As I read through the complete ESV I have noticed a phrase that really should have been translated differently (grammatically correct). As a “modern” English translation there is really no reason to have this phrase as it is in the ESV. Most English speakers do a double take when they run across this phrase since it is plainly poor English grammar. In addition, correcting it would not detract from the meaning in any form or fassion. I am not sure what the ESV translators were thinking when they didn’t update the phrase.

The phrase is “at table”. All other translations I looked at will add “the” to the phrase to make it grammatically correct and/or translate it differently to not have the phrase in there at all. Below are some examples (compared with two other modern translations - HCSB & NET).

(1 Samuel 20:5 ESV) David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.
(1 Samuel 20:5 HCSB) So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I’m supposed to sit down and eat with the king. Instead, let me go, and I’ll hide in the field until the third night.
(1 Samuel 20:5 NET.) David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly expected to join the king for a meal. You must send me away so I can hide in the field until the third evening from now.

( Matthew 8:11 ESV) I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
( Matthew 8:11 HCSB) I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
( Matthew 8:11 NET.) I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

( Matthew 9:10 ESV) And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
( Matthew 9:10 HCSB) While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples.
( Matthew 9:10 NET.) As Jesus was having a meal in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples.

( Matthew 26:7 ESV) a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
( Matthew 26:7 HCSB) a woman approached Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive fragrant oil. She poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table.
( Matthew 26:7 NET.) a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil, and she poured it on his head as he was at the table.

( Matthew 26:20 ESV) When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.
( Matthew 26:20 HCSB) When evening came, He was reclining at the table with the Twelve.
( Matthew 26:20 NET.) When it was evening, he took his place at the table with the twelve.

( Mark 2:15 ESV) And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
( Mark 2:15 HCSB) While He was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also guests with Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him.
( Mark 2:15 NET.) As Jesus was having a meal in Levi’s home, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

( Mark 14:3 ESV) And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
( Mark 14:3 HCSB) While He was in Bethany at the house of Simon who had a serious skin disease, as He was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of pure and expensive fragrant oil of nard. She broke the jar and poured it on His head.
( Mark 14:3 NET.) Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of costly aromatic oil from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head.

( Mark 14:18 ESV) And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.”
( Mark 14:18 HCSB) While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “I assure you: One of you will betray Me–one who is eating with Me!”
( Mark 14:18 NET.) While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me will betray me.”

( Mark 16:14 ESV) Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
( Mark 16:14 HCSB) Later, He appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw Him after He had been resurrected.
( Mark 16:14 NET.) Then he appeared to the eleven themselves, while they were eating, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him resurrected.

( Luke 5:29 ESV) And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.
( Luke 5:29 HCSB) Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests with them.
( Luke 5:29 NET.) Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for Jesus, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them.

( Luke 7:37 ESV) And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
( Luke 7:37 HCSB) And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil
( Luke 7:37 NET.) Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.

( Luke 7:49 ESV) Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
( Luke 7:49 HCSB) Those who were at the table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
( Luke 7:49 NET.) But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

( Luke 11:37 ESV) While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.
( Luke 11:37 HCSB) As He was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and reclined at the table.
( Luke 11:37 NET.) As he spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table.

( Luke 12:37 ESV) Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.
( Luke 12:37 HCSB) Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.
( Luke 12:37 NET.) Blessed are those slaves whom their master finds alert when he returns! I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, have them take their place at the table, and will come and wait on them!

( Luke 13:29 ESV) And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
( Luke 13:29 HCSB) They will come from east and west, from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
( Luke 13:29 NET.) Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God.

( Luke 14:10 ESV) But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.
( Luke 14:10 HCSB) “But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored in the presence of all the other guests.
( Luke 14:10 NET.) But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you.

( Luke 14:15 ESV) When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
( Luke 14:15 HCSB) When one of those who reclined at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “The one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God is blessed!”
( Luke 14:15 NET.) When one of those at the meal with Jesus heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom of God!”

( Luke 17:7 ESV) “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’?
( Luke 17:7 HCSB) “Which one of you having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?
( Luke 17:7 NET.) “Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’?

( Luke 22:14 ESV) And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.
( Luke 22:14 HCSB) When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.
( Luke 22:14 NET.) Now when the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table and the apostles joined him.

( Luke 22:27 ESV) For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
( Luke 22:27 HCSB) For who is greater, the one at the table or the one serving? Isn’t it the one at the table? But I am among you as the One who serves.
( Luke 22:27 NET.) For who is greater, the one who is seated at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

( Luke 24:30 ESV) When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
( Luke 24:30 HCSB) It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
( Luke 24:30 NET.) When he had taken his place at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

( John 13:23 ESV) One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus,
( John 13:23 HCSB) One of His disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining close beside Jesus.
( John 13:23 NET.) One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was at the table to the right of Jesus in a place of honor.

( John 21:20 ESV) Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”
( John 21:20 HCSB) So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. That disciple was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray You?”
( John 21:20 NET.) Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. (This was the disciple who had leaned back against Jesus’ chest at the meal and asked, “Lord, who is the one who is going to betray you?”)

I think it is interesting to see how the HCSB and the NET translate it a bit differently to avoid (for lack of a better term) the phrase all together in some of the verses (the interesting part being that they don’t seem to be consistent, in one verse the HCSB may do it, in another verse the NET may do it).

AMDG

You may see quite a few of these types of entries as I read through the ESV completely this year. I will post things as I run across them in my normal reading. Since I read the Better Bibles Blog frequently, I have become more conscious to exactly how things are translated and if they could be improved upon without losing the meaning of the original.

So the question for today is…what does it mean to lick up everything? Are we talking about dogs or men here?  If you have ever seen a person walking around licking up everything let me know.

I am very surprised that even some of the “modern” translations kept the phrase (the NET Bible didn’t even have a note on it after keeping the phrase). Below are several different versions for comparison.

Since I will be replacing my regular (carry around) Bible (1977 NASB) this year with either the ESV or the HCSB, I have to say the HCSB beats the ESV on this verse.

Numbers 22:4

(CEV) They said to the Midianite leaders, “That bunch of Israelites will wipe out everything in sight, like a bull eating grass in a field.” So King Balak

(ESV) And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time,

(GNB) The Moabites said to the leaders of the Midianites, “This horde will soon destroy everything around us, like a bull eating the grass in a pasture.” So King Balak

(HCSB) So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us like an ox eats up the green plants in the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was Moab’s king at that time,

(NASB) Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

(NET.) So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “Now this mass of people will lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field. Now Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time.

(YLT) and Moab saith unto the elders of Midian, `Now doth the assembly lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the green thing of the field.’ And Balak son of Zippor is king of Moab at that time,

AMDG

My wife and I had a discussion about a verse in our daily reading today. She asked me what it meant and I thought it was a good blog entry.
…her thigh shall fall away…

Hmmm…that sounds like it could be a good thing doesn’t it? Perhaps some Bible diet that causes women to lose weight in their thighs/leg area (worded in old english of course “shall fall away”).

Here is a bit more of the verse, …her belly (stomach) will swell, and her thigh will shrivel…

Ok so maybe it doesn’t sound all that great when you read more of the verse. Below is the full verse:

Numbers 5:27 NET
(27) When he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness — her abdomen will swell, her thigh will fall away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

I wanted to point out that sometimes “literal” translations become counter productive when we have no idea what the meaning is. What in the world does “her thigh will fall away” mean? It sounds to me like some sort of weight loss program that is actually working. When you read the whole verse it obviously doesn’t have to do with weight loss but some people still may take it as her leg falling off or something similar. If you read it in context with other verses around it you may get a better picture of what it truly means. However, you may not. Why not tranlsate the idiom so that people can understand it?

Hebrew experts please correct me here if need be. It should read something along the lines of…her womb will (fall away, shrivel, dry up, stop functioning) and she will be unable to have children.

I found it interesting that the NET Bible didn’t translate it to be more understandable. Below is a sample of different translations.

(CEV) If the woman has been unfaithful, the water will immediately make her unable to have children, and she will be a curse among her people.

(GNB) If she has committed adultery, the water will cause bitter pain; her stomach will swell up and her genital organs will shrink. Her name will become a curse among her people.

(GW) If she has become unclean by being unfaithful to her husband, the water that can bring the curse will go into her and become bitter. Her stomach will swell, her uterus will drop, and she will become cursed among her people.

(KJV) And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

(MSG) If she has defiled herself in being unfaithful to her husband, when she drinks the water that delivers a curse, it will enter her body and cause acute pain; her belly will swell and her womb shrivel. She will be cursed among her people.

(NASB) ‘When he has made her drink the water, then it shall come about, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, that the water which brings a curse will go into her and cause bitterness, and her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

(Webster) And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she is defiled, and hath done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall perish: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

AMDG

Addendum 3/7: In regards to my statement about the NET Bible above…to their credit, on a verse prior to this one (with the same phrase) they do have a translation note and a study note. I have reproduced the notes below. Just another reason why I like the NET Bible so much. In addition, it is mentioned on one of the comments below that the NET Bible translation philosophy is to translate more literal in the case of something questionable like this. I like that philosophy as long as there is a note to go along with it.

TEV takes the expression “your thigh” as a euphemism for the genitals: “cause your genital organs to shrink.”

Most commentators take the expressions to be euphemisms of miscarriage or stillbirth, meaning that there would be no fruit from an illegitimate union. The idea of the abdomen swelling has been reinterpreted by NEB to mean “fall away.” If this interpretation stands, then the idea is that the woman has become pregnant, and that has aroused the suspicion of the husband for some reason. R. K. Harrison (Numbers [WEC], 111-13) discusses a variety of other explanations for diseases and conditions that might be described by these terms. He translates it with “miscarriage,” but leaves open what the description might actually be. Cf. NRSV “makes your uterus drop, your womb discharge.”

It seems there is quite an issue heating up in the Bible translation world (at least in the Christian blogosphere) about gender.

I would like to know what the big deal is.

Why is it only now that people are starting to have such a huge problem with “men” or “man” being used to refer to men and women or the human race?

Does the women’s lib movement have anything to do with it?

Where will it stop? Will we revise history to change Armstrong’s words (that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind)?

I have never been a fan of polictically correct terminology and the fact that it is now starting to wiggle its way into Bible translation is most disturbing.

AMDG

A podcast is now available for the ESV 1 year Bible reading plans.

At 19.95 for 3 years it is a pretty good deal.

Now it is easier than ever to go through your Bible in a year.

P.S. You can download excellent, free podcast software called iPodder to keep your podcasts in order. You can find it at the below URL.

Juice, formerly known as iPodder

AMDG