The Difference Greek Can Make - Why you should care about Biblical languages

Dr. Randy White

Many pastors and laymen just roll their eyes when someone begins to talk about the Greek word underlying the English translation of the Bible. Assuming that the gist of the idea is sufficient, they don’t want to be bothered with Greek or Hebrew words that only seem fit for discussion in a seminary classroom. This grows out of a love-affair with application, which is not the same as a love of the Word. Because I believe in (and am firmly committed to) the idea of verbal plenary inspiration, I believe Greek matters. I want to give a brief defense of the use of Biblical languages in the modern church.A Perfect Example A study of Luke 7:11-13 gives a perfect example of the need to study from Biblical languages.“Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.” (Luke 7:11–12, NKJV)In the New King James, there is a large crowd meeting another large crowd. In the New American Standard, a large crowd meets a sizeable crowd. In the English Standard Version, a large crowd meets a considerable crowd.  Is the crowd around the woman large, sizeable, considerable, or none-of-the-above? If you do a word search of the particular Greek word (ikanos), you will find that neither KJV, NKJV, NASB, nor ESV ever uses their respective translation for ikanos in any of the other 41 verses where the word appears in the Greek text. That is, the word only means large, sizeable, or considerable in Luke 7:12, and nowhere else. The Greek reading student of the Word (or the one who understands how to use the tools readily available to non-Greek readers), would immediately recognize that the translators felt the need to interpret the meaning of the word ikanos rather than translate it. The word means “enough” or “adequate.” It is a measurement word that means, “Sufficient in ability,” according to Strong’s.How can you have a crowd that is “enough?” In the context of a funeral, it is not hard to imagine. There were certain cultural norms for providing a proper burial that the minimal size of the crowd was a cultural rule. Even in today’s funerals, if someone asked, “Do they have enough pallbearers?” one would know that six is the minimum number—six is “enough.”When the large crowd with Jesus (a different word, clearly meaning large) met up with the “enough crowd” of the widow’s son’s funeral, Jesus felt compassion on her. He could easily “size up” the crowd and know that this woman barely had sufficient means to provide the culturally acceptable crowd of mourners to give a dignified burial.What Not to SayFeeling compassion on her, Jesus said to the woman, “Do not weep” (v. 13).  If I wrote a book on “Things Not To Say to a Grieving Person,” I might put “do not cry” on the top of the list. Was Jesus being insensitive to this grieving woman? Even more, when Jesus was at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Why can Jesus weep at the death of a friend but this woman cannot weep at the death of her only son?Again, this is the problem of an English reading student of the Word. A Greek student would quickly recognize that Jesus shed tears at the grave of Lazarus. He did not tell this woman not to shed tears, but rather, not to wail in mourning. The word for weep in verse 13 is a word expressing defeat and hopelessness.Do you recall that Paul did not want us to be ignorant or uniformed about the “dead in Christ?” In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 he gave us the information about the afterlife that would enable us to grieve differently, “not as those who have no hope.” In verse 18, Paul instructed us to “comfort one another with these words.” In a manner of speaking, Paul said, “do not weep.” We may shed a tear when a believing loved one dies, but because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we do not wail in mourning at the hopelessness of the situation. Rather, confident that the work Jesus did at Nain will be repeated, we look for the Lord’s return, and listen for the trumpet sound.Greek MattersGreek and Hebrew are basic building blocks for expert Bible study. Any reputable seminary education will make Biblical languages a requirement for graduation. If words matter (and they do), and if words have meaning (they always do), then it is vitally important that students of the Word of God learn seriously study the words God inspired in His word, the Bible.  If you are a Pastor, would you consider honing your skill of the use of Biblical languages so that you comprehend the inspired words of Scripture? If you are a layman, will you perk your ears (rather than roll your eyes) when the Pastor uses a Greek or Hebrew word?  The Bible was given to us in words, not in pictures, ideas, sounds, or feelings. For the Pastor, there is nothing more important in his study of the Bible than his study of words.Thoughts, objections, questions? Use the comment section below!