Bible - Alternative Translation

[Rhadamanthus]

I am currently doing my own translation of the Holy Bible, because i hate the commercial bibles, they also over exaggerate the verses, so i an doing my own.

I translated each Hebrew word in English, as well as correct "Plural" words in English, e.g. Elohim = Gods , they are other Plural Hebrew words that are also translated as Singular for example the Hebrew plural "paniym" is translated as Face, rather then Faces, and I never understand why a Hebrew Plural is always a Singular, IF Genesis author wrote Plurals then so be it.

I am translating them by myself so i post here for peoples opinions

I also tried to make the Text make more sense, and get rid of extra anomalies that never appeared in the Original

Genesis (Alternative and Accurate Translation)

Gen 1:1
Upon the Beginning the Gods fashioned the Sky and Earth

Gen 1:2
Earth was Chaos and Empty, Darkness was over the faces of the Ocean and the wind of the gods blew over the faces of the waters.

Gen 1:3
The Gods spoke, let there be Light, and there was daybreak

Gen 1:4
The Gods saw the light, and it was pleasent, and the gods set apart the Light from the darkness

Gen 1:5
The Gods called this Light, the Day, and the darkness was named the Night, and the Sun Setting and rising was the First Day,

Gen 1:6
The Gods said, let there be a Vault in the midst of the waters, to seperate the Waters from Waters

Gen 1:7
the Gods used the Vault to divide the Water under the Vault and the Waters above the Vault.

Gen 1:8
the Gods called the Vault, the Sky, let the Sun Set and Rise the second day.

Gen 1:9
The Gods said let the Water under the sky gather and dry up.

Gen 1:10
The Gods called the Dryness the earth, the mass of water was called the Sea, and the gods saw it was pleasant.

Gen 1:11
The Gods said, let the soil sprout vegetation and plants yield seeds, and the trees that grow fruit, let there seeds scatter the earth

Gen 1:12
The Soil produced herds and plants yielding seeds of different kinds and trees that grow fruit with seeds within them, the gods saw this was pleasureful.

Gen 1:13
the Sun Set and Rose for the third Day

Gen 1:14
The Gods said, let there be luminaries in the vaults of the sky, to seperate the days and nights and let them be signs for seasons, the days and the Years

Gen 1:15
And let these luminaries in the vaults of the sky Light up the Earth

Gen 1:16
The Gods made two important lights, the greator to rule the Day and the dimmer light and stars to light up the earth.

Gen 1:17
The Gods places these in the Vaults of the Sky to light up the earth

Gen 1:18
To Rule the day and night to divide the light from the darkness, the gods where pleased.

Gen 1:19
the Sun Set and rose for the forth Day

Gen 1:20
The Gods said, let the waters swarm creatures that breath life, and let the birds fly in the vaults of the sky.

Gen 1:21
The Gods fashioned many sea serpents and other living creature that swims through the waters swarming with different kinds, as well as the winged birds of all kind, the Gods saw that it was pleasent.

Gen 1:22
The Gods adored them, let them breed and multiply and fill the waters in the seas and rivers and the birds multiply the earth

Gen 1:23
the Sun Set and rose for the fifth Day,

Gen 1:24
The Gods said, the earth shall bring forth different kinds of creatures, like
cattle, insects and let these animals of different kinds walk the earth

Gen 1:25
The gods fashioned different animals and cattle and other walking beasts upon the earth, the gods saw was it was pleasant


Gen 1:26
The Gods said, let us make produce man in our ressemblence and likeines, let them rule over the fish of the seas and rivers, the flying birds of the sky and the cattle of the land, as well as the over animals that walk the earth.

Gen 1:27
The Gods fashioned man in there own ressemblence, the ressemblence of the gods created males and females created them.

Gen 1:28
The gods blessed them, and the gods told them to breed and fill the land, and rule and dominate over the fish of the seas and rivers, birds of the sky and over every animal that moves upon the earth.

Gen 1:29
The Gods said to them, i gave you every plant bearing seeds upon the faces of the land and every trees and its fruit that yield seeds for your consumpsion.

Gen 1:30
The Animals of the earth, the birds of the sky and animals that walk upon the land whom will feed upon the plants as food.

Gen 1:31
The Gods saw which he had made and the abundances was good.
the Sun Set and Sun Rise for the sixth Day,

Gen 2:1 (should be 1:32)
The sky and earth finised its duty

Gen 2:2 (should be 1:33)
Upon the seventh day, the gods finished there work they had done and rested upon the seventh day from there work they had done.

Gen 2:3 (should be 1:34)
The Gods blessed the sevenths day which was observed as holy, because they had rested from there work that the gods created and made

(it seems that another author wrote from Gen 2:4, i am half way translating Gen 2-3, gen 1 should have stopped at gen 2:3 )

 

[fallingblood]

I see a few problems. First, Genesis one, I believe, is a poor translation. I can see it as being When God made the heavens and Earth (which would make sense in a historical context, as we see the same time of introduction in the Enuma Elish), or In the beginning, which we see in most Christian Bibles. Upon the beginning simply doesn't really fit. I think it is clunky, and doesn't relate what the story is trying to portray. And I think there is a reason why those are the two main translations.

Second, Elohim, even though it can be plural, can also be singular. So to translate it as gods really is not accurate. Especially when in this instance, we know for certain (by examining what we consider the priestly source) that Elohim was used as a proper name for God. So really, to translate it as gods is making a case for something that the author simply would not have been trying to convey.

May I ask from what manuscripts you are translating this from?

 

[idea]

I am currently doing my own translation of the Holy Bible,

wow, quite a first post - welcome to RF!

I enjoyed reading your translation, is Hebrew your first language?

(I'm a Mormon, and agree with your use of the plural form of God btw )

1:26-27, the image of the Gods are male and female - Heavenly Parents - a Father and a Mother!

 

[idea]

(it seems that another author wrote from Gen 2:4, i am half way translating Gen 2-3, gen 1 should have stopped at gen 2:3 )

(Old Testament | Genesis 2:4 - 5)
4 ¶ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were acreated, in the day that the bLORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every aplant of the field bbefore it was in the cearth, and every herb of the field before it grew


We belive in two different creative periods - "the generations of the earth" and the "generations of heaven" that everything was spiritually created before it was naturally on the face of the earth - so the second account of the creation was perhaps the heavenly / spiritual creation? It will be interesting to read your translation when you are finished!

 

[Rhadamanthus]

I am using Blue Letter Bible and Hebrew Lexicon of Hebrew scriptures

Second, Elohim, even though it can be plural

The Singular of Elohim is "'el", thus, i am going on the notion, If the
Author intended Plural, so be it.

. Upon the beginning simply doesn't really fit. I think it is clunky

There is no "In The" or "Upon the", in the Hebrew so i just used "upon the" at random

Gen 1:1
Beginning the Gods fashioned the Sky and Earth

Genesis looks like multiple books with multiple authors, So each Section of Genesis i view as rather Separate to each other, thus its better i think not to use gen 12:1 e.g to interpret Gen 1:4 e.g

Let each book interpret themselves

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

I translated each Hebrew word in English, as well as correct "Plural" words in English, e.g. Elohim = Gods , they are other Plural Hebrew words that are also translated as Singular for example the Hebrew plural "paniym" is translated as Face, rather then Faces, and I never understand why a Hebrew Plural is always a Singular, IF Genesis author wrote Plurals then so be it.

I think you might need to study more hebrew before attempting a translation. Number in Hebrew, as in English, is often idiomatic. Abstract concepts are frequently expressed in the plural in Hebrew, when in english they would be singular. Elohim is an honorific plural. It refers to a singular concept.

Also, language in general is highly idiomatic. Even generative linguists like Jackendoff have recognized that the lexicon must contain more than just words, while constructions grammarians don't divide grammar and lexicon into two seperate entities at all. This is one reason word-for-word translations are usually terrible. Translation requires a nuanced grasp not only of grammatical concepts like number, but also of the the ways particular concepts are expressed in prefabs or phrasal "nouns."

 

[angellous_evangellous]

So - do you actually know Hebrew?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

(a basic grasp of Hebrew syntax and grammar would be of great help - advanced knowledge is required for translation)

It looks to me like you've "looked up" the "meaning" of each Hebrew word in a dictionary, and ignored lexicons and scholarly work on words/phrases in Genesis. Without knowledge of grammar and syntax, you just fantasize about how the English words mesh together.

It's only fun because it's clumsy.

 

[idea]

angellous, be nice. I love the BLB / Lexicon, it's interesting to see a word-for-word of it.

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

angellous, be nice. I love the BLB / Lexicon, it's interesting to see a word-for-word of it.

Except it doesn't work.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

angellous, be nice. I love the BLB / Lexicon, it's interesting to see a word-for-word of it.

English is not Hebrew. You can't have a word for word translation.

 

[Rhadamanthus]

I think you might need to study more hebrew before attempting a translation. Number in Hebrew, as in English, is often idiomatic. Abstract concepts are frequently expressed in the plural in Hebrew, when in english they would be singular. Elohim is an honorific plural. It refers to a singular concept.

Also, language in general is highly idiomatic. Even generative linguists like Jackendoff have recognized that the lexicon must contain more than just words, while constructions grammarians don't divide grammar and lexicon into two seperate entities at all. This is one reason word-for-word translations are usually terrible. Translation requires a nuanced grasp not only of grammatical concepts like number, but also of the the ways particular concepts are expressed in prefabs or phrasal "nouns."

Most of the translation was straight forward, the only thing i had an Issue with was "raqiya" (firmament)

Since Genesis 1, is a Creation Account and is extremely similar to other accounts of Egypt, Babylon and Greece
i used them to translate it better


Gen 1:6
The Gods said, let there be a Vault in the midst of the waters, to seperate the Waters from Waters

Genesis 1:6 is strange, "Vault" is the space between the "Earth" and the "Sky", like an atmosphere
gen 1:6 is using an "Horizontal" notion that the Sky is Water, likely because it looks Blue, or an Aquatic Shell around our Planet. Utter strange ancient beliefs that is classed as silly in
today's standards

 

[fallingblood]

I am using Blue Letter Bible and Hebrew Lexicon of Hebrew scriptures

So do you know Hebrew, or are you relying primarily on the use of a Lexicon?

The Singular of Elohim is "'el", thus, i am going on the notion, If the
Author intended Plural, so be it.

Elohim, again, can be either singular or plural, depending on context. When used with singular verbs, it can be singular, etc. So it is not accurate to translate Elohim, in this case, to gods.

We can be even more certain about this when we examine the source (which is thought to be the priestly source). There is no reason to think that the author was talking about gods. We know this because we can look at the other work attributed to him. Just the historical context in which these verses were written would have shown that Elohim did not refer to gods.

Not to mention, it ignores the fact that Elohim can also be used as a proper term, which in this case, meant God.

There is no "In The" or "Upon the", in the Hebrew so i just used "upon the" at random

Gen 1:1
Beginning the Gods fashioned the Sky and Earth

Genesis looks like multiple books with multiple authors, So each Section of Genesis i view as rather Separate to each other, thus its better i think not to use gen 12:1 e.g to interpret Gen 1:4 e.g

Let each book interpret themselves

So you're just throwing in things at random, which is hardly accurate. There is a reason why these verses are translated in certain ways. It isn't because translators are just throwing in words at random. It's because they understand Hebrew.

 

[fallingblood]

(a basic grasp of Hebrew syntax and grammar would be of great help - advanced knowledge is required for translation)

It looks to me like you've "looked up" the "meaning" of each Hebrew word in a dictionary, and ignored lexicons and scholarly work on words/phrases in Genesis. Without knowledge of grammar and syntax, you just fantasize about how the English words mesh together.

It's only fun because it's clumsy.

Even with advanced knowledge, it can still be difficult. I don't claim advanced knowledge at all, but I have been translating portions of the NT, with the help of my Greek teacher. Even then, it is slow work.

 

[Rhadamanthus]

There is no reason to think that the author was talking about gods. We know this because we can look at the other work attributed to him. Just the historical context in which these verses were written would have shown that Elohim did not refer to gods.

What make you thing there is a Single Author, i am quite show a new Author started at Gen 2:4, the Symbolic languages seems to shift after that and contradicts the first part of Genesis

 

[Rhadamanthus]

Interpretating

Genesis 1 to 2:3 from my interpretation is not a Linear Creation account, its a Cycle, In Fact the First word of genesis
is "Beginning" and at the end of the account in Gen 2:3, the gods had finished and they where resting, it seems to represent A Year.


Genesis 1 [Beginning]
Genesis 2:3 [End]

Genesis 1 [Beginning]
Genesis 2:3 [End]


Creation Cycle (note. Creation is from latin "Ceres" meaning Fertility/To Grow/Spring)

Gen 1:2
Earth was Chaos and Empty [Autumn-Winter, Earth is Empty lacking Crops ]

Gen 1:6
The Gods said, let there be a Vault in the midst of the waters, to seperate the Waters from Waters [Raining]

Gen 1:10
The Gods called the Dryness the earth [Stop-Raining/Earth Fertilizing/Crops Growing] [Spring]

Gen 1:12
The Soil produced herds and plants yielding seeds of different kinds and trees that grow fruit with seeds within them, the gods saw this was pleasureful. [Summer-Crops Grown]

Gen 1:29
The Gods said to them, i gave you every plant bearing seeds upon the faces of the land and every trees and its fruit that yield seeds for your consumption.
[Harvest Workers]


Gen 2:2 [Autumn and Back to Winter]
Upon the seventh day, the gods finished there work they had done and rested upon the seventh day from there work they had done, THE END

 

[methylatedghosts]

I think you might need to study more hebrew before attempting a translation. Number in Hebrew, as in English, is often idiomatic. Abstract concepts are frequently expressed in the plural in Hebrew, when in english they would be singular. Elohim is an honorific plural. It refers to a singular concept.

Also, language in general is highly idiomatic. Even generative linguists like Jackendoff have recognized that the lexicon must contain more than just words, while constructions grammarians don't divide grammar and lexicon into two seperate entities at all. This is one reason word-for-word translations are usually terrible. Translation requires a nuanced grasp not only of grammatical concepts like number, but also of the the ways particular concepts are expressed in prefabs or phrasal "nouns."

I recently came across a phrase - "To live in a language" as opposed to just know a language. This puts across the idea of knowing the language in context of the culture, and how it is used - i.e. the kind of experienced knowledge you'd get by living in Paris, speaking French, as opposed to the French you'd learn and study in school, or even university. Would you say this applied here too? This would make the translation somewhat more difficult to do accurately, considering that we couldn't "live the language" by going back in time to when they were written to understand it in that context. Extensive study into it would only get you so far, no?

 

[fallingblood]

What make you thing there is a Single Author, i am quite show a new Author started at Gen 2:4, the Symbolic languages seems to shift after that and contradicts the first part of Genesis

I was speaking primarily about Genesis 1:1, but it also applies to the work ascribed to the priestly source. I do follow the documentary hypothesis (four sources); however, in this case, scholars place the verses with the priestly source. And we can be certain he meant God when he used the word Elohim.

 

[Levite]

I think that it's nice you're excited enough about the text to want to go through word by word and try to consider meanings.

But the thing is, Hebrew is a very difficult language to translate into English, and most translations of the Tanach don't do it well, even to the degree it could be done.

There's a reason why translations tend to be done by people who not only actually know the language, but know it intimately-- not only in a sense of technical comprehension of grammar and whatnot, but in a sense of intuitive artistic comprehension of the way the language works literarily.

The Tanach is mostly poetry. This very seldom comes through in translations. But it is a fact. And it is written in such a way as to deliberately generate multiple meanings. It is full of metaphors, puns, wordplay, idioms, allegories, hyperbole, alliteration, assonance, and other poetic literary devices.

Word for word translations not only obliterate the poetic structure of the text, they obscure multiple meanings, and they often introduce errors, in that they fail to recognize or effectively render idioms and wordplays, which can be key to understanding certain verses.

I really applaud your desire to translate the text on their own-- that's something I think everyone can benefit from doing. But to do it effectively-- not just in the sense of producing a somewhat accurate translation, but in the sense of truly coming to learn some of the nuance and complexity of the text-- you need to learn Hebrew. Working from a lexicon (and, I have to admit, one of which I have never even heard, which makes me skeptical of its accuracy) just won't do it.

To get an idea of what I mean, I recommend getting a copy of Everett Fox's translation of the Torah, published by Schocken Books under the title The Five Books of Moses. He translates into poetry, uses all the literary devices I mentioned, and includes copious notes on nuance and word choice. It is, as far as I have seen, the most consistent, most faithful, and most accurate translation of the Torah into English yet produced (although Robert Alter's The Five Books of Moses probably isn't all that far behind it)-- though even it is not perfect. But take a look at that, and then think about the nature of the endeavor of a Torah translation.

 

[Rakhel]

The word Elohim is like the words news, fish or Gymnastics. It can be plural but usually isn't