Part 1 of Many
Over the course of the past few months I have started a new read through of the Bible, but this time in the Jewish Bible English translation. From the first moments of this read through several things have come to light that removed my confusion from early in life with some Bible stories. So over the next few posts I plan to share some of those insights i have discovered and how they changed the way I view some of the scripture.
First I would like to point out that I have spent lots of time in college courses. While writing for such classes and academic research I have learned that specific words are used in purposeful ways. In the English language sometimes the lesser used words that are more complicated to the general Populus have a more appropriate meaning when expressing something. I often refer to these as $40 words.
In the Bible I believe the same is true. The original was written with very specific meaning and over the various translations small things have been changed which can change the meaning. The first example of this I want to share points out series of misconceptions I had as child in the first chapters of the Book of Genesis. One area I am going to focus on is the story of the tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden. For those that are not familiar with the story, I am using my own words to catch up to the point where I want to make a reference.
So, in this record, God has already created Adam. Adam has been placed in the Garden. God is speaking to Adam in a personal conversation to give him direction. No one else is around. God tells Adam he can eat any of the fruit in the Garden except the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Here is the King James translation of this reference.
Genesis 2:17
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Taken from Bible Gateway.
So growing up the pastor of the church explained that God didn’t mean Adam would die that day, or that it was a spiritual reference and Adams relationship with God died that day. From this translation I had to rely on the word of the pastor teaching me, because it was not super clear in the scripture.
Now if you compare this to the Complete Jewish Bible below.
Genesis 2:17
17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die.”
Taken from Bible Gateway
Now when reading these two you can see that the Jewish Bible states this message more clearly. It does not say you will die that day like the King James does. It says “it will become certain that you will die.” This actually clears up the story because it is believed that Adam was immortal before hand. His action in eating from that tree made him mortal. There were other effects, but we will discuss that later.
Now I want to point out that Eve was not around for this conversation. She was not created until after these instructions took place. Eve was not created until verse 21. Once she was created it became Adam’s responsibility to share God’s instructions with her. This is an important point to note that I have not heard in a Sunday teaching from any pastor that I recall. Eve did not get her instructions direct from God, but instead from Adam. This was a Yreka moment for me.
Adam told her what God said, so this leaves room for the title “Lost in Translation” We don’t know how Adam shared those instructions but he was a guy and I can totally see him saying something like “don’t eat from that tree, don’t even touch it or you’ll die.” We men are simple creatures, but that left it open for the “Serpent” to question the words that were used. Which brings up the next part.
Chapter three starts the conversation of the Serpent and its deception of Eve.
King James Genesis 3:1-5 (Bible Gateway)
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Then here is the Jewish Bible:
Complete Jewish Bible Genesis 3:1-5 (Bible Gateway)
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any wild animal which Adonai, God, had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You are not to eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, ‘You are neither to eat from it nor touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “It is not true that you will surely die; 5 because God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Now compare these two. The first thing I notice is the word change from subtle in King James to Crafty in the CJB. I believed the word crafty is more appropriate. In the discussion the Serpent states that God did not say what Eve tells him. Knowing the story we discover that is true. Eve was given instructions from Adam that were not the same wording God had used.
Eve’s version of the instructions are not correct. This left the argument open for the Serpent to tell the truth to her and create doubts about God’s instructions, because what Adam told her was not totally accurate. Adam may have paraphrased or exaggerated. This lead to Eve being open for the Serpent to deceive her.
The Serpent meant something different or inferred something different than what Eve heard, but He used the technical truth to trip her up. What she told him was not what God had said.
I examine both translations further I found something that was not properly called out in either translation, in my lowly opinion. The tree they reference is called “the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” as a child I though, what’s wrong with knowing good and evil? Thinking to myself that would help me choose good right?
Not the case here. Adam and Eve already knew Good and lived it. The only thing the action of eating from the tree taught them was Evil! They didn’t know evil before then. When that Evil entered their lives, they became mortal and disconnected from God Spiritually. Fear and eventual death entered their lives.
If all that wasn’t enough to open your eyes a bit, here is something that might totally blow your mind from this story. Lets focus for one moment on the Serpent. The Hebrew word for this is nachash which is translated as either serpent, snake or dragon. Yes that’s right, dragon!
Now in the whole greater story we find the serpent did not become a snake on his belly until after this incident for punishment. Before hand when Eve was speaking to him, the word was more properly translated as Dragon, because He was not yet a serpent.
Think about that for a moment. I believe the Bible is a direct account of things that happened and is not a “Story” unless it directly says so. If you take this as a real event, then Eve had a real conversation with a dragon and she was not afraid of it. It was not an unusual thing for her to speak to the dragon. That alone gave me a moment of “wait, what did that say?”
This is where I believe the myths of dragons came from. They became snakes afterward and the fear that God put between them and Eve most likely also prevented them from communicating again. Before that it was not unusual for a Dragon to be around and to have a conversation with it. I assume one would have to be careful in conversation with such a beast because of his “crafty” nature.
In all of this, we find that translation of the Bible can often cause a misunderstanding of Gods word. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to “see” these things.
When comparing what I believe to be a more accurate translation I have been picking up very small things that completely change my understanding. Then if that does not grab you, the reality of a talking dragon might.