WEIRD CREATURES IN KING JAMES VERSION 1: SATYRS
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Weird Creatures in King James Version
a) The Bible mentions different kinds of weird creatures. The King James Version, translated in 1611, contains several mentions of mythological weird creatures, including the satyrs, unicorns, the fearsome cockatrices and dragons.
b) While the translation is commendable for its overall accuracy and beauty of style, it has a few weaknesses. One is that, when the translators of the Old Testament came across a Hebrew word of uncertain meaning, they sometimes used an exotic English word to replace it.
2. Satyrs
a) In Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14, the KJV and RSV translate the Hebrew sa`iyr as “satyr.”
b) The Hebrew word is translated 55 times in the KJV as “he-goat” or “hairy.”
c) However, the word was also thought to imply demon-worship associated with goats, and so we find the word translated “devil” twice and “satyr” in the aforementioned verses.
d) Nevertheless, based on the context of each passage in Isaiah, it is almost certain that wild goats are intended by the Hebrew sa`iyr, not the goat-man creature of legend, and certainly not the faun of classical myth.
The End ...
1. Weird Creatures in King James Versiona) The Bible mentions different kinds of weird creatures. The King James Version, translated in 1611, contains several mentions of mythological weird creatures, including the satyrs, unicorns, the fearsome cockatrices and dragons.
b) While the translation is commendable for its overall accuracy and beauty of style, it has a few weaknesses. One is that, when the translators of the Old Testament came across a Hebrew word of uncertain meaning, they sometimes used an exotic English word to replace it.
2. Satyrs
a) In Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14, the KJV and RSV translate the Hebrew sa`iyr as “satyr.”
b) The Hebrew word is translated 55 times in the KJV as “he-goat” or “hairy.”
c) However, the word was also thought to imply demon-worship associated with goats, and so we find the word translated “devil” twice and “satyr” in the aforementioned verses.
d) Nevertheless, based on the context of each passage in Isaiah, it is almost certain that wild goats are intended by the Hebrew sa`iyr, not the goat-man creature of legend, and certainly not the faun of classical myth.
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