And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning [Hardcover]

Joel M. Hoffman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2010

For centuries, translations of the Bible have obscured our understanding and appreciation of the original text. Now And God Said provides readers with an authoritative account of significant mistranslations and shows how new translation methods can give readers their first glimpse into what the Bible really means.

And God Said uncovers the often inaccurate or misleading English translations of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that quotes from it. Sometimes the familiar English is just misleading. Other times the mistakes are more substantial. But the errors are widespread. This book tackles such issues as what’s wrong with the Ten Commandments (starting with the word “commandments”), the correct description of the “virgin” birth, and the surprisingly modern message in the Song of Solomon, as well as many other unexpected but thought-provoking revelations.

Acclaimed translator Dr. Joel M. Hoffman sheds light on the original intention of the text and the newly developed means that readers can use to get closer to it. In And God Said his fresh approach has united the topics of religion, language, and linguistics to offer the first modern understanding since the Bible was written.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author Hoffman, a linguist and a translator, uses his knowledge and his skills to correct some of the common errors in translating the language of the Bible from Hebrew into English. His initial three chapters are devoted to explaining linguistics and translation theory, skillfully clarifying complex concepts. The remaining five chapters ably apply these ideas to biblical phrases that, according to Hoffman, require rewording. He begins with the important commandment, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. He convincingly claims that the Hebrew words for heart and soul have been severely mistranslated and should be rendered as mind and body. Similarly, Hoffman effectively demonstrates errors in rendering shepherd, my sister, my bride, two of the Ten Commandments, and virgin. Attentive readers will find this book to be valuable for properly understanding the Bible. (Feb.)
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Review

PRAISE FOR AND GOD SAID

"Deeply welcome as a valuable tool for teaching . . . well-worth acquiring."--Jewish Book World

"A sensitive . . . discussion of the structure of languages in general and of Biblical Hebrew in particular."

--The Jerusalm Post

"A lively tour of the difficulties besetting the Bible's translators, their successes and (more frequent) failures."--Jewish Ideas Daily

“A wise and important book, and a lot of fun to read.”

--Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

“Hoffman is wise and gentle as he exhibits the issue of distortion by way of translation. Short of all readers learning Hebrew, Hoffman’s work is the best gift for a careful reader of a text that defies easy contemporary rendering.”

--Walter Brueggemann, author of The Prophetic Imagination

"[Hoffman] unites Biblical scholarship and translation theory, embracing modern science and modern linguistics, to help us understand what the Prophets and our forebears were doing and how they wrote.  He retrieves what the Bible really was and what it can be for us now."

 

--The Very Reverend James A. Kowalski, The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine

 

 

PRAISE FOR IN THE BEGINNING

 

"Hoffman has a flair for explaining how languages work."

 

--The Times Literary Supplement (London)

 

"Written in an energetic style with a commitment to exploring the evolution of Hebrew from ancient times to the present in ways that a broad audience can comprehend."

 

--Religious Studies Review

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1 edition (February 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312565585
• ISBN-13: 978-0312565589
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Sacred Writings > Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)

More About the Author

Dr. Joel M. Hoffman, an expert in translation, Hebrew, and the Bible, is known for his "fresh insights and interpretations about religious life in the 21st century." A popular speaker, Dr. Hoffman presents to churches, synagogues, community groups, and university audiences across the world. He holds a Ph.D. in linguistics and has served on the faculties of Brandeis University and Hebrew Union College.

Dr. Hoffman is the chief translator for the popular 10-volume series, My People's Prayer Book (winner of the National Jewish Book Award) and for My People's Passover Haggadah. He is the author of the critically acclaimed In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language (NYU Press), and, most recently, And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press), which explores how translation mistakes mask the original meaning of the Bible.

Dr. Hoffman lives in Westchester, NY.