Why Read the Bible in the Original Languages?

A comparison of multiple translations of the Bible in any language shows

that they differ at hundreds of places, pointing to the continuing

disagreement among Bible scholars and translators in their analysis and

understanding of those places. To learn Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, the

original languages of the Bible, is admittedly not everybody’s cup of

tea. Knowledge of them does not necessarily provide a solution to these

difficulties. However, there are not a few things in the biblical text

which can be missed out if it is read only in translation. A range of

linguistic issues touching on the three original languages are discussed

in the light of actual examples. Matters of culture and rhetoric are

also taken up. A special chapter is devoted to the Septuagint as a

bridge between the two Testaments. The book is written in a

non-technical style, hence easily readable by non-specialists, but

specialists may also find things of interest. No Hebrew or Greek

alphabet is used.