How to Apply the Original Languages To Your Heart Without Losing Your Mind
My first Greek class felt more like solitary survival than encountering God. I signed up with the hope of drinking deeply from the Greek New Testament; however, my expectations were quickly dampened. The textbook obscured the language with grammatical jargon I never learned in English class. The professor drilled the class on confusing systems, where relief was only found in the somehow sympathetic mistakes of other students. At the time, I remember merely hoping to pass the class to be free from this challenge I brought upon myself. However, it is not the challenge itself that is the problem.
Christians are open to the hard work of reading their Bibles because they are confident that this labor will result in a harvest of joy. I hope to convince you to expect the same joy from the original language study that you invest in your daily devotional time. When we invest deeply because we expect to hear God speak, the struggle through language acquisition adds to the joy of drinking deeply of God’s Word.
Towards that end, below are five tips for applying the original languages to your heart without losing your mind.
Begin with the expectation of hard work and sweet reward
When it comes to learning a language, we all start somewhere. Some are speakers of one language, and others are multilingual. However, we sign up for the biblical languages because we believe there is a reward in learning them. Introductory classes embark us in our quest since they build our foundation for study. However, this hope is dashed when we lose sight of the reward and begin focusing on the building blocks themselves. I have yet to meet a student who signs up for Greek to master Fourth Class conditional sentences. Yet, when we set our heart on learning the intricacies of God’s Word, even grammar becomes a step towards the goal, an essential ingredient in the process.
Don’t Learn Alone
Many students learn biblical languages with relative particles and ingressive infinitives as their only counselors. But languages are meant to be read, spoken, and communicated with others. Although this may be more difficult with the biblical languages, people all over the world are learning them. Invite a fellow church member, pastor, or online classmate to gather around reading the Word in the original languages with you. This can be simply reading together or comparing translations and sentence diagrams. However, when we read the text aloud, we remind ourselves that God is communicating his life-giving Word through this language.
Use Supplementary Resources
With the advent of smartphones, learning biblical languages is more attainable than ever. While introductory classes are foundational, there are innumerable options to continue learning over a lifetime. These resources come in many varieties, and I have listed a sampling below.
Traditional publications: Hebrew for Life and Greek for Life
Translation videos: Daily Dose of Greek and Hebrew
Living Language videos: Alef with Beth/Alpha with Angela
Acquire a Text Suitable for Regular Reading
I remember when I purchased my first study Bible. Although I was gifted a paperback outreach Bible when I became a Christian, I learned that I would need more resources to grow. As a teenager, it seemed strange to invest what amounted to a quarter of my weekly paycheck for a leather-bound study Bible. But the sacrifice was worth the invaluable resource of better knowing God’s Word.
Many students who learn the original languages do not have a copy of the Greek and Hebrew that is suitable for them in their context. To apply the text to your ministry, you need a text that facilitates reading. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind:
If you are academically inclined, you may find it helpful to have the textual apparatuses available. In this case, make a habit of keeping your BHS and NA28 close when studying the Word.
Otherwise, consider a reader’s edition (Like the single volume from Zondervan or the more extensive versions from the German Bible Society)
Of course, many readers will prefer to use an electronic edition. For this, the Logos and Accordance applications are helpful.
Read, Listen, and Keep on Reading!
Although this point comes last, it is by far the most important. This can look different, but here are a few recommendations for reading the Word devotionally from the original languages.
First, read for a set time each day. Even if you spend 15 minutes on one verse, you continue to grow in the great privilege of knowing the Word.
Second, if you perceive the Lord highlighting a verse, copy it down and review it throughout the day. This is essential for moving from an academic exercise to a personal spiritual discipline.
Third, listen to the text read aloud. Although learning the languages may feel like a mathematical exercise at first, this feeling flees when you hear the Word aloud and can make out what the text is saying. See a few options below:
Fourth, embrace the original languages as your Bible, not just your textbook. Do not only make an effort to learn the languages, but also apply them to every context in which you study and apply the Word.
Fifth, read from the original languages in your study time. As Dr. Robert Plummer highlighted in his recent faculty address, our investment in the original languages should be like underwear–No one should be able to see it, but it should give you confidence and assurance knowing it is supporting you!
These steps will help you to not only acquire the skills needed to embrace the original languages as your personal Bible, God’s Word to you. As Paul said to Timothy, “preach the word: be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching”
