My Thoughts on Luke 2:1

Greetings to my fellow brethen in Christ Jesus,

Those who have waited long to see what my translation would compare to other versions of the bible shall wait no longer. May the joy of the Lord be yours. Amen.

"But it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Ceasar Augustus that all the world should be registered."

Note that in the Greek text the word "that" is not used because it is not necessary, but in English it is or the sentence would not make grammatical sense. Another thing that you should notice is that in a NIV bible they use the word "census," but in a KJV and a NKJV bible, I think that the word meant is registered." One last thing to notice is that in the KJ version, they use the word, "there."

At this point, I am not saying that any version is any better than another because as an amateur at translating Greek that is beyond me. The point is to try and understand why these differences exist, which is in this verse there are few that call much attention to themselves except for the fact in the NI version, they use the word, "census," but in the KJ and the NKJ versions, they use the word, "registered."

What do those words mean?

Main Entry: cen·sus
Pronunciation: \ˈsen(t)-səs\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from censēre
Date: 1634
1 : a count of the population and a property evaluation in early Rome
2 : a usually complete enumeration of a population; specifically : a periodic governmental enumeration of population
3 : count, tally

— census transitive verb

Main Entry: 2register
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): reg·is·tered; reg·is·ter·ing \-st(ə-)riŋ\
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 a : to make or secure official entry of in a register b : to enroll formally especially as a voter or student c : to record automatically : indicate d : to make a record of : note e : perceive; also : comprehend
2 : to make or adjust so as to correspond exactly
3 : to secure special protection for (a piece of mail) by prepayment of a fee
4 : to convey an impression of : express
5 : achieve
intransitive verb
1 a : to enroll one's name in a register b : to enroll one's name officially as a prerequisite for voting c : to enroll formally as a student
2 a : to correspond exactly b : to be in correct alignment or register
3 : to make or convey an impression

The words are so similar that they almost mean the same thing. A thing to note is that a census is taken by the Government and the word registered is a verb that is describing the act of filling out the necessary information for the Governement. Another thing that I will add to this is that according to the Greek lexcion that I have available means "registered."

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you,

Nakwana Leofman

Works Cited

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 20 January 2010

For those who are waiting for my amateur translations of Luke 2:1, they shall be full of joy because I am posting it now.

"But it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Ceasar Augustus that all the world should be registered."

Note that I chose to use, "but" instead of, "and" in my translation, which I believe both are correct although the Greek word, "DE"(deh) means, "but," most of the time. Another thing that is different from the Greek text that I am doing my best to translate from Greek, and that the word, "that" is not in the Greek bible, but it is necessary in the English language for the sentence to make grammatical sense.

At this point, I am not trying to say that any translation is better than the other because that is not the point. The point is to learn why they translate it that way instead of another way. Although I think that from the point of view you say that the words "census" and "decree" are essentially the same. The difference between the two

Census is defined as,

Pronunciation: \ˈsen(t)-səs\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from censēre
Date: 1634
1 : a count of the population and a property evaluation in early Rome
2 : a usually complete enumeration of a population; specifically : a periodic governmental enumeration of population
3 : count, tally

— census transitive verb

Degree is defined as,

Main Entry: 1de·cree
Pronunciation: \di-ˈkrē\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French decré, from Latin decretum, from neuter of decretus, past participle of decernere to decide, from de- + cernere to sift, decide — more at certain
Date: 14th century
1 : an order usually having the force of law
2 a : a religious ordinance enacted by council or titular head b : a foreordaining will
3 a : a judicial decision of the Roman emperor b : a judicial decision especially in an equity or probate court

Works Cited
"census." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 20 January 2010


"decree." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 20 January 2010



Merriam Websters Online Dictionary

Construction

I am still working on my translations of the Greek Bible. I have two more words to translate before I complete the first verse of Luke 2. Every day that we live we should always try to keep building upon our walk with God. There are times when we fail, but the point is we should always keep working to improve our lives that all who meet us will know that we are different from those who are of the world.