The Bible was originally spoken in the simple language of shepherds, farmers, and families—Ancient Hebrew. Its words were tangible and vibrant: breath, fire, path, seed. Over time, Greek and Roman ideas shifted Scripture’s message into abstractions and philosophy, causing its meaning to fade and diminish in value. The Scriptures remain true, but opinions, theories, philosophies, and prejudices have influenced what is taught.
Here, we return to the Hebrew roots. By seeing with ancient eyes, we rediscover the Scriptures as they were meant to be heard—from Genesis to Revelation—as a story of Yahweh’s presence with His people. This ancient path continues to shape our walk with Christ today.
How Meaning Fades Through Translation
Example 1 — Mexican Proverb shared with Koreans
The original (Spanish / Mexican) Proverb was translated into a common language to share globally:
“Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente.”
(The shrimp that falls asleep is carried away by the current.)
→ Vivid: shrimp, current, movement.
In Mexican culture, this is a vivid proverb: if you’re careless or inattentive, you’ll be swept away by circumstances. Everyone knows it—it’s earthy, memorable, and direct.
Translated to English (the global language of today):
“If you snooze, you lose.”
→ Rhyme, but vague: Lose what?
The English version uses rhyme and brevity, but the concrete imagery of the shrimp and current is gone. It’s more vague—someone outside of English idiom might not instantly grasp the cultural flavor or what exactly is being “lost.”
Translated from English to be Read by a Korean:
“잠들면, 잃는다.” (If you sleep, you lose.)
→ Even vaguer. No shrimp, no river, just confusion.
Now the Korean reader is puzzled. Lose what? Sleep where? The meaning feels incomplete, almost cryptic. Without the shrimp-in-the-current picture, it lacks grounding. They might assume it means “don’t nap during work” or “be diligent,” but the vivid cultural lesson from Mexico is blurred through the filters of English abstraction.
Example 2 — Scripture
Original (Hebrew)
“Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.” (Psalm 18:3)
→ Concrete: rock, fortress, rescue.
In Hebrew thought, this is earthy and solid:
- Rock → the mountain crag you can cling to.
- Fortress → the stronghold that shields a clan from enemies.
- Deliverer → the kinsman who pulls you out of danger.
A Hebrew listener pictures cliffs, stone walls, battle rescues—tangible realities
Greek – Abstracting Shift. The Greek Septuagint (200 BC) renders (Psalm 18:2) as:
- kyrios stereōma mou – “The Lord is my foundation/strength.”
- “Stereōma” means something solid, but in Greek it leans toward an abstract quality of firmness rather than a literal rock.
- kataphygē mou – “my refuge.”
- Less of a fortress image, more of a general “place of escape.”
- rhystēs mou – “my rescuer/deliverer.”
- This one stays fairly close, but still shifts toward a role rather than a kinship action.
Latin – More Abstraction (Jerome’s Vulgate, 4th century AD)
Jerome’s Vulgate renders (Psalm 18:2):
- firmamentum meum – “my strength/firmness.”
- refugium meum – “my refuge.”
- liberator meus – “my liberator.”
By this point, the imagery of cliffs and fortresses has largely disappeared. Instead, we hear abstract qualities (firmness, refuge, liberation) that can be taken metaphorically without the earth-tone concreteness of Hebrew.
English (KJV) – Even More General
English (Psalm 18:2):
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.”
Interestingly, the KJV reverted to concrete words (“rock,” “fortress”) because the translators drew on both the Hebrew and the Greek/Latin traditions. But many English readers still interpret “rock” or “fortress” metaphorically (abstract strength) rather than picturing a mountain cliff or a walled citadel.
Yeshua and his disciples almost certainly spoke Aramaic in their daily lives. Hebrew was used in Scripture and liturgy, while Greek was the primary language of trade and administration in the Roman world. Greek was the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean.
Over time, as the message spread into Greek and Latin cultures without the influence of Hebrew, something shifted. Thought became abstract, ideas grew philosophical, and the vivid earth-tones of Hebrew life gave way to the cool marble of logic and systems. Early church thinkers, influenced by Greek philosophy and Roman structures, carried the gospel forward—but often through categories foreign to the Hebrew way of seeing.
Why does this matter? Because when we step back into the world of Ancient Hebrew, the Scriptures open in fresh ways. Words once abstract regain their weight and texture. Faith is no longer an idea—it is steady footsteps on a trail. Peace is not a theory—it is walls unbroken and fields at rest. Righteousness is not a concept—it is living in right relationship with Yahweh and neighbor.
This journey is not about nostalgia, but renewal. To walk with Christ as His first followers did is to rediscover the organic Hebrew roots of our faith—a way of life shaped by story, covenant, and the presence of Yahweh in every ordinary moment. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is not just a book of doctrines, but the living record of a God who dwells with His people.
Here, we invite you to explore these roots with us. To see Scripture through Hebrew eyes. To recover the trail beneath the centuries of abstraction. And to discover how this ancient path can reshape our walk with Christ today.
Following Yeshua's Way 