Bible Discussion Thread

In Psalm 92:1 it looks like "a" is italicized in "It is a good thing"

Is that correct?

thanks

I checked my KJV Bible and it's not slanted at all.

Could be the publisher did it that way, or this website. What is your Bible version that you use? My publisher is Thomas Nelson/Nashville

Thanks Mishael!

I use the KJV too. I have several - but was using it from the online King James Bible since I was putting

scriptures on a website and wanted to make sure I did it accurately.

Thanks for responding!

Yes Helen, "It is a" & "thing" are all italicized because those four words don't appear in Hebrew, from which the translation was made. If you read it in Hebrew, it would read, "The Sabbath good to give thanks Yahweh and to sing praises to Your name Most High". So, the translators needed to add those extra words, to give it sense in English.

Hello ChrIs,

Thanks! I thought I remembered hearing that once.

So what do you think when the italics are not included?

Does it seem like people are adding to the Scripture unintentionally

to you?

Hello, let me explain something important about translations. Let's say you're translating a phrase from Spanish to English: quiero burrito = I want a burrito. One has 2 words, the other 4 words and both mean the same thing. The equivalent italics here would be [I] and [a] as in [I] want [a] burrito, because those are used to complete the translation to make it grammatically correct, without it, it not a proper translation into that language.

If I say "Want burrito" you might think that sounds strange and incorrect, because it is. So, someone accusing someone of 'adding' to the Bible is false and shows a lack of understanding as they are actually making the translation correct. The italics showing which words completed the translation is only a convenience to those using greek concordances and strongs, and things with literal word for word translations.

Thank you Adam,

That is a great way of explaining it.

I appreciate that - takes a load off of me! :)

- Helen

Thanks for coming back, Helen. I would say that in almost all cases, taking the verse with those added words ("It is a" & "thing") should be quite acceptable for us. Why? Because it gives the sentence a meaning that is familiar to us. Of course, if we were proficient in Hebrew, as another brother Jesse who comes on here regularly, who is very learned in Greek & sheds much light to us on verses & Grecian thinking & expressions, then the whole language may well take on a different meaning & appreciation that we can sometimes miss out on.

But in my attempt to ensure that I'm not losing out on something important in a verse, I often refer to the original language & its lexicons or word translations, to see the different uses of the words in that verse & elsewhere. Or else, you can purchase an Interlinear Bible, or to a (free) Bible Study site, such as Bible Hub, & check out your verses at their Interlinear tab. But remember to read Hebrew texts (with their English counterparts below) from right to left.

But if "italics are not included" as you ask, then you can take some sample verses & test them against the Hebrew/Greek languages at Bible Hub & see whether the translators have done a good job in faithfully communicating the words from the original, or if they snuck in a word or two, ask, has it made any difference to the intended meaning? Ideally, as I wrote before, to know the original languages ourselves, would be the best way to understand & fully test the veracity of Scriptures, but most of us have not that ability.

Thanks Chris!

I'm working on a website putting musical scriptures in it - and b/c I ran across KJV Bibles that

did not have italics and then found this site - I was afraid to put the scriptures up until I had a better understanding.

You make a great point about the italicized words offering more meaning.

God bless you,

Helen

That sounds like a great ministry Helen, putting up Scriptures with music on the Web. I would think that you would be quite safe to add those italicized words as well, as with words put into music, generally affords one much license, which no one should object to. May the Lord use your efforts & give you wisdom in bringing it all together.

I was hoping you'd drop in and tell us what that meant :)