And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning

Dr. Joel Hoffman, a Jewish professor of linguistics, walks the reader through the world of translation. He brings examples from English and several other modern languages to show just how difficult translation can be at times. If it's difficult to translate from one modern language to another, just try from an ancient (and dead) language to a living one! His examples are clear, free of unnecessary jargon, and drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures. As a Christian, I wish he had looked a little more at the New Testament (with which he is also quite familiar), but I cannot fault him. He did very well in this book. The one complaint I have about this book is the title. It really looks on the outside as if it were one of those fringe Bible code type books. But I promise you, it's not. Neither is this book an assault on the Christian (or Jewish) faith in any sense. The author seeks to refine our understanding so that we may be further enriched in reading Scripture. I consider this a must-read for believer and unbeliever alike. In fact, Dr. Hoffman includes concise explanations for his biblical examples so that those not familiar with the Bible can still follow his thoughts. Overall, the book gives the impression that Bible translators throughout the centuries have done a decent job, perhaps a C+ to a B-, but could do better in some respects. And on certain issues, there is no complete translation and the only remedy is explanation/commentary. The Bible says that God will preserve his word, but folks, that doesn't mean that God's promising to give perfect translations. The Bible (NT) says that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, but that doesn't mean that you as a solo rebel Christian are infallible in your interpretation. I'd just like for everyone to keep that in mind: no translation will ever remove the need for instruction in order for readers to understand. OK, enough of that tangent. The best thing about this book is that it concisely shows why word-for-word doesn't work, or at least is not the be-all and end-all of translation styles.

The Bible is still the most popular book ever created. It has sold more copies than any //New York Times// bestseller could ever dream of selling. This is not surprising though, since it's been on the market for over a thousand year. It is a book so many of us own but very few understand. But this is not entirely our fault. When, at the behest of King James I, the book was translated into "modern" English, many errors were made. The scholars who tirelessly worked on this daunting task did the best they could with what they reckoned to be the truth. For example, Eve may not have actually eaten an apple; it could have been any kind of fruit. In Latin, the word //malum// means both apple and evil, so they just called it an apple to make things simple. Some of the original words in the text are no longer relevant; some have retained their meaning; some, perhaps, mean nothing at all. Because of this, we can only guess what the original authors were trying to say. It reminds me of the game Telephone, where the last person to get the message may hear something completely different from what the first person said. //And God Said// is an excellent tool in clarifying the Bible. It helps it make sense. And really, what good is the Bible if you can't understand it? It's nice to be able to recite some Bible verses, but much more impressive if you actually know what they mean! Dr. Joel M. Hoffman does an excellent job of helping the reader understand what the original texts were all about. His clear and concise tone makes this a very interesting read. This is an excellent companion for every Bible owner -- 92% of Americans have at least one. It would even make a fantastic textbook in a college-level class.

Book review by "Religious skeptic" - Dr. Walter Ziffer of Dr. Joel M. Hoffman, "And God Said: How Translations Conceal The Bible's Original Meaning." As Rabbi Harold Kushner writes on the jacket of the book, "A wise and important book and a lot of fun to read." Correct! But why? Because it demonstrates the complexity of producing Bible translations that are correct. Furthermore, the book explains the responsible process by means of which this result is achieved. What Hoffman does with the texts he has chosen for translation is commonly called exegesis. This is a Greek word that means "leading out." The opposite of exegesis is eisegesis which means "leading into" a word/text a meaning which is not there but happens to fit a translator's personal theological bias. The correct way to determine a word's meaning is to let the text lead us, while the wrong way is to steer the textual analysis toward an already predetermined outcome. Central to the correct process is the lengthy work of determining how a given word/phrase functions within the larger context of a sentence or paragraph, using a concordance. A concordance is a book that lists every Hebrew or Greek biblical word within its larger sentence-setting. Analyzing the word function clarifies its meaning. But attention! This does not necessarily mean that we have a corresponding fit for any given Hebrew or Greek word within our English vocabulary. When this is the case we have no choice but to compromise and make do with an approximation that doesn't quite hit the mark. Naturally, an explanatory footnote might help. Why is the book a lot of fun? Because the author brings to the text a healthy dose of humor. While I generally enjoyed the author's wit, I occasionally felt things to be unnecessarily too chatty. Any author has to deal with frustrating space limitations. When reading about Deuteronomy 6:5 it would have been of great interest to see how the author deals with the translation of the preceding verse Deut. 6:4, the opening verse of the shema, Judaism's only confession of faith, one possible translation of which is "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One." In his excellent treatment of Deut. 6:5 this writer looked in vain for a discussion of the Hebrew veahavta ET YHWH, usually translated "and you shall love the LORD...". Why, for instance, does the text in Lev. 19:18 read veahavta LEreakha, which, in similar manner, is usually translated "and you shall love your neighbor...?" In other words, to what extent if any does the usage of the particle LE in the Leviticus text, in contradistinction to the ET, the sign of the direct object in Deuteronomy, modify the meaning of the verb ahav, to love? Should Lev. 19:18 be translated differently? It is my hope that we will hear much more from Dr. Hoffman in the near future. In the meantime, I heartily recommend his "And God Said" to all those whose interest lies in the art of Bible translations.

This is one of those eye-opening books that is thoughtful, provocative, learned, and a whole lot of fun to read. Along the way you gain startling insights into the issues and difficulties of translating not only the words from one language to another, but also connotations, cultural realities. And these insights come to you in an examination of some of the best known and deeply felt prose in English or any language - the Bible. The author, Joel Hoffman is such a natural teacher and guide through what might have been an arcane or dry academic dissertation. But Hoffman turns it into an exciting conversation and a fascinating search for just the right turn of a phrase that can unlock the ancient meaning of the Biblical stories. I highly recommend it. Its like a college course in linguistics taught by a major-league raconteur.

Joel Hoffman's book, And G-d Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning, is just invaluable for in-depth study of the Bible, especially in the original language. I had thought the book was going to be some sort of analysis and criticism of the standard translations out there--he does that, mostly in the appendix, but that's not what the book is about. It is really about how to understand Biblical Hebrew. Using linguistics (in a remarkably clear and non-intimidating way), Hoffman describes the different kinds of information conveyed by a Biblical text, and then works out the methodology by which one can best understand the text. No big secret: he argues that context, the comparison of the text with other examples of the same word or phrase, is the only sure way to make sense of a doubtful passage. In the second half of the book, he uses his approach to go after some of the biggest mistranslations in the Bible: "lev" and "nefesh" from the Shema (KJV's "heart" and "soul"), "ratzach" and "chamad" from the Aseres ha'Dibros (NIV's "murder" and "covet" in the "Ten Commandments"), "achotah, kalah" from the Song of Songs (NIV's "my sister, my bride"), "alma" from Isaiah (NIV's "virgin"), among others. In other words you get some really outstanding Torah study, that can really raise your understanding of the Bible. Just as outstanding book. Really, a necessary book. I haven't been so impressed by a book since first reading James Kugel. You all have to read it.