[ETWolverine]

I'm not saying I agree with this, but there was a column in Newsday this Saturday that bears on this. In the column a Rabbi who writes for Newsday was discussing quotations that a reader had made to prove a point from an earlier column. In that column he made a statement that grabbed my attention:

"One of the most important things to understand when quoting the Bible (the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Testament) is that it was not written in English. This means you're not only reading a translation from Hebrew or Greek, but you're also often reading an interpretation masquerading as a translation." God squad: The biblical roots of hell and the devil -- Newsday.com

He went on to reference some quotations as examples. One specific example he referred to which is often used to justify Jesus Christ as the Messiah was the Greek translation of Isaiah 7:14; "and behold a virgin shall give birth". But, according to Gellman, the original Hebrew uses the word alma, which means young woman, instead of betula, which means virgin.

I really thought this was an important point for those people who quote the King James (or other english transalation) of the Bible to keep in mind.

This point is absolutely true.

There are a number of similar mistranslations within the various English translations of the NT.

Another example of this is the use of the word "pierced" in Psalms 22:16, which is seen as a reference to Jesus' hands and feet being pierced on the cross. The translation used in most English Bibles is "For dogs have surrounded me, the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me; they pierce my hands and feet." But this is incorrect.

The word used in that verse is "ka'ari", which means "lion", not "pierced". The CORRECT translation of the verse is "For dogs have surrounded me, the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me; like a lion who has my hands and feet." There is, in fact, no Hebrew word for "pierce".

There are many similar mistranslations of the OT. Some were accidental, some were specifically designed. But they are mistranslations nonetheless.

Great citation, Scott

Elliot