Bible translation

[sigma]

Has there ever been a translation of the Christian Bible direct from Hebrew to English and if so how accurate is the translation, ie. Many (days/years) instead of forty (40), cable instead of camel (passing through the eye of a needle), adversary instead of devil etc. and not done to fit in with various political or religious doctorine.

[heathfield]

Sources for translation are many and various. Translators examine the same biblical texts written in different languages, (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramic, for example). Each of these texts will contain differences in the content, making a precise translation impossible. The final translation will be agreed upon by the majority vote of a committee set up to deal with the problem.
This process, for the New International Version of the Bible, is explained here.

[jake-the-peg]

The old testament was in Hebrew and the New testament originally in Greek.

Actually examinations of the earliest samples show it's survived remarkably intact.

There are a few famous differences such as the "number of the beast" being 616 rather that 666

And that passage about the eye of the needle seems acurate and to be literal as well.

All that stuff about narrow gateways seems to have been invented by rich people!

http://msgboard.snopes.com/message/ultimatebb. php?/ubb/get_topic/f/33/t/001077/p/1.html

[jake-the-peg]

PS

Accurate and true are different of course :c)

[Stu in USA]

I believe that William Tyndale was the first person to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew to English. As per previous post the New Testament was written in Greek, also translated by Tyndale into English. Not surprisingly the Roman Catholic Church at the time (early Henry the Eighth) had the translated Bible and Tyndale burnt. As to its accuracy you'll have to ask Hebrew scholars, but there's no doubting its poetry as what survived of Tyndale's translation was the one used for King James' Bible.

[crimbo]

According to my RE teacher 20 year s ago the term 40 days and 40 nights was used as a term for a long time time rather than being exactly 40 day s and nighttime period.