Lost in Translation: List of the “Hard” Sayings of Jesus
These upcoming articles will discuss the differences between what we read today in English and what Jesus’s listeners heard when these verses were spoken. These verses are considered to be “hard.” There are two reasons. Some are “hard” because they are difficult to understand, and others because difficult to act upon. We will see how much of this difficulty comes from poor translation and how much from changes of word meaning and culture since the time of Christ. Since my job is translation, not deciding which verses are hard, the source list for this comes from the resources at Lord's Library.
Accurate translation might make these verses easier to understand and, perhaps, easier to obey. My goal, however, is to give you new ways to think about them and better tools for discussing Jesus’s ideas with others, especially with those who are not religious.
The verses that I will be examining in this series are those shown in this list with the NIV and Listeners Heard versions following them. We will look at the meaning of the words in them generally at the time, how Jesus tended to use these words, and at the culture and history of the era. We will also look at the Hebrew sources for his words when Jesus quotes the Septuagint.
Most of the verses in the list below link to their detailed word-by-word analysis at ChristsWords.com. However, the verses that I have already written about here on Substack are linked the their articles here. Those verse numbers are shown in Italic Bold, with the NIV version of the verse following them in bold as well. These past articles have all been made free to read and free to share.
These verses below have already been discussed in articles that they link to.
Matthew 4:4 It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Matthew 5:33-34 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Matthew 5:39: And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
Matthew 8:20 Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.
Matthew 10:34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Matthew 10:37 Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Matthew 12:36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had a sold everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 15:11: What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.
Matthew 16:24-25 Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 18:3 Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:22 I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 22:14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.
Mark 2:17 It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Mark 6:4 A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.
Mark 8:34 Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
Mark 10:21 One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
The verses below will be examined in future weeks.
NIV: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Listeners Heard: It is easier: a camel to traverse through a hole of a needle than a rich person to enter into the realm of the Divine.
Luke
NIV: But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Listeners Heard: Only too bad for you, those rich, because you got that request of yours.
NIV: But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Listeners Heard: Instead, to you , those listening, I say care for those hated of yours, do good for those hating you.
NIV: Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
Listeners Heard: To everyone begging you, give. And from the one lifting those things of your own, do not beg back.
NIV: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Listeners Heard: If anyone wants to show up after me he must reject himself and he must take up that staff of his for a time and he must follow me.
Luke 14:26: If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
NIV: In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Listeners Heard: In this way, then every one of you who does not set aside to all those of your own accumulating? He doesn't have the power to be my student.
NIV: You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
Listeners Heard: Still, a single thing to you is missing: all as much as you possess. Sell and hand out among beggars and you are going to possess stores in skies and here follow me.
John
NIV: Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Listeners Heard: Amen, Amen, I tell you, when you do not eat this flesh of the son of the man and drink of him this blood, you all do not have life within yourselves.
John 14:6: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
its incredible how words have changed but ideas stay the same through history. look at English words reign and rain, you talk about realm of the skies which is also reign of the skies, like rain from the sky , teaching