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Modern Skeptic's Bible (MSB) - Genesis Chapter 1

I Am Hugh

Researcher
Introduction
As brief and painless as possible I would like to explain. I've translated Genesis chapter one before, with a slightly different modern perspective, an attempt to avoid iconic religious language, but with footnotes, formatting, annotations and reference scriptures I've only gotten to the first 3 verses as far as translation this time around:

[1:1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

[1:2] At that time the earth was a dark and barren desolation; and God's dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the primeval ocean.

[1:3] And then God commanded that light should come to be and it began to appear.

Basically, in a sense, the rule of thumb has been that a Bible translation simply strives to strictly translate the text from word to word as much as possible, whereas a version allows for more creative license. That rule, I don't think, is etched in stone. Compare the King James Version and the Darby Translation. Still, this is a version, but it isn't me making stuff up, only putting it into a less iconic language. The meaning is still the same. Perhaps it's more of an explanation or annotation. Ideally, I can back it all up with the traditional Bible if challenged. This isn't a compromise designed to appeal but rather simply a modern translation.

This post by @F1fan bugged me, inspiring me to try this, because I see the admittedly aforementioned archaic iconic religious language and the sometimes-nonsensical primitive concepts that have become modern theology as being - well - off-putting to the modern rational skeptic. Frustrating to me because the off-putting is understandable due to having been misled. This version is an accurate but more modern take.

Each verse number appears in bold and is also linked to the corresponding verse comparison on Bible Hub.

Genesis Chapter 1
1 The beginning of earthling man began when a highly intelligent extraterrestrial being created the universe, including the earth. 2 The earth was at first dark and desolate, but his dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the waters. 3 Then he arranged it so that light could be utilized on the planet, and so light gradually began to appear.

4 He saw that the light was good but decided that there should be a division of light and dark. 5 The period of light he called "day" and the period of darkness he called "night." There was evening and morning, the first period of creation. 6 He then decided an expanse should occur in between two waters, the water on the surface below and a water canopy above. 7 So, he made the atmosphere in the middle of the divided waters. 8 He called the expanse "sky" and so was the second period of creation. 9 He decided the waters below the sky should be gathered together in one place, allowing dry land to appear. 10 He called the dry land "earth" and the waters he called "seas." He thought this was good.

11 He decided the earth should produce vegetation, with its seeds, and fruit trees should produce fruit specifically of their kind, including their seeds, and so it was. 12 The land produced vegetation, with seeds, and the trees bore fruit of their own kind, and he thought it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third creative period.

14 Next he decided to arrange the luminaries in the expanse so that they separated the day from the night and so that they would serve to mark time, days and years, 15 and so that they would provide light on earth. 16 He arranged the two primary luminaries - the greater to govern the day and the lesser to rule the night, and he arranged the stars as well. 17 He set them in the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to dominate the day and night, and separate light from darkness. And he thought this was good. 19 This marked the evening, then the morning, the fourth creative period.

20 And then he decided that the water should fill with living creatures, and fly above the earth in the sky. 21 So, he created the great sea creatures and all living creatures that swim around in the waters according to their kinds as well as every flying creature according to its kind, and he thought it was good. 22 So he felicitated the creatures of the sea and sky, and adjured them to be fruitful and multiply. 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth creative period.

24 Then he established that the land should produce living creatures according to their kinds, for domesticating, to migrate and feral. And so, it was. 25 He proceeded to make the wild, domestic and migrating animals of their own kinds and he thought it was good.

26 Then he and his master worker decided to make man in their image, to be like them, giving mankind authority over the creatures of the land, sea and sky, the domestic, feral and migrating animals. 27 And so he went on to create mankind in his image, he created them male and female. 28 He also felicitated them, and said to them "Be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth as steward over the creatures of land, sea and sky."

29 Then he said "I am giving you all the vegetation and fruit bearing trees on the entire earth as food for you. 30 And to every wild animal, flying creature of the sky and migrating animal alive, I am giving all vegetation for food." And so, it was. 31 He looked over all that he had made, and it looked very good to him. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth creative period.
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
The beginning of earthling man began when a highly intelligent extraterrestrial being created the universe, including the earth.

בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ׃


Where's the word or words you're translating as את?
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
The beginning of earthling man began when a highly intelligent extraterrestrial being created the universe, including the earth.

בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ

Where are the Hebrew words for "earthling man" which you included in your translation of Gen 1:1?
 

I Am Hugh

Researcher
How? Based on your previous posts, I didn't think you could read Hebrew.

חשבתי שכבר עשינו את זה. שהסברתי לך את זה.

תרגמתי אנגלית ארכאית לאנגלית מודרנית. חקרתי את העברית העתיקה מילה אחר מילה כדי לתת לי מושג גס על המקור אבל לרוב אני משווה את המקור הכי טוב שאני יכול עם כמה שיותר תרגומים לאנגלית כדי לראות מה אני מגיע עם.

אני לא יכול לקרוא לך את התגובה הזו, אבל אני יכול לפרסם אותה. האם אתה יכול לקרוא את זה?
 

I Am Hugh

Researcher
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ

See Spot run. Run Spot run.

See what I did there?

Where are the Hebrew words for "earthling man" which you included in your translation of Gen 1:1?

Probably should have put that in parenthesis? So, let me ask you some questions. That's what I do. I'm a "researcher."

Are you familiar with Jimi Hendrix? Generally, he is regarded as the greatest guitarist ever. I've heard classically trained guitarists who have spent years of training on the Guitar at Juilliard, the most prestigious music school in the world, say that Hendrix knew more about playing the guitar than they could learn in a lifetime. Jimi couldn't read or write music. Edward Van Halen [1] couldn't read sheet music. When he was being classically trained on piano, he would watch the instructor and improvise. He won first place in the piano competition at Long Beach City College. He just watched the instructor's hand movements and played by ear. Beethoven and Mozart. Using memory and improvisation, earning praise from judges for his stylizations. [ETA: Personally, I'm not much of a Hendrix fan, I prefer Beck or Clapton. Van Halen was cool, though]

I'm not a Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek scholar. I didn't take a few classes and pepper my user profile, posts and signature with ancient Hebrew to impress people. Because I don't have to. I'm not an English scholar, my grammar sucks, but I can compose this post. From the OP:

it isn't me making stuff up, only putting it into a less iconic language. The meaning is still the same. Perhaps it's more of an explanation or annotation. Ideally, I can back it all up with the traditional Bible if challenged. . . . because I see the admittedly aforementioned archaic iconic religious language and the sometimes-nonsensical primitive concepts that have become modern theology as being - well - off-putting to the modern rational skeptic. Frustrating to me because the off-putting is understandable due to having been misled. This version is an accurate but more modern take.

Did you read that? You can't comprehend that in English, but you can read Ancient Hebrew? In which step of the translation are you lacking skill? The source or the target? While, of course, I think the effort of Hebrew scholars is crucial to my study, and I want to hear from everyone, scholar or not, I don't subscribe to the idea that what anyone says dictates exclusively what I think on the subject. Especially someone on a public forum who doesn't seem to even have taken the time to read or give much of a coherent thought to a short post to which they respond. Criticize? Great. But seemingly imply vaguely that I can't figure out as well as you what בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ says or means is absurd! A chimp could do it! Easy! Why are the smartest people always not? Because they don't think they have to think.

So, seriously, let's take this and translate it without being able to "read" ancient Hebrew. I think it was to you I pointed out in an earlier thread that English has changed over the years and someone speaking modern English couldn't understand a great deal of Old English, and that ancient Hebrew changed over the period of the Bible's writing and translation. Here is an image of modern (top) and Paleo-Hebrew (bottom).

small.jpg


So, let's say I have a time machine and I take you back in time and sit you next to Moses and ask him to read what he wrote at Genesis 1:1 could you understand what he was saying? Could you read what he was reading? Do you know what it would even look like just because you took some classes and would the manuscripts available to you look the same as what he wrote? Where did he go to school to learn it?

So, I didn't translate בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ into "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." I did provide a link where 30+ translators did, and then I gave a loose translation as described in my BRIEF introduction, more of an explanatory annotation. To explore all of this process. For your feedback. Which, although lacking, I appreciate. So, if you've made it this far let's look at why I "translated" "earthling man."

The term isn't in the text. That's a good point. So why is it there?

Here is the Hebrew lexicon on Genesis 1:26. Not very helpful, is it? Here is Strongs for the word for man, אָדָם (adam). The Bible often uses the term "earthling man." "The Hebrew word that designates the creature created by God is the word adam. It is actually not a proper name; it is adam, it is a generic term. It simply means human or more precisely earthling because it comes from the word adamah, which means ground or earth." (Source)

Does that make sense to you? To me, it does and it doesn't. Earth is אָ֫רֶץ (erets). That's Strongs, of course. To me Strongs is what the KJV translates words as. Not particularly accurate is the KJV, but it will do and Strongs is right about erets. But wait! Here's adamah, strongs H127. אֲדָמָה (adamah). If I had read just Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew I would have had an argument against adamah being used like that. If I knew Hebrew, not so much of an argument.

What we've got here is failure to communicate. You can read and translate Biblical Hebrew? What is the beginning of Genesis 1:1? The beginning of creation? Not from God's perspective. God had created exactly what before beginning the creation as "earthling man" perceived it from mankind's perspective topically? Job 38:7 has the angels crying out in joy at the creation of the earth. Does your tradition and expert knowledge of ancient Hebrew imply that given that information they must have existed prior to the earth's creation? I've known literal mentally handicapped persons and children who knew that. The JWs know that. I know that.

[1] His Wikipedia page says Eddie Van Halen. He hated being called Eddie. It was Edward.
 

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I Am Hugh

Researcher
Not a good start.

Okay. Why?

Edited to add ...

Having actually reread the OP twice, it is honestly hard to imagine a more sophomoric and turgid effort.​

What does the OP have to do with how I translated Genesis 1:1 as "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Because I have to tell you, I'm not the first. Just tell me what your favorite translation reads, how you would translate it and why.
 

I Am Hugh

Researcher
From what?

Sorry. The WEB. I didn't explain that in my post but I did on my old website where the first translation was published. You may be taking this a bit too seriously. I'm just having fun. I just translated it to see what would happen. I'm not telling anyone I'm a Bible translator. This is just a hobby. I took the WEB text and put it into my own words by comparing 30+ translations (From Bible Hub) and the NWT and researching (briefly) the Hebrew lexicons. [ETA: By the way it took me roughly most of the day to make the OP, from scratch. It took me 6 months for the first attempt on my old website, which I got bored with and deleted. Like I will probably do with the one I'm working on now, it's just a little bit of fun. ]

I'm not trying to take the place of your tradition, possible schooling, language, religion or personal opinion.

And if the answer is not "Biblical Hebrew," perhaps you should first translate your use of the term "translated" for us.

Where does the KJV come from? Where does the NKJV come from? You see what I'm saying? Where does the NWT come from? What English speaking Bibles were the NKJV and NWT based upon? The American Standard Version (ASV) is rooted in the work that was done with the Revised Version (RV), correct?
 
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firedragon

Veteran Member
Introduction
As brief and painless as possible I would like to explain. I've translated Genesis chapter one before, with a slightly different modern perspective, an attempt to avoid iconic religious language, but with footnotes, formatting, annotations and reference scriptures I've only gotten to the first 3 verses as far as translation this time around:

[1:1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

[1:2] At that time the earth was a dark and barren desolation; and God's dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the primeval ocean.

[1:3] And then God commanded that light should come to be and it began to appear.

Basically, in a sense, the rule of thumb has been that a Bible translation simply strives to strictly translate the text from word to word as much as possible, whereas a version allows for more creative license. That rule, I don't think, is etched in stone. Compare the King James Version and the Darby Translation. Still, this is a version, but it isn't me making stuff up, only putting it into a less iconic language. The meaning is still the same. Perhaps it's more of an explanation or annotation. Ideally, I can back it all up with the traditional Bible if challenged. This isn't a compromise designed to appeal but rather simply a modern translation.

This post by @F1fan bugged me, inspiring me to try this, because I see the admittedly aforementioned archaic iconic religious language and the sometimes-nonsensical primitive concepts that have become modern theology as being - well - off-putting to the modern rational skeptic. Frustrating to me because the off-putting is understandable due to having been misled. This version is an accurate but more modern take.

Each verse number appears in bold and is also linked to the corresponding verse comparison on Bible Hub.

Genesis Chapter 1
1 The beginning of earthling man began when a highly intelligent extraterrestrial being created the universe, including the earth. 2 The earth was at first dark and desolate, but his dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the waters. 3 Then he arranged it so that light could be utilized on the planet, and so light gradually began to appear.

4 He saw that the light was good but decided that there should be a division of light and dark. 5 The period of light he called "day" and the period of darkness he called "night." There was evening and morning, the first period of creation. 6 He then decided an expanse should occur in between two waters, the water on the surface below and a water canopy above. 7 So, he made the atmosphere in the middle of the divided waters. 8 He called the expanse "sky" and so was the second period of creation. 9 He decided the waters below the sky should be gathered together in one place, allowing dry land to appear. 10 He called the dry land "earth" and the waters he called "seas." He thought this was good.

11 He decided the earth should produce vegetation, with its seeds, and fruit trees should produce fruit specifically of their kind, including their seeds, and so it was. 12 The land produced vegetation, with seeds, and the trees bore fruit of their own kind, and he thought it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third creative period.

14 Next he decided to arrange the luminaries in the expanse so that they separated the day from the night and so that they would serve to mark time, days and years, 15 and so that they would provide light on earth. 16 He arranged the two primary luminaries - the greater to govern the day and the lesser to rule the night, and he arranged the stars as well. 17 He set them in the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to dominate the day and night, and separate light from darkness. And he thought this was good. 19 This marked the evening, then the morning, the fourth creative period.

20 And then he decided that the water should fill with living creatures, and fly above the earth in the sky. 21 So, he created the great sea creatures and all living creatures that swim around in the waters according to their kinds as well as every flying creature according to its kind, and he thought it was good. 22 So he felicitated the creatures of the sea and sky, and adjured them to be fruitful and multiply. 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth creative period.

24 Then he established that the land should produce living creatures according to their kinds, for domesticating, to migrate and feral. And so, it was. 25 He proceeded to make the wild, domestic and migrating animals of their own kinds and he thought it was good.

26 Then he and his master worker decided to make man in their image, to be like them, giving mankind authority over the creatures of the land, sea and sky, the domestic, feral and migrating animals. 27 And so he went on to create mankind in his image, he created them male and female. 28 He also felicitated them, and said to them "Be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth as steward over the creatures of land, sea and sky."

29 Then he said "I am giving you all the vegetation and fruit bearing trees on the entire earth as food for you. 30 And to every wild animal, flying creature of the sky and migrating animal alive, I am giving all vegetation for food." And so, it was. 31 He looked over all that he had made, and it looked very good to him. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth creative period.
This is the most absurd and blind evangelical attempt I have seen in my life.
 

GoodAttention

Well-Known Member
Introduction
As brief and painless as possible I would like to explain. I've translated Genesis chapter one before, with a slightly different modern perspective, an attempt to avoid iconic religious language, but with footnotes, formatting, annotations and reference scriptures I've only gotten to the first 3 verses as far as translation this time around:

[1:1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

[1:2] At that time the earth was a dark and barren desolation; and God's dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the primeval ocean.

[1:3] And then God commanded that light should come to be and it began to appear.

Basically, in a sense, the rule of thumb has been that a Bible translation simply strives to strictly translate the text from word to word as much as possible, whereas a version allows for more creative license. That rule, I don't think, is etched in stone. Compare the King James Version and the Darby Translation. Still, this is a version, but it isn't me making stuff up, only putting it into a less iconic language. The meaning is still the same. Perhaps it's more of an explanation or annotation. Ideally, I can back it all up with the traditional Bible if challenged. This isn't a compromise designed to appeal but rather simply a modern translation.

This post by @F1fan bugged me, inspiring me to try this, because I see the admittedly aforementioned archaic iconic religious language and the sometimes-nonsensical primitive concepts that have become modern theology as being - well - off-putting to the modern rational skeptic. Frustrating to me because the off-putting is understandable due to having been misled. This version is an accurate but more modern take.

Each verse number appears in bold and is also linked to the corresponding verse comparison on Bible Hub.

Genesis Chapter 1
1 The beginning of earthling man began when a highly intelligent extraterrestrial being created the universe, including the earth. 2 The earth was at first dark and desolate, but his dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the waters. 3 Then he arranged it so that light could be utilized on the planet, and so light gradually began to appear.

4 He saw that the light was good but decided that there should be a division of light and dark. 5 The period of light he called "day" and the period of darkness he called "night." There was evening and morning, the first period of creation. 6 He then decided an expanse should occur in between two waters, the water on the surface below and a water canopy above. 7 So, he made the atmosphere in the middle of the divided waters. 8 He called the expanse "sky" and so was the second period of creation. 9 He decided the waters below the sky should be gathered together in one place, allowing dry land to appear. 10 He called the dry land "earth" and the waters he called "seas." He thought this was good.

11 He decided the earth should produce vegetation, with its seeds, and fruit trees should produce fruit specifically of their kind, including their seeds, and so it was. 12 The land produced vegetation, with seeds, and the trees bore fruit of their own kind, and he thought it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third creative period.

14 Next he decided to arrange the luminaries in the expanse so that they separated the day from the night and so that they would serve to mark time, days and years, 15 and so that they would provide light on earth. 16 He arranged the two primary luminaries - the greater to govern the day and the lesser to rule the night, and he arranged the stars as well. 17 He set them in the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to dominate the day and night, and separate light from darkness. And he thought this was good. 19 This marked the evening, then the morning, the fourth creative period.

20 And then he decided that the water should fill with living creatures, and fly above the earth in the sky. 21 So, he created the great sea creatures and all living creatures that swim around in the waters according to their kinds as well as every flying creature according to its kind, and he thought it was good. 22 So he felicitated the creatures of the sea and sky, and adjured them to be fruitful and multiply. 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth creative period.

24 Then he established that the land should produce living creatures according to their kinds, for domesticating, to migrate and feral. And so, it was. 25 He proceeded to make the wild, domestic and migrating animals of their own kinds and he thought it was good.

26 Then he and his master worker decided to make man in their image, to be like them, giving mankind authority over the creatures of the land, sea and sky, the domestic, feral and migrating animals. 27 And so he went on to create mankind in his image, he created them male and female. 28 He also felicitated them, and said to them "Be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth as steward over the creatures of land, sea and sky."

29 Then he said "I am giving you all the vegetation and fruit bearing trees on the entire earth as food for you. 30 And to every wild animal, flying creature of the sky and migrating animal alive, I am giving all vegetation for food." And so, it was. 31 He looked over all that he had made, and it looked very good to him. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth creative period.

It's okay for a Western, secular, upper-middle class skeptic I suppose, especially since God is described as an alien.

I doubt anyone else would call it "accurate".
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Why would I have translated anything as that when translating to English?

See below:

חקרתי את העברית העתיקה מילה אחר מילה

:cool:

מילה אחר מילה - word by word you say? Let me guess. You're using Google to translate. If you're going word by word, then Bro? You're skipping words if you skip את.

Ask yourself, why does Google translate את the way it does in that sentence? You want to be a researcher? Maybe you want to be a prophet? Here's your opportunity to shine.

Please locate a Jewish dictionary, and bring the definition for את. Here's a hint. It's spelled Alpeh >>> Tav. The first letter of the alpha-bet, Aleph, which is formed by a yud, reflecting through a connecting vav, revealing an inverted yud, is joining with the last letter of the alpha-bet, Tav, which is formed like a staple in the ground anchoring or a staple being hammered into the ground.

את = Aleph >>> Tav

The same concept is expressed with more detail in the following word:

אמת = Alpeh >>> Mem >>> Tav = Truth. It's true From Aleph to Tav and everything in the middle. It's truly-true from A to Z.

But, we must be cautious. Why?


אמת ( Emet ) is just 2 hops away from Death. Drop the 2 yuds, and the connected-reflection and you've got ומת V'Moht. "And [it's] dead."

1722172780814.png
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Why would I have translated anything as that when translating to English?

See the above post. Skipping words, lack of attention to detail is like taking the word Emet and replacing it with V'moht. Truth is becoming Death.

:heavycheck: אמת
:crossmark: ומת

See the difference? See how the second word is missing detail?

The words you are attempting to understand were written on scrolls. Scribal work is extremely difficult especially in those days. Scribes were not common. They would not include extra words. Economy of language was the highest virtue here.

Don't skip anything.
 
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