by Englishman 15 Replies latest jw friends
apostasy: noun.renunciation of one's religious faith or ones principles or party etc.
hypocrisy:noun.simulation of virtue or goodness, insincerity.
The above is taken from the Oxford Dictionary. Clearly, apostasy is an act of openly giving up a belief, whilst hypocrisy is an act of pretending to be good and sincere. Quite a difference!
Now take a look at this, see how the NWT substitutes the word "apostate", where other translations use "hypocrite" instead.
Englishman.
WOW! What an eye opener!!
Very interesting, as well as the link to SAB.
Viv.
Thanks Eman...yet another example of theocratic warfare. Not a very good one at that. It should come as no suprise that they lack the mental acuity to distinguish between the two, AND they are mired in thier own nasty little brand of hypocrisy to say the least. Any organization that won't humble itself before its members and come clean about hiding pedophiles is worse than any apostate. King James did just fine, but perhaps they changed the wording so as not to be found out so easily! Thnaks agian E.....just more fuel for the fire...
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
Thanks Eman,
Am going to compare this to other translations other than the KJV. This post is a real keeper, and I for one appreciate your work.
Hello Englishman,
thanks for this piece... a very nice one indeed!
It's for the archives.
We know now how to call the WBTS Inc....if we had
any doubts.
Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
I wonder if the WTS gives a reason for their "special" translation of that word?
Davidson's Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexiconof the Old Testament has this note re: Hebrew adjective ghah-nehph (translated in KJV as "hypocrite" Job 8:13, 13:16, 15:34, 17:8, 20:5, 27:8, 34:30, 36:13; Ps 35:16; Prov 11:9; Isa 9:17, 10:6, 33:14) and Hebrew noun ghoh-neph (Isa 32:6)
"The sense of hypocrite ascribed to this word (and that of hypocrisy in the following), is not recognized by modern lexicographers..."
The basic meaning of this Hebrew verb is "to become profaned, polluted, defiled." In the passages you highlight, this word is rendered in the Septuagint from the root words dolos (Job 13:16), asebes (Job 27:8; Prov 11:9; Isa 33:14), hypokrinomai (Job 36:13), exemukterizo (Ps 35:16), ponos (Isa 9:17), anomos (Isa 32:6), and aphistemi (Jer 17:13). The basic meaning of these Greek words is, correspondingly, "fraud, deceit, guile; impious, ungodly, wicked, sinful; to assume a counterfeit character, to pretend; to contract the nose in contempt and derision, mock, deride; pain, misery, anguish [hence, bad, unsound, wicked]; lawless, a transgressor; and [for aphistemi] to put away, separate, draw off.
NIV variously renders these passages as "godless [man], ungodly, ungodliness, forsaken."
In this respect, Hebrew is not a particularly good language insofar as critical analysis and translation are concerned. The Greek and Latin foundations of our modern English are much more suited for such a purpose, and so we naturally tend to regard translations of Hebrew in the same perspective.
Nevertheless, your point is well taken, and the NWT does indeed have hundreds of clearly demonstrable translation errors and theologically slanted renderings.
Thanks for this thought-provoking post!
Craig
Great post, e-man!!! (wonderful research)
Thanks, this is a keeper.
Hugs,
j2bf
Just to add a note in agreement to the above lexical definitions, Strong's gives the definitions 'soiled' and 'moral filth (i.e. wickedness)'. Here is a link to a thread might be of interest to some here - it is a study of the word 'wicked':
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=32797&site=3
Edited by - NewWay on 30 July 2002 16:52:9
