English Words

I fell in love with the written word as a child, and have grown to depend on language as a form of glue that 1.) helps me make sense of things, and 2.) holds me together.

However, I also continue to learn how limiting English can be compared to other languages.  For example, I’ve discovered Greek, the original language of the New Testament, may use two or three words to define various nuances of a word we translate into English singularly as only one word. This can have profound implications when reading an English Bible.

Take our word, “power,” for example.  Greek recognizes “dynamis” as potential power, like a stick of dynamite, and “energia” as the actual explosion.  Two very different realities! And yet in English we translate them both simply as “power.”

Or consider our word “healing.”  The Greek recognizes three words: “iaomaiis,” as when Jesus heals a physical body part; “therapeuw,” as when an entire body is healed; and “swdzo,” which refers to spiritual healing in a salvational context.  Misinterpretations can and do result when we stick with our one word, “healing!”

I bring this up not to degrade the English language (which I love, remember?), but to point out the value of researching ancient languages.  I am not a scholar, and yet I value authors who help me understand linguistic dynamics that are otherwise sadly ignored.