Translation Lession
The following English versions of Genesis 1:1–2 in the OT and John 1:1 in the NT, presented in a style similar to ancient Hebrew and Greek, will give you a sense of the situation scribes and translators encountered:
Genesis 1:1–2
John 1:1–2
n th bgnnng gd crtd th hvns nd th rth nw th rth ws frmlss nd mpty nd drknss ws vr th fc f th dp nd th sprt f gd ws hvrng vr th srfc f th wtrs
INTHEBEGINNINGWASTHE WORDANDTHEWORDWASWITH GODANDTHEWORDWASGOD THISONEWASINTHE BEGINNINGWITHGOD
Genesis 4:8 records that, in response to Yahweh’s invitation to do what is right (Gen 4:6–7), Cain speaks to his brother. It goes on to state that when the brothers are in a field together, Cain kills Abel. The literal translation of the Masoretic Text, the traditional Hebrew text, is, “And Cain said to Abel, his brother. And it was when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.” Ancient translations include Cain’s words, “Let us go out to the field” (see the Septuagint, Peshitta, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Vulgate), indicating that either something fell out of the Hebrew text or all the translations added something. Scholars are unable to explain how the phrase “Let us go out to the field” disappeared from the Hebrew.
In the course of using their copies of the Bible, early believers sometimes wrote explanations, interpretations of words or phrases, or commentaries of the church fathers in the margins of the manuscript or between the lines of text. An explanation of this type is called a gloss. In the case of the earliest OT texts transmission took place over hundreds of years, so that the manuscripts would have contained outdated references that were meaningless to a changing readership. As a modern example, if a researcher on the history of Rye Country Day School came across the name Barbara Pierce in copies of school documents, he might write “Bush” in the margin or above “Pierce” in the text. If others used his notes later in their own work, they might simply refer to “Barbara Bush,” or they might even conflate the “variants” and refer to “Barbara Pierce Bush.” When similar glosses occurred in handwritten biblical manuscripts, it was not always clear to later copyists whether a marginal note was an addition or an accidentally omitted word inserted by the earlier scribe.
Luke 23:17. You will find that most modern English translations do not contain Luke 23:17. In the middle of Pilate’s interaction with the Jewish leaders concerning the fate of Jesus, after he offers to let Jesus go (Luke 23:16), the NKJV, however, says: “For it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast.” Many witnesses contain this reading, including Codex Sinaiticus. But Codex Bezae has it after verse 19. And it is not found at all in P75, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus, half a dozen other Greek manuscripts, one Vulgate (Latin) copy, and much of the Coptic evidence. It can easily be imagined that an early Christian might have written an explanatory gloss in the margin of Luke to explain why Pilate would offer to release a prisoner. Some copies incorporated this gloss after verse 16, and the ancestor of Codex Bezae put it after verse 19 because it was helpful for understanding. Otherwise it is difficult to explain, as Metzger writes, “its widespread omission and its presence at two different places. The verse is a gloss, apparently based on Mt 27:15 and Mk 15:6.”
13 καὶ μετʼ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας συναγαγὼν πάντα ὁ νεώτερος υἱὸς ἀπεδήμησεν εἰς χώραν μακράν, καὶ ἐκεῖ διεσκόρπισεν τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ ζῶν ἀσώτως. 14 δαπανήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἰσχυρὰ κατὰ τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην, καὶ αὐτὸς ἤρξατο ὑστερεῖσθαι. 15 καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐκολλήθη ἑνὶ τῶν πολιτῶν τῆς χώρας ἐκείνης, καὶ ἔπεμψεν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτοῦ βόσκειν χοίρους· 16 καὶ ἐπεθύμει γεμίσαι τὴν κοιλίαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν κερατίων ὧν ἤσθιον οἱ χοῖροι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου αὐτῷ. 17 εἰς ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐλθὼν ἔφη· Πόσοι μίσθιοι τοῦ πατρός μου περισσεύονται ἄρτων, ἐγὼ δὲ λιμῷ ὧδε ἀπόλλυμαι· 18 ἀναστὰς πορεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ ἐρῶ αὐτῷ· Πάτερ, ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου, 19 οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος κληθῆναι υἱός σου· ποίησόν με ὡς ἕνα τῶν μισθίων σου. 20 καὶ ἀναστὰς ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ. ἔτι δὲ αὐτοῦ μακρὰν ἀπέχοντος εἶδεν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη καὶ δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν.
13Peu de jours après, le plus jeune fils, ayant tout ramassé, partit pour un pays éloigné, où il dissipa son bien en vivant dans la débauche. 14Lorsqu’il eut tout dépensé, une grande famine survint dans ce pays, et il commença à se trouver dans le besoin. 15Il alla se mettre au service d’un des habitants du pays, qui l’envoya dans ses champs garder les pourceaux. 16Il aurait bien voulu se rassasier des carouges que mangeaient les pourceaux, mais personne ne lui en donnait. 17Étant rentré en lui-même, il se dit: Combien de mercenaires chez mon père ont du pain en abondance, et moi, ici, je meurs de faim! 18Je me lèverai, j’irai vers mon père, et je lui dirai: Mon père, j’ai péché contre le ciel et contre toi, 19je ne suis plus digne d’être appelé ton fils; traite-moi comme l’un de tes mercenaires. 20Et il se leva, et alla vers son père. Comme il était encore loin, son père le vit et fut ému de compassion, il courut se jeter à son cou et le baisa.
And when he had spent all that he had/there arose a greate derth thorow out all that same londe/and he begāne to lacke. And he went & clave to a citesyn of that same coūtre/which sent him to his felde/to kepe his swyne. And he woulde fayne have fylled his bely with the coddes that the swyne ate/& no mā gave him.
C
Then he came to him selfe & sayd: how many hyred servauntes at my fathers/have bread ynough/and I dye for honger. I wyll aryse/and go to my father & wyll saye unto him: father/I have lynned agaynst heavē and before the/and am no moare worthy to be called thy sone/make me as one of thy Hyred servauntes. And he arose & went to his father. And when he was yet a great waye of/his father sawe him & had compassion/and ran and fell on his necke and kyssed him. And the sone sayd unto him: father/I have synned agaynst heaven and in thy fyght/and am no moare worthy to be called thy sone.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
12–16 “So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.
17–20 “That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.
20–21 “When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.