How to Understand the Original Text of the Bible

How to Understand the Original Text of the Bible

By Henrik V Blunck

There is no doubt about the fact that a good understanding of the original text of the Bible would be enhanced if you could read the original text. But even in situations where you can't read Hebrew or Greek, you can still get a fair understanding of the original with two very important tools.

• An interlinear Bible


• A good concordance

What Is an Interlinear Bible?
An interlinear Bible provides the Bible text in many translations brought into one Bible. One such title could be "The Word: The Bible from 26 Translations" which provides a fair indication of how the original should be understood.

You will still need a good concordance to understand areas where different translations disagree in the way the text is laid out, but you get a fair perspective relating to nuances.

Finding a Good Concordance
One of the most widely used concordances is definitely Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. This tool has a unique numbering system that can help you greatly in finding words when you can't read the original signs in either hebrew or greek.

Furthermore, many software tools are also keyed to the Strong numbering system, so you will find that investing in the Strong's concordance will be very useful for your Bible study.

Further Tools for Effective Bible Study
There are numerous free Bible study programs, and you will find that many of these are just as good as paid software tools. In fact, the Online Bible has been around ever since the DOS operating system which existed prior to the Windows we know today.

Many people have offered error corrections and these freeware tools have therefore achieved a level of correctness that is certainly praiseworthy - and thus increased the relevance for your own Bible study, and understanding of the text.

In Conclusion
More than books, you should also rely upon the Bible itself. Scriptures relate to one another, and once you mix in context with commentaries from people you trust you will see the Scriptures in a whole new perspective.

In past generations it was believed that the literal understanding was the best, but most scholars will agree that things change. Just as the internet has changed the way we share information with one another, so the text of the Bible should be adapted to the world of today. Such a topic as tax evasion is covered in the words of "Give unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's", but the act of breaking copyright should be seen in light of stealing. Copyright didn't exist, as such, when the Bible was written, but the principles relating to the topic can always be seen in some way in the context of the commandments from God.

I thank you for reading this article, and hope you were helped by the article. Many find it difficult to believe the Bible, but I hope my article can help you restore faith in God. If you wish, you may follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/henrikblunck

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God Is Not Mocked!

God is not mocked. False prediction forecaster, Harold Camping, apparently suffered a stroke on June 9^th 2011. Here's the announcement from their website:

Harold Camping, the president and general manager of Family Radio, suffered a mild stroke on the evening of June 9, 2011. Mr. Camping is receiving excellent care, and the doctors treating him are encouraged with the progress that he is making. Mr. Camping's family appreciates everyone's thoughts and prayers. Any additional information will be updated on this site [...]

Interesting indeed, and we should be careful in ever presuming what we think, feel or believe IS inspired. If Harold Camping had followed that principle he wouldn't have declared May 21^st 2011 as the beginning of the end. It wasn't, as everyone outside the group could see...

United Church of God - Hoping for Christ

The United Church of God has created an article entitled "Seven Prophecies That Must Be Fulfilled Before Jesus Christ's Return".

Notice the cautious way in which they answer the question of whether that return draws near:

Will this generation see God's Kingdom established on earth?
We have seen how seven biblically prophesied circumstances could not have come to pass until recent times. In fact, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 was clearly a major turning point in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, as was the acquisition of the hydrogen bomb by the two superpowers of the 1950s that led to the period of mutually assured destruction.
All has now become possible. This, in turn, makes it much more likely that our generation will live to see Jesus Christ return and establish the Kingdom of God on earth. After all, Jesus Himself said that once these things begin, the generation alive at that time "will by no means pass away till all these things take place" (Matthew:24:34).
It's both sobering and encouraging to think that we appear to be living in the generation that will ultimately witness the most important event in the history of mankind. As Jesus Christ tells His followers in Luke:21:28, "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

This is the type of double-speak you will find in Armstrongism and its offshoots. Careful examination of each of the offshoots will show that this is the type of article released for the public to APPEAR balanced, but that date-setting is still a part in individual speculation. They just won't say it aloud. Stay tuned for more on this subject.

Mind Control - Don't Get Caught

When it comes to mind control my best warning is to shout: "Don't get caught!" Religion is about one of the worst places where lots of charlatans have created religions based upon the weirdest of theological standpoints.

Over a year ago I wrote the article "How to Start Your Own Religion" because I wanted to focus on the important aspect of religion that it should unite people. The article was also supposed to provoke people into remembering that it is possible to create anything. Religious speculators have indeed done that very thing, and for those who couldn't care less about the well-being of others, it is indeed possible to sift in lots of dollars from gullible people...

A sad state of affairs.

Don't get caught up in being controlled by others. Think for yourself, and stay alert whenever someone makes crazy suggestions. That is the best defence against religious charlatans.

Have a nice weekend everyone. :-)