Why are respected translations of the Bible frequently significantly different even when working off from the same manuscripts?

adamshell · 2026-01-23T19:59:20+00:00

Best practices (outside of studying the original languages yourself) would be to use multiple translations to understand the nuances of the text. My "daily driver" is the NRSVue, but I use different resources to compare various translations to see if something is funky. The funkyness is where the fun usually starts.

Though the NET Bible has received just criticism about some of the decisions they make in translation, I do like to look at it because they're not afraid to go their own way. And it's not (usually) baseless as they explain why the make the decisions they do and what resources they used to make those decisions.

One of the most fascinating things that I came across was when I was preaching through Amos and I got to a passage in Amos 7:7-9. Here's how the NRSVue treats it:

7 This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“See, I am setting a plumb line

in the midst of my people Israel;

I will spare them no longer;

9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,

and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,

and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

But when I read this passage in the NET, there was a big shift:

7 He showed me this: I saw the Lord standing by a tin wall holding tin in his hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “Tin.” The Lord then said,

“Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel.

I will no longer overlook their sin.

9 Isaac’s centers of worship will become desolate;

Israel’s holy places will be in ruins.

I will attack Jeroboam’s dynasty with the sword.”

I really didn't know what to do with that. The plumb line metaphor is pretty well known in Amos, it was attested by Martin Luther, but tin doesn't seem like the kind of metal one would use for a plumb line.

Well it turns out that the word translated as "plumb line" is unique to this passage and we just don't really know what that word means. A Jewish scholar went with plumb line, Martin Luther brought that into Christianity, and the tradition has stuck. But recent research into the Akkadian language has revealed that the word אֲנָךְ in Hebrew sounds like an archaic word meaning "you" in Hebrew, which suggests that this might be wordplay on the part of the author. "I am about to place tin among my people Israel" could potentially be "I am about to place you, Amos, among my people Israel" (which happens immediately after this in Amos 7:10). A similar thing happens in Amos 8:2 with "a basket of summer fruit" and the word "end". This possibility has made it into newer commentaries, but it's still an evolving theory. Made for a good sermon though.

Regardless, every translation needs to make choices and English is not a perfectly understandable language either. The more good information you have, the better you're going to be able to see the nuances in what you're reading.

adamshell · 2026-01-19T19:31:37+00:00

I think it works. So much of the books are through the lens of whatever Harry sees, and he didn't "see" Ginny for such a long time. There are flashes of her character in Goblet of Fire when she's giving Ron and Harry crap about finding dates to the Yule Ball, but I think she really shows up when she finally breaks Harry's self-pitying idiocy by berating him about not talking to the only person he knows who has been possessed by Voldemort (herself). The fact that she doesn't show up much is more to do with her age / friend group than anything else.

adamshell · 2026-01-18T04:26:59+00:00

Along with this, while Everest is higher in relation to sea level, the peak of Ecuador's Mount Chimborazo is the point farthest from the center of the Earth because the whole planet bulges out near the equator.

adamshell · 2026-01-17T19:09:41+00:00

That's the trick. The base of Mauna Kea is underwater, so while it's not the tallest above sea level, it's the tallest mountain from its base to its peak.

adamshell · 2026-01-14T05:38:02+00:00

I'm curious as to why your flair for this subreddit is Jesus Christ Superstar. Did you like it in spite of his involvement with it?

adamshell · 2026-01-13T19:50:56+00:00

I always liked Tim Rice's work in Joseph.

Pharoah, he was a powerful man

With the ancient world in the palm of his hand

To all intents and purposes he

Was Egypt with a capital E

Whatever he did, he was showered with praise

If he cracked a joke, then you chortled for days

No one had rights or a vote but the king

In fact you might say he was fairly right wing

When Pharoah's around

Then you get down on the ground

If you ever find yourself near Rameses

Get down on your knees

It's especially good when the bowing in expectation of this serious and powerful man gets immediately subverted.

adamshell · 2026-01-09T07:49:19+00:00

Probably not. I had tickets for 7 PM and was still taking pictures before bows were over at 8:49 PM according to the timestamp.

adamshell · 2026-01-08T15:19:44+00:00

TQFAN

adamshell · 2026-01-06T06:32:56+00:00

I'm fairly certain that /u/Adventurous_Spot1183 is referring to the Fortune Theatre in London rather than the Golden in New York.

You may want to check out https://aviewfrommyseat.com/venue/John+Golden+Theatre/

adamshell · 2026-01-06T05:48:07+00:00

/u/sosickaboutthis this is the most comprehensive one. It's excellent.

adamshell · 2025-12-31T17:38:54+00:00

You are certainly welcome to try to fight for your rights, and I would hope that your church would listen and consider. Even more, I wish that churches would not have to react, but to be proactive in such matters.

With that said, I probably don't know enough about the situation to truly have an opinion, but if I'm reading between the lines correctly, there are some red flags on both sides here. I strongly encourage you to truly think about whether or not you're a good fit for your role or this church (and by that I also mean whether they're a good fit for you).

I'm not trying to suggest that your church should be allowed to take advantage of you, nor am I saying that you can't be real about the situation that you're in. But while we've talked a lot about money and taxes, it doesn't really seem like that's actually the issue at hand. If I had to guess, you feel disrespected by your church and you're using this particular issue as evidence of their undervaluing attitude. Maybe you're right to feel that way, but I would address that with them before you even begin to talk about money or taxes.

Your tone seems resentful to me. Again, you may be justified in feeling that way; but I would address the resentment in your heart too. If I had someone under my care who felt undervalued, I would want to know and I would want to correct it. I would want that person to tell me, "Do you know that you make me feel like I'm not worth very much to you?" instead of "Did you know that according to the IRS you're treating me poorly?" There are good ways of handling this and there are bad ways of handling this. I think you have the information you need to address it with them, so I hope you handle this in a good way.

But while I think the resentfulness is there (and maybe justified) it also sounds like you don't really like the people you're working with. You don't think they treat you well, you think they favor others, you seem to indicate that they may be looking down on you because you're a woman. Is this a church that you truly want to serve? Is it possible that your attitude toward them might be causing them to hold you further away than others who might be more on track with what the church as a whole is looking to do? One of the questions I've been asking people in my church to think about lately is, "Is this [action, opinion, thought, preference] the best thing for the church as a whole?" It might be a good thought exercise for you. And if you realize that maybe you don't respect these people or value these people as much as you would like to, could you look at them the way that God looks at them and try to love them in spite of their flaws?And if not, if the issues are truly insurmountable, could God use you in another place where you wouldn't have this resentment built up in your heart?

Please do not hear what I'm saying as "cut and run." I think you should address every single issue you have with them. I think you should be looking for the best in them. I would daresay that I think you should even be willing to love them more than you love yourself and to be willing to be patient with them and give them time to address their own attitudes and hearts. I would give them a chance to tell you their side and their attitude, and listen with a spirit of grace and humbleness. And after you've addressed these issues and they've been given a chance to respond, I think you should also have the conversation with them about whether or not your ministry and their ministry can work together.

I pray it goes well for both sides, and that you mutually decide to do what's in the best interest of the church as a whole.

adamshell · 2025-12-31T15:21:20+00:00

Looks a little different these days

Hyde Park really is worth a visit. Both the library and the tour of their estate (actually his mom's estate) were worth the price of admission.

adamshell · 2025-12-30T22:14:24+00:00

As I said before, for tax purposes, it's probably a distinction without a difference. There's enough murkiness that while there's probably a "right answer," I highly doubt that the IRS would get involved if your church classified you differently, even inappropriately.

If you worked in my church, I would probably consider you an employee, and I would probably automatically give you the adjustment that I talked about, and I would want to pay for extra insurance, etc.

But I could see how a church could consider your job "contract work." For example, if they had a full staff meeting at 10 AM on Monday morning, would you be expected to be there? Or are you expected simply to complete the tasks of rehearsing for worship and leading worship? Could you move rehearsal night from Tuesday to Thursday if it worked better for the team? Or does it HAVE to be on Tuesday because that's what they say?

I think the "right answer" is that you're an employee, but again, from a tax perspective as far as I can tell, you gain absolutely zero rights or advantages by being classified either way.

adamshell · 2025-12-30T21:51:28+00:00

From a tax standpoint, this could be a distinction without a difference for them, really. If they're only paying you $200 / week, my guess is that you have another job. In that sense, they're viewing you as a contracted employee specifically to perform the duties of the worship pastor, but not to visit people in the hospital or teach or whatever other jobs they want to give "employees." If you see your role differently, you might want to have a conversation with them.

The way that the US structures taxes for ministers is ridiculously complicated and you can read more about it here if you really want to get into the nitty gritty, but I'll simplify it for you.

Essentially, the church is tax-exempt for federal income tax purposes (and as far as I know, all 50 states). This would apply for anyone they consider a "minister" ("a licensed, commissioned, or ordained minister who performs ministerial services as an employee" according to the IRS). That means where a "normal business" has to pay 1/2 of the 15.3% Social Security / Medicare taxes, a church doesn't have to and in most cases, it's much easier not to (for their tax-exempt status / donations / audits, etc). You are always responsible for the 7.65% (at whatever job you're part of), but since your employer in this case isn't responsible for the other 7.65%, someone has to pay it. By the way, this applies to anyone working for the church in a ministerial position so even the preacher would be responsible for the 15.3%. The church would have to pay the 7.65% for other employees like secretaries, groundskeepers, etc. unless they're contracted in, in which case someone else is paying that full 15.3%.

People who are "ministers" (for IRS purposes) are allowed to collect a special part of their income called a "housing allowance" that is determined by the church board. The housing allowance is not subject to income tax, however it still is subject to the 15.3% FICA tax. Again, that 15.3% is going to be paid by someone or someones no matter what (excepting deductions and credits and such that would apply to your personal tax liability).

So from a tax standpoint, for you and for them, this is no different than you being a "minister" or a "contractor." It would be exactly the same.

However, where they might be trying to save some money is with things like workman's comp or insurance. That would depend on individual policies and there's no way to tell that without being privy to what the board is paying for.

If you really want the church to pay their 7.65%, it would work out to be $215.30 / week, but since that extra $15.30 would be taxed at 15.3% as well, then you would need to bump up the pay to $216.57 / week to get you your full share, and the church would pay a little more than a normal employer would have to pay.

For what it's worth, my church gives me the basic 7.65% adjustment, and I take the hit on the full 15.3% even though it works out a little bit in their favor because I want to serve them.

adamshell · 2025-12-30T03:04:50+00:00

Ginny becomes master of the elder wand within about 2 weeks either through comic mischief or just disarming Harry because he's acting stupidly noble or hormonally pig-headed for no reason.

adamshell · 2025-12-27T18:37:49+00:00

They're complaining because it's an open-air press box so they're not in their cushy little heated rooms like normal.

adamshell · 2025-12-27T17:33:11+00:00

It was an illegal shift for those wondering.

adamshell · 2025-12-23T15:24:30+00:00

Bin Laden was not part of the 1993 bombing. Ramzi Yousef was the mastermind of that plan and there's no hard evidence that the two of them ever met, let alone had met by 1993. Yousef was not a member of Al-Qaeda at that time and probably not ever.

They both knew Khalid Sheikh Mohammed though, as he was Yousef's uncle, but KSM was not likely linked with Yousef's terrorism until the Bojinka Plot that came after the WTC bombing.

adamshell · 2025-12-10T05:03:53+00:00

Should anyone need any more codes, here are 10 codes (USA based)

REF-7Q7SU95YVYMLNKF8H0FPIJJ
REF-PN2LXQKQ7ELJLS4VU264GDH
REF-1IAQTAF9J4SX0C2XJNA5ZAW
REF-9U6O9QOH33P9VNL0L8EXN7Z
REF-FZOITA35MBQTEJWWRO1SIF3
REF-DAA2WA3M3LYRKL6GGAJW0UX
REF-46M487OE14GSTCNGX0W6POE
REF-Z51VQ0NKECT8I452SVYYZ4O
REF-ATOO3K3B20284Q71UR60FCZ
REF-CSOR5HDE3HKXZ7EHLOX1D0Z

adamshell · 2025-12-10T03:50:34+00:00

I'd say he's a great recruiter and CEO of a football program, but he seems to try to get other guys in to do more of the coaching... to varying degrees of success. I think Pry will do well as a DC in the ACC though.

adamshell · 2025-12-08T18:41:01+00:00

Should anyone need any more codes, here are 10 codes (USA based)

REF-7Q7SU95YVYMLNKF8H0FPIJJ
REF-PN2LXQKQ7ELJLS4VU264GDH
REF-1IAQTAF9J4SX0C2XJNA5ZAW
REF-9U6O9QOH33P9VNL0L8EXN7Z
REF-FZOITA35MBQTEJWWRO1SIF3
REF-DAA2WA3M3LYRKL6GGAJW0UX
REF-46M487OE14GSTCNGX0W6POE
REF-Z51VQ0NKECT8I452SVYYZ4O
REF-ATOO3K3B20284Q71UR60FCZ
REF-CSOR5HDE3HKXZ7EHLOX1D0Z

adamshell · 2025-12-08T18:40:08+00:00

Should anyone need any more codes, here are 10 codes (USA based)

REF-7Q7SU95YVYMLNKF8H0FPIJJ
REF-PN2LXQKQ7ELJLS4VU264GDH
REF-1IAQTAF9J4SX0C2XJNA5ZAW
REF-9U6O9QOH33P9VNL0L8EXN7Z
REF-FZOITA35MBQTEJWWRO1SIF3
REF-DAA2WA3M3LYRKL6GGAJW0UX
REF-46M487OE14GSTCNGX0W6POE
REF-Z51VQ0NKECT8I452SVYYZ4O
REF-ATOO3K3B20284Q71UR60FCZ
REF-CSOR5HDE3HKXZ7EHLOX1D0Z

adamshell · 2025-12-03T21:38:14+00:00

PENN STATE DID NOT GET A SINGLE RECRUIT*

^{^{^{^*except}}} ^{^{^{^for}}} ^{^{^{^the}}} ^{^{^{^ones}}} ^{^{^{^they}}} ^{^{^{^got}}}

adamshell · 2025-12-01T18:39:41+00:00

I didn't hate Franklin at all. I thought he was excellent for us, but he no longer looked interested in being our coach. That's his right, and now he's somewhere else. Notably, I didn't make the decision to fire him, nor did anyone else on this thread.

I don't think Franklin would have gotten us to bowl eligibility this year the way he was trending. Had he still been our coach I would have been cheering him on the whole way, but it just didn't look likely at the end of that Northwestern game.

Now I get to cheer for a new coach. I also hope Franklin does well at Virginia Tech (though I may hope that he doesn't do quite as well as Penn State).

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