Wednesday 3 May 2017

Meditating on Scripture - Doing the legwork



Bible Gateway provides 55 different iterations on the full English Bible.  Some would say, See, the Bible has been changed, it cant be trusted!  The big secret that these sceptics dont know is that Gods Word is alive with meaning.  Through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, God will use a specific passage of Scripture, to speak to the believers heart, in many ways and for many different reasons.  These individuals would not understand the passion the translators and interpreters have for conveying the true meaning of the words and the heart of God.  They strive to listen to Gods voice not their own.
Having recently been challenged to continually trust God in trying times, I have been focusing on verses of Scripture such as Psalm 46:10, which 42 of the 55 translations reads, Be still, and know that I am God.  Many versions italicize the word, am to give it emphasis. A friend from our Bible Study group challenged me to understand the Hebrew meaning of this verse, all Hebrew families knew this verse like the back of their hands, but what they knew was the meaning. In Hebrew, the text of be still means to drop everything! This lead me to the exercise of looking at this verse through all the different translations on Bible Gateway. The results are below.  As always, it is good to read Scripture in context.
Psalm 46:10 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)- Full verse.
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted on the earth."
Psalm 46:10 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Stop your fighting, and know that I am God,
Psalm 46:10 Common English Bible (CEB)
Thats enough! Now know that I am God!
Psalm 46:11 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
11 (10) Desist, and learn that I am God,
Psalm 46:10 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Our God says, Calm down, and learn that I am God!
Psalm 46:10 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
God says, Stop fighting and know that I am God!
Psalm 46:10 GODS WORD Translation (GW)
Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 International Standard Version (ISV)
Be in awe and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 Living Bible (TLB)
Stand silent! Know that I am God!
Psalm 46:10 The Message (MSG)
Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.
Psalm 46:10 Names of God Bible (NOG)
Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am Elohim.
Psalm 46:10 New English Translation (NET Bible)
He says, Stop your striving and recognize that I am God!
Psalm 46:10 New Life Version (NLV)
Be quiet and know that I am God.
Tehillim 46:10 Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
10 (11) Be still, and know that I am Elohim:
Psalm 46:10 The Voice (VOICE)
Be still, be calm, see, and understand I am the True God.
Psalm 46:10 Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
Give ye attention, and see ye, that I am God;
Psalm 46:10 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

Desist, and know that I [am] God,

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