November 4, 2019 (Monday)
The musical, “My Fair Lady,” has a scene in which Eliza Doolittle half-sings and half-shouts, “Words, words, words!” She is sick of words that have no purpose or meaning.
Words are interesting. They come, they pass through, they go their way. Such a word I’ve heard on TV as several old movies made their way to my home screen. It is the word, “swell.” In the old movies it sounds off in its form as an adjective, and means “excellent,” or something like that. There was a time when we used the word like that and heard it just about every day, but it is very seldom heard or spoken these days. Language is always evolving, changing, and morphing into new expressions.
Some say that “swell” was replaced by “cool.” Maybe so, but that’s not heard as much as it used to be, and it had to develop as the word, “crazy,” faded away.
A few weeks ago, I heard someone say, “problematic.” Since then I must have heard it dozens of times. It seems to be the popular word to use now, but it is not always used correctly. Words can come and go in popularity, just like celebrities.
Language changes. The Bible that was translated from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic made its mark on the world. It was so popular that use of that version is now a test of orthodoxy in some circles. But, just think for a minute about the time that has elapsed since that translation, known as the King James Version, came into being. That version came out in 1611–four hundred eight years ago. Unless you want to master the ancient languages and translate the original words as you read, you rely on the works of scholars who have tried to translate the Bible into modern words.
I have a preacher friend who is so proficient in Greek that he can use only the Greek New Testament when he preaches. He does not read aloud the Greek, but translates into English as he reads. I know of no one else who does that. I certainly am not able to do it. Instead, I rely on many translations as I study the Bible.
I miss the days when quoting a scripture verse word for word was popular. Everyone knew whether it was being quoted correctly. Today, the quotation may come from one of many translations. But that’s the way it is.
