In your opinion

[rexico]

Are there some Bible verses that mean what they say, while others need a little translation?

[digthemup]

All bible verses are best interpreted and better understood if the entire chapter is read, and at time, reading the chapter before and after may help. The more you will read Scriptures the more their meaning will become clear, which it has been suggested to you many of time in many of your ambiguous posts.
Imagine how much you could have learned if you have taken the time to follow those suggestions, instead you elected to wasted your time, which is a very sad thing.

[1Holeshot]

You are right on Target Frank.

When we earnestly seek God the Holy Spirit will help us to understand His Word and apply it to our lives.

[titanxt]

I would say yes. I learned the most in church when we had a pastor that was very well versed in the traditions and culture of the Jews. Many things in the Bible are confusing until you understand what it meant to the Jewish culture at the time. For example, the blood covenant between Abraham and God where animals were cut in half and both parties walked through the halves signifying an agreement, which if broken meant death, between two parties. God did not allow Abraham to walk through and He passed through twice, thus sentencing Jesus to death. That was something prevalent in the Jewish culture at the time that we might not understand upon reading it today. I listened to a sermon yesterday on the radio about Satan being described as a “dragon” and the anti-christ being described as a “beast.” Both are metaphorical and speak of their character and behavior and not their physical appearance. Jews of that time also had cultural meaning in numbers like 3,4 and 12 and multiples thereof. Because of this, some translation needs to be made to explain things we find incredibly odd today. We could likely use the terms translation and explanation interchangeably in this context.

One additional thought is we must pay attention to the language at the time the various books of the Bible were written. Going back to the rapture thread, the word “ek” in the definition of ek in the original Greek text is very important and can give a clearer perspective on the context. In the end, no matter what might confuse us about the Bible - a book in which one can spend their entire life researching and learning about - has a very simple message. We messed up, Jesus fixed it, and all we have to do is accept that as a gift of grace.

[KT978]

Absolutely, if you were to take some scriptures from some versions (KJV,ESV,MEV,NLT, etc) there are things that would seem to contradict. For me, when I really began to realize who God is, I realized He is the absolute standard of truth, therefore He cannot contradict. Thus His Word cannot contradict. As I study, I now have 4 different versions and a concordance to reference the original Hebrew and Greek. Just starting to study the Word in Genesis really has been eye opening. The things I just thought I knew......

[digthemup]

KT978
May the Lord bless and guide you by the Holy Spirit as you embark in your studies of Genesis, which we just finished as our daily bible reading.
BTW, welcome to our forum

[Chisco]

Rex…God will reveal things to you on His timeframe once you desire His Word. Each time I read a verse, chapter and book, He seems to reveal more to me. I also note that I find the answers to my questions/prayers as I read scripture. If you continue to try to find your answers through worldly understanding, you will never be fulfilled. Seek Christ, first and foremost, and you will find your answers.