Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν.
You may be slightly more familiar with this phrase as "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14 ESV). A friend of mine who is a linguistic major at the UofS (yeah, most of you know her) sent me this phrase last week.
Her Greek textbook includes little snippets of the New Testament from time to time and one of the unique words it highlighted from this Biblical phrase was "ἐσκήνωσεν."
Wow! Cool! Isn't that amazing!
Oh, just wait, maybe I should translate that first. This word, ἐσκήνωσεν, is the word 
"dwelt" (ESV) or the phrase "made his dwelling" (NIV). However, this may be one of those cases where the Bible translators add a little "culture" to their translations.
"dwelt" (ESV) or the phrase "made his dwelling" (NIV). However, this may be one of those cases where the Bible translators add a little "culture" to their translations. After all, it sounds nicer to say that the Word "made his dwelling among us" rather than saying that the Word "tented with us."
Yes, that's right: tented. Because the root of the word ἐσκήνωσεν means: "to pitch tent, to encamp... to dwell in a tent..."
The Word became flesh and tented with us.
So is there any theological significance to this?
What do you think?
We have to rely on our English translations a lot. Knowing that there are a lot of situations like this where our translators don't translate things quite literally how much do you trust your english Bible?
Or we could keep it simple: what translation do you use? and Why?
8 comments:
TNIV. Grammatical & gender language has been corrected from the original translation of the NIV.
I sure hope that Jesus was into camping because I honestly cannot think of a better place to meet with him than in the quiet peaceful nature that he created. What could be more spiritual than meeting Jesus in the middle of nowhere!?
I'm just glad it's not a desert!
I use the NIV primarily because the best Spanish translation is the NVI and my Bible has both the English and Spanish.
The word tented or dwelt with us is, I think, supposed to point the person who is familiar with the OT back to the Tabernacle because the same word is used in the LXX. In essence, "the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us."
Communicating, I think, that the Fullness of the Glory of the Godhead was once again among His people in the form of the Son.
Culturally speaking, when I think of tenting, I think of isolation, of retreat, of getting away. And the opposite is trying to be communicated here. He who seemed far away, distant and separate is now not only walking among us, but is living with us; dwelling with us. The Spanish NIV says he "habitated" with us and in the notes says " (pitched his tent lit.)"
When we think of Jesus pitching his tent with us, we need to think outside of our Canadian context of a solitary tent in the wilderness and think more along the lines of Jesus putting his tent in the middle of an overcrowded refuge camp- among the folks- Being God in the Flesh in the middle of the grime.
Mostly i use NIV but Timothy has put me on the ESV track which I greatly enjoy. I like the concept of the net bible with tons of translator's notes and insights. Check it out. It's cool. KJV wins for dramatic terms. (No I am not refering to the, "Pisseth against the wall"thing). Recently I was preaching on 1P 5 and was reminded of the KJV term from childhood. dishonest gain is "filthy lucre" Don't you just love that phrase? It just has the warmth and smell of sulpher about it!
Thanks Tim for reminding us that the incarnation is Jesus tabernacling among us. Love, dadb
I see what Mike is saying about tenting being away from everyone and Jesus was coming to be with us, but it makes me think more of non-permanency. That Jesus' real home was in heaven, but he came to camp among us temporarily until his job was finished. Then he went back to his permanent home, to make us a permanent home.
It kind of makes me think that we're all really tenting here too until we can go to our real home. Just like when you're camping, and you are without so many luxuries, it seems we are without a lot of luxuries being on earth and not in heaven. It's a great picture. I like it. Thanks Heather.
Exactly!
This all ties together: just as the tabernacle-tent was a temporary home for the presense of God so the first-coming of Christ was simply a fortaste of His second, permanent coming when He will recreate this world to be the permanent home for all those who follow Him.
And, yes, as you all know I'm into the ESV. It's a literal translation like the NASB but it's more readable (translated in 2001).
However, I have been tempted by the TNIV, mostly because it corrects one of the longest running mistranslations in scritpre: it replaces the "inn" from Lk 2:7 with the much more accurate "guest room." Even my beloved ESV doesn't do that.
I will tempt you some more with my TNIV. Oh... nevermind you borrow it all on your own...
Back to your original thought of tenting. This is a great word picture that is very accurate. Jesus came from His permanent dwell to tent with us. He was ridiculed, harassed, beaten and killed and generally had a rotten time for the sake of His children. Just like tenting. We go and have a generally rotten time, for the sake of our children. Tenting is a great descriptive word.
Tim S.
Yeah, I think it was the whole impermanence thing that struck me when I read it. That's the thing, or one of them, that I love. Words are symbolic so they have various attachments for every person that are different for every person. So to hear different words in the place of words you have heard before it gives it a freshness and new set of associations in your mind.
Isn't language fun?!
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