Lost in Translations: Biblical Languages and Extra-Literal Exegesis

What do you believe is enclosed within the words of the Holy Bible? Is a literal interpretation of Scripture all that is advocated by its heavenly author, or are layers of meaning lying in waiting within the Bible’s spiritually adorned letters? If you gravitate toward the latter notion, that there is much to be uncovered within the Biblical text beyond its plain interpretation, perhaps the following declaration will strike you as significant: By reading the Bible exclusively in English, one overlooks serious opportunities for fruitful extra-literal exegesis.

The goal of this present post (and another which is soon to follow) is to shed light on exactly how much is lost when certain Greek and Hebrew words of the Bible are rendered inadequately into modern languages. By focusing on a single hermeneutical technique as embraced by many early post-Biblical commentators on Scripture, I will show that certain allegorical and homiletical interpretations of the opening chapters of Leviticus hinge solely upon the variety of meaning that is to be found concentrated within the Hebrew words אָדָם (adam), and נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), and their Greek equivalents.    

Etymological Allegory 

What proceeds from this section onwards shall revolve around an ancient exegetical method that I have dubbed “etymological allegory.” Its description is as follows: an etymological allegory is an alternative spiritual, homiletical, or properly allegorical interpretation of a written passage that is derived by positing that a linchpin word within an excerpt should be understood according to one of its auxiliary definitions, not simply the one that makes the most literal sense according to the context of the clause in examination.

To further expound upon this concept, I now turn to an example plucked from a more familiar language. Within the nearly boundless lexicon that is Modern English, there resides a multitude of words that accommodate more than a solitary definition. Take the word “justify” for example. In the Oxford Universal Dictionary, no fewer than nine definitions are given for it; here are three: 

“Justify, v. … 3. To show to be just or in the right; to vindicate. 4. To absolve, acquit, exculpate; spec. in Theol., to declare free from the penalty of sin on the ground of Christ’s righteousness, or to make inherently righteous by the infusion of grace. … 6. To show or maintain the justice or reasonableness of; to defend as right or proper.” ^[i]

As witnessed above, “justify” is one particular unit of language that lays claim to more than a single meaning; it is a word that conjures up a range of usage, and is therefore an ideal candidate for the following example. Also, since the focus of this post is laid upon the realm of Biblical hermeneutics, I have reckoned it worthy to include an excerpt taken from an English translation of the New Testament book, Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.

Two Interpretations of Romans 3:26 

Certainly such an adoption—a modern translation of a Biblical text—is somewhat at odds with the general goal of the present writeup, yet, even so, it appears to be a clear and fitting example for the accomplishment of nothing more than a mere explanation of etymological allegory. After this illustration, my attention will shift back to the primacy of Biblical languages with regard to Scriptural interpretation, and their significance as a tool for analyzing the work of the early Post-Biblical expositors of the Bible. The Apostle writes:

“for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:26)

To demonstrate an etymological allegory plainly, the focus of the following brief biblical exposition will be upon a single word seized from the text above, justifier (as in “one who justifies”). Considering its context, it is evident that the verse is suggesting to the reader that she understand “justifier” according to the Oxford Dictionary’s fourth definition (above).

Thus, as Scripture relates, God justifies the man who has faith in Jesus by: declaring him righteous, he who believes in the saving power of Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice. The faithful person is acquitted; she is confirmed free of sin’s debt, and is washed white as polished ivory by the blood of her Messiah’s passion. This rendering is enlightening, doctrinally reassuring and, most relevantly, in agreement with the plain meaning of the text; but more may yet be gleaned.

By acknowledging another working definition for the word in question, and reinterpreting the Romans passage in accordance with it, a new illuminating layer appears. To “justify” is “to “show to be in the right or to maintain the reasonableness of” (an admixture of definitions 3 and 6 above). Just as God’s unending love for His people was exemplified in Christ’s crucifixion, so was His follower’s love for Him “justified” in the very same act. In Exodus 19:4 we read: ”You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”

By leading the Israelites out of the hands of their oppressors, God proved to His people His love for them and that He would uphold His portion of the testament to be made on Mt. Sinai. The deliverance of Israel from slavery, however, was but a shadow of the saving power that was to be accomplished on the Cross (according to a Christian worldview).

Through the death of the Lamb of God, it was plainly shown that the LORD’s people would be rescued again; God’s new covenant established at Calvary confirmed that: “everyone who believes in [Christ] will not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16) This is echoed in the days of old when the One called to the Israelites and said: “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.” (Ex. 19:5)

The conditional pacts made by the Almighty with humankind are perfectly upheld by Him who constructed them, and they are confirmed in their inherent validity by His wondrous deeds—the Biblical narratives attest to this to a profound extent in both matters of judgment and benevolence. Truly, God justifies the faith that man has in Him by fulfilling His promises and showing the faithful that He is the one true omniscient LORD; through God’s acts and attributes, His mercy, compassion, supernatural intervention, and even justice, Christian belief is ratified as reasonable; it is proven to be right; it is justified. 

What English Readers Miss in Leviticus 1:2; 2:1

Now that it has been established what an etymological allegory consists of, it is necessary to return to Leviticus in order to continue the trajectory toward what this post and its sequel seek to accomplish. In the second verse of the first chapter of the book in examination, and in the first verse of the second chapter of that very same book, there lie two quite comparable passages; and while they indeed uphold a striking similarity in the Hebrew original, the verses appear even more akin when read in English translation. The NASB records: 

   “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When anyone ( אָדָם ) of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or the flock.'” (Lv. 1:2)

“Now when anyone ( נֶפֶשׁ ) presents a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.” (Lv. 2:1)

The plain meanings of the preceding quotations are quite clear and succinct, yet the translations lack complete precision; it is a problem that results from the pair of “anyones” in the verses being rooted in two importantly distinct Hebrew nouns. In the first strophe, the Biblical author utilizes אָדָם, which is most often defined as man, mankind ^[ii] (i.e. “when any man from among you…”) or the proper name of the first man, God’s initial rational earthly creature seen depicted in the Bible’s renowned creation narrative, Adam. The LXX (Septuagint) translates אָדָם as ἄνθρωπος (anthropos), a rendering which succeeds in retaining the entirety of the original Hebrew noun’s definition other than its signification of a proper name.^[iii]

In the second verse, alternatively, our inspired writer makes use of an entirely different Hebrew word, נֶפֶשׁ. Comprising a more expansive translation—and likewise providing an immense foundation for extra-literal exegesis—this noun is commonly understood as referring to: a soul, or life, person, living being, etc. ^[iv] The LXX renders this word even more faithfully than the first with ψυχὴ (psuché), a Greek term meaning: vital breath, breath of life, the human soul, the self, or a human person. ^[v]

What ensues from this brief, albeit detailed, discussion of definitions, is evidence of the notion that something significant, some crucial substance which informs the internal core of the aforementioned Hebrew and Greek words, appears to have been misplaced when reading the NASB’s adaption of Leviticus 1:2; 2:1 (included above). Yet, it is an issue unconfined to the bookends of that particular translation; truly and regrettably, it persists across most, if not all, modern English translations of the Pentateuch, as summarized in the table below.

In reflection on this reality, my next post shall seek to further elucidate the problem at hand by showcasing two compelling interpretations that have been mined by a pair of early post-Biblical commentators on Scripture. The first example, emanating from a beyond reputable Jewish source, seeks to meditate on the Hebrew Bible via an alternative rendering of אָדָם, while the second details the conclusions of a Church father who grappled with Lv. 2:1’s inclusion of ψυχὴ over ἄνθρωπος.

^[i] C. T. Onions, ed., “Justify ,” in The Oxford Universal Dictionary (London: Oxford University Press, 1933).

^[ii] Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. (2008). אָדָם. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers.

^[iii] Strong, J., Kohlenberger, J. R., Swanson, J. A., & Strong, J. (2005). ἄνθρωπος. Strong’s exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Zondervan.

^[iv] Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. (2008). נֶפֶשׁ. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers.

^[v] Strong, J., Kohlenberger, J. R., Swanson, J. A., & Strong, J. (2005). ψυχὴ. Strong’s exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Zondervan.