From Translation Methodology:
Quote:
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But while we do not aim for obscurity, we contend that the deep things of God are not simple for human language, that the mind of Christ is not shallow or easily explained, and that the content of the Bible comes not merely through our renderings but by the Spirit through spiritual words. Our view about Bible translation reflects Paul’s words to the Corinthians concerning the ministry in general: "Which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words" (1 Cor. 2:13). Our words, our translation, must be with spiritual words, else the Spirit, we maintain, has no way nor any responsibility to bear the spiritual things of the Bible to our readers. We admit that translation of this sort is sometimes not the easiest to read or comprehend, but we are compelled to sacrifice easy reading for deeper truth. Though we are for the casual reading of the Bible, we maintain that the Bible is to be studied carefully, and we so translate it, attempting to leave in our work the fine points expressed in the original.
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The first thing said in this part is that they are not aiming for obscurity. Yet retaining terse and difficult construction just because some Hebrew or Greek idiom translates to very convoluted words is of no value to anyone except those who want to keep the Bible as a mystery that only they (claim to) understand.
If it requires the Spirit to really understand what is being said, that would be true whether the underlying words were difficult or easier to understand. Making initial understanding more difficult does not help us rely on the Spirit. It makes us more likely to throw up our hands in despair. Besides, if the original Hebrew or Greek was something written in common language rather than in the nit-picking style of the formal language, then the goal at writing was "clearly" to be clear and not obscure.
How duplicitous to then insist on not only refusing the common language, but making it so difficult that even those well-adept at the formal language would have trouble. It surely is not a "spiritual" thing. Instead it is evidence of a desire for superiority over those to whom the results will be provided.
Besides what benefit is there to be gained from translating a colloquialism or idiom into a string of English words that are ridiculous and indecipherable relative to the actual meaning when the intent of the idiom was to be understood. Just say that in English. That is proper translation.
They need to stop hiding behind a false veil of superiority. It makes them look stupid. (And in some sense, they are.)