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Old 04-09-2007, 11:30 AM   #1
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Default gopher wood

It's interesting how the different English translations interpret the passage where Noah is instructed to make an Arc.

Genesis 6:14 (Young's Literal Translation)
14`Make for thyself an ark of gopher-wood; rooms dost thou make with the ark, and thou hast covered it within and without with cypress;

Genesis 6:14 (New International Version)
14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Genesis 6:14 (New American Standard Bible)
14"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.

Genesis 6:14-16 (King James Version)
14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Genesis 6:14-16 (New Living Translation)
14 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.

Genesis 6:14 (New King James Version)
14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.


So which is it? And why the variations on gopher wood (with or without a space or hypen)? Where does cypress come from? In the various translations it's used to replace either gopher or pitch.
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Old 04-09-2007, 11:37 AM   #2
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Gopher_wood
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Several guesses as to the nature of gopher wood have been made, the most common of which is the cypress. Adam Clarke, a Methodist theologian famous for his commentary on the Bible, cited the Greek word for cypress, kuparisson, and the resemblance of this word's base, kupar, to the Hebrew word gophar.

. . .

Others suggest mere scribal error, noting the physical similarity between the Hebrew letters g and k, that the word may actually be kopher. In Hebrew, kopher means pitch; thus kopher wood would be pitched wood. In full, Genesis 6:14 would then read: "Make yourself an ark of pitched [wood], put various compartments in it, and cover it inside and outside with pitch." Whether this is redundant, or refers to the wood being pitched both before and after construction is an open question.
Or it might refer to reeds.

But nobody knows for sure. Since the event is mythological, there's no way to find out.
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Old 04-09-2007, 12:45 PM   #3
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Were pitch and tar not first created in the flood?
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Old 04-09-2007, 12:47 PM   #4
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It is a mistranslation. What god said was : It's gonna be a big boat, you better go fer wood.
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Old 04-09-2007, 12:51 PM   #5
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Apparently millions of Americans believe in the literal truth of this story, and a surprisingly large percentage of them belive Joan of Arc played some role in the story.

The only conclusion is that many Americans believe a book to be true, that they have never really read.
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Old 04-09-2007, 01:02 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Steven Carr View Post
Apparently millions of Americans believe in the literal truth of this story, and a surprisingly large percentage of them belive Joan of Arc played some role in the story.
Source?
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Old 04-09-2007, 01:07 PM   #7
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Source?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...030102073.html
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Old 04-09-2007, 01:09 PM   #8
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It's only 12% who think that Joan of Arc was married to Noah.

source
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Old 04-09-2007, 01:15 PM   #9
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How much over 10 percent of Christians do you need before you are surprised by the percentage?
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Old 04-09-2007, 01:42 PM   #10
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It's only 12% who think that Joan of Arc was married to Noah.

source
Whoa!

Only 12%... That would amount to 36 million Americans. Not that many, really!
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