Have
you learned how to transliterate Greek and Hebrew words yet? If you haven’t you
should, because it will elevate your Bible study skills tremendously – and learning
how is FREE! Just click on the links below and you will soon be working with
Greek and Hebrew:
We
used a very interesting word as an example in the above lessons. It is a Hebrew
word that was transliterated into Greek and is often transliterated into
English – AMEN (click
here to see example). In this blog
we are going to focus on the word “AMEN” in the Greek text of the New Testament:
Before
we turn to the Greek text, we need to discuss chapter and verse markers in the
Bible. They are not found in the ancient Greek manuscripts. Classically,
scrolls of the books of the bible have always been divided by blank spaces at
the end (petuhoth) or middle (setumoth) of the lines. Stephen Langton, Archbishop of
Canterbury between 1207 and 1228, is credited with being the one who divided
the Bible into the chapters that remains in use today.[i]
Robert Estienne created a verse
numbering system in his 1551 edition of the Greek New Testament which was also
used in his 1553 publication of the Bible in French. Estienne's system was
widely adopted, and his system is found in almost all modern Bibles.[ii] Estienne
was a 16th-century printer and classical scholar in Paris. He was a former Catholic
who became a Protestant late in his life and the first to print the Bible divided
into standard numbered verses.
Chapter and verse
markers act like traffic signs. Chapter markers are like “STOP” signs. Many
people base their Bible reading schedule on chapters and stop when they come to
the end of a chapter. or multiple chapters of their Bible every day.
STOP: CHAPTER BREAK
Verse markers, on the other hand, are more like
“SLOW” signs. Readers slow down, but usually coast on by until they encounter the
next “STOP” sign.
SLOW DOWN: NEW VERSE
AHEAD
The
more you study the biblical text using the BHC linguistic skills, the clearer
it becomes that many chapter and verse breaks were inserted in the wrong places.
When that happens the context may be adversely affected or destroyed. It is very
important to learn to learn how to ignore the chapter and verse markers and define
the context by following the flow of what is written.
One
of the obvious examples of verse markers being in the wrong place can be seen
in contexts where the Greek word “AMEN” appears in the Gospels. However,
finding the translation of “AMEN” isn’t always easy. Which word is the
translation of “AMEN” in the King James Version of Matthew 5:18:
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled.
(In
The Real Yeshua Blog I
explained the meanings of jot
and tittle.)
In order to find “AMEN” we are going to learn
how to use another very important and valuable Bible study tool – the interlinear
Bible. It has the Greek or Hebrew text with an English translation
below each word. The interlinear Bible is available online for FREE. Click Here to go a
interlinear text of Matthew 5 and then scroll down to verse 18 and find the
Greek word “AMEN.”
Did
you find it? “AMEN” is the first word in the verse and below it is the English translation
“truly.” The King James translators
translated it “verily.” Now, instead
of using one of the above translations, let’s transliterate it.
Amen! For I say unto
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Keep
in mind that Jesus was teaching in Hebrew, not Greek or English. Remember, “AMEN”
is also the transliteration of the Hebrew word, which means “so be it.” “AMEN” usually
comes at the end of something and is used to highlight or stress something. But, in this verse “AMEN” is the first word
in the sentence. Why? It is first because Robert Estienne inserted a verse
marker right in the middle of a point Jesus was making. As a result, the word he used to stress the
point he was making was severed from the statement. Now look what happens when
we reconnect the two parts and recreate the original context by combining
verses 17 & 18:
Think not that I am come to destroy the
law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Amen! For I say unto you, until heaven
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled.
There
are four words that have cultural meanings that differ from the normal
definitions you will find in an English dictionary. (Click
Here to see my blog which will provide more information about those words.)
Below is a reconstruction that reflects more accurately the cultural meaning of
what Jesus really said:
Think not that I am come to misinterpret
the Torah or the Prophets (two sections of the Hebrew Scriptures). I have
not come to misinterpret, but to correctly interpret them. Amen! For I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, neither the
smallest Hebrew letter YOD nor one of the even smaller decorative marks on the
Hebrew letters shall in no way be removed from the Torah until all is correctly
interpreted.
Knowing
that the Greek word “AMEN” is in the verse and that it usually appears after a
significant statement or point is made allows you to reconnect the parts and
reconstruct the words of Jesus. You will be able to see what he wanted to
emphasize. (Keep in mind that when you need to use a Greek or Hebrew
interlinear Bible, CLICK HERE to go to
the Biblical Heritage Bible
Study Tools Page and you will find the link to interlinear Bibles,
different versions of the Bible, dictionaries, encyclopedias and much more.)
Now
it’s your turn. Below is a list of some other verses in the King James Version in
which the Greek word “AMEN” was translated “verily.” You will find an online
version of the King James Bible on our Bible Study Tools Page
too. You can use it and your word processor to copy and paste verses in documents,
so you can start working on your own translation of the Bible. Be sure to set
up a folder and save all of your work. As you look at each appearance of “AMEN”
in the verses below do the following:
(1) Replace the translation “verily”
with “Amen!”
(2) See if a verse or chapter marker was
inserted in the wrong place.
(3) Reconstruct the context by
reconnecting the parts & see what
Jesus wanted to stress.
I
think you will be amazed by how much power is added to the teachings of Jesus
by simply doing this exercise. Have fun as you reconstruct the original
contexts of the following verses:
(1) Matthew 5:26
(2) Matthew 6:2
(3) Matthew 6:5
(4) Matthew 6:16
(5) Matthew 10:15
What
do you think? Does this help you better understand the words of Jesus? Please let us know you like this blog by going
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especially during this holiday season.
Shalom & Be Empowered!
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