Nice online Bible research tool -- a mini-tutorial
Recently, I wanted to learn more about the Hebrew words behind a particular Bible verse I know in English..."what do the words really mean?" Poking on the internet, I found a reference tool. While it's based on the awkwardly-odd-to-our-ears King James translation from centuries ago, I am still impressed enough with how easy it is to access this info--and for free--that I wanted to pass on a little how-to.
Researching a specific word
- Go to www.BlueLetterBible.org.
- Specify a verse (e.g. Psalms chapter 37 verse 4).
- Click the blue C to the left of the verse.
- Find the table with English words on the left and numbers down the middle. Click one of the numbers (e.g. 06026 next to Delight).
- You can scrutinize the dictionary-like definitions near the top.
- Lower, you can see all verses that contain that same word (or, if there are more verses than could fit on the page, you find colored "buttons" lower down, citing ranges of additional verses).
- In each of those verses, you see numbers. The number you selected is bold in all of those verses. Is the same word used wherever that bold number appears? If not, do you agree with the English word the translators chose?
Comparing translations
Over time, different groups of translators have taken a stab at converting the non-English languages of the original scriptures into English. Some work hard at picking the most accurate translation, even if that means the result is bumpy and unnatural to read. Others work hard at picking more relaxed and readily-understood expressions that capture the essence of what the original texts said without being exact. For example, if the original text refers to "denari" (a day's wages), is it better to say "he owed a denari" or "he owed $200" or "he owed a day's wages"?
To see how different translators have chosen to translate a verse of interest:
- Go to www.BlueLetterBible.org.
- Specify a verse (e.g. Psalms chapter 37 verse 4).
- Click the blue V to the left of the verse. The resulting rows present (1) an abbreviation of particular translation/version (e.g. NLT, NASB), (2) the verse in that translation and (3) the date of that translation. (Sorry, but I'll steer clear of the Vulgate.)
