translations

Cause my heart to bow before your words of wisdom and not to the wealth of this world.

- Psalm 119:36 (TPT)

 

When I was in high school, part of the requirements for graduation was two years of a foreign language, and being the overachiever that I am, I took four years of German!

My German teacher is an amazing woman, full of stories and fun information and she told us that we have to be careful with dialects and slang,  because what we think we are saying may not be what we want to convey.

She told us of a fellow teacher that was in a country that spoke the language that she taught, after a wonderful meal, she leaned back, patted her tummy and said in that language “I’m so full”, but in the dialect she used, her hosts heard “I’m so pregnant”! 

What on earth does this story have to do with a Bible verse?

The verse I chose today is from The Passion Translation, but I want you to see it is several other translations: 
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. (KJV)

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. (NIV)

Turn my heart toward Your Law, so I will not earn money in a wrong way. (NLV)

Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! (NLT)

And the long one:

God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.

Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response.

Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway!

Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot.

Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way.

Affirm your promises to me— promises made to all who fear you.

Deflect the harsh words of my critics— but what you say is always so good.

See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve my life through your righteous ways! (MSG)

The way we say things sometimes changes the meaning. I think that David’s intent in this verse was a pleading with God, after all, David had coveted and taken another man’s wife, but here he is in the original King James Version of the text, a king, asking God to guard his thoughts against wanting things that are not his.

And in later translations the “coveting” turns to want or love of money.

Kind of tells you where our mindset is, huh?

We need to think carefully before we speak, before we fan the flames of jealously in our hearts and minds, we need to turn to God so we are not bogged down with discontent for our own lives because we spend time looking into the lives of others. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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