Language Studies

There is currently a video clip making the rounds on the internet in which the narrator asks, and “answers” this question. His argumentation is as follows: First, Luke 10:18 says, “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (KJV). The narrator says that while this was…

As with almost any subject these days, there are several websites devoted to the Peshitta. Some of these are connected with the Peshitta Institute of the University of Leyden. Some are connected in some way with the translation of the Peshitta done by George Lamsa. Others are independent of either. Of the latter two sorts,…

Ruth 3:17 reads as follows in the KJV, “And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me, for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law.” The HCSB reads, “She said, He gave me these six measures of barley, because he said, Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.” The…

Continuing in the Book of Ruth, there are some minor variations in the third chapter, where the Peshitta differs from the Masoretic Text (MT). 3:15 reads, “So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley, and put it on her back; then he went into the city” (NRSV). The question here is, “Who…

The last part of Ruth 1:21 reads as follows in the ESV, “The Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me.” In the TNIV, the passage reads, “The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” The former has followed the Masoretic text, while the…

Judges 20:33 (NKJV) reads, “Then Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba.” The HCSB at the same point reads, “while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west of Geba.” At the same point, the Tanak (the 1985 Jewish Publication Society…

Judges 13-16 tells the story of Samson. In 14:12-14, Samson poses his riddle for the Philistines, with the requirement that they be able to explain the riddle in seven days. The end of vs 14 and the beginning of vs 15 read (ESV), “And in three days they could not solve the riddle. On the fourth day they said to Samson’s…

Joshua 22:34 reads as follows in the ESV, “The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, For, they said, it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” The KJV reads, “And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us…

Numbers 12 tells the story of the opposition to Moses voiced by Miriam and Aaron. There are two matters of constant debate in this story, though neither of them has to do with a textual variant. In this passage, all the textual witnesses are in agreement on how the text reads. The first matter for debate is the identity…

There is an interesting variant reading in Numbers 11:12. The context is Moses complaining to God about the complaining of the people. The people were receiving the manna daily, but they were grumbling about the lack of variety in their diet and, as usual, remembering fondly their time in Egypt. So Moses said to God (NKJV),…

Leviticus 7:21 reads as follows (ESV): And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the LORD's peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people. That accurately represents the text of…

Some comments on the material in Exodus 25-31. These chapters contain the instructions for the building of the tabernacle and its furnishings. Much of this material is repeated almost verbatim in chs 35-39. Chapter 24 gives the account of the establishment of the covenant and concludes with what is essentially a Sabbath…

Exodus 8:23 in the Holman Christian Standard Bible (8:19 in the Hebrew text) reads, “I will make a distinction between my people and your people.” It notes, however, that the Hebrew text reads, “I will place deliverance.” The reading adopted by the HCSB is found in the Peshitta, as well as…

Genesis 49 is a difficult chapter for translators. In part this is due to the fact that the chapter is poetry, and Hebrew poetry is more difficult to translate than is Hebrew prose. It is also the case that Genesis 49 is a collection of blessings, which means that there is a change of context every few verses, as the focus…