In the Week 15 Blog we used several different translations to look at how a couple of Greek words were being translated to try and get the best understanding possible and we compared result with an actual ‘word study.’ Last week in the Blog we referred to a short book written by George Guthrie (available in the church library) where he explained tools that can be used to help with understanding and studying the Bible. This is what he says about comparing translations:
We begin this week with the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. From the ‘cultural’ study in the Blog last week we learned that tax collectors were generally rich and got that way by being dishonest and that the population as a whole despised them. Last week in Luke 18:18-23 we read the account of the Rich Young Ruler. At the end of that account Jesus mentioned how hard it was for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, even indicating that it would be impossible. In response to those that were shocked by what they heard; Jesus told them that what was impossible with man was possible with God. And now we read of a rich man that is being saved, proving Jesus’ point. But let’s use the translation comparison for Luke 19:8 to see if there are any ‘interpretive issues afoot.’
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.” CSB
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ESV
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” NASB95
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” NKJV
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” NIV
Did you notice in reading these translations any ‘interpretative issues afoot?’ If not try rereading them very carefully. The issue, as hopefully you did notice, is whether Zacchaeus will begin to do these things or has he already been doing these things. Unfortunately, most Study Bibles will not mention the issue due to space limitations. The NASB95 has a footnote on ‘will’ that reads, “Lit am giving.” The 2020 NASB reads, “I am giving” so they have changed their mind on the issue. The Greek verbs used are present tense forms. For why some translators translate as future tense verbs, and the reasons are many, you will have to consult exegetical commentaries.
1Guthrie, George H. 2022. A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing p.75.
it is a good idea to keep three or four good translations handy. This can be helpful in doing Bible study, if for nothing else except seeing where there are interpretive challenges in the passage! If three or four of the standard English translations render a verse with nuanced differences, you know that there are interpretive issues afoot and that you need to dig deeper.1
We begin this week with the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. From the ‘cultural’ study in the Blog last week we learned that tax collectors were generally rich and got that way by being dishonest and that the population as a whole despised them. Last week in Luke 18:18-23 we read the account of the Rich Young Ruler. At the end of that account Jesus mentioned how hard it was for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, even indicating that it would be impossible. In response to those that were shocked by what they heard; Jesus told them that what was impossible with man was possible with God. And now we read of a rich man that is being saved, proving Jesus’ point. But let’s use the translation comparison for Luke 19:8 to see if there are any ‘interpretive issues afoot.’
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.” CSB
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ESV
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” NASB95
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” NKJV
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” NIV
Did you notice in reading these translations any ‘interpretative issues afoot?’ If not try rereading them very carefully. The issue, as hopefully you did notice, is whether Zacchaeus will begin to do these things or has he already been doing these things. Unfortunately, most Study Bibles will not mention the issue due to space limitations. The NASB95 has a footnote on ‘will’ that reads, “Lit am giving.” The 2020 NASB reads, “I am giving” so they have changed their mind on the issue. The Greek verbs used are present tense forms. For why some translators translate as future tense verbs, and the reasons are many, you will have to consult exegetical commentaries.
1Guthrie, George H. 2022. A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing p.75.
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