Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

c. It was commonly spoken by Jews in Jesus’ day and was quite possibly the language spoken by Jesus in common speech. It was preferred by Jews because it had Semitic roots (it resembled Hebrew) but was commonly understood by many others. In Jesus’ day, it was common to read the Scriptures in the Synagogue in Hebrew and then read them in Aramaic so that non-Hebrew speakers could understand. Beginning around 200 B.C. portions of the Hebrew Scriptures began being written down in Aramaic in individual portions called “Targums.”

3. Greek

a. Koine dialect - (“street Greek”) different from the classical grammar kind of Greek, is simpler and more accessible

b. Simple, popular speech, the common language of commerce and government in the widespread Roman empire

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c. Septuagint - a translation of the Old Testament Scriptures into Greek by 70 Jewish scholars. (It is often referred to by the abbreviation LXX which is the Roman number for 70.)

B. The challenge of language translation: why is translation difficult to do?

1. Overcoming the differences in word meaning, use, and grammar

a. Translation is about the receiving culture; but what if the receiving culture has fewer or different options than those listed in the Scriptures?