“I read the Bible and found contradictions and discrepancies.  If these stories were true all the details would line up!”  The Biblical truth is not in the details but what the story the details describe.  When one reads the Bible and discovers contradictions, this is a sign they must look deeper into the story.   It may be God’s way of telling us we are taking something too literal and missing the meaning.

In ancient times as well as modern times, it is necessary when explaining something to people that is hard for them to understand to put it in terms they do understand.  An example in our time, we often hear the phrase “that is cool” meaning I really like that.  We don’t literally mean it is cold!  But saying “that is cool” is understood by most Americans as that is something I like or it is wonderful.  How will this phrase be interpreted in 1000 years from now?

Since many Biblical stories were told verbally for hundreds of years before being recorded, sometimes the details may have been altered or maybe even viewed differently.  How often do two people see a car accident, but tell two different stories as to what they had seen?  Or one’s version of the story a week later is slightly different from the day the accident occurred.  The underlying facts are the same though, there was a car accident.  So when we see contradictions, it means we need to look deeper and find the facts or the truth the story tells and use the details to help us understand the truth.

Why is it important when interpreting scripture to take into account that the original text were written in ancient languages and translated into modern languages?  Because we must understand that words don’t always translate easily to other languages.  Example, the ancient Greek language had many different words for love.  Agape refers to a pure ideal type of love rather than a physical attraction, Eros means passionate love with sensual desire and longing, Philia is a dispassionate virtuous love, and Xenia is hospitality type of love.[1]  All four of these Greek words translate to the one word love in the English language.  So when we read the word love in the Bible, it is important to understand the meaning of the word in the context.

Another reason is that word for word translations usually make sentences that don’t make sense.  So when translating, the translator must rearrange the words, add or delete words in order to convey the message in our language.  This means we rely on the translation thought more than the individual words.  Fortunately our Bibles in today’s vernaculars were translated using many scholars and theologians in order to ensure that the messages are carried forward as they were originally intended. 

[1] Source of Greek definitions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/love