Hello, I am very interested in reading the bible and did get through a few chapters but what made me stop, what really bothered me was all the names used for God were changed to 'THE LORD'. I dont want my experiance of the Bible to be limited by what someone else thinks is important so i want to know what version of the Bible is the closest to the original... but in english.
When LORD and GOD are in all caps, it is where the original Hebrew was written YHWH. According to Jewish tradition, the name of God is revered so it isn't spoken so the words for Lord and God replaced it. PS- I find the OT extremly dull, especially the geneologies that are sporaticaly found throughout. It is good to know the background i think before reading the NT looking back on it, but it can still hold on it's own if you are looking for a more...stimulating read.
NOT the KJV. It isn't English, it is Archaic English. I don't know, I find they are all preyy much the same. A word here or there (for exmaple, slave or servent may change) but the point is still the same. PS-I am reading the full NKJV and I've read the NIV New Testament. I've checked out differing translations on http://www.biblegateway.com/
Okay Burbot, i dont know all the lingo so im going to assume that KJV is King James' Version and NKJV is New King James' Version but i cant work out what NIV is...
I thought Yahweh wasn't the only name used in referance to God, for example i was told Jehovah is used in Psalms... of course all my book sais is 'THE LORD' how very uninteresting...
Jehova and Yahweh are two different translations of the original hebrew "YHWH". However, Jehova is wrong, and it was recently just about proven. Up until recently, scholars believed that Hebrew had no vowels. The truth is that it does -- it's just that some of the consonents are ALSO vowels in certain places. Apparently, in a holy text not in the Bible, some kind describes God's name (also known as the "tetragrammaton" or four-letter word) as being "four vowels." We only knew YHWH. However, if you look at the vowel sounds for those letters ... Y translates to the sound "ee" which is usually written I. H translates to the sound "ah" which is usually written A. W translates to the sound "oo" which is usually written U. The final H is pronounced differently because it is inflected to represent masculinity. Yes, that's right, God is MALE, not female, and this is the proof. It is pronounced "eh" and is written as E. YHWH. IAUE. pronounce that. ee-ah-oo-eh ee-au-eh yahweh. Yahweh is the correct pronunciation of YHWH. And IAUE is the correct transliteration (English spelling of the pronunciation). Jehova, on the other hand, originated from Iehouah. The u got replaced with a v, and the I got replaced with a J. If you try to pronounce "Iehouah," it sounds very similar to IAUE/yahweh. Sometimes, YHWH is written with a v, as YHVH, but that is rare. It is also the first part of "Yahweh" from which Jah, the Rastafarian name for god, came. Jah (pronounced with part j and part y, like jyah) is like God's shortname.
Well thanks for the reply but that didnt really answer my question... i wasnt seeking advice on how to go on a spiritual journey. My question is simple, it is the title.
I prefer the NRSV, which is the New Revised Standard Version. I read the NIV for about 6 years, but the NRSV does a better job with language. Whereas the NIV might say, "Brothers, I am speaking to you." The NRSV says, "Brothers and sisters,..." etc. Good luck with your reading and remember not to settle for answers from just one source. Read commentaries, listen to what you learn about in (preferably more than one) church, talk to friends, people online, family, read articles. I would suggest a Bible with a good commentary too, because frankly it is REALLY hard to slog through without at least some guidance. Here are some of my suggestions: New Oxford Annotated with the Apocrypha http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019528478X/sr=8-1/qid=1148391744/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3286120-1039853?%5Fencoding=UTF8 Disciple's Study Bible: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558199527/qid=1148391832/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-3286120-1039853?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 HarperCollins Study Bible http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060655801/qid=1148391880/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-3286120-1039853?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
I think Molly might have posted this later, but NIV is the New International Version. I got it from the Gideon's people in grade 5...
I don't remember you giving gme that sort of advice, but it is still quite possible (I have a bad memory for specifics). That being said this isnt the time or place to really get into it (so if you want to continue, PM me) but I had gone on a little spiritual journey roughly 2 years ago where I read about a whole swatch of religions and philosophies (remmber, I wasn't always a Christian)...heck I even joked about going to hell with my Christian friends... Anywho, my "stimulating read" comment was sort of half of a joke. I put it after an elipsis as an attempt to convey thinking of the right word to use (I dind't think stimulating was right but it was the best I had). I probobly should have explained that at the time. I mean when I do my daily reading (which I am so far behind, and i really need to catch up today) I can read easily WAY over what is supposed to be read in the NT because you know, I am drawn into it. Why do I only want to read half of Matthew 5 (the beginning of the sermon on the mount) when really the whole event take a few chapters. In the OT i find, I get mixed up with names and I have to flip bck to check who is being spoken about, or what is going on is broken by a geneology. You know, I can understand the want for the geneologies in antiquity, but today I don't know if they hold that much relevance to your average Christian.
Wow you hit the nail on the head there Yes sir all i need is for some one to tell me the right bible and i will take all of its words to heart for i cannot think for myself. I didnt even decide to ask other peoples opinions here someone else made that choice for me Why do people make so many assumptions?
