Hebrew did not prohibit all kinds of killing. So recent high-profile political claims that the Bible categorically forbids killing are in error, says Hoffman.

But the other common variation, "do not murder," is too narrow, because the commandment included not just murder but also the equivalent of manslaughter and other illegal homicide.

The Ten Commandments are not the only parts of the Bible to be misrepresented in translation, Hoffman argues.

The well-known opening of Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd," is misleading, Hoffman says, because shepherds in the Bible were "brave, strong, valiant," and "regal," while the modern shepherd is "a marginalized loner who spends more time with sheep than with people." Hoffman explains that using the word "shepherd" to translate Psalm 23 "suggests all of the wrong images and none of the right ones."

Other translation gaffs include the prophesy of the virgin birth in the book of Isaiah --- Hoffman translates the word there as "woman," not "virgin" --- and the exhortation from Deuteronomy (quoted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul," which is considered theologically central by Christians and Jews alike.

The words "heart" and "soul" there are mistranslations, Hoffman says. The first Hebrew word refers to all of the intangible aspects of life, including emotions and intellect, while the second connotes the physical flesh, blood, and breath.

Unlike most others who study the Bible, Hoffman's training is in linguistics and translation. "English speakers who read Ovid or Aristotle or Pushkin in translation have a better sense of the original texts than do readers of any existing English translation of the Bible," claims Hoffman, who has taught graduate-level translation courses in both religious and secular university settings.

Most Bible translations are produced by theologians, not translators, and their training doesn't generally include modern translation techniques.

Hoffman published his findings in his latest book, And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning (www.AndGodSaid.com). The book, released in February by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, is already in its second printing.

[Grunthor]

As I understgand it the man was not speaking from a theological point of view, but a linguistic one. He was speaking strictly on the ten commandents of the old testament and how they are/should be translated as written.

He was not philosophying on the teachings of Christ.

[left that other site]

Other translation gaffs include the prophesy of the virgin birth in the book of Isaiah --- Hoffman translates the word there as "woman," not "virgin"

Oh My! We shall have to inform those 70 Silly Rabbis who labored over the Septuagint! They Translated the Hebrew word "alma" (in Isaiah) to "Parthenos" which is Greek for VIRGIN.
So 70 Hebrew Sages for whom Hebrew was their Native Tongue, prior to the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth translated to word to mean "VIRGIN".

Not to mention the fact that a "woman being with child and bearing a son is not much of a "Sign" which in the context of the Isaiah Passage, means a MIRACLE.

But what do I know.

I am just a bass-playing Irish Indian Biker. :-)

[x]

The well-known opening of Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd," is misleading, Hoffman says, because shepherds in the Bible were "brave, strong, valiant," and "regal," while the modern shepherd is "a marginalized loner who spends more time with sheep than with people." Hoffman explains that using the word "shepherd" to translate Psalm 23 "suggests all of the wrong images and none of the right ones."

Anti-Shepherdism bares its ugly head.

Not to mention anti-marginalized-lonerism.

[School of Rational Thought]

Hoffman reports that the commandment commonly quoted as "thou shalt not covet" is more accurately translated as "do not take," and that the commandment applies only to actions, not to states of mind.

Jimmy Carter relieved, Bill Clinton not.

[ml/nj]

Yes, I say Tanakh, but I didn't know I was speaking to someone who would understand that term.

I said, "Torah," not Tanakh. I wouldn't say we never study the Tanakh, but we sure don't have "Tanakh classes." I guess that must be why I never hear anyone speaking "Biblical Hebrew" like you do, huh?

ML/NJ

[al_c]

He was not philosophying on the teachings of Christ.

It's all connected.

[Grunthor]

I know that and you know that, a linguist can be just interested in the linguistic points w/o believing as we do.

[al_c]

Understood.

[JewishRighter]

As someone who studies the Bible extensively, with cross reference commentaries that go back centuries and even over 2000 years, allow me to say Hoffman is full of malarkey and doesn’t have clue what he’s talking about. EG: the commandment about coveting your neighbor’s wife uses the words lo sachmod (the ch is guttural). Lo is “do not”; sachmod is 2d person singular for covet. The root word chamad is a common root word for many related human sentiments such as to cherish or to highly value something or someone.

[grey_whiskers]

"Thou shalt covet thy neighbor's intern's ass"

...but only when Hillary's out of town!

Cheers!

[JewishRighter]

Oh, I forgot to mention, I study it in the original hebrew, with translations in aramaic and many commentaries that draw heavily from the Talmud that explain accurate translations of words in great detail. Does this idiot think he knows the meaning of the text better than people who were study it 2 and 3000 years ago?

[ichabod1]

Moron. That’s the stupidest arcticle I think I’ve ever read.

[James C. Bennett]

“Wet” dreams are a natural part of male adolescence. Have they involuntarily “sinned” for having them?

[bibletruth]

So... you “met this guy a couple of weeks ago”, “and am now reading his most recent book considered here”

Go ahead and be a follower of this scholar, the Bible scripture that Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1:12 was, “Now this I say, that every one of you saith,I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and [I of Dr Joel M Hoffman “bible” scholar]”.

Go follow this scholar, and remain a Corinthian...

For when Dr Joel Hoffman, translates “thou shalt not covet” to “do not take”; and “woman” not “virgin”... Hoffman is only demonstrating his rejection of Christ’s WORDS; for GOD the HOLY SPIRIT inspired these original WORDS to holy men who accurately recorded them; and then 16th century “real” scholars proceeded to correctly translate them in their original English translation we hold in our hands today.

Maybe, Dr Joel Hoffman’s translation “thou shalt not covet” is done this way because he covets all the time and he wants to be absolved of it so he needs a new translation to cover up his covet behavior...

I have found that many scholars use “modern” translation approaches; but this typically is a disguise of these kind of men today to reject the WORDs of GOD and Jesus Christ, simply by saying that everything in the translations we hold in our hands today are in error, and that ONLY dudes like Dr Joel M Hoffman have the truth. Kinda sounds like the Pope and the Catholics...

[Puddleglum]

If “thou shalt not covet” means “thou shalt not take,” what about “thou shalt not steal?” Why would there be two commandments against stealing?

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. He is correct that many words in any English Bible have various meanings or shades of meaning in the original language (Hebrew or Greek).

[al_c]

Dude ... I’m not even going to acknowledge that remark.

[Nik Naym]

“...just a bass-playing Irish Indian Biker. :-) “

Was there a check-box on the census form for that?

[left that other site]

No, I had to create my own (see my tag line!) LOLOL

[USNBandit]

the modern shepherd is "a marginalized loner who spends more time with sheep than with people." Hoffman explains that using the word "shepherd" to translate Psalm 23 "suggests all of the wrong images and none of the right ones."

It really depends on who the sheep are, doesn't it. If the shepherd is the guy down the road that sells me wool and a leg of mutton every once and a while, then he isn't that special. If I am one of the sheep, then the shepherd is pretty special, providing for me and watching over me.