An Anglicostal Connecting to a Real World
As a pastor I want a translation to make sense to my congregation, yet I just don’t like it to be too “informal.” Here is yet another reason why I am preferring the NIV 2011 (Old TNIV). Which makes more sense?
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me. (Ps. 42:7)
OR
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows have gone over me. (Ps. 42:7)
Cataracts?
Oh, sorry, are my eyes making too much noise?
No kidding! Could you keep it down? LOL
It’s a tough subject, Dan. As you say, we don’t want it to be too informal. At the same time, we don’t want it to use too many archaic words. I’ve seen quite a few guys claim that certain words are archaic, but I don’t see them that way, they’re just words that one may have in our vocabulary but rarely use in everyday conversation. We might be causing the wrong thing to happen when we dumb the translation down too much, (or our vocabularies too much!) I’m not afraid to have to explain what a word means to someone; that improves their vocabulary as well! Cataracts? I don’t consider that archaic at all. It’s just not a common word.
But you can’t tell me you read “Cataracts” and think, “waterfalls.”
Actually, in context, I do.
(Optometrist tells a Chinese guy, “Oh, I see you have a cataract.” Chinese guy says, “Oh no, I dlive a Rincoln!”)
I wouldn’t call it an archaic word, but I think you would be rare in knowing “cataract” meant something other that something to do with the eyes. My point is readability for a congregation. Also, the other translation isn’t the NLT or the Message.
It could be my age, I suppose. “Deep”, “waves”, “billows”, they all say water, and in the water context I read “cataracts” as water as well.
Now “billows”, that might be archaic.
I did a quick search of translations, and found “cataracts” in the NRSV.
Yes, readability, understandability, it’s very important.
So many other translations use “waterfall.” It’s not inaccurate. It’s accurate and more readable. While I like the NRSV, there are times like this one that demonstrate my point.
Well for sure, “waves” more sensible that billows (what are those?)…
Yeah, that too, possibly.
What gets me is every time I try to use the NRSV, I get verses like that! It’s weird.
I like the TNIV/NIV 2011, I just wish that they would make it with an Apocrypha.
That would be so wonderful.
Apprentice 2 Jesus 
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