Zekharyah 8:18
WLCR: Wa yėhī dėvar Yahweh-źėvạōt ẹlay, lȇèmỏr:
Deviation scores of the whole verse text (if the verse is missing completely): ·AND¹₁ ·THERE⁰₀ ·WAS³₁ ·A ·WORD³₁ ·OF₁ ·THE ·LORD³₁ ·OF₁ ·MULTITUDES³₁ ·TO₁ ·ME³₁, ·SAYING¹₁ [or ·TO₀ ·SAY¹₁]:
The verb “lȇèmỏr” is infinitive, “to say”, but it is often used idiomatically in Tanakh (Old Testament) to mean
“saying”. Genesis 1:22 is one of many examples of such usage. In Zekharyah 8:18 both of these interpretations make logical sense, and are
accepted in this review: “the word (was), saying” or “the word (for me) to say”. Of the 304
translations of this verse that are included in this review, only 4 (1 %) use the meaning “(for me) to
say”: CEV, CEVICNF, FERFENT and KNOX.
The most common deviation in this verse is translating the hebrew verb “to be / to become / to happen” with the verb
“to come”. Many Bibles translate the hebrew word źėvạōt (armies or multitudes) as Almighty or All-Powerful. This deviation has
been treated strictly with 3 penalty points, despite the fact that Septuagint translates this concept as Pantokratōr, which
means Almighty. Greek is not the original language of this book of the Bible, and the hebrew word źėvạōt does not mean Almighty.
These aforementioned expressions receive also two penalty points for form-faithfulness: 1 point for the lack of genitive
(·OF₁), and 1 point for changing plural into singular.
The hebrew word dạvạr means “word” or “thing / matter”. It is popular to translate this word as
“commandment” in the context of the Ten Commandments, for example in Other Laws 10:4. In this review I have been as
strict as giving 2 deviation points for translating dạvạr as “command“, because that does not seem to be among the
actual meanings of this word. Not even in the context of the Ten Commandments.
The translation ALPOMEG receives a rare maximum score of 9 penalty points for literal accuracy, as it replaces the name Yahweh with JESUS,
for deliberately mixing up main theological concepts. ALPOMEG does not do this systematically, however:
in the reviewed verse Psalms 110:1 ALPOMEG explains in brackets that “JE” (YHWH) is “The Father”, and My Lord (Adonī) is
“The Logos: Jesus”.
Main thoughts in this verse:
A) God spoke or gave a word. 9 points: The name Yahweh is replaced with JESUS, which is a different theological concept. 3 points: this thought is not mentioned.
B) To me (Zekharyah). 3 points: this thought is not mentioned.
Z) Thoughts added by translators. No significant added thoughts in any translation.
Inconvenient readability of words. 3 points: D’var / Devar / יהוה [YHWH] / تتراجراماتون [Tetragrammaton] / hostes / hoastes / hoostes / hoostis / oostis / ostis / hostis / Sabaoth / Tsebaoth / Tseva’oth / Tzeva’ot / Tzva’ot / Tz’va’ot / Tzva’os / maad (made) / came And (And there was) / sayenge / sayinge / seiynge / seiende / seide. 2 points: ŧe / wrd / woord / YHWH / vnto / so be (there was) / came to pass (there was) / will be to me (there was) / existed to me / was made (there was) / continued to occur / Eternal of (hosts) / hosts / sayeng / sayinge. 1 point: unto / Lorde / worde / Commission / Yahweh of Armies / God-of-the-Angel-Armies / legions / Assemblies / was with me (there was) / was to me (there was) / there is (there was) / is (was) / occur to me (happen to me).
Inconvenient readability of expressions. 3 points: long text in UPPERCASE / additional rhymed text confuses the reading experience (BELOVED). 1 point: inconvenient or insufficient punctuation (MATTH, NEWCOMM, WYE138C, WYE139B).
Inconvenient readability scores for translation LITTRCH. 6 points: of-Authority-belonged (of LORD). 4 points: a-forthee (a word). 3 points: it-had-became (there was) / of-an-All-Securer (of multitudes) / toward to-me (to me).
Literal and formal deviations, approximately in the order that they appear in the text of this verse: ·AND¹₁ / then⁰₀ / also⁰₀ / ₁again²₁ / again²₁ / *Once¹₁ again²₁ / another²₁ | *so¹₁ | *Here¹₁ | was => *there⁰₀ was / *there⁰₀ is₁ / ₁had¹₁ / is₁ / be₁ / will₀ be₁ / come¹₁ / came¹ / came⁰ to₀ pass⁰₁ (happened) / *continued²₁ to₀ occur₁ / ₁spoke² / ₁talked² / ₁told² / ₁gave² / ₁heard² / ₁received² | *came¹₁ / *made²₁ / *maad²₁ / *directed²₁ / *addressed²₁ | *this¹₁ | ·WORD³₁ / ₁word / message¹ / ₁message¹ / command² / Commission² / D’var¹ / Devar¹ | ·OF₁ / from₁ / ₁his¹₁ | LORD => GOD⁰ / Lord³ / Lorde³ / lord³ / Commander³ / Hashem⁰ / Eternal⁰ / تتراجراماتون [Tetragrammaton]⁰ / Authority-belonged⁰ ⁰(Yahveh) / JESUS⁹ | *|Lord||¹₁ / *Master¹₁ / *Commander¹₁ / *God¹₁ | ·OF₁ | ·MULTITUDES³₁ / Omnipotent³₁ / Almighty³₁ / All-Powerful³₁ / All-Securer³₁ / *heavenly²₁ forces¹ / *Heaven’s²₁ armies / *Angel²₁-Armies / *angel²₁ armies / armies of₀ *angels²₁ / *who¹₁ *rules³₁ over₁ all²₁ / Sabaoth³₁ / Tsebaoth³₁ / Tzevaoth³₁ / Tseva’oth³₁ / Tsevaot³₁ / Tzeva’ot³₁ / Tzva’os³₁ / Tzva’ot³₁ / Tz’va’ot⁰₀{³₁} _⁰[of the Heavenly Armies]__ | *that¹₁ | ·TO₁ ·ME³₁ / ·TO₀ me / ·TO₁ I₀ / with₁ me / ·TO₁ Zechariah² the *prophet³₁ | *bidding³₁ | *me¹₁ | ·SAYING¹₁ / saying₀ / sayinge₀ / sayeng₀ / sayenge₀ / seiynge₀ / seiende₀ / ·TO₀ say / *and⁰₀ said₁ / *and⁰₀ seide₁ / *He¹ said₁ / *as₁ follows²₁ | *this¹₁ | *in₀ *his¹₁ *name³₁.