Comments on: Hebrew Translations of the BoM

By: danithew

danithew — Mon, 28 May 2007 00:24:43 +0000

Hey there Jamal – it’s cool to see you around in the blogs. I think we went to Hebron once together – at least that’s how I remember it.

Kevin, I think it’s a great idea to create a scholarly translation of the Book of Mormon with footnotes. I’m sure it would be beneficial and some of us would enjoy having free access to a Hebrew language Book of Mormon text.

By: Kevin Barney

Kevin Barney — Sun, 27 May 2007 22:08:18 +0000

Jamal, thanks for this insight on the Arabic side of the equation.

By: Jamal

Jamal — Sun, 27 May 2007 21:57:42 +0000

Dil did do at least a large portion of the Arabic voweling. There have been off and on complaints about the Arabic translation as well. It is a fairly simplified, modern Arabic for the most part. I’ve heard some Arab members complain that it feels like a poor translation unworthy of a great religious book (linguistically the Qur’an is THE gold standard of formal Arabic language and it sets a very high and now somewhat archaic standard not unlike say Shakespearean English) as has apparently been the case with the Hebrew iterations. But I’ve also had Arab members tell me how much they liked the simple, clear nature of the translation (my view too, but then I’m not a native speaker). Given that most Arabs aren’t Qur’anic scholars any more than most Jews are Torah or Talmudic scholars, I tend to think there’s validity in both points of view and that it’s a matter for executive decisions that may vary over time according to the church’s broader circumstances in these parts of the world.

If I have heard right, there were apparently two main translators one of whom was more flowery than the other. I’ve been reading the Arabic for my personal scripture study for a couple years now and I think I can spot where the styles diverge…I think. Frankly you’ve probably got to be a native speaker or someone who has gotten far better than most Arabic students ever get to really be able to pick up that level of subtlety (I can easily spot the difference between an old KJV-style Arabic Bible and a newer NIV-style one, but stylistic differences between translators varying only a few degrees in the same book are tougher for me).

By: Kevin Barney

Kevin Barney — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:38:23 +0000

My understanding is that that was indeed the case, Justin.

danithew, John Tvedtnes’ view is that what is needed is a scholarly translation of the BoM into Hebrew, with footnotes, so it would be perceived as a work of scholarship and not as a proselyting tool. Approached that way such a translation would not be so controversial.

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:27:40 +0000

Thanks, danithew. I remember hearing that the Hebrew and Arabic translations were released at the same time to avoid offense. I’m not certain if that is true.

By: danithew

danithew — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:25:17 +0000

I know Dil Parkinson edited or did much of the Arabic Book of Mormon’s voweling.

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:19:22 +0000

Kevin, do you know details about the Arabic Book of Mormon?

By: danithew

danithew — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:14:18 +0000

I’ve been hoping from time to time that I could just get a photocopy of the Hebrew language Book of Mormon … now I’m wondering what edition I’d want or whether it’s worth the effort to look at any of these.

What I’m reading here about translation efforts reminds me of stories a woman told me about the many efforts missionaries made to get her baptized. Every time some random factor would mess everything up (i.e., the font would be empty, the church would be locked and no one had a key, etc. and etc.). Then, when her husband was finally willing to listen to missionaries, everything went smoothly and they were both baptized together. Maybe this translation of the Book of Mormon into Hebrew project is one of those things that just has to wait until the right time. This really isn’t the kind of thing you want to mess up.

By: Kevin Barney

Kevin Barney — Wed, 23 May 2007 19:30:27 +0000

The catalog listing appears to nail it that there was only one translation from 1922, that by Miller. Thanks again, Justin, your help on this topic has been invaluable.

BiV, although I have the RLDS one, I’ve never spent much time trying to read it. I read Biblical Hebrew, but it is a slow and laborious process for me, usually with a grammar in one hand and a lexicon in the other. So I’m afraid I can’t offer a review of this particular translation.

By: Todd Wood

Todd Wood — Wed, 23 May 2007 18:21:40 +0000

I admit. You have got me really curious. I wonder how the modern Hebrew translation of the Isaiah passages in the BoM compare with the MT, for that matter the Great Isaiah Scroll.

I need to pick up an RLDS copy.