David has lived and worked mainly in Central Asia. He coordinated a translation project then trained as a translation consultant. More recently he has begun to get involved in scripture engagement. He teaches both translation and SE. He has an MA in Old Testament, an MA Oxon in Engineering, and a Dip. H.E. in Biblical and Cross-cultural Studies from All Nations Christian College. He currently teaches at Moorlands College as part of the SLS department He has also been teaching at Redcliffe College since 2010. Prior to that he taught at the Wycliffe Centre, dating back to the ‘90s, and in Russia and Central Asia at various workshops for translators and/or exegetes. He has just started a PhD study programme (February 2019) on reverence for ancestors in the OT. Supervisors: Philip Esler
The אוֹב and יִדְּעֹנִי are mentioned as a pair eleven times in the Hebrew Bible (Lev 19.31; 20.6... more The אוֹב and יִדְּעֹנִי are mentioned as a pair eleven times in the Hebrew Bible (Lev 19.31; 20.6; 20.27; Deut 18.11; 1Sa 28.3; 28.9; 2 Kgs 21.6; 23.24; 2 Chr 33.6; Isa 8.19; 19.3), with אוֹב occurring on its own another six times, yet we seem to know little about these terms, and attempts to translate them have been fraught with difficulty. Were they ghosts or ancestral spirits or mediums of some kind? Those from areas where ancestor worship is practised probably have a better grasp of this topic than others. It is only as we use an anthropologically based approach to help ask good questions of the various texts and interpret them via that lens that we come to some helpful answers. The focus of the paper will be on how to interpret and translate these terms. The anthropological method used will also act as a helpful model for the future study of key biblical terms such as these.
People in folk-Islamic societies are driven by many felt needs. These include the need to avoid t... more People in folk-Islamic societies are driven by many felt needs. These include the need to avoid the influence of the evil eye, the jinn, and the spirits of those who have recently passed. To achieve these goals, they often resort to the use of charms and amulets, visiting a fortune teller at a 'holy place' (where a 'saint' is buried), or seeing a folk healer or Mullah. If we, in the Bible translation world, ignore these felt needs we will find that those attending local communities of believers will tend to continue with their previous folk-Islamic practices. This paper will argue that the establishment of good-quality projects leading to the transformation of believers' lives will depend upon taking such felt needs into account. This will mean having translation embedded in a Scripture engagement programme with its activities. The programme and activities will need to be developed with such felt needs in mind, which will make it and the practices developed by local communities of believers more contextualised than would be the case with more traditionally-run programmes. This will help the project meet conditions six and seven of Wayne Dye's 'Eight Conditions of Scripture Engagement.' It will also help to ensure that the quality of believers' lives is high (Ephesians 4.7-16).
Emerging paradigms have shifted attention to the roles of consultants and independent translators... more Emerging paradigms have shifted attention to the roles of consultants and independent translators and away from the role and preparation of exegetical advisors (EAs), even though the pressing need for EAs in programs worldwide remains. In a translation project there are typically insiders who function as mother tongue translators, and outsiders with linguistic expertise who function as EAs. Currently, expectations about the level of proficiency in the host language (HL) that EAs must attain are set by their assigned entity, and these policies are typically applied independent of the relevant factors affecting a specific project. In some organisations, anything less than fluency in the HL is considered incompatible with incarnational ministry. In others, EAs interact primarily through language of wider communication (LWC) back translations and may never be expected to learn the HL(s), though there may be a national language to learn in addition to the LWC. We would like to suggest a third way; that EAs learn as much of the HL(s) as their particular program requires. This paper asks what factors should be considered to determine the level of HL(s) fluency needed by an EA in a specific program. We have developed a tool comprised of a flow-chart and a questionnaire designed to help SIL branches evaluate the level of HL proficiency a person needs in a specific context in order to function best in their EA role.
This is an adaptation of Brian Shrag’s seven steps in his manual for creating local arts but for ... more This is an adaptation of Brian Shrag’s seven steps in his manual for creating local arts but for SE (Scripture Engagement). It has been used with permission. Please click on docs.google.com below to see the paper.
From the translation of the Old Testament into Greek to modern translations of the Bible. Revised... more From the translation of the Old Testament into Greek to modern translations of the Bible. Revised 23rd February 2018.
It can now be taken as axiomatic that translations need to be acceptable, but who should they be ... more It can now be taken as axiomatic that translations need to be acceptable, but who should they be acceptable to? This paper claims they should be acceptable to both primary and secondary audiences. It discusses the various factors that affect acceptability, and argues that representatives of the primary audience should be involved in making translation decisions, even if they are from the majority religion, such as Islam or Buddhism, as well as those of the secondary audience, if the latter are followers of Jesus the Messiah (and many translation needs are in limited access areas where this would be the case). The paper also argues that a good understanding worldview of the audiences is vital. One result of this is that decisions made in one project may not work at all for another, even if it is in an adjoining area. What if the key terms choices of the two audiences conflict, even though they speak the same language? The paper will give some examples of such conflicts with suggested resolutions. Another question the paper discusses is the contrast between rural and urban areas. The paper will raise, and suggest answers to these issues, and recommend that the project brief is the best place to record such project decisions.
This is a comparison of the Messianic titles 'son of Abraham', 'son of David', 'son of God', etc.... more This is a comparison of the Messianic titles 'son of Abraham', 'son of David', 'son of God', etc. in various Turkic translations of Matthew's Gospel. It is often tempting to translate 'son of David' as 'descendant of David', but if we do that we lose some of the literary connections within the gospel. We will briefly look at the Hebrew forms behind these titles, and at the theory that the author is comparing Jesus with Isaac. The paper will also explore the actual genitive constructions used for the titles and their function in the respective Turkic languages. Key verses will be Matthew 1:1; 14:33. Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ. The book of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah son of David son of Abraham. (1:1) οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες, Ἀληθῶς θεοῦ υἱὸς εἶ.
A Comparison of Three Approaches to Scripture Engagement, 2024
When teaching Scripture Engagement, it is usual to follow one of three approaches: 1. The Eight C... more When teaching Scripture Engagement, it is usual to follow one of three approaches: 1. The Eight Conditions (Wayne Dye) 2. Barriers to Scripture Engagement (Harriet & Margaret Hill), and by extension, study of the audience's worldview, which can lead onto Bridges and Door-openers 3. Three components of Scripture Engagement (Ruedi and Jenny Giezendanner) This paper is an attempt to do a comparison of all three, to see where they overlap and what the differences are. In fact I will come to the conclusion that they are largely complementary, but there are subtle differences that may help you decide which approach to use, and when.
A course for those starting out in translation, written by David Gray but using material from oth... more A course for those starting out in translation, written by David Gray but using material from other courses (see the Bibliography).
This short paper aims to introduce Scripture Engagement to those in Western churches who want to ... more This short paper aims to introduce Scripture Engagement to those in Western churches who want to know more about its importance. All of us know something about Scripture Engagement, but we often know little about places where Wycliffe members and others are involved in Scripture Engagement, Translation and Literacy work. The impact statement of a typical project is ‘changed lives’ or ‘changed community’ as the result of engagement with scripture. Many people think we are about Bible translation. Well, yes, we are. But Bible translation is not the aim of the project. Bible translation is the means to an end and that end is transformed lives.
This dissertation analyses Robert Alter’s translation of Genesis as an example of New Literary Cr... more This dissertation analyses Robert Alter’s translation of Genesis as an example of New Literary Critical Approaches to the text in general, and to Bible Translation in particular. By way of introduction various theoretical approaches to Bible Translation are studied; Functional Equivalence, Relevance Theory and Literary as well as a brief comparison of Formal Correspondence and Functional Equivalence. Relevance Theory is mainly studied from a literary perspective. The study then looks at Alter’s attitude to the narrative, and his translation principles before a more detailed analysis of the Jacob story as Alter has represented it is carried out. His translation is analysed according to the principles of Functional Equivalence, Relevance Theory and New Literary Critical Approaches before coming to a conclusion on his work and some comments are made as to its usefulness for the Bible Translation world in general.
This paper seeks to show how the Septuagint writers translated both YHWH (‘LORD’) and Adonai (‘Lo... more This paper seeks to show how the Septuagint writers translated both YHWH (‘LORD’) and Adonai (‘Lord’) as kyrios, and how this practice continued into the New Testament. As we seek to produce modern translations of the Bible we need to be aware of that fact, as it is a tradition already within the history of Bible translation, and in this case one that is already part of Scripture. The paper shows that the best translation of both YHWH and Adonai is to follow this tradition and use a term such as ‘lord’, ‘commander’ or ‘the one who commands us’. The paper was first presented at the ‘Old Testament in the New’ Seminar hosted by the Institute for Bible Translation, Moscow, October-November 2014. I have attempted to give a translation of Russian key terms that may help you read the Russian texts if it is not a language you are familiar with.
Turkmen is a Turkic language, part of the South-Western or Oguz sub-group which includes Turkish,... more Turkmen is a Turkic language, part of the South-Western or Oguz sub-group which includes Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Gagauz. It is an agglutinative language i.e. it has a highly developed system of noun and verb suffixes that can produce some very long words indeed, e.g. from the word okuw which means ‘study’ the following word/sentence can be derived:
Okuwçylaryňkymyka? – I wonder if it belongs to the school children?
There are over six million speakers of Turkmen world-wide, most of them located in Turkmenistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Turkmen society is still fairly tribal, so that the Turkmen language is made up of several dialects. The literary language dates back to the 18th century, with poets such as Magtymguly writing highly stylised works including many Persian (Farsi) loan-words. Modern literary Turkmen is mainly based on the Teke and Yomut dialects spoken in and around Ashgabat, Mary, Dash Oguz (formally Dashhowuz) and Nebitdag. Although Turkmen residents of the larger cities tend to be strongly bilingual in Turkmen and Russian, any attempts to Russify the literary language have been resisted, although many technical words are Russian or have come via Russian. Dialects spoken in Iran tend to be influenced by Farsi and those in Afghanistan Dari and Uzbek. This grammar concentrates on Turkmen as spoken in Turkmenistan.
For the latest copy of the dictionary please go to www.webonary.org/turkmen/ (link below). There is a searchable online dictionary there, a reverse English-Turkmen dictionary, and also a downloadable pdf version.
This is a short descriptive grammar of the Turkmen language with quite a few examples. It is not ... more This is a short descriptive grammar of the Turkmen language with quite a few examples. It is not for language learning purposes unless you are working with a language resource person who you can interact with, in which case feel free to use it for reference.
"This Old Testament glossary supplements the existing New Testament glossary in Translator's Work... more "This Old Testament glossary supplements the existing New Testament glossary in Translator's Workplace, compiled by Katharine Barnwell, Paul Dancy, and Anthony Pope. A translator should not be 'translating' glossary notes in the same way that he does the Biblical text, but he should be finding his own creative ways to explain the word. Note that glossary entries will be different for each particular language, depending on the way each idea has been translated in the text and on the culture of that language area. For example, if some local cultural feature has the same function as in the ancient Jewish culture, no glossary entry is needed. Similarly, if some unknown idea has been successfully translated in a fully meaningful way in the text, a glossary entry is not needed. Therefore this selection of entries is a 'best-guess' of what is needed in Eurasia (primarily). It will not work equally well for all parts of the world. Translators and exegetical advisers should start adding entries as soon as the project starts. At the very least they need to add in headwords that don't appear in this list with a rationale (reason for doing so). NB! When a complete Bible is published, cross-references to the relevant Old Testament passages could replace some of these entries. Religious Festivals. The many Jewish feast days mentioned in the New Testament can be described in the glossary. (Or in a table?) Some terms have been gathered together into one entry - Festivals, Sacrifices. This makes for much more interesting reading for those who simply read through the glossary out of interest. Not many names have been included, only those that need an entry such as Abraham/Abram.
Weights and measures - are best put in a table, or one for weights, and another for volume measurements."
Isaiah 7:14 is one of the most contentious verses in the Old Testament. The Hebrew term alma is t... more Isaiah 7:14 is one of the most contentious verses in the Old Testament. The Hebrew term alma is translated by the LXX as parthenos ‘virgin’, and it is this manuscript that is cited by Matthew in his gospel (1:23). This paper is an attempt to show that the term alma need not cause undue difficulty in translation, and can usually be rendered ‘girl’ or ‘young (unmarried) woman’.
Ветхий Завет в Новом Завете 'The Old Testament in the New Testament', 2021
The aim of this paper is to study the phrase ‘Lamb of God’ from various perspectives; Theological... more The aim of this paper is to study the phrase ‘Lamb of God’ from various perspectives; Theological, Anthropological, Translation, and Scripture Engagement, so as to make some recommendations for translating the phrase into the languages of wider Central Asia. The paper is now published in the book Ветхий Завет в Новом Завете 'The Old Testament in the New Testament', Институт Перовода Библии, Москва 2021.
This study is an attempt to update James Barr’s work on the semantics of biblical language by ana... more This study is an attempt to update James Barr’s work on the semantics of biblical language by analysing one Hebrew term: גלה II (galah II) ‘to go into exile’. The article criticises existing entries in theological dictionaries, as well as providing a new analysis. The writer is one of the researchers on the Key Terms of Biblical Hebrew project. The project should benefit others who would like to dig deeper into the meaning of Hebrew terms as they are used in the Old Testament.
The אוֹב and יִדְּעֹנִי are mentioned as a pair eleven times in the Hebrew Bible (Lev 19.31; 20.6... more The אוֹב and יִדְּעֹנִי are mentioned as a pair eleven times in the Hebrew Bible (Lev 19.31; 20.6; 20.27; Deut 18.11; 1Sa 28.3; 28.9; 2 Kgs 21.6; 23.24; 2 Chr 33.6; Isa 8.19; 19.3), with אוֹב occurring on its own another six times, yet we seem to know little about these terms, and attempts to translate them have been fraught with difficulty. Were they ghosts or ancestral spirits or mediums of some kind? Those from areas where ancestor worship is practised probably have a better grasp of this topic than others. It is only as we use an anthropologically based approach to help ask good questions of the various texts and interpret them via that lens that we come to some helpful answers. The focus of the paper will be on how to interpret and translate these terms. The anthropological method used will also act as a helpful model for the future study of key biblical terms such as these.
People in folk-Islamic societies are driven by many felt needs. These include the need to avoid t... more People in folk-Islamic societies are driven by many felt needs. These include the need to avoid the influence of the evil eye, the jinn, and the spirits of those who have recently passed. To achieve these goals, they often resort to the use of charms and amulets, visiting a fortune teller at a 'holy place' (where a 'saint' is buried), or seeing a folk healer or Mullah. If we, in the Bible translation world, ignore these felt needs we will find that those attending local communities of believers will tend to continue with their previous folk-Islamic practices. This paper will argue that the establishment of good-quality projects leading to the transformation of believers' lives will depend upon taking such felt needs into account. This will mean having translation embedded in a Scripture engagement programme with its activities. The programme and activities will need to be developed with such felt needs in mind, which will make it and the practices developed by local communities of believers more contextualised than would be the case with more traditionally-run programmes. This will help the project meet conditions six and seven of Wayne Dye's 'Eight Conditions of Scripture Engagement.' It will also help to ensure that the quality of believers' lives is high (Ephesians 4.7-16).
Emerging paradigms have shifted attention to the roles of consultants and independent translators... more Emerging paradigms have shifted attention to the roles of consultants and independent translators and away from the role and preparation of exegetical advisors (EAs), even though the pressing need for EAs in programs worldwide remains. In a translation project there are typically insiders who function as mother tongue translators, and outsiders with linguistic expertise who function as EAs. Currently, expectations about the level of proficiency in the host language (HL) that EAs must attain are set by their assigned entity, and these policies are typically applied independent of the relevant factors affecting a specific project. In some organisations, anything less than fluency in the HL is considered incompatible with incarnational ministry. In others, EAs interact primarily through language of wider communication (LWC) back translations and may never be expected to learn the HL(s), though there may be a national language to learn in addition to the LWC. We would like to suggest a third way; that EAs learn as much of the HL(s) as their particular program requires. This paper asks what factors should be considered to determine the level of HL(s) fluency needed by an EA in a specific program. We have developed a tool comprised of a flow-chart and a questionnaire designed to help SIL branches evaluate the level of HL proficiency a person needs in a specific context in order to function best in their EA role.
This is an adaptation of Brian Shrag’s seven steps in his manual for creating local arts but for ... more This is an adaptation of Brian Shrag’s seven steps in his manual for creating local arts but for SE (Scripture Engagement). It has been used with permission. Please click on docs.google.com below to see the paper.
From the translation of the Old Testament into Greek to modern translations of the Bible. Revised... more From the translation of the Old Testament into Greek to modern translations of the Bible. Revised 23rd February 2018.
It can now be taken as axiomatic that translations need to be acceptable, but who should they be ... more It can now be taken as axiomatic that translations need to be acceptable, but who should they be acceptable to? This paper claims they should be acceptable to both primary and secondary audiences. It discusses the various factors that affect acceptability, and argues that representatives of the primary audience should be involved in making translation decisions, even if they are from the majority religion, such as Islam or Buddhism, as well as those of the secondary audience, if the latter are followers of Jesus the Messiah (and many translation needs are in limited access areas where this would be the case). The paper also argues that a good understanding worldview of the audiences is vital. One result of this is that decisions made in one project may not work at all for another, even if it is in an adjoining area. What if the key terms choices of the two audiences conflict, even though they speak the same language? The paper will give some examples of such conflicts with suggested resolutions. Another question the paper discusses is the contrast between rural and urban areas. The paper will raise, and suggest answers to these issues, and recommend that the project brief is the best place to record such project decisions.
This is a comparison of the Messianic titles 'son of Abraham', 'son of David', 'son of God', etc.... more This is a comparison of the Messianic titles 'son of Abraham', 'son of David', 'son of God', etc. in various Turkic translations of Matthew's Gospel. It is often tempting to translate 'son of David' as 'descendant of David', but if we do that we lose some of the literary connections within the gospel. We will briefly look at the Hebrew forms behind these titles, and at the theory that the author is comparing Jesus with Isaac. The paper will also explore the actual genitive constructions used for the titles and their function in the respective Turkic languages. Key verses will be Matthew 1:1; 14:33. Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ. The book of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah son of David son of Abraham. (1:1) οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες, Ἀληθῶς θεοῦ υἱὸς εἶ.
A Comparison of Three Approaches to Scripture Engagement, 2024
When teaching Scripture Engagement, it is usual to follow one of three approaches: 1. The Eight C... more When teaching Scripture Engagement, it is usual to follow one of three approaches: 1. The Eight Conditions (Wayne Dye) 2. Barriers to Scripture Engagement (Harriet & Margaret Hill), and by extension, study of the audience's worldview, which can lead onto Bridges and Door-openers 3. Three components of Scripture Engagement (Ruedi and Jenny Giezendanner) This paper is an attempt to do a comparison of all three, to see where they overlap and what the differences are. In fact I will come to the conclusion that they are largely complementary, but there are subtle differences that may help you decide which approach to use, and when.
A course for those starting out in translation, written by David Gray but using material from oth... more A course for those starting out in translation, written by David Gray but using material from other courses (see the Bibliography).
This short paper aims to introduce Scripture Engagement to those in Western churches who want to ... more This short paper aims to introduce Scripture Engagement to those in Western churches who want to know more about its importance. All of us know something about Scripture Engagement, but we often know little about places where Wycliffe members and others are involved in Scripture Engagement, Translation and Literacy work. The impact statement of a typical project is ‘changed lives’ or ‘changed community’ as the result of engagement with scripture. Many people think we are about Bible translation. Well, yes, we are. But Bible translation is not the aim of the project. Bible translation is the means to an end and that end is transformed lives.
This dissertation analyses Robert Alter’s translation of Genesis as an example of New Literary Cr... more This dissertation analyses Robert Alter’s translation of Genesis as an example of New Literary Critical Approaches to the text in general, and to Bible Translation in particular. By way of introduction various theoretical approaches to Bible Translation are studied; Functional Equivalence, Relevance Theory and Literary as well as a brief comparison of Formal Correspondence and Functional Equivalence. Relevance Theory is mainly studied from a literary perspective. The study then looks at Alter’s attitude to the narrative, and his translation principles before a more detailed analysis of the Jacob story as Alter has represented it is carried out. His translation is analysed according to the principles of Functional Equivalence, Relevance Theory and New Literary Critical Approaches before coming to a conclusion on his work and some comments are made as to its usefulness for the Bible Translation world in general.
This paper seeks to show how the Septuagint writers translated both YHWH (‘LORD’) and Adonai (‘Lo... more This paper seeks to show how the Septuagint writers translated both YHWH (‘LORD’) and Adonai (‘Lord’) as kyrios, and how this practice continued into the New Testament. As we seek to produce modern translations of the Bible we need to be aware of that fact, as it is a tradition already within the history of Bible translation, and in this case one that is already part of Scripture. The paper shows that the best translation of both YHWH and Adonai is to follow this tradition and use a term such as ‘lord’, ‘commander’ or ‘the one who commands us’. The paper was first presented at the ‘Old Testament in the New’ Seminar hosted by the Institute for Bible Translation, Moscow, October-November 2014. I have attempted to give a translation of Russian key terms that may help you read the Russian texts if it is not a language you are familiar with.
Turkmen is a Turkic language, part of the South-Western or Oguz sub-group which includes Turkish,... more Turkmen is a Turkic language, part of the South-Western or Oguz sub-group which includes Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Gagauz. It is an agglutinative language i.e. it has a highly developed system of noun and verb suffixes that can produce some very long words indeed, e.g. from the word okuw which means ‘study’ the following word/sentence can be derived:
Okuwçylaryňkymyka? – I wonder if it belongs to the school children?
There are over six million speakers of Turkmen world-wide, most of them located in Turkmenistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Turkmen society is still fairly tribal, so that the Turkmen language is made up of several dialects. The literary language dates back to the 18th century, with poets such as Magtymguly writing highly stylised works including many Persian (Farsi) loan-words. Modern literary Turkmen is mainly based on the Teke and Yomut dialects spoken in and around Ashgabat, Mary, Dash Oguz (formally Dashhowuz) and Nebitdag. Although Turkmen residents of the larger cities tend to be strongly bilingual in Turkmen and Russian, any attempts to Russify the literary language have been resisted, although many technical words are Russian or have come via Russian. Dialects spoken in Iran tend to be influenced by Farsi and those in Afghanistan Dari and Uzbek. This grammar concentrates on Turkmen as spoken in Turkmenistan.
For the latest copy of the dictionary please go to www.webonary.org/turkmen/ (link below). There is a searchable online dictionary there, a reverse English-Turkmen dictionary, and also a downloadable pdf version.
This is a short descriptive grammar of the Turkmen language with quite a few examples. It is not ... more This is a short descriptive grammar of the Turkmen language with quite a few examples. It is not for language learning purposes unless you are working with a language resource person who you can interact with, in which case feel free to use it for reference.
"This Old Testament glossary supplements the existing New Testament glossary in Translator's Work... more "This Old Testament glossary supplements the existing New Testament glossary in Translator's Workplace, compiled by Katharine Barnwell, Paul Dancy, and Anthony Pope. A translator should not be 'translating' glossary notes in the same way that he does the Biblical text, but he should be finding his own creative ways to explain the word. Note that glossary entries will be different for each particular language, depending on the way each idea has been translated in the text and on the culture of that language area. For example, if some local cultural feature has the same function as in the ancient Jewish culture, no glossary entry is needed. Similarly, if some unknown idea has been successfully translated in a fully meaningful way in the text, a glossary entry is not needed. Therefore this selection of entries is a 'best-guess' of what is needed in Eurasia (primarily). It will not work equally well for all parts of the world. Translators and exegetical advisers should start adding entries as soon as the project starts. At the very least they need to add in headwords that don't appear in this list with a rationale (reason for doing so). NB! When a complete Bible is published, cross-references to the relevant Old Testament passages could replace some of these entries. Religious Festivals. The many Jewish feast days mentioned in the New Testament can be described in the glossary. (Or in a table?) Some terms have been gathered together into one entry - Festivals, Sacrifices. This makes for much more interesting reading for those who simply read through the glossary out of interest. Not many names have been included, only those that need an entry such as Abraham/Abram.
Weights and measures - are best put in a table, or one for weights, and another for volume measurements."
Isaiah 7:14 is one of the most contentious verses in the Old Testament. The Hebrew term alma is t... more Isaiah 7:14 is one of the most contentious verses in the Old Testament. The Hebrew term alma is translated by the LXX as parthenos ‘virgin’, and it is this manuscript that is cited by Matthew in his gospel (1:23). This paper is an attempt to show that the term alma need not cause undue difficulty in translation, and can usually be rendered ‘girl’ or ‘young (unmarried) woman’.
Ветхий Завет в Новом Завете 'The Old Testament in the New Testament', 2021
The aim of this paper is to study the phrase ‘Lamb of God’ from various perspectives; Theological... more The aim of this paper is to study the phrase ‘Lamb of God’ from various perspectives; Theological, Anthropological, Translation, and Scripture Engagement, so as to make some recommendations for translating the phrase into the languages of wider Central Asia. The paper is now published in the book Ветхий Завет в Новом Завете 'The Old Testament in the New Testament', Институт Перовода Библии, Москва 2021.
This study is an attempt to update James Barr’s work on the semantics of biblical language by ana... more This study is an attempt to update James Barr’s work on the semantics of biblical language by analysing one Hebrew term: גלה II (galah II) ‘to go into exile’. The article criticises existing entries in theological dictionaries, as well as providing a new analysis. The writer is one of the researchers on the Key Terms of Biblical Hebrew project. The project should benefit others who would like to dig deeper into the meaning of Hebrew terms as they are used in the Old Testament.
The אוֹב and יִדְּעֹנִי are mentioned as a pair eleven times in the Hebrew Bible (Lev 19.31; 20.6... more The אוֹב and יִדְּעֹנִי are mentioned as a pair eleven times in the Hebrew Bible (Lev 19.31; 20.6; 20.27; Deut 18.11; 1Sa 28.3; 28.9; 2 Kgs 21.6; 23.24; 2 Chr 33.6; Isa 8.19; 19.3), with אוֹב occurring on its own another six times, yet we seem to know little about these terms, and attempts to translate them have been fraught with difficulty. Were they ghosts or ancestral spirits or mediums of some kind? Those from areas where ancestor worship is practised probably have a better grasp of this topic than others. It is only as we use an anthropologically based approach to help ask good questions of the various texts and interpret them via that lens that we come to some helpful answers. The focus of the paper will be on how to interpret and translate these terms. The anthropological method used will also act as a helpful model for the future study of key biblical terms such as these.
Should we contextualise Scripture products, or encourage indigenous theology? Which is the higher... more Should we contextualise Scripture products, or encourage indigenous theology? Which is the higher priority? Often, we focus on how to communicate a biblical message by contextualising it, but this is hard to do. Even if we work with local people on this task, it seems that we come out with the same kinds of products teaching the same message. What would it look like if instead, local people were to read Scripture through the lens of their own culture, and carry out indigenous theology? We will see how indigenous theology can make our Scripture products much more relevant for the intended audience. A possible Bible study that could be used as an example using this method of reading the Bible through an honour and shame lens will be provided.
This paper describes the pre-exhilic (Torah) Jewish festivals in brief, showing what time of year... more This paper describes the pre-exhilic (Torah) Jewish festivals in brief, showing what time of year they occur and what they celebrate. It differentiates between festivals and fasts, and also between those that used to involve pilgrimage and those that were celebrated at home by a family.
The books of Leviticus and Numbers in particular have a clear distinction between holy and common... more The books of Leviticus and Numbers in particular have a clear distinction between holy and common/unholy; clean and unclean. The way to move from unclean to clean, and from common to holy, is by sacrifice. Much has been written on this topic on recent years - it is often referred to as the Holiness Cycle. We also look at Hebrew terminology used for this ideas.
History - A General Historical Introduction to the Pentateuch, 2018
This is a summary of where we are at in current scholarship on the origins of the Pentateuch in t... more This is a summary of where we are at in current scholarship on the origins of the Pentateuch in terms of source criticism, for those who want a basic introduction to the topic. It discusses the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis, and more recent approaches such as those by Rendtorrf, Alter, Berlin and Sternberg, who propose alternatives based on theological historical reading or a literary-critical approach to reading the Pentateuch. This paper was presented at a seminar, but is, as yet, unpublished.
Letter 'A' from the Turkmen-English dictionary. I've started adding Russian glosses for each tran... more Letter 'A' from the Turkmen-English dictionary. I've started adding Russian glosses for each translation equivalent but need help finishing this work. Can you work on this, virtually, using a program called 'WeSay' (or Fieldworks, if you like IT)?
When teaching Scripture Engagement, it is usual to follow one of three approaches:
1. The Eight C... more When teaching Scripture Engagement, it is usual to follow one of three approaches: 1. The Eight Conditions (Wayne Dye) 2. Barriers to Scripture Engagement (Harriet & Margaret Hill), and by extension study of the audience’s worldview, which can lead onto Bridges and Door-openers 3. Three phases of Scripture Engagement (Ruedi and Jenny Giezendanner) This paper is an attempt to do a comparison of all three, to see where they overlap and what the differences are.
I have recently edited this draft paper and it is available here:
A list of Hebrew key terms sorted by their English glosses, but with a Hebrew-English finder list... more A list of Hebrew key terms sorted by their English glosses, but with a Hebrew-English finder list at the back. This list is to help Old Testament translation teams as they investigate Key Terms. Note that you need access to a copy of TWOT and NIDOTTE, or use of good Bible software to be able to study these terms further.
This paper recommends the use of three tools for assessing scripture engagement needs: Wayne Dye'... more This paper recommends the use of three tools for assessing scripture engagement needs: Wayne Dye's Eight Conditions; a study of Worldview, Bridges, Barriers and Door-openers, and Madinger's Seven Disciplines of Orality.
The phrase panta ta ethnē 'all nations' in Matt. 29:19-20 has come under discussion in the last f... more The phrase panta ta ethnē 'all nations' in Matt. 29:19-20 has come under discussion in the last few years. Rather than ethnē referring to ethnic groups, it's possible that it refers to 'the nations' in the minds of the author, and this term is often translated 'Gentiles' in our Bibles. Have we over-emphasised the idea of 'unreached people groups', the phrase made popular by Ralph Winter & Donald MacGavran at Lausanne in 1974?
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Papers by David Gray
The focus of the paper will be on how to interpret and translate these terms. The anthropological method used will also act as a helpful model for the future study of key biblical terms such as these.
Okuwçylaryňkymyka? – I wonder if it belongs to the school children?
There are over six million speakers of Turkmen world-wide, most of them located in Turkmenistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Turkmen society is still fairly tribal, so that the Turkmen language is made up of several dialects. The literary language dates back to the 18th century, with poets such as Magtymguly writing highly stylised works including many Persian (Farsi) loan-words. Modern literary Turkmen is mainly based on the Teke and Yomut dialects spoken in and around Ashgabat, Mary, Dash Oguz (formally Dashhowuz) and Nebitdag. Although Turkmen residents of the larger cities tend to be strongly bilingual in Turkmen and Russian, any attempts to Russify the literary language have been resisted, although many technical words are Russian or have come via Russian. Dialects spoken in Iran tend to be influenced by Farsi and those in Afghanistan Dari and Uzbek. This grammar concentrates on Turkmen as spoken in Turkmenistan.
For the latest copy of the dictionary please go to www.webonary.org/turkmen/ (link below). There is a searchable online dictionary there, a reverse English-Turkmen dictionary, and also a downloadable pdf version.
Weights and measures - are best put in a table, or one for weights, and another for volume measurements."
The focus of the paper will be on how to interpret and translate these terms. The anthropological method used will also act as a helpful model for the future study of key biblical terms such as these.
Okuwçylaryňkymyka? – I wonder if it belongs to the school children?
There are over six million speakers of Turkmen world-wide, most of them located in Turkmenistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Turkmen society is still fairly tribal, so that the Turkmen language is made up of several dialects. The literary language dates back to the 18th century, with poets such as Magtymguly writing highly stylised works including many Persian (Farsi) loan-words. Modern literary Turkmen is mainly based on the Teke and Yomut dialects spoken in and around Ashgabat, Mary, Dash Oguz (formally Dashhowuz) and Nebitdag. Although Turkmen residents of the larger cities tend to be strongly bilingual in Turkmen and Russian, any attempts to Russify the literary language have been resisted, although many technical words are Russian or have come via Russian. Dialects spoken in Iran tend to be influenced by Farsi and those in Afghanistan Dari and Uzbek. This grammar concentrates on Turkmen as spoken in Turkmenistan.
For the latest copy of the dictionary please go to www.webonary.org/turkmen/ (link below). There is a searchable online dictionary there, a reverse English-Turkmen dictionary, and also a downloadable pdf version.
Weights and measures - are best put in a table, or one for weights, and another for volume measurements."
The focus of the paper will be on how to interpret and translate these terms. The anthropological method used will also act as a helpful model for the future study of key biblical terms such as these.
1. The Eight Conditions (Wayne Dye)
2. Barriers to Scripture Engagement (Harriet & Margaret Hill), and by extension study of the audience’s worldview, which can lead onto Bridges and Door-openers
3. Three phases of Scripture Engagement (Ruedi and Jenny Giezendanner)
This paper is an attempt to do a comparison of all three, to see where they overlap and what the differences are.
I have recently edited this draft paper and it is available here:
https://docs.google.com/a/sil.org/document/d/1jJ-0RTaxObUV-d-3xSvK3iwhIJDKuHvxyRi8nGpdyhg/edit?usp=sharing
Please ask for permission to view using your Google account.
If you need the Hebrew font you can download it here:
http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=silhebrunic2