Problems With the RSV
I have some real reservations about the RSV Bible, even though I know a lot of people like it. I own two of them myself, both with the Deuterocanonical Books. One of them is a real nice leather Bible.
In Isaiah 7:14 the RSV translates the Hebrew word almah as "young woman" rather than "virgin." Here it is:
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold a young woman will conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
That seems to me to weaken the power and specificity of Isaiah's prophecy.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9 the RSV translates the Greek word pornos (fornicators, whoremongers) as "the immoral," and the Greek words malakos (effeminate, catamites, male prostitutes) and arsenokoites (homosexuals - literally "those men who lie or 'couch' with other men") as "sexual perverts."
Here is that verse:
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts . . ."
It seems to me these rather wimpy translations weaken the meaning of the respective verses in which they occur.
"The immoral" can mean almost anything, and "sexual perverts" can be a relative term that depends for its definition on the standards of a particular community.
It seems to me the original Greek words were much more specific and left their readers or auditors in no doubt as to their meanings.
Here is the RSV's rendition of the Archangel Gabriel's initial greeting to the Blessed Virgin Mary:
Luke 1:28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
Pretty pedestrian.
Here are the renderings of all of those verses above in a couple of much better Bible versions.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (King James Bible)
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel. (Douay Rheims Bible)
1Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind (King James Bible)
1Corinthians 6:9-10 Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers: Nor the effeminate nor liers with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor railers nor extortioners shall possess the kingdom of God. (Douay Rheims Bible)
Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, "Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women." (King James Bible)
Luke 1:28 And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (Douay Rheims Bible)
The KJV and the DRB may use language that is somewhat archaic, but at least what is meant is fairly clear.
Has anyone else encountered any other problems in the RSV or other modern translations?
Linus7,
First, allow me to praise you for caring enough about accuracy in Bible translation!!!
God, Himself has promised that His word will endure forever, and that He will protect His words from every generation, Psalms 12:6,7. Of course this does not mean that all translations will be without errors, but it does mean that if you are a lover of God's words, you will be able to find accuracy by comparing different translations.
Just like in the English language, words can have several meanings, in all languages, so it is up to the translator to chose, what he thinks is the best word to fit the context. The trouble comes in when a wrong word is used, because the translator does not understand God's purposes, so he may use a word wrongly, even though the word is technically accurate, it is not the best translation for that place in Scripture.
I have on my iPad around 50 different translations that I can compare. By comparing Bibles you can always find the truth of God's word. Now, some Bibles are easier to understand. If you are a rather newcomer to Bible research, I believe that the Amplified 2015 Bible is probably the most helpful Bible, because it puts in brackets much useful information, that might not be known. By putting this information in brackets, it does not corrupt the Holy, and Sacred words of God.
If you want one Bible, that is even more accurate than, what are called Literal Bibles, the Darby Bible, I believe, is the best.
About Isaiah 7:14. Many translations use different words for Almah, young woman, Maiden, Virgin, and all are technically accurate, but the best translation for us, contemporaries, is Virgin, because this translation is accurate and puts in the correct message from The Almighty God, Jehovah.