Learning the Biblical Languages: Worth the Effort?
This essay was originally produced as an encouragement to seminarians to persevere and succeed in their language studies.
John Wesley preached approximately 40,000 sermons and traveled 250,000 miles during his ministry. As an itinerant evangelist and Bible teacher, Wesley embodied his own dictum, “You have nothing to do but save souls.” Wesley, however, was also well trained in divinity at Oxford University and studied the Bible in its original languages. His standard sermons are peppered with quotations from the Greek New Testament. Wesley’s own rudimentary Greek and Hebrew grammars are collected in his Works. Wesley the preacher was also Wesley the trained exegete who used the best interpretive tools available to him at the time and expected those under him to be committed to serious study as well. What about us?
Given that many seminaries require little or no exposure to the biblical languages, it is worth pondering the questions: Is it still worth the effort to gain competence in the biblical languages? Are there tangible benefits for the pastor or Bible teacher in the local church?
The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” Direct study of the Bible in its original languages serves as a gateway to a deeper understanding of the Scriptures because it:
1) Promotes Careful Reading
Too often Bible study arises out of shallow or hasty reading. Exegesis becomes eisegesis as we assume the text’s meaning. An intangible benefit of gaining a working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew and employing it in the preparation of sermons and Bible studies is that one’s actual reading of the biblical text slows down. Favorite texts become open to new discoveries, and unfamiliar passages can be approached with confidence. Such close reading promotes the type of penetrating analysis that stands at the heart of profound theological reflection. Such reflection forms the roots of biblical preaching.
2) Explains Contradictory Translations
The second half of the 20th century gave rise to a multitude of competing English translations of the Bible. This trend looks to continue on unabated. On the one hand, the study of multiple translations can aid in interpretation as a careful comparison of a variety of versions will bring to light differences that can be studied more carefully, but on the other hand, how does the pastor understand let alone explain the sometimes acute differences between translations? For example, which of the following is the most accurate translation of Genesis 1:1:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (KJV, NIV, etc.)
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,” (NRSV, Tanak, etc)
Not every tension between translations is as theologically significant as Genesis one, but each points to the seams of a passage where exegetical work is needed for understanding.
Such problems are not always solved through appeals to grammar alone, but without some competence in the biblical languages, one is hard pressed to evaluate the arguments offered in support of each.
3) Serves as a Hedge against Misinterpretation
Budding exegetes are confronted with a dizzying array of divergent interpretations and methods. How is an interpreter to navigate the hermeneutical maze about us? Studying the text in its original language allows the student to ask and answer three critical questions necessary for a textually grounded interpretation:
(a) Do I have the correct text?
(b) Is my understanding of the meaning of the passage grammatically possible?
(c) Are the meanings that I have assigned to various words linguistically possible?
The first question focuses on textual criticism. This field is impenetrable apart from knowledge of the languages. Many passages particularly in the Old Testament remain in doubt regarding the “original” reading. Even in undisputed texts, exegetes can sometimes gain insight into a passage’s meaning by studying a text’s variant readings for clues about how earlier scribes understood (or misunderstood) the grammar.
Jesus’s Great Commission in Matt 28:18-20 is a good illustration of the second question. I have heard multitudes of sermons in which the word Go is proclaimed as the central truth made by Jesus to his hearers. This is understandable because in English go is the first of four verbs, go, make disciples, baptize, and teach that all appear to be parallel. A simple check of the verbs in Greek reveals a different emphasis. Make disciples is the main verb. Go, Baptize, and teach are all participles that are subordinate grammatically to make disciples. Jesus lifts up disciple making as the principal mission of his followers. Not coincidently, this lines up with the emphasis of the rest of Matthew’s Gospel. This does not mean that all of the sermons on Go are wrong, but it does suggest that such a reading elevates a subordinate point above the main one offered in the text.
For an example of the third question, let us examine the second half of the Shema in Deut 6:5, which reads in English translation, Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Popular interpretations read these common English terms through a grid more in tune with Greek psychology mixed with modern romantic sentiment than with Deuteronomy’s Ancient Near Eastern context. Word study of the Hebrew (and cognate) usage suggests that love is in fact a covenant term exhorting committed obedience. Rather than suggesting three parallel spheres or attributes of loving God, heart, soul, and strength form a concentric structure that emphasizes to a superlative degree the whole-person commitment involved in loving the LORD.
4) Allows for a More Perceptive Reading of Context.
The discipline of preparing one’s sermons directly out of the original text allows the exegete to find connecting points within the wider context of a passage that are not readily discernible in translation. Such connections are often illuminating. For example, in Psalm 1, the righteous individual is one who meditates on the Torah of the LORD (1:2). Psalm 2 opens with the line, Why do the peoples plot in vain? Suggestively, the identical Hebrew root underlies the English words meditate and plot. For the attentive reader, this is only the first of a series of links that invite the interpreter to read Psalms 1-2 together as a unit. Similarly, in Philippians 3:14, Paul testifies, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” This verse describes the urgency and zeal with which Paul follows Christ. Interestingly, in Paul’s autobiographical statement of his earlier life (3:4-6), the same Greek word translated “press on” in 3:14 occurs in 3:6 “as for zeal, persecuting the church.” In the context of Philippians 3, this semantic link (hidden in English translation) illustrates the radical transformation that occurred in Paul’s life through his encounter with Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ (3:8) turned Paul from being a persecutor of the church to one who pursues Christ.
5) Enables One to Access the Best and Most Up-to-Date Resources
I try to ingrain in my students a commitment to excellence in biblical interpretation. Part of such an undertaking involves making use of the finest secondary resources available. Most of the premier commentaries on the market presuppose competence in the biblical languages. A pastoral pledge to provide my flock with the fruits of the finest exegetical minds necessitates a working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. The converse of this stance is the tendency for church leaders to fall into the all too common trap of relying not merely on second-tier materials, but rather on popular presentations which themselves typically are based on out-of-date resources. Gaining competence in the biblical languages opens up the full range of resources for use.
6) Models a Missiological principle
Karl Barth once spoke of the “strange new world within the Bible.” On the theology found within the Scriptures, Barth wrote, “It is not the right human thoughts about God which form the content of the Bible, but the right divine thoughts about men” (The Word of God & the Word of Man, 43). Abiding with us always is the idolatrous temptation to make God in our own image. Modern translations have certainly made the Scriptures accessible and readable. But they also to varying degrees have blurred the need for careful study because many translations diminish the cultural and historical distance between Iron age Israel and the first century A.D. Mediterranean world on one hand and our own 21st century milieu on the other. Studying the text in the original language forces us to immerse ourselves in the cultural world of the Bible. I would suggest that such reading rather than being pedantic and elitist in fact prepares us best to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world precisely because it teaches us to receive the Scriptures cross-culturally. If we are unwilling to come to the text on its own terms, how will we ever be able to connect others with the life-giving Word of God?
As church leaders we often lament the loss of biblical authority in our time and the concomitant biblical illiteracy among the laity. Is our situation much different from Europe on the eve of the Protestant Reformation? The cry of the Reformers was ad fontes (”back to the sources”). In practice for Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and later Wesley, this meant a return to a vigorous study of the Scriptures in the original languages. Their biblical preaching and teaching sparked revival and fueled the Reformation. Perhaps our generation will be marked by a new wave of church leaders who refuse to offer mere scraps picked up second hand to our flocks, but rather provide in our teaching and preaching a real meal prepared from scratch for those who are hungry and longing for a fresh word from God.
© 2005 Brian D. Russell
In the Methodist seminary in Tallinn Greek is compulsory for all. I am glad though it was hard. It’s given me a depth of understanding that I lacked, and more importantly a respect for all the translations we have in English and our resources.
Hebrew is compulsory too, but not for distance learners.
This is an interresting blog.
I agree with you, it makes sense.
My question though is whether this will not discourage the laity to share and teach from the word? I’m just wondering? Going back to scriptures it was clear that the dudes in Acts were simple men not to well studied.
You make a good point, but growing up in a Dutch reformed church with all the original languages there for the Reverend, they preached “apartheid”. The illiterate black preacher in the squatter camps was much closer to the truth. He didn’t even know where to study, he wasn’t allowed to. He had his NIV and he preached uncompromisingly.
I see a great need for more apprenticeship training, where people actually see living examples of our faith!
I must say, going to my computer programs and studying the original languages, helps me tremendously and gives much beter insight. It is necessary.
I’m guess I’m not trying to make the same mistakes that the church has already made in our country. The gospel has always been for the elite white.
Learning the languages are beneficial, but compulsory, maybe, maybe not!
It helps though, that I can admit.
Great blog! Very insightful and encouraging. YOur thoughts have reminded me of how important it is to take time and actually read the Word and not just speak it because I think I know what it means.
I agree that, for pastors and scholars and those who interpret the Word, a good grasp of the Biblical languages is most helpful. For laypersons, I think it is important to understand that translators of the Bible admittedly approach the texts with a certain theological bias and established principles of interpretation. These principles are usually described in the introduction to the translation. For example, the NRSV will translate the word “man” as “humankind” or similar gender-neutral term when the original word clearly refers to both women and men. The NIV clearly has an evangelical bias. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something that readers should be aware of.
For those who have not studied the Biblical languages, I recommend using a variety of translations along with a good lexicon whenever preparing a Bible study. Learn how to do word studies. But you don’t have to be a Biblical scholar for the Word to speak to you, for God’s Word will never return void.
Hmm. Now what does that mean, never return void?
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Thanks for the excellent comments.
Lorna - glad that your Greek studies went well.
Hermann - you raise some very good issues. I am certainly not promoting elitism. I need to think through the issues raised from the South African experience. You note an example where biblical studies were used to justify oppression. I am not suggesting at all that non-language trained persons be ineligible to teach the Bible. I am simply advocating that those who have the opportunity to study Greek and Hebrew ought to take full advantage. This essay was originally written for my own students who often come to seminary dreading Greek/Hebrew and questioning its value or even place in the curriculum.
I would not say that original language study should be compulsory for service in the Church. No way. Your example from Acts is good, but I would also point out that in Acts 6 the deacons were formed specifically so that the apostles could devote themselves to prayer and study. In other words, I see this not as litmus test or elite vision but one of stewardship. If a person has a chance to learn Greek and Hebrew, he or she should jump at the opportunity because the payoff is high for those who persevere.
Randy — thanks for your comments and suggestions. I intend to post a followup of sorts on Bible Study which will advocate some of the very things that you noted. I completely agree that one can be an informed interpreter with just a little effort to reflect critically on ones sources and to use a variety of translations.
Ryan and Pastor-At Large — thanks for your kind words and for the link.
You make me wish I had taken the advanced Greek class:smile:
Thanks, Brian, it makes perfect sense!
Keep well.
Man this sort of stuff is too interesting to miss.
__ Thanks
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