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Originally Posted by againstheresies
This post was in response to:
“Originally Posted by ok.book.guy
If I can't understand what the Bible says in English, I'm sure not going to understand it in another language.”
My point was to demonstrate the fallacy of that statement. The Lexicon is a helpful tool. Looking this verse up in Hebrew or even looking it up in the Strong’s Concordance may have helped Jack Hyles to understand the meaning of this passage. After all the meaning of the Bible is God’s Word. We must be careful to correctly understand what the Bible means and not make it mean something that it does not.
If someone does not have the ability to read Hebrew or cannot do a word study, they may be able to compare other translations for clues to what the word may actually mean. For example, the NKJV is much clearer in this passage. The translators have interpreted the Hebrew word “chazon” as revelation. You may find that the NKJV at the very least would be a helpful commentary. After all a commentary is mostly a scholars interpretation of a passage and is guided by the reading in the original language.
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18 NKJV)
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As I've said any number of times previously, I use the original 1828 Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, because I'm reading God's infallible word in english. Noah Webster's entry for Vision says something you missed or didn't bother to consult:
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4. VISION IN SCRIPTURE, a revelation from God; an appearance or exhibition of something supernaturally presented to the minds of the prophets, by which they were informed of future events. Such were the visions of Isaiah, of Amos, of Ezekiel, &c.
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THere you have it. Your pet word that makes the whole thing open up for you. We all get it here too because we make use of this ENGLISH dictionary.
Brother, you are confusing a language version of God's word for a lexicon. The language version of God's word will sometimes not use the word you want. And that's okay. I was always okay with "vision" because I know from reading God's word it means a revelation. The first occurence in the bible of the word "vision" tells me this:
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Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
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You should've looked up your example in Webster's before too easily convincing yourself you had refuted my obviously true statement, which was and still is: "If you can't understand a passage of scripture in english, you're not going to help yourself by appealing to the dictionary of a language you don't know. You want to refute that? Just tell me how many different language versions of the bible you looked up that verse in Proverbs for help, after reading it in the KJV I mean? Did you see "vision" and think "Mercy! I better see what the French Olivetan has here, and then I"ll check out the Spanish Valera version. And then if I'm still confused,. . .let me see. . .I don't read syriac either, so I"ll look it up in the Peshitta next!!!!"
But, that's not the reason you look things up in the greek. . . is it? No, you do it because you labor under the illusion that it gets you closer to the word of God. But the greek and english are both versions. One does not trump the other. God providentially preserved the greek version (TR). Then God gave us the english version. Now it is authentic, same as the greek. According to Edward F. Hills, the KJV and the greek are actually and simply two versions of the received text.
Webster's is an invaluable tool in reading God's infallible word in english. His definitions usually have a special entry for when the word in question is used in Scripture. Note he says Scripture, not "version" not "translation" but Scripture.
Look brother c'mon. Are you receiving anything that anyone here is saying to you? Any number of us here have stated our use of the original 1828Webster's dictionary. And some here have stated their use of the Strong's lexicon.
You're not doing your argument (nor yourself) any good here. You're scattering doubts around, hoping some may stick. But its apparently stuff off the top of your head. You apparently are not taking anything in that is being said here. I say apparently because you're not using any of it. Its like we're both talking to the great void instead of to each other!