I’d like to build on what mtatum wrote…
Have you ever tried studying a foreign language? If you have or do so in the future, you might have a better idea as to why there are so many different translations.
One major issue is that words have multiple meanings and definitions, and often words used in religious texts are especially nuanced. The translator will choose the meaning that makes the most sense to him based on his beliefs, personality, life experience etc. Another translator might choose a different word. For example, the Inuit have a bunch of words for snow. We have just one. If you translated our “snow” into the language of the Inuit which word would you choose? Each Inuit word for snow has a different meaning, so the one you choose will affect the meaning of the text. Conversely, if one were to translate an Inuit word for snow into English, something of the original meaning would be lost.
Meanings can also change based on context and the translators understanding of that context. Here’s a simplistic, non-religious example. Take the sentence “She slept with him last night.” For some reason you don’t understand the context of the statement; all you have is this one sentence to go on. “Sleeping with” someone is often a euphemism for having sex, so you might interpret the sentence to mean that she had sex with him. However, later you find out more about the context and you learn that the “him” that was referred to in the sentence was really her dog. Would the sexual interpretation still be as likely?
As a side note: I think it would be really interesting to read a secular Bible translation that was done by Agnostics and Atheists; and then compare it to the theist’s translations. |