Translation

Translation, translation

I can’t help but notice how frequently I hear this word nowadays by folks who like to argue against the Bible, and the faithfulness of the witnesses we possess. So I thought I might write a few thoughts in a quite basic set of examples to begin a conversation about what translation means, and how we need to explain their usages. But first,

Translation does not equate to corruption.

Translation is not an exercise in inserting or subtracting teaching.

Translation is not only needed, but the best thing we possess. We all (believer and non believer alike) should want faithful and thorough, perhaps even frequent, translation.

Let’s look at about the simplest way this can be demonstrated. John 1:39 says the following,

“He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.” (NASB).

This last italicized line is our focus. I have quoted the NASB. Let’s look now at the ESV translation of John 1:39, “He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.” This is the ESV translation, and the RSV ends with the same tenth hour. Now we will pause here before focusing next on the NET translation, the NIV and the CSB.

Let’s first ask the following: To the average layman reader, a 15 year old today or a 32 year old, if you said something was the “tenth hour” what do you think they’d interpret that to mean? 10:00, right? Our day begins at midnight. The tenth hour (though sort of an old fashioned way to say it in that manner) means 10:00 in the morning. Seems pretty straight forward. And herein is the issue.

Consider the following:

“The hour has a special meaning in ancient Jewish law. "The third hour of the day" doesn't mean 3:00 a.m., or three sixty-minute hours after sunrise. Rather, an hour in halacha is calculated by taking the total time of daylight of a particular day, from sunrise until sunset, and dividing it into twelve equal parts. A halachic hour is thus known as a sha'ah zemanit, or proportional hour, and varies by the season and even by the day.” And elsewhere, “In Halacha (Jewish law), "the tenth hour" is significant for establishing time constraints, particularly on Erev Shabbos and Erev Yom Tov, when one should not start a meal and should aim to finish one's Mincha prayers by Mincha Ketana (two and a half halachic hours before sunset). The tenth halachic hour, equivalent to 4:00 PM, signifies the approximate time that prayer and communal meals should be completed before the onset of the holy day. The day is divided in halachic hours of proportional hours, based around a 12 hour system of daylight. In this way, the day begins at sunrise (about 6am), and ends 12 hours later.”

So to begin, the New Testament Jewish apostles and writers (Luke aside) of the first century, measure the start of the day at about 6am. And hence, the 10th hour is about 4pm. Theological significance aside of this passages contents in 1:39 of the Johanine account, this is where translation is important.

Had you lived in first century Palestine and someone asked you the time, if you would have responded 4pm, or 4:00 they’d have no clue what you were talking about.

Similarly, if you tell someone today that something happened at the “tenth hour” they’d either not know what you meant, or assumed you probably meant 10:00 or 10am. Both would be wrong.

This is why translation is important.

So now back to this odd accusation and oft heard usage of “translations”; a word that people seem to use to suggest it means something negative. Reminds me of that Princess Bride scene. Some biblical translators will leave the original tenth hour language in to preserve the ancient tradition. Others do not. So now, let’s look at one of my favorite translations, the NET Bible, which renders it thusly: “Jesus answered, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.” The CSB ends by saying, “four in the afternoon.” Similarly, the NIV renders it, “four in the afternoon.”

Here we have three translations as follows:

NASB/RSV/ESV: Tenth hour

NET: Four o’clock in the afternoon

CSB/NIV: Four in the afternoon

My question to you is do any of these change a single thing this passage is communicating? The answer is no.

John lists what time he and Andrew followed Jesus. You know it to be 4pm. It was 4pm then too. It was just called the tenth hour. Which is no different than saying 4 o’clock or 4 in the afternoon. But here’s the bit that’s important beyond there being nothing remotely different about these renderings: We need translators to say four in the afternoon to us 2025 readers. Because it is the term we use today, and had they not said so, you would likely not know what the tenth hour means (even though it’s the same thing). If you have concerns about how something is “translated” particularly if you are trying to mean it’s saying something that it didn’t 500 years ago in a manuscript, or 1500 years ago, just go look. Stop the lazy usage of the word like it says anything. If you want to discuss a passages translation through the centuries, go interact with the Greek or Latin, or Coptic or Syriac traditions. Be honest, just go read the words and ask if these modern translators are trying to pull the wool over your eyes and wholesale change doctrinal points in their renderings. I bet you might soon realize not a single doctrinal point or teaching in our modern Bibles has been changed. Greek is a