Acts 2:24 Redux

[Paul Younan]

Dave,

It seems from your answer that one of two things is happening: either (a) you don't understand the actual example and its significance, or (b) you are suffering from a severe case of Cognitive Dissonance. Either way, I'm going to try once again to help you along here by explaining, in layman's terms, the example. I'll even use pictures.

In Aramaic we have this funky word - Khawla (it's in Hebrew, too, spelled the same way, pronounced Khevel.) Are you paying attention here? Good.

You see, this word is funky in that it can mean either "pain~sorrow" or "cord~rope".

Here is a picture of cords:



The word can also mean "pain." Here is a picture of pain (poor little fella):



Got it? OK. Now, in the Aramaic original of Acts 2:24 (written by Luke, the Assyrian who spoke Aramaic just like the other disciples did), we read:

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the Khawle (plural) of death: because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

See what happened my man? You don't have to be an Aramaic or Greek expert to understand this. The Greek translator saw "Khawle", and said "Aha! I know what that means! It means "pains!" So the poor guy went ahead and made a monstrosity of a translation:

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

Instead of the original meaning:

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the cords of death: because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

You see how much more sense that makes? Cords...being held...being loosed???

More importantly, do you SEE how this can only have happened because Zorba was translating from Aramaic - the same reading that is in the Peshitta?

Have you read Psalms 18:5 in the original Hebrew? In case you haven't, here it is:

The Khevele (plural) of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me

Have you seen how the KJV translators translated it?

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

Have you seen how the ASV translators translated it?

The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me.

They (the KJV translators) made the same mistake as Zorba did, didn't they? Didn't they? Only they went from Hebrew->English, whereas Zorba went from Aramaic->Greek, right?

Do you see now how Zorba mistranslated Acts 2:24 from an Aramaic original? Do you see how this is a common idiom in Semitic languages....this "cords of sheol" thingie?

Are you not convinced from Psalms 18:5? Did you check out the same errors in translation in Psalms 116:3? In Joshua 2:15 ?? In 2Samuel 17:13 ?? In 2Samuel 22:6 ??

Do you need any further explanation? What's the "spirit" telling you now?