Luther and Some Words on Bible Translation

Some thoughts on translating the Bible from Martin Luther, who translated the original text into the German of the common man. 

Luther knew the translator was constantly walking a tightrope between adhering to the original text and providing a clear expression of the meaning of the text. Not every expression in the Hebrew or Greek can be translated literally into German (or English). For Luther, once he grasped the meaning of the text, he would translate the meaning. Concerning the work of the Biblical translator, he once said,

“(he) must see to it – once he understands the Hebrew author – that he concentrates on the sense of the text, asking himself, ‘Pray tell, what do the Germans say in such a situation?’ Once he has the German words to serve the purpose, let him drop the Hebrew words and express the meaning freely in the best German he knows.”

In other words, the translator must “let go” of the form and translate the substance. The translator must not be a “prisoner” of the text.

Every Bible translator understands the difficulty faced when the original text cannot be translated exactly into the target language. The devoted translator is not out to CHANGE God’s Word, rather he is trying to communicate the truth of the Word to others who do not understand the original languages. This is not an easy task, especially when certain Hebrew and Greek words carry doctrinal importance.

Luther clearly struggled with the same translation concerns. He wrote,

“(I) have been very careful to see that where everything turns on a single passage, I have kept to the original quite literally and have not lightly departed from it.”

Yet, he also noted,

“I preferred to do violence to the German language rather than to depart from the word.”

And, what about those words from the original writings which bear much doctrinal significance? The Reformer said, 

“out of respect for such doctrine, and for the comforting of our conscience, we should keep such words, accustom ourselves to them, and so give place to the Hebrew language where it does a better job than our German.”

Praise the Lord for such individuals who devote their time, energy, and resources into translating the Word of God into a language you and I can easily understand!

"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."