Skip to main content

What is in a Name?

                 Imagine a green square.  Have you done that?  Good!  Was your square dark green or light green?  Was it big or little?  Was the entire square green or just the outline?  Was your square two-dimensional or was it more like a cube?

                Any of those variations would qualify as a green square.  None are more correct than the others, they are just different ways of interpreting what a green square looks like.

                That simple exercise illustrates the challenge that Bible translators face.  They must take something that they understand in the original language and find a way to communicate that idea in English.  That is part of the reason that we have so many different versions of the Bible.  Truth can be stated in different ways.

                For example, in John 14:15, Jesus says that his father is going to send a special gift.  The word that Jesus uses to describe that gift is clear in the original Greek, but there is no English parallel.  Therefore, we end up with a bunch of different, but equally correct words to describe the promised Holy Spirit.

                The New International Version says that God will send an “advocate”.  This is a legal term for one who speaks on behalf of another.  Therefore, the Spirit speaks to God for us.

                The Revised Standard Version says that God will send a “counsellor”.  This is one who gives direction or helps you find your way.  Certainly, a good description of the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth.

                The Common English Bible and The Message say that God is sending a “companion” or “friend”.  J.B. Phillips chose to say that the Spirit was going to be “one to stand by you”.  In other words, we are not alone.

                Other translations call the Spirit our “helper” or “intercessor”, but I like the King James when it says that God is going to send a “comforter”.  This is not just one who consoles but one who helps the discouraged become brave. 

                Taken together, those many words give us a better picture of the work of the Holy Spirit than one word could do alone. 

                Whatever word we choose, there can be no doubt that the Holy Spirit is a great gift to the believer.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more