TEDxEastHampton - Joel Hoffman - Interpreting Language

Joel Hoffman is a teacher, translator and author. His latest work uses modern linguistics to better understand the Bible.

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[JoelMHoffman]

Joel Hoffman here. This presentation (except for the part about supermarkets) is taken from my latest book _And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning_

I also host a blog called "God Didn't Say That" that serves as a forum for discussing Bible translation and mistranslation.  But to answer gratiaDei777's question briefly here, I generally recommend the NRSV as, at least, unsurpassed.

[proudhug]

No, this video even SHOWS that that's not true. Parking fines are his example of a law that has nothing to do with morality. It is also illegal for children to vote, or for people born outside of the U.S. to be elected president. Are these immoral acts? Not at all. Laws are merely sets of rules that people want everyone to follow. They're not mutually exclusive to morality, but they're certainly not based on them, either.

[MrSahansdal]

For anyone interested, especially Joel, there is an excellent discussion going on at Amazon Christianity (last days 'Part NIne')

about the Jeremiah 31:31 difference between ‘chudashah’ and ‘chadsahah’, REnewed Covenant, versus “New Covenant”. It is a crucial distinction in understanding the (not!) ‘NEW COVENANT.

Look for James Carlson, Gershom, and sahansdal’s (me) posts on this date (8:35 pm is the one I copied)

Comment by Robert Wahler | April 14, 2013 | Reply

[KingADuhYeti]

you"re wasting your intelligence translating an old storybook...

[BakiUno]

How many languages do you speak? You don't think that phrases used thousands of years ago or spoken in a another language can mean something completely different or not make any sense?When a Mandarin speaker wants to say "he is tan" he will actually say "He is black" in English. He is not saying the person is African, he is just trying to say that his skin is dark. Direct translations are often misinterpreted even in modern times.Why is that so hard to accept?

[BakiUno]

the main purpose was not to be so literal and to take words from context. I doubt he is a lawyer, anyone can make a mistake as common as the one you pointed out and this does not mean his point isn't valid.

[Porter Betty]

Sounds a bit like he is putting the Bible down, who is he??

[melkicf]

This is the most rediculous and uneducated article I have read. Sorry Dr. Hoffman but you need to do more research. see humblesmith at wordpress for a response if you like to see another view

[DuhEnlightenedOne]

He used the word illegal when referring to 10 commandments. The proper word is unlawful, not illegal. the legal system and the law are two different things. God's commandments are the law. The legal system is just about making money for governments and attorneys. The legal system can be ignored as long as you have a way to escape or consent to the penalties.

[TacticusPrime]

Umm... all criminal codes are based on morality. Do not steal, do not kill, do not lie to the authorities... these are all moral rules that have been codified into law. One can oppose the introduction of religious opinions into law, but one can not do it while pretending that law is a separate sphere from morality.

[proudhug]

It's too bad no reasons were given for why morality should be included in legislation. Personally, I can't conceive of many things that would be more utterly disastrous, so I'd be very interested in hearing how this could possibly be a good idea.