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

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Joel Hoffman's book, And G-d Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning, is just invaluable for in-depth study of the Bible, especially in the original language. I had thought the book was going to be some sort of analysis and criticism of the standard translations out there--he does that, mostly in the appendix, but that's not what the book is about. It is really about how to understand Biblical Hebrew. Using linguistics (in a remarkably clear and non-intimidating way), Hoffman describes the different kinds of information conveyed by a Biblical text, and then works out the methodology by which one can best understand the text. No big secret: he argues that context, the comparison of the text with other examples of the same word or phrase, is the only sure way to make sense of a doubtful passage. In the second half of the book, he uses his approach to go after some of the biggest mistranslations in the Bible: "lev" and "nefesh" from the Shema (KJV's "heart" and "soul"), "ratzach" and "chamad" from the Aseres ha'Dibros (NIV's "murder" and "covet" in the "Ten Commandments"), "achotah, kalah" from the Song of Songs (NIV's "my sister, my bride"), "alma" from Isaiah (NIV's "virgin"), among others. In other words you get some really outstanding Torah study, that can really raise your understanding of the Bible.

Just as outstanding book. Really, a necessary book. I haven't been so impressed by a book since first reading James Kugel.

You all have to read it.

Dr. Joel Hoffman, a Jewish professor of linguistics, walks the reader through the world of translation. He brings examples from English and several other modern languages to show just how difficult translation can be at times. If it's difficult to translate from one modern language to another, just try from an ancient (and dead) language to a living one!

His examples are clear, free of unnecessary jargon, and drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures. As a Christian, I wish he had looked a little more at the New Testament (with which he is also quite familiar), but I cannot fault him. He did very well in this book. The one complaint I have about this book is the title. It really looks on the outside as if it were one of those fringe Bible code type books. But I promise you, it's not.

Neither is this book an assault on the Christian (or Jewish) faith in any sense. The author seeks to refine our understanding so that we may be further enriched in reading Scripture. I consider this a must-read for believer and unbeliever alike. In fact, Dr. Hoffman includes concise explanations for his biblical examples so that those not familiar with the Bible can still follow his thoughts.

Overall, the book gives the impression that Bible translators throughout the centuries have done a decent job, perhaps a C+ to a B-, but could do better in some respects. And on certain issues, there is no complete translation and the only remedy is explanation/commentary. The Bible says that God will preserve his word, but folks, that doesn't mean that God's promising to give perfect translations. The Bible (NT) says that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, but that doesn't mean that you as a solo rebel Christian are infallible in your interpretation. I'd just like for everyone to keep that in mind: no translation will ever remove the need for instruction in order for readers to understand.

OK, enough of that tangent. The best thing about this book is that it concisely shows why word-for-word doesn't work, or at least is not the be-all and end-all of translation styles.

This is one of those eye-opening books that is thoughtful, provocative, learned, and a whole lot of fun to read. Along the way you gain startling insights into the issues and difficulties of translating not only the words from one language to another, but also connotations, cultural realities. And these insights come to you in an examination of some of the best known and deeply felt prose in English or any language - the Bible. The author, Joel Hoffman is such a natural teacher and guide through what might have been an arcane or dry academic dissertation. But Hoffman turns it into an exciting conversation and a fascinating search for just the right turn of a phrase that can unlock the ancient meaning of the Biblical stories. I highly recommend it. Its like a college course in linguistics taught by a major-league raconteur.

Book review by "Religious skeptic" - Dr. Walter Ziffer of
Dr. Joel M. Hoffman, "And God Said: How Translations Conceal The Bible's Original Meaning."

As Rabbi Harold Kushner writes on the jacket of the book, "A wise and important book and a lot of fun to read." Correct! But why? Because it demonstrates the complexity of producing Bible translations that are correct. Furthermore, the book explains the responsible process by means of which this result is achieved. What Hoffman does with the texts he has chosen for translation is commonly called exegesis. This is a Greek word that means "leading out." The opposite of exegesis is eisegesis which means "leading into" a word/text a meaning which is not there but happens to fit a translator's personal theological bias. The correct way to determine a word's meaning is to let the text lead us, while the wrong way is to steer the textual analysis toward an already predetermined outcome. Central to the correct process is the lengthy work of determining how a given word/phrase functions within the larger context of a sentence or paragraph, using a concordance. A concordance is a book that lists every Hebrew or Greek biblical word within its larger sentence-setting. Analyzing the word function clarifies its meaning. But attention! This does not necessarily mean that we have a corresponding fit for any given Hebrew or Greek word within our English vocabulary. When this is the case we have no choice but to compromise and make do with an approximation that doesn't quite hit the mark. Naturally, an explanatory footnote might help.
Why is the book a lot of fun? Because the author brings to the text a healthy dose of humor. While I generally enjoyed the author's wit, I occasionally felt things to be unnecessarily too chatty.
Any author has to deal with frustrating space limitations. When reading about Deuteronomy 6:5 it would have been of great interest to see how the author deals with the translation of the preceding verse Deut. 6:4, the opening verse of the shema, Judaism's only confession of faith, one possible translation of which is "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One." In his excellent treatment of Deut. 6:5 this writer looked in vain for a discussion of the Hebrew veahavta ET YHWH, usually translated "and you shall love the LORD...". Why, for instance, does the text in Lev. 19:18 read veahavta LEreakha, which, in similar manner, is usually translated "and you shall love your neighbor...?" In other words, to what extent if any does the usage of the particle LE in the Leviticus text, in contradistinction to the ET, the sign of the direct object in Deuteronomy, modify the meaning of the verb ahav, to love? Should Lev. 19:18 be translated differently?
It is my hope that we will hear much more from Dr. Hoffman in the near future. In the meantime, I heartily recommend his "And God Said" to all those whose interest lies in the art of Bible translations.

I am enjoying reading this book. I am getting toward the end of the book, regretfully. I am savoring every word. I will probably have to reread the book several times. Dr. Hoffman does not "dumb" down his writing for non-scholars but yet manages a high level of serious discussion. He also has a great sense of humor which helps when reading such serious material. I am interested in his use of Jewish and non-Jewish sources to illustrate his positions. So often sources other than the one we are familiar with are ignored. Having come late to Hebrew Bible study I appreciate his sharing of his extensive knowledge, study and research. I plan to introduce this book to our Torah Study Group. Good piece of work.

I was pleasantly surprised by how affirming and positive Hoffman's book is. Many books digging into the history or translation of the Bible tear down the people involved and attempt to lay waste to people's faith; Hoffman did neither. If he felt people had done something incorrectly, he stated it professionally and explained why. He also dug into the translations to bring out clarification and positive insights from passages many people find confusing, disturbing or disjointed.

Very professionally done, but humorous and inviting enough for the lay person, I found this to be an excellent read and well worth sharing.

Hoffman has written a fine book about the pitfalls of Hebrew translation in And God Said. The book presents in laymen's terms translation theory, and Hoffman applies it to different examples from the bible and how the Hebrew has been mistranslated through a number of conceptual errors.

Hoffman's most important contribution in this book is to show how equivocal language can be; we may think we know what a word or a term means, but upon closer inspection, words are more complex than we think. So the task of translation, where one language is rendered into another, is an exercise fraught with difficultly. Hoffman shows how to fit a Hebrew word into the different contexts in which it is used in the bible, and in doing so generates a range of meaning for the word. From this range, the translator can, by using context, make the most accurate translation.

For anyone interested in Hebrew and biblical translation this is an important book and should be read.

i enjoyed this book thoroughly, and expanded my appreciation of the hebrew bible too. dr hoffman is a very engaging writer, and he makes learning fun.

anyone who likes to learn about language will have a good time with this book!

The item arrived quickly and in excellent condition as represented. No problems no complaints nothing special to report. In general i dislike the shipping policies i find on amazon - i bought multiple copies of the same book that were shipped together....i was charged a shipping fee for each book. I knew that when i got it but that's not right.

Dr Hoffman has written a book that will delight non-Christians and left leaning Christians, however, it will infuriate those of a conservative mindset. Instead of adding to the debate it will simply reinforce what the people of either ilk choose to believe. I find it disturbing that not one of the reviews, as of today, has mentioned the Aleppo Codex (930 AD), the oldest complete Hebrew manuscript, which is the de facto source for Old Testament translations. The Aleppo Codex and and the Hebrew language circa 930 AD is Hoffman's primary source for his criticisms of past translations. This represents an 800-1200 year gap in our knowledge of the Hebrew language, an eternity in the normal evolution of languages, for which Hoffman is unable to account. As a result, Hoffman's dogmatic statements become problematic in light of the fact that modern linguists really have little idea on the proper usage and interpretation of the Hebrew language at the time of the Septuagint and New Testament.