Friday, June 29, 2012

Words for Clarification

In most translation of the bible when you see italics it means those words we're not in the original language but were added for clarification in English. Most of the time this is helpful and does not inter free with the meaning of the original meaning of the passage. But every now and again it causes a dulling of the original intent. We now look at one of those instances.

Jesus asked those who came to arrest him, "Whom do you seek". They responded, "Jesus of Nazareth". Most translators write Jesus as saying, "I am He." But the original text does not have the pronoun. In other words Jesus said in response, "I Am".

He referred to himself by the name of Jehovah, "I Am". Jesus is declaring his divinity. The Great I Am willing took our punishment upon himself (John 18:5-6; Exodus 19:45).