The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum The Message

There is nothing wrong with any man "interpreting" the Bible... it's given to men to do just that; interpret and apply, but rightly. However, there is a chasmic difference between writing a commentary on the Bible's teachings and peddling it as THE Bible. Those who claim that their "interpretation" is a "translation" are guilty of 1) denigrating, diminishing or even denying divine inspiration and/or 2) deceit. All too often in the contemporary "church" the distinction between preaching/teaching the Word and translating the Word is transgressed. It is not the translators responsibility to manipulate the inspired text so as to make it more "readable", but rather to be faithful to the text. Let Pastors, Elders, Bible teachers, etc., start with a faithful rendering of the original languages and expound upon it to others.

Notice the reverence and sobriety which the people of old gave to the Word of the Living God and compare that to how it is viewed by the masses today; even those who profess to be Christians:

Nehemiah 8:1-8 (ASV) "And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were [attentive] unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people [stood] in their place. And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading."

In His grace,