Working for the Word - a Bible translation podcast

In this episode we tackle the puzzling and controversial issue of why the NT authors consistently used "Lord" in place of the divine name.  For those of you who will want to go deeper into this issue with something in writing, I will soon be making all of my research available as a small, free book that will be creative commons, free to share and translate without permission. My goal is to eventually make all of it available in Spanish as well. If you'd be willing to help with the Spanish translation (or another language), please let me know at andrewdcase (a) gmail.com my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

In this episode we take an exhaustive look at what Jews have written outside of the Bible about the pronunciation of the Name throughout their history, and then examine all the ways YHWH was rendered in different early manuscripts of the Septuagint. I tried my best to keep it simple, but you might have to gird up the loins of your brain before you listen!  Persevere, and it'll be worth it. my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

After more than 9 months of research, this baby is ready to see the light of day.  In this series we seek to answer two main questions: 1) Would it be better for translations of the Hebrew Bible to use some approximation of Yahweh, or a title like the Lord? 2) When teaching and reading Hebrew today outside of Israel, would it be better to pronounce his name as some approximation like Yahweh, or say Adonai (Lord)? It's gonna get a bit technical at times, but fear not! I'd rather treat people like they're smart and give them a challenge than oversimplify everything. Wade through it and you'll learn a lot, no matter where you're coming from. O Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! –Psalm 8:1 my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

I think the title says it all!  This episode draws largely from The Murderous History of Bible Translations by Harry Freedman. Make sure to get a copy for yourself! Worth every penny. my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

I had the privilege and pleasure of talking to Dr. Peter Gurry about his book Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism. Enjoy getting to meet one of the guys who's doing quality work for the Kingdom in an area many people overlook or don't know exists! The clip towards the beginning comes from this excellent introduction to NT Textual Criticism by Daniel Wallace. It's worth watching the whole thing. Other links to things mentioned in the episode: Text & Canon Institute  Text & Canon Institute YouTube Scribes & Scripture my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

"I failed miserably my first go around using a traditional Hebrew grammar." Have you heard or experienced something like that before? Sadly, it's all too common. Here are some further thoughts on the status quo of learning Greek and Hebrew, what the best research has shown, and what we can do about it.  Sound clip of Stephen Krashen taken from this clip, and Steve Kaufmann from this clip. my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

It was an honor and delight to interview Dr. Carmen Joy Imes about her dissertation on the Name Command in Exodus 20:7, which you can check out here. She's produced a less technical version called Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters. For those who have an intermediate level of Hebrew, she's published an illustrated edition of Exodus in Hebrew. Make sure to subscribe to her YouTube channel Torah Tuesday. my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

Renowned linguist Stephen Krashen discusses the challenges of learning biblical languages and emphasizes the importance of comprehensible input in language acquisition. The podcast also explores the impact of anxiety on language acquisition and the power of reading in second language acquisition.

It's a joy to welcome Dr. Elizabeth Robar to the podcast and hear about all the exciting stuff she's up to. You can read some of her articles here.  Elizabeth has loved languages ever since she first discovered she could teach herself Latin from her mother’s college textbook. First came philology (the traditional comparative study of a family of languages), then came linguistics (the modern comparative study of all known languages of the world), and thus was born an interest in the structure of language and languages as undergirding and determining our knowledge of the biblical text, not to mention ourselves, our world and our God. Elizabeth’s current research interests include the Semitic languages, Biblical Greek, linguistics, syntax and everything that flows out from these: literary studies, discourse analysis, grammar writ large (a.k.a. exegesis), and how best to transmit what knowledge we have to the next generation. This has led to an interest in classical education, including language-learning pedagogy. In addition to academic research, Elizabeth enjoys mentoring younger scholars, encouraging them to not despair at the breadth and depth of the work needed but rather to identify the work allotted to them and to do it faithfully and well. Some days that work is highly academic in nature, and other days it is simply loving one’s neighbour. Both are equally important. In the episode we mention copenhagen-alliance.org.  my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

In this episode we dive into Psalm 107 and talk about its connection to Lamentations 3:32, and how it helps translators understand better the range of meaning of hesed in Hebrew (steadfast love). I forgot to mention that Lamentations 3:32 also speaks of God's hesed in the plural, just like the end of Psalm 107. And Lamentations is like a longer vignette of Psalm 107 in the sense that Israel finds itself in the midst of horrific affliction because of their sin, and they are hoping that God, in His gracious hesed, will give them a great reversal, just as the pattern in Psalm 107 portrays. The music in the middle of the episode comes from this full version of Psalm 107 that I put to music and recorded in my simple apartment in Yaounde, Cameroon, when I was just beginning my time as a foreign missionary Bible translator. my books | free Scripture prayer apps | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook