Why I Use Transliterations and Strong's Numbers

 

                                        Why Do I Include Transliterations and Strong’s Numbers?

Many music directors have not had the opportunity to study Greek and Hebrew while they were in an undergraduate or graduate music degree program in college.  So, I do not write any of the Bible language words and or definitions in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.  There is a multitude of Bible study books that include the keyed numbers found in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.  Therefore, those who read my posts have an immediate connection to these scholarly sources. Without the hassle of having to compare the characters of the Hebrew or Greek languages in the many Bible study works that use word explanations in both English and the Bible languages. 

       Many times I read books and Periodical articles that contend that a passage of Scripture has a certain meaning, but when I study it, I can not substantiate that it actually has the meaning that a particular author purports that it has.  It would be a great help if all authors would specify (transliterate) the particular words that they have studied and give the Strong’s keyed numbers. 

       All words found in any language have meaning based on how they are used in sentences.  Words mean something, and I believe that the writers of Scripture, who were inspired to write sentences under the direct (plenary) inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote exactly what they meant to say.  It does not make any sense to suppose that an inspired writer of scripture would words that meant exactly what he did not intend to say.  I believe that all misunderandings of Scripture are the result of the reader not having a grasp of the original language.

       When I commit my beliefs to pen and ink, I sometimes think that I spend more time with the English dictionary and the Bible language dictionaries and lexicons than I do writing my thoughts.  My writings are far from inspired, but that does not mean that I do not labor over each word, phrase and sentence, (and computer spell, grammar, and punctuation checks).  I would be greatly offended if my readers were to suppose that I intend to write sentences that have exactly the opposite of what I mean to say.

        So, if a modern writer expects all readers to treat the meaning of the words used in the context of His or her writings, surely we must give the ancient inspired writings of the Old and New Testaments with much more respect.  Changing the Holy Writ to merely fit modern thinking is a very dangerous writing technique.  A writer has an obligation to the original meaning of the words that were used in the Bible.  Therefore, when I am exposing and defining original Bible languages that are thousands of years old, I endeavor to always identify the original words as well as give keyed numbers so that the reader may do his or own language studies to establish if my interpretations are valid or not.