Friday, December 25, 2009
posted by Laura Bartlett at 8:05 AM
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
posted by Mark D. Taylor at 3:07 PM
We've all heard the Christmas story from Luke 2 many times, and we'll hear it again this Christmas. And you'll probably hear that "there was no room in the inn." But was it an inn (that is, a public place of accommodations) where Joseph and Mary found no room?
The NLT (2nd ed.) renders this familiar phrase, "because there was no lodging available for them." In a similar vein, the TNIV reads, "because there was no guest room available for them." Why have these modern translations moved away from the traditional term "inn"?
I'll let Prof. Allison A. Trites explain:
"The accommodation facilities of little Bethlehem were stretched to the limit by the demands imposed by the Roman census (2:1-5). Traditionally, the story has told us 'there was no room in the inn' (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB). However, there is anther possibility, for the rare word used here (kataluma [TG2646, ZG2906]) might not mean an 'inn' but rather a 'guest room' in a house, as in 22:11 (and Mark 14:14), where it is used to describe the room where the Last Supper was held. It is thus possible that the room had been planned for Joseph and Mary but was occupied by others by the time they showed up." (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol. 12, Luke [Tyndale House Publishers, 2006], 53)
One more comment regarding the Greek terminology: The more typical Greek word for an "inn" is pandocheion, the term used in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34). The fact that Luke did not use pandocheion to describe the situation in Bethlehem convinced the NLT translators to switch from "no room for them in the village inn" (1st ed.) to "no lodging available for them" (2nd ed.).
Either way, the application in our lives is just as real: May there be room for the Christ child in our hearts as we celebrate his birth. Merry Christmas!
Mark D. Taylor
The NLT (2nd ed.) renders this familiar phrase, "because there was no lodging available for them." In a similar vein, the TNIV reads, "because there was no guest room available for them." Why have these modern translations moved away from the traditional term "inn"?
I'll let Prof. Allison A. Trites explain:
"The accommodation facilities of little Bethlehem were stretched to the limit by the demands imposed by the Roman census (2:1-5). Traditionally, the story has told us 'there was no room in the inn' (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB). However, there is anther possibility, for the rare word used here (kataluma [TG2646, ZG2906]) might not mean an 'inn' but rather a 'guest room' in a house, as in 22:11 (and Mark 14:14), where it is used to describe the room where the Last Supper was held. It is thus possible that the room had been planned for Joseph and Mary but was occupied by others by the time they showed up." (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol. 12, Luke [Tyndale House Publishers, 2006], 53)
One more comment regarding the Greek terminology: The more typical Greek word for an "inn" is pandocheion, the term used in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34). The fact that Luke did not use pandocheion to describe the situation in Bethlehem convinced the NLT translators to switch from "no room for them in the village inn" (1st ed.) to "no lodging available for them" (2nd ed.).
Either way, the application in our lives is just as real: May there be room for the Christ child in our hearts as we celebrate his birth. Merry Christmas!
Mark D. Taylor
Labels: Mark Taylor
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
posted by Laura Bartlett at 8:00 AM
This is the last day to enter the NLT contest to win a trip for four to Israel. Visit the "Breakthrough to Clarity" contest site to enter.Labels: Bible Usage
Sunday, December 20, 2009
posted by Laura Bartlett at 10:00 AM
(this is a repost from the Tyndale Blog, written by Adam)Tyndale House Publishers would like to invite you to be a part of a special holiday offer. Christian recording artist and author of 101 Ways to Give This Christmas Away, Matthew West, is offering a free download of the Christmas story from Luke read by the singer/songwriter himself. In fact, our goal is to reach 1 million total downloads. You can also download a free copy of the Gospel of John in the New Living Translation.
Just visit http://www.thechristofchristmas.com/ scroll to the bottom and click on "Download the Christmas Story".
Some ways this download is being used:
- Family time listening experience (hot cocoa, fire place, Christmas cheer)
- Christmas E-cards (include a link to the download in your Christmas card this year)
- Posting the link in the comments sections of other blogs you read to spread the word- Embed the audio file into your Facebook page or website so it plays automatically
- Spread the Gospel though Twitter
- Send the link through a text message or through your smart phone so you can download the file and play it all around town
Think you have a fun, interesting, or unique way that you’ve used the download? Want to share it with the world and in the process enter to win a Tyndale House January new release? Post your story in the comments section of [the Tyndale.com blog post], and we’ll draw 5 winners on Christmas Eve.
Here’s what you could win:
The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory
Raising a Modern-Day Princess by Pam Farrel & Doreen Hanna
The Busy Couple’s Guide to Sharing the Work & the Joy by Kathy Peel
The Courteous Cad by Catherine Palmer
Blackout by Jason Elam & Steve Yohn
OR
Tyndale’s New : NLT Holy Bible Mosaic HC
Thank you for helping us reach a million people with the Gospel this year!
Spread the word!
Merry Christmas!
(note: I'm closing comments on this post, so you can go to the original post at the Tyndale.com blog and comment)Labels: Bible Usage, Chrismas, Matthew West
Thursday, December 17, 2009
posted by Laura Bartlett at 3:55 PM
Do you have something to say about why you use the NLT, an example of a passage that the NLT has clarified for you, or the impact that the NLT has had in your life or ministry? If you're reading this blog, I'm going to guess that you probably do.
That story may win you a trip for four people to Israel for ten days including airfare, hotel and tour. We're collecting stories like this through December 22 and will choose one entrant to win the trip. There are other prizes too:
- Everyone who enters gets a free download of the Gospel of John Bible Study from the NLT Study Series.
- One entrant every day wins a hardcover NLT Study Bible
- One person will win 100 NLT Bible for their church
You can read details about it on the contest page.
A word to the wise: Make sure you complete all of the steps. The last step is to share what you wrote on one or more social networking sites—a blog, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. It has been amazing to see the hundreds and hundreds of stories of how the NLT has impacted people's lives. The inside scoop to this contest is that a lot of people post the story on the site (which enters them to win a Bible), but don't share on social media, which is what qualifies one to enter the contest for the trip. So, if you do complete all of the steps, this may be the best chance of winning a trip to Israel you'll ever have.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
posted by Laura Bartlett at 8:52 AM
Sean Harrison, General Editor of the NLT Study Bible, has been reading and blogging the advent readings from Mosaic. Sean is, as you would expect of a study Bible editor, very knowledgeable and thoughtful about the Bible. So I recommend his posts to you. Here's where you can read along in Mosaic (or with the full printed Bible of course). Here are his first week's reflections:
Advent 1
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 25
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Matthew 24:35-51
Isaiah 11:1-16