Lessons in Greek
By Elisabeth Duckworth
Today's Greek words: Books of the Bible – Part I
For some reason, early English translators of the Bible opted to i) transliterate words from Greek into English; ii) translate words from Greek into English or; iii) translate words from Greek into Latin. I'm sure they had their good reasons, but their decisions have resulted in a certain amount of language confusion and ambiguity. Today, we'll look at the titles of some of the books of the Bible to see what new insight we can glean from them.
Genesis. This is a Greek word which has been transliterated into English and which has since wholly become part of the English lexicon. It refers to the “process of bringing or coming into existence; coming into being; birth; creation; origin.” We have many other Greek-to-English words with the same gene- root: genealogy; genetics; generation; eugenics, etc. As the book detailing the genesis of creation and the birth of the Jewish nation, Genesis is an apt name indeed for the first book of the Bible.
Exodus. Our second book is another Greek word simply transliterated into English. It consists of two parts: ex – meaning out of or separation; odos – meaning road, trail, route, highway, as well as military expedition. An example of the odos word in English: odometer. The word exodus refers to an exit, outlet, departure, emigration, and excursion. As a book title, Exodus refers to the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, their forty year excursion through the wilderness, and their military campaigns within the Promised Land.
Leviticus. Latin: “of the Levites”, Hebrew Wayiqraʾ, the name of which designates its contents as a book or manual primarily concerned with priests (members of the priestly tribe of Levi) and their duties. Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the familial tribe of which Moses, Miriam and Aaron were members.
Numbers. This one is pretty self explanatory. It is an English translation of the Greek “Arithmoi” (as in “arithmetics”). The book of Numbers details the Israelites' 40 year journey and experiences in the wilderness as they travelled from Mt. Sinai to Canaan. The title “Numbers“ acknowledges the two censuses God calls for in chapter 1 and again in chapter 26. The Hebrew title “Bemidbar” meaning “in the desert of” makes much more sense as far as the overall content and setting of the book.
Deuteronomy. Here is another Greek word transliterated into English. The first part deutero- means “second” or “repeated”; nomy – is the Greek nomos meaning “law, body of rules, custom, convention, social standards”. In English we have the -nomos root in e.g. autonomous; economics; ergonomics; metronome, etc. Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book of the Jewish Pentateuch or Torah. It contains Moses' last three sermons and two prophetic poems about Israel's future. Moses repeats the rules of God's worship and urges the people not to repeat their errors and sins of the past.
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, and I & II Kings. I think we understand these names.
I & II Chronicles is a curious title for a couple of reasons. First of all, the Septuagint lumps I & II Samuel with I & II Kings resulting in IV Kings books (no Samuels). I & II Chronicles are called the Paraleipomenon or the collection of things “leftover, left to one side, or omitted”. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third section of Ketuvim, the last section of the Jewish Tanakh. Chronicles was divided into two books in the Septuagint. In Christian contexts it is known as the Books of Chronicles, after the Latin name chronicon so named by the Latin scholar Jerome, in the early 400s AD. Chronicles covers the same material as Samuel and Kings, but with added details.
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job. We're good here.
Psalms. This is another example of a transliterated Greek word. The psal- root in Greek is used to describe the harp, the harpist, the twang or plucking of the harp strings, even a bow string. The title Psalms refers to “instrumental music” and, by extension, “the words accompanying the music”.
Proverbs. This is an exact English translation of the Greek word “Paroimiai” meaning – wait for it – “proverbs”, as well as “sayings; maxims; or a parable which is difficult to understand”. The translated Hebrew title is Book of the Parables (of Solomon). Proverbs is mainly ascribed to king Solomon and is a collection of his wisdom and instructional sayings for his son.
Ecclesiastes. This is a transliteration of the Greek word for an “ecclesiast”, often translated rather incorrectly as a “preacher”. The Hebrew word is more closely associated with a “teacher” or “gatherer in” of people. The Greek translators of the Septuagint would have understood this preeminently Greek word quite differently. An ecclesiast to a proud Greek was a summoned member of the Greek public assembly. It was the place where Greek citizens could publicly deliberate and vote in a show of democratic power and policy. The Christian church borrowed the term ekklesia for a democratic, public assembly and applied it to the body of believers. The book of Ecclesiastes opens with the phrase “The sayings of the ecclesiast the son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem…“ Solomon calls himself an ecclesiast, someone who joins in with and summons others to a public assembly for discussion, learning and debate.
Song (of Solomon). The meaning and purpose of the Song may be up for debate, but at least the title is not! Fortunately, for our purposes today, we can leave it there.
Isaiah, Jeremiah
Lamentations. This is an English translation of the Greek Threnoi meaning “dirge, lament, wailing, mourning, grief”. Lamentations is the keening lament of the “weeping prophet” Jeremiah.
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The final 14 books of the OT are named after their authors.
~ Next time, we'll look at the books of the New Testament.
