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Our first column (“Starting with Alpha,” BR 07:03) introduced the Greek alphabet and showed how to pronounce the Greek of John 1:1: ejn ajrchóß hn oJ lovgo~, kai; oJ lovgo~ hn pro;~ to;n qeovn, kai; qeo;~ hn oJ lovgo~ (en archeµ eµn ho logos, kai ho logos eµn pros ton theon, kai theos eµn ho logos). Now we ask, how do we translate this verse into English?
In the first place, translation involves a knowledge of vocabulary. John 1:1 contains several common New Testament words: ajrchóß (archeµ, “beginning”), hn (eµn, “was”), lovgo~ (logos, “word”), qeov~/qeovn (theos/theon, “God”). We also find the prepositions ejn (en, “in”) and prov~ (pros, “with”), the article oJtovn (ho/ton, “the”), and the conjunction kaiv (kai, “and”). A knowledge of these meanings allows us to make one simple translation: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”.
Of course, several matters require further explanation. First, why do we translate ejn ajrchóß (en archeµ) as “in the beginning” instead of “in beginning”? Because nouns used with Greek prepositions are generally definite, allowing the word “the” to be supplied. Second, why is the tovn (ton, “the”) before qeovn (theon) left untranslated? Because in English we do not use “the” when referring to God (though Greek does). Third, why does qeov~ (theos) change to qeovn (theon)? Because Greek indicates the function of a word in a sentence by different “cases” (endings), whereas English depends more on word order or “helping” words such as prepositions. Finally, why do we translate the words qeo;~ hn oJ lovgo~ (theos eµn ho logos) as “the Word was God” instead of “God was the Word”? Because the article oJ (ho) before lovgo~ (logos) indicates that “Word” is the subject of the verb “was” qeov~ (theos) therefore belongs to the predicate.
Translation, then, is more than a mechanical process. It involves awareness of language idioms and sensitivity to the context in which words appear. In fact, the words ejn ajrchóß hn oJ lovgo~ (en archeµ eµn ho logos), in another context, could be rendered “The treasurer was in the midst of a body of troops”! Because words are capable of more than one meaning, the entire text must be considered before the meanings of individual words and sentences can be determined. Even then, scholars may still arrive at different translations for the same verse (as in the sidebar to this article).
Translators admit that it is impossible to express perfectly the meaning of one language in another. There are always delicate nuances and sometimes profound truths that cannot be fully translated.
For example, the preposition translated “with” (prov~, pros) generally means “to” or “toward.” Why, then, did John prefer this term over suvn (syn) or metav (meta), the more common Greek words for “with”? New Testament usage reveals that prov~ carried the additional meaning of “in an intimate relationship with” (also see the use of prov~ in Mark 6:3; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philemon 13; 1 John 1:2). By using prov~, John was emphasizing that the Word was not merely “in the presence of” God but was “enjoying personal fellowship with” him.
A more significant example is lovgo~ (logos), which John uses to describe God’s self-revelation to the world. The term conveys the meaning of both the Hebrew “word” and the Greek “reason”. John adds the concept of distinct personality to these two ideas. This personal Word, writes John, reveals the very nature of the Godhead. And combined with the testimony of 1:14 (“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”), John would have his readers remember that the eternal Word entered into human experience as the perfect embodiment of divine truth.
Grammatical construction also affects meaning. Consider the clause qeo;~ hn oJ lovgo~ (theos eµn ho logos), “the Word was God.” Because qeov~ lacks the article “the,” some have argued that John is referring to the “God-ness” of the Word rather than its identification with “God.” This is unlikely. If John merely wanted to emphasize the Word’s “God-ness,” he had a perfectly suitable term at his disposal (qeißo~ [theios], “divine”). Moreover, grammarians agree that predicate nouns are definite when they precede the verb. For example, in John 1:49 (“you are the king of the Jews”) the word “king” lacks the article, yet “king” is definite because it appears (in the Greek) before the verb “you are.” Hence no one would think of translating “you are a king of the Jews.” Likewise, John’s word order in 1:1 does not suggest the idea of “Godness” as much as it emphasizes the term “God,” as if John were saying, “the Word was God!”
However one interprets John 1:1 (and some scholars prefer to read the evidence in other ways), it is clear that a basic knowledge of Greek can contribute to our understanding of the Bible. Greek can help us appreciate what a biblical author said, and can help us solve problems of interpretation by showing us why one meaning is more likely than another. Above all, Greek can prompt us to ask questions about the language of the text that we might have otherwise overlooked.
Next time we will discuss different ways of arriving at the meanings of Greek words.
Our first column (“Starting with Alpha,” BR 07:03) introduced the Greek alphabet and showed how to pronounce the Greek of John 1:1: ejn ajrchóß hn oJ lovgo~, kai; oJ lovgo~ hn pro;~ to;n qeovn, kai; qeo;~ hn oJ lovgo~ (en archeµ eµn ho logos, kai ho logos eµn pros ton theon, kai theos eµn ho logos). Now we ask, how do we translate this verse into English? In the first place, translation involves a knowledge of vocabulary. John 1:1 contains several common New Testament words: ajrchóß (archeµ, “beginning”), hn (eµn, “was”), lovgo~ (logos, “word”), qeov~/qeovn (theos/theon, “God”). We also […]
