Jan de Koning wrote:
> At 09:16 AM 09/03/02 +0000, Jim Eisele wrote:
>
> >My first choice of discussion? The Hebrew word yom, translated day.
>
> According to many OTestament scholars "yom" can and may mean "time period"
> as well. It would not take away the difficulties many have with Gen.1-11,
> since that is not just history in modern sense of the word.
> Then one has to take into account as well the way old_Hebrews were thinking
> and hearing the Word, which is, due to living in another country, another
> culture, other "school"ing, totally different than our thinking and
> hearing. Consequently "truth" is different in Biblical context for them
> than what is in modern scientific (and consequently popular) thinking.
Correct. The issue is not simply that of translation of individual
words but of interpretation of texts. _yom_ is "day", as shown by many places
in the OT where it clearly has its literal prosaic meaning. But e.g. "the day
of the Lord" isn't limited to a 24 hour period. But if you try to spell out
all the possible resonances of a word in a translation, a la "The Amplified
Bible" you just make a mess of the text without really adding any clarity.
Not all biblical texts are "poetry" in the common use of the word.
(For many English-speaking people the word simply means that words at the ends
of lines rhyme.) But more attention to poetry would help to break the shackles
of what is misleadingly called "literal interpretation of the Bible".
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
"The Science-Theology Interface"
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