2.1 Translation, Women, and Men
God’s Word affects every inch of our lives. In the beginning, heaven and earth came into being through God’s utterances. To this day, God’s Word continues to sustain all things. In Christ Jesus, the Word became flesh and made his home among us (John 1:14). To know and follow the Word who is Jesus Christ, we Christians diligently study the Scriptures which testify about him, and let the Scriptures shape our lives in every aspect.
However, although the Scriptures point to Christ, what most of us have access to are translations of the Scriptures made by human hands. As such, when translators fail to reflect the true meaning of the Scriptures, the result is profound and has a systematic negative impact on the church and the world. If our Bible translations do not do justice to God’s actual intent for women and men, will it not cause the church to hold to wrong convictions and practices, harming human flourishing and falling short of God’s glory?
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When it comes to the perspective of Christianity on women and men, it is important to remember that, as Christianity spread throughout the centuries, it did so in cultures where most people—female and male alike—viewed women as inferior. This wider context is important, since in the previous chapter, we learned that the Bible translators’ cultural assumptions exert a considerable influence on their understanding of the source text as well as their word choices in the target language. Without a keen awareness of the cultural norms that devalued women in their contexts, Bible translators naturally incorporated their beliefs about the inferiority of women into their translations, which in turn led to grave consequences in history and even today. However, before the church can reverse the impact of these consequences, it is vital for us to cultivate an awareness of common flaws in biblical translation. Only then can we see the need for more accurate translations and strive to bring them into existence. Translations that strive to overcome biases of women and men are translations in line with God’s powerful and life-giving Word, which transforms the church and our lives.
This chapter looks at some biblical passages regarding women that have been mistranslated to examine the various ways in which cultural biases regarding women and men have affected Bible translation. From time to time, dominant ideas about women in culture would cause Bible translators to alter, distort, or hide portions of the source text. When cultural biases infiltrate Bible translations, these biblical texts in turn strengthen the very same cultural biases and the church’s erroneous view of women.
Going Deeper
Will A Truly Honest Bible Translation for Women Ever Be Made? (Part 1)
Linda Lawler
Lawler lists some of the most influential Christian theologians and their attitudes toward women.
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