Lost in translation(s)

Biblegateway.com is a word lover's dream. With over 40 languages and over 20 versions of the Bible in English alone, it's easy to get lost for hours. (Everyone knows this, I know, but I can post the obvious if I like.)

I still love the feel of a book in my hands, though - no matter how dependent I get on the internet for reference, I love being able to curl up with a book, cary it around with me, turn the pages, and get to know it.

My reading Bible is a small, black, bonded-leather-bound version with a cover that snaps; it was a gift from a friend. The translation is NASB, but I also want to start reading a bit in King James. Our church, along with a lot of others, uses NIV.

And there are so many others! What is the difference between New King James, 21st Century King James, and King James Revised? What is this Holman version?

And how cool is it that you can find Greek and Hebrew Biblical dictionaries online? Not to mention Aramaic reference helps for Ezra and Daniel and probably some other books I'm not aware of, because this is all new and awesome.

I'm back to wanting to pick up the little Ancient Greek I recall from college and dust it off and learn more...and I want to learn Ancient Hebrew now too.

Part of it is wanting to pick up all the nuances of meaning in all the differenct languages, but quite a bit of it (for me) is just sheer delight in unabashed wordgeekery...and continuing amazement at the universality of the message.