The Precision of the Word of God

by Nathan Saint

Missionary to Chile

Translation must be precise. It's perhaps a subtle point, but it's an important one. Some people prefer a translation that uses easy-to-understand words. I am convinced that we need precise words that correctly communicate what God said, even if we have to consult a dictionary to understand some words. Allow me to offer an example from Romans 5:8:

RV1960: Mas Dios muestra su amor para con nosotros, en que siendo aún pecadores, Cristo murió por nosotros.

RVG:  Mas Dios encarece su amor para con nosotros, en que siendo aún pecadores, Cristo murió por nosotros.  

RSV: But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

KJV:  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

The word "encarece," (commendeth) according to the Royal Spanish Academy dictionary (RAE), means "To increase or raise the price of something, to make it expensive." In other words, to demonstrate the high value of something. The Greek word is συνίστησιν and means "to recommend" or "to present favorably." The RV1960 translation is not incorrect, but it is imprecise. God didn't just show the fact that He loves us when He sent Jesus to die on the cross. He showed how much He loves us. He showed the high value of His love. He commended His love toward us.

Both the Bear Bible (1569), the Reina Valera 1602, and the Reina Valera 1909 use "encarece" (which is "commendeth" in English). The RV1960, perhaps wanting to be easier to read, used an imprecise word, and part of the original meaning was lost in the translation.

Consider the many times that the RV1960 (along with many other translations) did not translate the Hebrew word Sheol, but rather transliterated it as "Sheol." Transliteration is when one takes a word in the original language (in this case, Hebrew) and, instead of translating it into the new language (in this case, Spanish), represents that word with the phonetic alphabet of the new language. This method is correct when there is no suitable word in the new language. This is what happened when tacos arrived in the United States. There wasn't an English word to describe tacos, so they transliterated the word, writing and pronouncing it in English just as it is in Spanish. The same is true for pizza and sushi.

When we consider the word Sheol, there are equivalent words in Spanish. Therefore, there is no justification for transliterating instead of translating the word. The confusion arises because it can mean "hell" or "grave." It seems that some translators didn't want to translate Sheol, leaving it up to the reader to decide whether we're talking about "hell" or the "grave."

The problem with that reasoning is that if the translators, being knowledgeable in Hebrew and having the time to thoroughly study the context, can't figure out its meaning, how can a lay reader? In the end, the lay reader won't understand what it means because the translation work was imprecise. An imprecise translation may not be intentionally misleading. If it's the best there is, then it's the best there is. But when a more accurate translation exists, I prefer to use that one because it helps me understand what God has said in His Word.