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A deeper understanding of the message of the Bible requires a deeper understanding of the original Hebrew from which the Bible was translated. There is confusion, which is caused by difficulty in accurately translating Biblical Hebrew. There is additional truth revealed when a deeper study includes examing the Biblical Hebrew. This task is not easy but the results are worth the effort. 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.There are many excellent study tools available to increase your understanding of the Biblical Hebrew. Many free software tools are also commonly available. One of my favorite tools is "e-Sword", which is available online for a free download at http://www.e-sword.net. This program contains Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary and a cross-reference between the words of the KJV and the Hebrew. There are many other valuable study tools in e-Sword. The online website http://www.blueletterbible.org contains even more detailed tools for bridging the gap between English and Hebrew. Along with Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary and a cross-reference between the words of the KJV and the Hebrew, you can see the complete text of the Hebrew Bible verses. This book is another tool, which can be used with these tools to improve the understanding and research of the Biblical Hebrew. This book frees the student of the Bible from the confusion and errors of the traditional Masoretic Hebrew Bible and removes a major study hurdle by expressing the Biblical Hebrew language in the Latin script. Take careful note of the terminology I am using. In this book I use the unqualified term Hebrew to refer to Biblical Hebrew of the first century AD. This is not the same thing as the Masoretic Hebrew of the seventh century AD. I will discuss these differences later in detail. I also use the word Tanach, which is the word used by Judaism, to refer to the Masoretic Hebrew Bible. The Masoretic Hebrew Bible is close but not identical to the original Hebrew Bible. You might call it a type of "translation" or interpretation. When I use the unqualified word Bible I am specifically referring to what might be called the "Christian" or English Bible. This convention is critical to understand when talking about differences between the two. There will be those who will take great offense at what I have done. I am deeply saddened by this. I have chosen to follow the evidence rather than the traditions of men. I am reminded of the wrath of the church which came upon reformers such as Luther and Wycliffe when they translated the Bible into the common language of the people. It is more important to increase the knowledge and understanding of truth than to continue the traditions of men. |
Hebrew ScriptThe biggest study limitation I have found is the difficulty to readily recognize the letters of the Hebrew script (which can be considered a "font") and overcome the confusion and errors of vowel pointing. It is difficult enough to grow in understanding of a new language. It creates a special hurdle for the language to be expressed in a completely unfamiliar script (font). The difficulty is increased because the Hebrew language is read right to left instead of left to right as English and other Latin languages do. I have not yet found any study tool, which effectively bridges this major gap of understanding between English and Hebrew. This example illustrates the problem. This is the first couple of verses of the Bible in English and Masoretic Hebrew similar to what is found on another website. http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm
I challenge you to be able to quickly recognize the repeated words and word forms in the Hebrew script. Unless you have spent many hours with great diligence learning Hebrew script, I don't believe you can. I have seen many valuable presentations, which are unnecessarily difficult and awkward because they are hampered by using the Hebrew script. There is nothing holy, inspired, or special about a script (font) used to represent the letters of a language. There are many individuals who use the familiar Latin script of the English language to represent Hebrew words. This helps a lot but an unexpected problem appears. Different people use completely different Latin words and spellings to represent the same Hebrew word. Furthermore, the pronunciation is often skewed and disagrees. |
Biblical Hebrew TransliterationIt is important to distinguish between the process of translation and the process of transliteration. Translation substitutes complete words and phrases of one language for words and phrases which are intended to mean the same thing in another language. Transliteration is quite different because it substitutes individual letters of one language with corresponding letters which sound about the same in another language. The primary intent of transliteration is to indicate pronunciation and word forms not meaning.Languages which share the same Latin base with English do not usually need transliteration. Spanish is a good example of this. Pronunciation of Latin letters in Spanish is very close to English. It is possible to write a phonetic transliteration of Spanish which indicates those letters which are pronounced differently. Just to really make things confusing, there is an alternate use of the word transliteration. You need to be aware of this, if researching this subject with an Internet search. The word transliteration is also used to refer to typing on an English computer keyboard to get Hebrew letters. This really should be called keyboard transliteration to distinguish the totally separate meaning. There is also an application to text in a computer file but that is a very deep subject of no concern to us. There are two distinctly different ways to perform Hebrew transliteration. In the typical method letters are substituted without any consideration for retaining any consistency of the relationship between letters of the two languages. Vowels are particularly difficult, especially in the Masoretic Hebrew, where the existence of vowels in Hebrew has been denied and hidden. Vowels (called vowel points) have been fabricated and applied in the Masoretic Hebrew. I have found the concept of a method which uses a direct one to one transliteration of the exact letters of the Hebrew script into appropriate corresponding Latin letters to be the most authoritative and effective method to increase my own understanding. Learning to recognize Hebrew words in a Latin script is much faster and simpler than recognizing them in Hebrew script. Being able to quickly recognize words and similarities in words is enhanced when using a transliterated Latin script. In most cases a single uppercase Latin letter is substituted for a single Hebrew letter. The typical English pronunciation of the Latin letter, except for the use of Spanish vowel pronunciation, approximately matches the assumed Hebrew pronunciation. This assumed pronunciation is based on careful research described in greater detail in the book Sacred Name IAUA. When there is no appropriate Latin letter, two Latin letters are used. The second letter is a lowercase letter 'h' or 's'. The typical English pronunciation of the two Latin letters approximately matches the assumed Hebrew pronunciation. Please understand, every language has regional and chronological variations in pronunciation. I have no doubt the same was true of Biblical Hebrew. Masoretic Hebrew also has numerous variations. The pronunciation I am proposing for Hebrew is a reasonable approximation, which I believe is better than anything used today, based on the evidence from my research. I am no expert but I believe simple unbiased research easily disproves anything proposed today. You may certainly believe otherwise. This example illustrates the proposed solution to the difficulty of recognizing Hebrew script. This is the same first couple of verses of the Bible found in the previous section in English in parallel with the IAUA transliteration of Hebrew.
Now, I hope it is easier to see, for example, the repeated ELAIM which means GOD. There are other similarities in the repeated words and word forms. The exact text is still there, just using familiar Latin letters. There is nothing holy, inspired, or special about a script (font) used to represent a language. The truth is that the script of the Tanach has changed several times. The earliest parts of the Tanach were written in a completely different script than were later parts. The Masoretic Hebrew script is different than was ever originally used to write the Tanach. The letters themselves have never changed, but the script used to represent them, which can simply be considered a font, has changed. |
Interlinear Literal TranslationI am working on an alternate presentation method with additional detailed information. This format expands the IAUA transliteration with an interlinear literal translation. This is the same first couple of verses of the Bible found in the previous section.
The parallel form makes it easier to read the English but the interlinear form has more connecting information suitable to study. The literal translation will use simple substitution of a single English word, where practical, which is a reasonable approximation of the meaning of the Hebrew word. I am building a dictionary, which maps every unique Hebrew word to an appropriate English word and the Strong's reference number. I am factoring out the Hebrew prefix letters to a separate single word substitution. The verbs are the most difficult to substitute because Hebrew tenses are so different from English tenses. I will be learning a lot about Hebrew in this process. The process is greatly complicated trying to reverse the artificial tenses and nuances added to Biblical Hebrew by the Masorete vowel points. The parallel form will be difficult to ever print in a book with standard paper and a readable font size. The interlinear form is completely impractical in a printed book. I am beginning to suspect more and more that this book will always remain an online reference book. |
Masoretic HebrewOne of the barriers to a better understanding of Hebrew is the major difference between Masoretic Hebrew and the Biblical Hebrew. This is complicated by the deliberate actions of Jewish teachers over the millenia to twist their language to hide the name of God. I discuss these issues in the book Sacred Name IAUA. The biggest stumbling block is the addition of the vowel points in the Masoretic Text about 600 AD. These did not exist in the original texts and completely distort the understanding because they promote the idea the Hebrew script did not contain vowels. This is completely false. This leads to the second major problem. The next problem I have found is the disagreement about how Hebrew is pronounced. This is primarily disagreement over the presence of vowels. It is difficult to discuss and remember words which you are unable to pronouce in a reliably consistent way. It is also inappropriate, in my view, based on my study, to use an obviously incorrect pronunciation. Therefore, I have created a parallel transliteration of the Tanach for study purposes. I have removed the vowel points which did not exist in the Biblical Hebrew. I have created a transliteration which is highly pronounceable and likely to be close to the original. |
Biblical Hebrew 'IAUA Transliteration' | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Script | Block | Number | Name | Latin | Sound | |||||
א | א | 1 | Alef | E | ai | |||||
ב | ב | 2 | Bet | B | b | |||||
ג | ג | 3 | Gimel | G | g | |||||
ד | ד | 4 | Dalet | D | d | |||||
ה | ה | 5 | He | A | ah | |||||
ו | ו | 6 | Vav | U | oo | |||||
ז | ז | 7 | Zayin | Z | z | |||||
ח | ח | 8 | Het | Ch | ch | |||||
ט | ט | 9 | Tet | T | t | |||||
י | י | 10 | Yod | I | ee | |||||
( כ ( ך | ( כ ( ך | 20 | Kaf | K | k | |||||
ל | ל | 30 | Lamed | L | l | |||||
( מ ( ם | ( מ ( ם | 40 | Mem | M | m | |||||
( נ ( ן | ( נ ( ן | 50 | Nun | N | n | |||||
ס | ס | 60 | Samekh | S | s | |||||
ע | ע | 70 | Ayin | O | oh | |||||
( פ ( ף | ( פ ( ף | 80 | Pe | F | f | |||||
( צ ( ץ | ( צ ( ץ | 90 | Tsadi | Ts | ts | |||||
ק | ק | 100 | Qof | Q | kw | |||||
ר | ר | 200 | Resh | R | r | |||||
ש | ש | 300 | Shin | Sh | sh | |||||
ת | ת | 400 | Tav | Th | th |
Hebrew NumbersThis is another important fact about Hebrew. There are no numerals. Numbers are represented by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This is first observed in the numbering of the verses. The appropriate numbers are shown in the transliteration table. Larger numbers are created through an additive process. Example: E = 1 and I = 10, therefore 11 = IE. The Hebrew script has the letters reversed. The rules for a number larger than 499 are not consistent.Take note, there are some possibly confusing exceptions. For example, IA (10+5) and IU (10+6) are not acceptable as verse numbers according to Jewish tradition. This is because it is the name of God or sounds too close, so Hebrew tradition uses TU (9+6) and TZ (9+7) instead. |
Tanach DifferencesThere are differences between the Tanach and the Bible in the order and the divisions of the different books. The Table of Contents shows both orderings. There are also some differences with verse and chapter numbering between the Tanach and the Bible. This book generally follows the verse and chapter numbering of the Tanach because the material was originally deleloped from the Tanach. Remember that chapter and verse numbers were not created until over a thousand years after the time of the Messiah.In Jewish tradition, the ascriptions to many Psalms are regarded as independent verses, making 116 more verses, whereas the established Christian practice is to count and number each Psalm ascription together with the first verse following it. Chapter differences are seen in Joel and Malachi. The Tanach splits a chapter in Joel but combines a chapter in Malachi. In all cases the text is the same but the numbering shows differences. These differences are indicated in detail in the table found at the following website. http://bartimaeus.us/pub_dom/hebrew-chapter-verse-differences-list.txt |
Book DevelopmentThe development of this book began with raw material from the website:http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm I wrote a series of computer programs which significantly modified the format of the material. The English text received major word substitutions to replace archaic words forms. An example would be replacing 'sinneth' with 'sins'. The name of God was also changed from 'the LORD' to 'IAUA' to match the Hebrew text. Names should not be translated. I have considered changing all the names to transliterations but that might be a little too radical and confusing instead of helpful. I removed the vowel points from the Hebrew text which are not part of the original texts. I removed all punctuation from both the Hebrew and the Hebrew transliteration, which was also added by the JPS (Jewish Publication Society) or other tradition. There is no punctuation in the oldest manuscripts. The Hebrew text will not appear in the printed book. I am still debating with myself about about the {P} paragraph, {N} newline, and {S} space indicators found in the JPS text. Some iterations have included them and some did not. I am debating the study value they may or may not add. You can verify my statements about vowel points and punctuation with any Internet search. I also provide evidence by an examination of the picture of the Great Isaiah Scroll dated from about 125 BCE at The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Digital Dead Sea Scrolls Collection. http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah A portion is shown on the back cover. I made an interesting observation when examining the online website of the most ancient and respected version of the Hebrew manuscript. When they wrote notes in the margins, they did not use vowel points. Even Hebrew scholars have openly discussed the real value of the vowel points demonstrating that I am not the only one who disapproves.
http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=675 I added another column of the transliteration of the Hebrew. This is the only column which will appear in the printed book with the English text. I do not know if the book will ever be printed because of the major task of preparing the final form of the English text. This will probably be an ongoing effort which will only appear on the website. |
FTCABE TranslationI am continuing to make changes in the English text to use what I call "Formal Twentieth Century American Basic English" (FTCABE) words and phrasing. Even the KJV has had rephrasings since its original translation as the English language has changed. It is my goal to use simple modern American English grammar with medium length complete sentences. I have carefully compared wording in several versions of the Bible seeking text which is simple and easy to read but still completely accurate to the intent of the KJV with some adjustments to some parts such as references to the MUODIM. I have also consulted Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary and other sources for better wording and accuracy. These are some examples of the simpler changes in wording. The words "upon" and "unto" are often outdated uses that are often changed to "on" and "to". The word "shall is often changed to "will". The goal is to use a formal writing style but avoiding outdated or dramatic exaggeration. Whenever I use this type of wording in quoting from the Bible I will mark it with (FTCABE) in the same way you might see (KJV) or (NIV). You may cross reference the BlueLetterBible.org website, which shows the traditional wording and provides a mostly word by word cross-reference to the Masoretic Hebrew. The goal is to create an English text which is still authoritative but easy to read. This is not a paraphrase but it is not exactly a completely new translation either. The best description I can think of is a 'rephrasing'. I will also refer to this as the 'IAUA Transliteration' because it contains the name of God transliterated to IAUA. The primary purpose is to provide an easy to read English text with a Hebrew transliteration for cross reference purposes. This will assist in increasing the understanding of Hebrew in conjunction with other study tools. I hope you will be blessed by my efforts. I love this quote and I echo its sentiment: I recommend to you, dear reader, the Word of God as the rule of your faith and practice. By that Word we are to be judged. God has, in that Word, promised to give visions in the "last days"; not for a new rule of faith, but for the comfort of His people, and to correct those who err from Bible truth. Thus God dealt with Peter when He was about to send him to preach to the Gentiles. (Acts 10.) {EW 78.1} {ExV 64.3} Next: Book Contents |
Revised 2016-09-12 |