December 10, 2012 (Monday)
What does John 4:23-24 say and what does it mean to us? Please take a look at three translations:
King James Version: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
New International Version: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
The Message Translation: “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
The translation of John 4:23-24 in three different versions illustrates the value of having more than one translation available for Bible study. Just read them through, beginning with the King James Version, comparing the New International Version of the same verses, and going on to “The Message” translation, which clearly goes beyond the original text but remains true to it as it suggests applications of Jesus’ words, spoken to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, but recorded in Scripture for us as well.