The 98 occurrences of the word “perfect”(noted in the above post) reflect a dazzling array of original language words. There are thirteen different Hebrew words translated as “perfect” and ten different Greek words translated as “perfect”. Each of the original words has different meanings as well as carrying a wide range of possible individual tones, shadings and understandings. Even in one verse, such as
Ps 101.2, we find the word perfect used twice in our KJV. However, the first perfect means “whole, sound, healthful”, while the second perfect means “integrity”, which renders
Ps 101:2 from:
“I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” KJV
To my translation of this same text:
“I will give heed to and follow the path (the way) of complete wholesomeness; Oh when will You come unto me? Inside my own house I will walk (live) my life in the integrity of my heart.” AWB
In my translation efforts, I attempt to bring a little more of the conceptual (pictorial) presentation of the Hebrew language into our English language framework.
Lesson: Do not do a word search in English (only) and expect to get a true rendering of the original texts, nor for creating a foundation for developing doctrines. The results are often times combining non-compatible passages which leads to scriptural error and creating doctrines that the Word of God will not actually support.
Homework: Do an exhaustive search of the texts where the original language words have been translated in English as “perfect”. Find all 13 Hebrew and 10 Greek terms and evaluate their grammatical usage and their contextual application(s). Then, go back and reconstruct an English equivalent of the original concept (thought for thought). This may not be the best way of translating the original text, but we have already seen that simple word-for-word translations are not all that great either.
Application: When studying the Bible, doctrines (teachings), or developing a doctrine of your own: The very least one must do is verify the correct usage/application of the key words in that doctrine, as those words appear within their original context.
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