WEIRD CREATURES IN KING JAMES VERSION 3: COCKATRICES
(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. Cockatrices
a) The cockatrice is a legendary monster, half-rooster and half-snake, with the ability to turn people to stone at a glance. It may not be so well known as other mythological beings today, but, at the time the KJV translation was made, the cockatrice was a pervasive myth in Britain. The word cockatrice was used to translate the Hebrew tsepha`, which properly means “poisonous serpent or viper,” in four of its five occurrences: Isaiah 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; and Jeremiah 8:17. John Wycliffe used cockatrice in his 1382 Bible translation, and the KJV translators retained the term.
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. Cockatrices
a) The cockatrice is a legendary monster, half-rooster and half-snake, with the ability to turn people to stone at a glance. It may not be so well known as other mythological beings today, but, at the time the KJV translation was made, the cockatrice was a pervasive myth in Britain. The word cockatrice was used to translate the Hebrew tsepha`, which properly means “poisonous serpent or viper,” in four of its five occurrences: Isaiah 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; and Jeremiah 8:17. John Wycliffe used cockatrice in his 1382 Bible translation, and the KJV translators retained the term.
Comments
Post a Comment