Recently I was informed by LDS missionaries who had knocked at my door that the
NWT was a false translation. The example they gave was its translation concerning '
marshmallow'! They said this fluffy candy did not exist at the time Job 6:6 was written.
Job 6:6 - "Will tasteless things be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the slimy juice of
marshmallow?"-
New World Translation (1971). (
bolding is mine throughout.)
The Hebrew word rendered here by the
NWT as "marshmallow" is, according to
Strong's Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary of the Old Testament, [
chal·la·muth] transliterated as
challamuwth [or hallamuth] (pronounced khal·law·mooth).
The
New American Standard Version reads in part here "...white of an
egg," its footnote in its Reference edition informs us "Heb[rew],
hallamuth,
meaning uncertain. Perhaps the
juice of a plant."
Another Bible translation, this time the
English Standard Version reads, in part here:
"...or is there any taste in the juice of the
mallow" (bold mine)
and its footnote reads: "The meaning of the Hebrew word is
uncertain."
The
Lexham English Bible renders it: “Can tasteless food be eaten without salt,
or is there taste in the white of a
marshmallow plant?”
S. T. Byington's translation,
The Bible in Living English (1972) reads:
".....or is there any flavor in
marshmallow?"
A University of Maryland site tells us:
“Marshmallow
“Overview:
“
Marshmallow (
Althea officinalis) -- the herb, not the white puffy confection roasted over a campfire -- has been used for more than 2,000 years as both a food and a medicine. The Romans, Chinese, Egyptians, and Syrians used
marshmallow as a source of food, while the Arabs made poultices from its leaves and applied them to the skin to reduce inflammation. Both the root and leaves contain a gummy substance called mucilage. When mixed with water, it forms a slick gel that is used to coat the throat and stomach to reduce irritation. It is also applied topically to soothe chapped skin.” -
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/marshmallow-000265.htm
https://www.britannica.com/plant/marsh-mallow also writes:
“
marsh mallow (althaea officinalis), perennial herbaceous plant of the hibiscus, or mallow, family (malvaceae), native to eastern Europe and northern Africa. It has also become established in North America. The plant is usually found in marshy areas, chiefly near the sea. …. The root was formerly used to make marshmallows, a confection.”
TheEpicTimes, June 28, 2011:
Real
marshmallow (
Althaea officinalis) is a native herb of Europe, where it was also used as a staple vegetable in times of crop failure and can be found growing along the banks of tidal rivers, damp-meadows, in marshes and usually near the sea.
Note that the plant is spelled as one word, "marshmallow" as well as "marsh mallow."
Also
here [
http://www.purplesage.org.uk/profiles/marshmallow.htm ] where we can read from its "additional comments":
“Pliny wrote that 'whosoever shall take a spoonful of the Mallows shall that day be free from all diseases that may come to him'.
Marshmallow is mentioned in the Bible and in Arabic and Chinese history as a valuable food during times of famine. In rural France, the young tops and leaves are eaten in salads for their kidney-stimulating effects. All members of the mallow family, such as the hollyhock and common mallow, have similar properties and can be used medicinally.”- [bolding mine.]
In our copy of the
Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language (College edition, 1964) under "
marsh mallow" we find two entries. The second reads: "
a plant of the mallow family, with large, pink flowers, growing in
marshes..." From this then we doubt very much if a reader of the
New World Translation here at Job 6:6 would think the reference to "marshmallow" is anything but a
plant.
So, the fact is that the
New World Translation's choice of the English word "marshmallow" is quite acceptable linguistically and above any pedantic, quibbling reproach from those who might prefer another rendition.
Hence, there is no consensus among Biblical translators and scholars in how this word should be translated into English. Given that this is a fact that cannot be disputed and that there is certainly support for the choice made by the
NWT Translation Committee for so rendering this Hebrew word
chal·la·muth' as "marshmallow" rather than as "egg" or "purslane/purslain" then that choice is above any criticism even if one is to
prefer another meaning such as "egg."
And it is certainly no 'evidence' that the
NWT Translation Committee "
mis-translated" this "
un-certain," "obscure" Hebrew word!
