40 Days, Day 25: Ephasians 4:32 (GNT)

Question: 

What did you hear in Ephasians 4:32? "Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ." (GNT)

Answer: 

This is the first time we have been able to look at the Good News Version of the Bible and how closely it stays to the original text. At least in this verse, it stays pretty close to the KJV translation. Both take a lot of liberties with the Greek, but they change it in different ways, especially at the end.

Would it surprise you to discover that the word translated as "forgive" here has nothing to do with the word usually translated as "forgive" in the Gospels?  The word actually has nothing to do with any concept of "forgive," especially not forgiving sin. The translated as "forgive" goes back to the KJV

There is also a play on words here, equating "kind" (chrestos) with "Christ" (christos).  There is also a little humor in the word translated as "tender hearted."

Transliterated Greek

γίνεσθε (Become) [δὲ] (however) εἰς (towards) ἀλλήλους (one another)  χρηστοί, (good/kind) εὔσπλαγχνοι, (with healthy bowels) χαριζόμενοι (showing favor) ἑαυτοῖς (to themselves) καθὼς (as) καὶ (also) (the) θεὸς (Divine) ἐν (in) Χριστῷ (an anointed) ἐχαρίσατο (he has shown favor)  ὑμῖν. (to you)

More Literal English Version

Become, however, toward one another kindly, with a good feeling, showing favor to them as also the Divine in  anointing shows favor to you.

Key Vocabulary

The word translated in the GNT as "kind" and above as "kindly is uncommon in the NT. Jesus uses it to refer to "good" wine in  Luke 5:39, "kind" acts in Luke 6:35, and "easy" in Matthew 11:30. This word means "good", "useful", "good of its kind," and "serviceable;" of persons, "good", "kindly;" "honest", "worthy," in war, "valiant", "true;" of the gods, "propitious", "merciful", "bestowing health or wealth;" of a man, "strong", "able in body for sexual intercourse;" when used as a now, "benefits", "kindnesses", "happy event", "prosperity," and "success.;" in a moral sense, it is also the opposite of kakos, which means "bad" and "evil," but which is not the word usually translated as "evil" in the NT. For more on the topic of good, see this article.  

The next word is funny. Translated as "kind-hearted" and "with a good feeling" is actually means "having a healthy bowels." To understand it, we have to understand that the Greeks defined two centers of emotions: "the heart" and "the gut." The heart was the center of the higher, nobler feelings, while the gut was the center of the more basic, instinctual reactions. We would say "good feelings.

However, the really misleading word here is the one translated as "forgive." It is not the word translated as "forgive" in terms of forgiving since in the Gospel. That different word is discussed in this article.  This word means "show favor." The Latin Vulgate translated it simply as "give." The translated as "forgive" is clearly an artifact of the "cult of sin."

The word translated as "Christ" is also kind of odd. It lacks the "the" before it. When used to refer to Jesus, it is written with "the Anointed." Here, it is in the form of the adjective, "anointing" or "anointed."