Tiny Devotional for RED Friday, 08-13-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Remember Everyone Deployed.

From the fruit of a person’s mouth he enjoys (eats) good,
But the desire (soul) of the treacherous is violence.
Proverbs 13:2, NASB


Normally, I write about the clear meaning of the chosen verse. The clear meaning of this verse isn’t instantly apparent to me; which leads me to talk about TRUST. 

 The New American Standard Bible is the most literal of all translations; the translators took a word-for-word approach, rather than meaning-for-meaning. Where that includes idioms not familiar to the modern reader, they substitute an equivalent, but always include (in a footnote) the literal translation. 
Thus, in today’s verse, they substitute “enjoys” and “desire,” but reference the literal “eats” and “soul.” 

I believe this verse means a good person’s words produce good things, but the treacherous are hungry for conflict. 

The NASB version of the verse fits the STRUCTURE (on one hand, on the other hand), and the MEANING (righteous is good, evil is bad) of the rest of the book of Proverbs.
This is an example of why I trust the NASB.  I’m NOT saying that it’s the only trustworthy translation! Alternative readings exist, but they are just variations on the theme; none of them suggests that violence is the goal of the righteous, or that the treacherous produce peace.

I trust the NASB enough, that if I can’t find a teaching supported within it’s pages, then I don’t trust that teaching. And ‘support’ isn’t pulling a verse, or 1000 verses, out of context. That’s distortion.

Does some teaching distort scripture today? You betcha! 

So: prove all things; hold fast to that which is true.

Peace be on your household.

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