Not as Literal as You Think? A Review of One Bible, Many Versions

“Are literal versions really literal?” So asks Dave Brunn in One Bible, Many Versions: Are All Translations Created Equal? Brunn is a missionary and educator with extensive Bible translation experience. Noting that the Bible is “virtually silent” on “the issue of translation theory,” he seeks in his book to answer questions like:

“How literal should a Bible translation be?”
“What makes a translation of the Scriptures faithful and accurate?”
“What is the significance of the original form and the original meaning?”

He examines versions as diverse as the Message, the New Living Translation, the New International Version, the English Standard Version, and quite a few others. He lists examples on both the word level and the sentence level to show that “every ‘literal’ version frequently sets aside its own standards of literalness and word-for-word translation,” when slavish literalism would compromise meaning in the target language. For example, the New American Standard Bible–hailed as one of the most literal English translations–takes Genesis 4:1 (Hebrew: [Adam] knew [Eve]) and translates knew as had relations with. This accurately captures the meaning of Gen. 4:1, but it is not word-for-word.

So, too, with the ESV: Mark 9:3’s “no cloth refiner on earth” becomes “no one on earth” (among many, many examples Brunn gives).

At issue here is the relationship between form and meaning. He writes:

The form includes the letters, words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and so on. The meaning consists of the concepts or thoughts associated with each of the forms. Both elements are essential in all communication. …[I]t could be hard to argue that one is more important than the other.

To translate, Brunn points out, is to necessarily change the form. The only way to keep the form of Hebrew or Greek is to leave the text in Hebrew or Greek. There is no such thing as “consistent formal equivalence” between “any two languages on earth.” Brunn (rightly, in my view) suggests that it is okay (even necessary) “to set aside form in order to preserve meaning,” but that one should not sacrifice meaning for the sake of preserving form. Besides, he points out, no translation (not even the most “literal” one) sacrifices meaning every time for the sake of formal, word-for-word equivalence.

Brunn drives his point home especially well by making reference to other languages. Perhaps folks argue about literalness in English translations because of English’s linguistic/familial relationship to Greek. But what about non-Indo-European languages, Brunn asks? “As long as the debate about Bible translation stays within the realm of English translation, the tendency will be to oversimplify some of the issues,” he writes. “I believe that many well-meaning Christians have unwittingly made English the ultimate standard.” His examples of translation challenges going from English to Lamogai (the language into which he worked with others to translate the New Testament) reinforce his idea that word-for-word equivalence is simply not possible across languages. (Lamogai, for example, uses gender-neutral terms to refer to siblings, whereas Greek and English do not.)

The translations that people fight over have more in common than we may first realize. Brunn calls for unity among Christians when it comes to what translations we use. “If we set any two English Bible versions side by side,” he says, “We could easily find hundreds of instances where each version has the potential of strengthening and enhancing the other.” (Indeed, there are even times when less “literal” versions like the NIV or NLT seem to stay closer to the original languages at the word level than versions like the ESV or NASB.)

Knowledge of Hebrew and Greek is not needed to profitably use One Bible, Many Versions, though Brunn does have footnotes for “readers who are already knowledgeable in translation issues.” His numerous charts clearly show the difference between form and meaning in multiple translations.

Brunn gives good guidelines for Bible readers and translators alike, as they seek to discern what translations to use and how to think about translation theoretically. Especially in the second half, the book felt a little repetitive–I didn’t think Brunn needed as many examples to make his point that literal translations don’t consistently adhere to their own standards. Though perhaps those who need more convincing will appreciate the extensive charts.

What I was most impressed by was Brunn’s obvious high regard for Scripture, together with a pastoral sense of how to navigate the so-called Bible translation debates. In addition to these, the care with which he analyzed translations and compared them to each other made it easy to follow (and agree with) him. Whether you’re interested in Bible translation or exploring the differences between various versions, One Bible, Many Versions is an engaging and informative guide.

Brunn has a Website here; the book’s site is here.

Thanks to IVP for the review copy. You can find the book on Amazon here, and its IVP product page here.

My five-year-old son reviews: The Hebrew Language

Okay, so he’s not really reviewing the Hebrew language, but he is learning it. Wanting to spend more time with my kids this summer, and seeing a voracious appetite for learning in my five-year-old son, I offered to help him learn a language. I told him I could offer Hebrew (of the biblical variety), Greek (koine/New Testament), and Spanish.

He opted for Hebrew. Thinking about demographic trends in the U.S. these next few decades, I gently pushed back: How about Spanish? No. Hebrew. He wanted to learn Hebrew. So we’ve begun.

We’ve been using materials from Sarah and David, a publishing company that specializes in Hebrew language materials for children. The materials are organized in stages, with learning the letters first, then a focus on reading, then finally speaking Hebrew. Here’s a curriculum overview in their own words:

The Sarah and David curriculum was built backwards from Bar/Bat Mitzvah with the goal of addressing reading difficulties students continue to have with accuracy and fluency in the upper grades. Beginning with The Aleph Bet Story and through to The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Book, both teachers and students have a consistent approach to use from year to year to reinforce letters, vowels and reading skills.

Using the curriculum, schools have found that they can introduce the reading process early, teachers learn instructional cues to guide the learning and students practice skills that can be applied to any reading exercise or text. Used in religious schools across the county, the reading program has also proven to be helpful to resource room teachers, special needs and late-start students, and adult learners.

The very friendly folks at Sarah and David sent us most of the Part One materials for review (and set us up with a Web account, which you can purchase here). My five-year-old and I have had just over two weeks so far with The Aleph Bet Story, The Aleph Bet Story Activity Book, The Aleph Bet Story Workbook, The Sarah and David Read Hebrew Primer (from Part Two of the curriculum), and The Aleph Bet Story Audio CD.

We’ll offer a multi-part review as we continue to work our way through the materials. For now, I offer praise for the effectiveness of the learning system. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Or in the bathtub letters, in this case. After less than a week with the materials, my five-year-old son had used bath time to make this:

From right to left (how you read Hebrew), that’s shin and sin, which look like this:

Cool, huh? I never would have thought to do that.

My five-year-old loves these materials. Nearly every morning on his drive with me to pre-K, we listen to the CD. Nearly every night when I ask him to pick a book to read, he picks one of the Sarah and David books. And he often reads them on his own, or practices the writing and other exercises in the activity book and workbook. I don’t want to be *that dad* who makes his kids learn biblical languages before they can even read Captain Underpants, so I haven’t pushed much at all. He’s really enjoyed learning Hebrew with very little prodding from me.

This has all been really fun for us lately, and Sarah and David has made the learning process smooth and enjoyable.

Thanks to Sarah and David for the books and Web account for the purposes of review. I promised them only honesty, so they have not expected anything of our review. Expect more this summer as we continue to review the materials and learn Hebrew together.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 24=Isaiah 30:8-31:4

This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 30:8-31:4.

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, May 13: Isa 30:8-17

⁸νῦν οὖν καθίσας γράψον ἐπὶ πυξίου ταῦτα καὶ εἰς βιβλίον, ὅτι ἔσται εἰς ἡμέρας καιρῶν ταῦτα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ⁹ὅτι λαὸς ἀπειθής ἐστιν, υἱοὶ ψευδεῖς οἳ οὐκ ἠβούλοντο ἀκούειν τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ, ¹⁰οἱ λέγοντες τοῖς προφήταις Μὴ ἀναγγέλλετε ἡμῖν, καὶ τοῖς τὰ ὁράματα ὁρῶσιν Μὴ λαλεῖτε ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ ἡμῖν λαλεῖτε καὶ ἀναγγέλλετε ἡμῖν ἑτέραν πλάνησιν, ¹¹καὶ ἀποστρέψατε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης· ἀφέλετε ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τὸν τρίβον τοῦτον, καὶ ἀφέλετε ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τὸ λόγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. ¹²διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ Ὅτι ἠπειθήσατε τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις καὶ ἠλπίσατε ἐπὶ ψεύδει, καὶ ὅτι ἐγόγγυσας καὶ πεποιθὼς ἐγένου ἑπὶ τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ, ¹³διὰ τοῦτο ἔσται ὑμῖν ἡ ἁμαρτία αὕτη ὡς τεῖχος πίπτον παραχρῆμα πόλεως ἑαλωκυίας, ἧς παραχρῆμα πάρεστιν τὸ πτῶμα· ¹⁴καὶ τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῆς ἔσται ὡς σύντριμμα ἀγγίου ὀστρακίνου, ἐκ κεραμίου λεπτόν, ὥστε μὴ εὑρεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄστρακον ἐν ᾧ πῦρ ἀρεῖς, καὶ ἐν ᾧ ἀποσυρεῖς ὕδωρ μικρόν. ¹⁵οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ ἅγιος Ἰσραήλ Ὅταν ἀποστραφεὶς στενάξῃς, τότε σωθήσῃ καὶ γνώσῃ ποῦ ἦσθα· ὅτε ἐπεποίθεις ἐπὶ τοῖς ματαίοις, ματαία ἡ ἰσχὺς ὑμῶν ἐγενήθη. καὶ οὐκ ἐβούλεσθε ἀκούειν, ¹⁶ἀλλὰ εἴπατε Ἐφʼ ἵπποις φευξόμεθα· διὰ τοῦτο φεύξεσθε· καὶ εἴπατε Ἐπὶ κούφοις ἀναβάται ἐσόμεθα· διὰ τοῦτο κοῦφοι ἔσονται οἱ διώκοντες ὑμᾶς. ¹⁷καὶ διὰ φωνὴν ἑνὸς φεύξονται χίλιοι, καὶ διὰ φωνὴν πέντε φεύξονται πολλοί, ἕως ἂν καταλειφθῆτε ὡς ἱστὸς ἐπʼ ὄρους, καὶ ὡς σημαίαν φέρων ἐπὶ βουνοῦ.

Tuesday, May 14: Isa 30:18-21

¹⁸καὶ πάλιν μενεῖ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οἰκτειρῆσαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑψωθήσεται τοῦ ἐλεῆσαι ὑμᾶς, διότι κριτὴς Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐστιν· [καὶ ποῦ καταλείψετε τὴν δόξαν ὑμῶν;] μακάριοι πάντες οἱ ἐμμένοντες ἐν αὐτῷ. ¹⁹Διότι λαὸς ἅγιος ἐν Σιὼν οἰκήσει· καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ κλαυθμῷ ἔκλαυσεν Ἐλέησόν με· καὶ ἐλεήσει τὴν φωνὴν τῆς κραυγῆς σου· ἡνίκα εἶδεν, ἐπήκουσέν σου. ²⁰καὶ δώσει Κύριος ὑμῖν ἄρτον θλίψεως καὶ ὕδωρ στενόν, καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ ἐγγίσωσίν σοι οἱ πλανῶντές σε· ὅτι οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὄψονται τοὺς πλανῶντάς σε, ²¹καὶ τὰ ὦτά σου ἀκούσονται τοὺς λόγους τῶν ὀπίσω σε πλανησάντων, οἱ λέγοντες Αὕτη ἡ ὁδός, πορευθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ εἴτε δεξιὰ εἴτε ἀριστερά.

Wednesday, May 15: Isa 30:22-27

²²καὶ ἐξαρεῖς τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ περιηργυρωμένα καὶ τὰ περικεχρυσωμένα, λεπτὰ ποιήσεις, καὶ λικμήσεις ὡς ὕδωρ ἀποκαθημένης, καὶ ὡς κόπρον ὤσεις αὐτά. ²³τότε ἔσται ὁ ὑετὸς τῷ σπέρματι τῆς γῆς σου, καὶ ὁ ἄρτος τοῦ γενήματος τῆς γῆς σου ἔσται πλησμονὴ καὶ λιπαρός· καὶ βοσκηθήσεταί σου τὰ κτήνη τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τόπον πίονα καὶ εὐρύχωρον, ²⁴οἱ ταῦροι ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ βόες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν γῆν φάγονται ἄχυρα ἀναπεποιημένα ἐν κριθῇ λελικμημένα. ²⁵καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ παντὸς ὄρους ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς βουνοῦ μετεώρου ὕδωρ διαπορευόμενον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ὅταν ἀπόλωνται πολλοί, καὶ ὅταν πέσωσιν πύργοι. ²⁶καὶ ἔσται τὸ φῶς τῆς σελήνης ὡς τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἡλίου, καὶ τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἡλίου ἔσται ἑπταπλάσιον, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅταν ἰάσηται Κύριος τὸ σύντριμμα τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ὀδύνην τῆς πληγῆς σου ἰάσεται. ²⁷Ἰδοὺ τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου διὰ χρόνου ἔρχεται πολλοῦ, καιόμενος ὁ θυμός· μετὰ δόξης τὸ λόγιον τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ, τὸ λόγιον ὀργῆς πλῆρες, καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ ὡς πῦρ ἔδεται.

Thursday, May 16: Isa 30:28-33

²⁸καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ὡς ὕδωρ ἐν φάραγγι σῦρον ἥξει ἕως τοῦ τραχήλου, καὶ διαιρεθήσεται τοῦ ἔθνη ταράξαι ἐπὶ πλανήσει ματαίᾳ, καὶ διώξεται αὐτοὺς πλάνησις ματαία, καὶ λήμψεται αὐτοὺς κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν. ²⁹μὴ διὰ παντὸς δεῖ ὑμᾶς εὐφραίνεσθαι, καὶ εἰσπορεύεσθαι εἰς τὰ ἅγιά μου διὰ παντὸς ὡσεὶ ἑορτάζοντας, καὶ ὡσεὶ εὐφραινομένους εἰσελθεῖν μετὰ αὐλοῦ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ; ³⁰καὶ ἀκουστὴν ποιήσει ὁ θεὸς τὴν δόξαν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ βραχίονος αὐτοῦ δεῖξαι μετὰ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ φλογὸς κατεσθιούσης, κεραυνώσει βιαίως, καὶ ὡς ὕδωρ καὶ χάλαζα συνκαταφερομένη βίᾳ. ³¹διὰ γὰρ τὴν φωνὴν Κυρίου ἡττηθήσονται οἱ Ἀσσύριοι τῇ πληγῇ, ᾗ ἂν πατάξῃ αὐτούς. ³²καὶ ἔσται αὐτῷ κυκλόθεν, ὅθεν ἦν αὐτῷ ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς βοηθείας, ἐφʼ ᾗ αὐτὸς ἐπεποίθει· αὐτοὶ μετὰ αὐλῶν καὶ κιθάρας πολεμήσουσιν αὐτὸν ἐκ μεταβολῆς. ³³οὐ γὰρ σὺ πρὸ ἡμερῶν ἀπατηθήσῃ· μὴ καὶ <σοὶ> ἡτοιμάσθη βασιλεύειν, φάραγγα βαθεῖαν, ξύλα κείμενα, πῦρ καὶ ξύλα πολλά; ὁ θυμὸς Κυρίου ὡς φάραγξ ὑπὸ θείου καιομένη.

Friday, May 17: Isa 31:1-4

31 ¹Οὐαὶ οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐπὶ βοήθειαν, οἱ ἐφʼ ἵπποις πεποιθότες καὶ ἐφʼ ἅρμασιν· ἔστιν γὰρ πολλά, καὶ ἐφʼ ἵπποις, πλῆθος σφόδρα· καὶ οὐκ ἦσαν πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν. ²καὶ αὐτὸς σοφὸς ἦγεν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς κακά, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀθετηθῇ, καὶ ἐπαναστήσεται ἐπʼ οἴκους ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα αὐτῶν τὴν ματαίαν, ³Αἰγύπτιον ἄνθρωπον, καὶ οὐ θεόν, ἵππων σάρκας, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν βοήθεια· ὁ δὲ κύριος ἐπάξει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπʼ αὐτούς, καὶ κοπιάσουσιν οἱ βοηθοῦντες, καὶ ἅμα πάντες ἀπολοῦνται. ⁴ὅτι οὕτως εἶπέν μοι Κύριος Ὃν τρόπον ἐὰν βοήσῃ λέων ἢ ὁ σκύμνος ἐπὶ τῇ θήρᾳ ᾗ ἔλαβεν, καὶ κεκράξῃ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ ἕως ἂν ἐμπλησθῇ τὰ ὄρη τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡττήθησαν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ θυμοῦ ἐπτοήθησαν, οὕτως καταβήσεται Κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐπιστρατεῦσαι ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σιών, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη αὐτῆς.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

Congratulations to…

…David, the winner of a new copy of The Honest Toddler: A Child’s Guide to Parenting.

You can read more about the book here. I highly recommend it, whether you’re a parent or not.

To choose a winner, I assigned a number to every entry (both a comment on this blog and a share of any kind qualified), then used a random number generator to select the winner.

Congratulations, David, and enjoy the new book! I wish you the best in your toddler adventures.

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. You can subscribe to this blog using the “Follow” button on the right sidebar, or follow me on Twitter.

Honest Toddler: Free Book Giveaway (last day)

Today you can still leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of the new Honest Toddler book.

To enter, simply comment on this blog post with the best (brief) parenting tip you can come up with. Or just say hi. For a second entry, share the link to this post on FB, Twitter, via mind meld, etc., and let me know in the comments section that you did.

I’ll announce the winner tonight. In the meantime, my review of this wonderful, creative, hilarious, and therapeutic book is here.

Week of Honest Toddler (win a free copy of HT)

There is still time to enter our drawing for a free copy of Honest Toddler: A Child’s Guide to Parenting.

Just today HT posted some great reviews of children’s books.

In the meantime, I’ve reviewed HT’s new book here.

And the link for the HT book giveaway is here. Happy entering!

The Honest Toddler: A Book Review

Being a parent is very simple. There is no reason for you to constantly go to other adults who do not know your toddler for advice or conspiring. What happens at home stays at home. …When it comes to being a good parent, the most important resources are the words that come out of your child’s amazing mouth. If your child is too young to speak, guess accurately on the first try.

–Honest Toddler

Honest Toddler, under the supervision of mom Bunmi Laditan, has now added a full-length book to a popular and cathartic Twitter feed, Facebook page, and blog/Website. I’ve posted quite a bit about HT at Words on the Word already.

Real-life Honest Toddler is a girl, but HT is “asexual,” which makes the whole thing more universal.

And now, s/he has written a parenting guide. The chapter titles alone produce enough laughs to make the book worth the price:

Chapter 1: “Why Did You Do That?”: The Ins and Outs of Toddler Behavior and How to Leave It Alone
Chapter 5: Sleep: Weaning Yourself Off It
Chapter 18: Potty Training Simplified/Eliminated

Bunmi has tapped into the psyches of Every Parent because HT, in all the quirky specifics of his/her behavior, is Every Toddler. (“Give a toddler a rag and a spray bottle, and your house will be sparkling before you know it. First it will be soaking, and your mobile phone may have water damage, but after a thorough wipe-down, the results will please you.”)

This Child’s Guide to Parenting is thorough–HT includes everything from media recommendations (music, books, TV) to hygiene (“leave well enough alone”), from restaurant behavior to grandmas and grandpas (“you should learn as much as possible from your child’s grandparents”). Interspersed between chapters are letters from parents to HT and homework assignments (sample: “Visit the toy store and get all the things. Next, go to a field. Run until nightfall”).

The Honest Toddler is hilarious, brilliantly written, and often pointed in its humor (see: HT’s disdain for Pinterest). I was impressed by how much this little toddler had to say. Although, now that I think about it, my toddlers have always had a lot to say.

The open parent who reads this book will be perhaps re-conditioned: temper tantrums are just “loud responses,” toddler ignoring is simply “selective acknowledgement,” and whining is “a legitimate form of speech.”

Honest Toddler, for all his/her impossible demands (duh), has some great advice. Facebook, for example: “Toddlers are tired of hearing Facebook notifications during story time. We’re sick of having to sit in parked cars, fully strapped in, while you make sure you get the last word on a virtual dispute with an acquaintance. This website is a distraction. Log off. Permanently.”

Communication: “Did you know that there are more than four hundred different meanings for ‘no’ in Toddler English?” (with a sample chart). Packing for vacation: “There’s no such thing as minimalism when it comes to packing for a trip with small children.”

Readers of HT’s blog, FB, and Twitter feed will recognize some material here (the “toddler-approved recipes” and physics breakdown of car napping), but not much. This is 256 pages of sheer, highly original, creative genius.

There are occasional moments of dark-ish humor (“There’s nothing special about a child [i.e., infant] who can’t go anywhere without a blanket over her legs”), but, then again, this was written by a toddler.

And, HT, if you’re reading: make sure your mom lets you watch Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. You’ll like it way better than Caillou.

If you’re a parent of a toddler or know one, The Honest Toddler is essential reading, if only to relax and laugh enough to keep one’s head in the game of toddler parenting. (If you’re interested in the possibility of a free copy, I’m giving one away here.)

I have to stop now; my own two-year-old just woke up to join us in watching the late-night basketball game and blogging, and now is requesting–you guessed it–Daniel Tiger and some water.

Many thanks to Scribner (imprint of Simon & Schuster) for the review copy, given to me for the purposes of an honest review. Find the book’s product page here. It’s on Amazon here.

And thanks especially to Bunmi/HT for making me a better parent. Or at least a parent who is able to laugh a little bit more and cry a little bit less as I raise my little ones.

Honest Toddler: Free Book Giveaway

Honest Toddler, under the supervision of mom Bunmi Laditan, has now added a full-length book to a popular and cathartic Twitter feed, Facebook page, and blog/Website. HT’s mom blogs here.

Thanks to Scribner (imprint of Simon & Schuster), Words on the Word has a copy of Honest Toddler: A Child’s Guide to Parenting to give away.

I’ll announce the winner right here some time next Monday.

And tomorrow I’ll post my review of the book on the book’s official release date. UPDATE: Review is here.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

How do you follow Mr. Rogers? Well, you don’t, really. Which helps to explain PBS’s decision to move to an animated tiger as the leading host and tour guide of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

I’ll admit: I was skeptical of Daniel Tiger at first. So is my five-year-old, every time we turn it on for our two-year-old to watch. (The former sits down with the latter for every episode, though, every time.)

Mr. Rogers’s pastoral sense and uncanny ability to love, honor, and celebrate children is not quite replicated by Daniel Tiger, but Daniel does pretty well–better than I thought an animated character could do. Here’s a short clip (30 seconds) that represents how Daniel models dealing with disappointment:

It’s not uncommon for my two-year-old to answer Daniel Tiger’s questions and comments, which Daniel puts to the viewer in much the same way that Mr. Rogers did.

Best of all–there’s a soundtrack for the show. This has a noticeably positive effect on our two-year-old and his assessment of life in the early morning, without having him in front of a screen. Nearly every morning at our house now begins with a collective listen through this album. The music is catchy! I have to try really hard not to sing these songs to people around me.

The big hit lately around our house has been these printable pages of the characters in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Unfortunately, my quoting, “When something seems bad, turn it around–find something good!” doesn’t always work for my two-year-old when he’s really grumpy. But it’s hard being two! And Daniel Tiger seems to get that, keeping a positive outlook throughout all the vicissitudes of toddlerdom.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 23=Isaiah 29:10-30:7

Getting into chapter 30 this week feels like real progress. This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 29:10-30:7.

Monday, May 6: Isa 29:10–14

10 ὅτι πεπότικεν ὑμᾶς Κύριος πνεύματι κατανύξεως, καὶ καμμύσει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτῶν, οἱ ὁρῶντες τὰ κρυπτά. 11 καὶ ἔσονται ὑμῖν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ὡς οἱ λόγοι τοῦ βιβλίου τοῦ ἐσφραγισμένου τούτου, ὃ ἐὰν δῶσιν αὐτὸ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐπισταμένῳ γράμματα λέγοντες Ἀνάγνωθι ταῦτα, καὶ ἐρεῖ Οὐ δύναμαι ἀναγνῶναι, ἐσφράγισται γάρ. 12 καὶ δοθήσεται τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπου μὴ ἐπισταμένου γράμματα, καὶ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ Ἀνάγνωθι τοῦτο· καὶ ἐρεῖ Οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι γράμματα. 13 καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος Ἐγγίζει μοι ὁ λαὸς οὖτος, τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν τιμῶσιν με, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ· μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με διδάσκοντες ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδασκαλίας. 14 διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ προσθήσω τοῦ μεταθεῖναι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον· καὶ μεταθήσω αὐτούς, καὶ ἀ̓πολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν, καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν κρύψω.

Tuesday, May 7: Isa 29:15–19

15 Οὐαὶ οἱ βαθέως βουλὴν ποιοῦντες, καὶ οὐ διὰ Κυρίου· οὐαὶ οἱ ἐν κρυφῇ βουλὴν ποιοῦντες, καὶ ἔσται ἐν σκότει τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐροῦσιν Τίς ἡμᾶς ἑώρακεν; καὶ τίς ἡμᾶς γνώσεται ἢ ἃ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν; 16 οὐχ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως λογισθήσεσθε; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι Οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας; ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι Οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας; 17 οὐκέτι μικρὸν καὶ μετατεθήσεται ὁ Λίβανος ὡς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Χερμέλ, καὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Χερμὲλ εἰς δρυμὸν λογισθήσεται. 18 καὶ ἀκούσονται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ κωφοὶ λόγους βιβλίου, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ σκότει καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ ὁμίχλῃ, ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν βλέψονται, 19 καὶ ἀγαλλιάσονται πτωχοὶ διὰ Κύριον ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, καὶ οἱ ἀπηλπισμένοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐμπλησθήσονται εὐφροσύνης.

Wednesday, May 8: Isa 29:20–24

20 ἐξέλιπεν ἄνομος, καὶ ἁπώλετο ὑπερήφανος, καὶ ἐξωλεθρεύθησαν οἱ ἀνομοῦντες ἐπὶ κακίᾳ, 21 καὶ οἱ ποιοῦντες ἁμαρτεῖν ἀνθρώπους ἐν λόγῳ· πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας ἐν πύλαις πρόσκομμα θήσουσιν, καὶ ἐπλαγίασαν ἐν ἀδίκοις δίκαιον. 22 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακώβ, ὃν ἀφώρισεν ἐξ Ἀβραάμ Οὐ νῦν αἰσχυνθήσεται Ἰακώβ, οὐδὲ νῦν τὸ πρὸσωπον μεταβαλεῖ Ἰσραήλ. 23 ἀλλὰ ὅταν ἴδωσιν τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα μου, διʼ ἐμὲ ἁγιάσουσιν τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ ἁγιάσουσιν τὸν ἅγιον Ἰακώβ, καὶ τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ φοβηθήσονται. 24 καὶ γνώσονται οἱ τῷ πνεύματι πλανώμενοι σύνεσιν, οἱ δὲ γογγύζοντες μαθήσονται ὑπακούειν, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αἱ ψελλίζουσαι μαθήσονται λαλεῖν εἰρήνην.

Thursday, May 9: Isa 30:1–3

30 1 Οὐαὶ τέκνα ἀποστάται, τάδε λέγει Κύριος· ἐποιήσατε βουλὴν καὶ οὐ διʼ ἐμοῦ, καὶ συνθήκας οὐ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματός μου, προσθεῖναι ἁμαρτίας ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίαις· 2 οἱ πορευόμενοι καταβῆναι εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἐμὲ δὲ οὐκ ἐπηρώτησαν, τοῦ βοηθηθῆναι ὑπὸ Φαραὼ καὶ σκεπασθῆναι ὑπὸ Αἰγυπτίων. 3 ἔσται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἡ σκέπη Φαραὼ εἰς αἰσχύνην, καὶ τοῖς πεποιθόσιν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον ὄνειδος.

Friday, May 10: Isa 30:4–7

4 ὅτι εἰσὶν ἐν Τάνει ἀρχηγοὶ ἄγγελοι πονηροί. 5 μάτην κοπιάσουσιν πρὸς λαὸν ὃς οὐκ ὠφελήσει αὐτοὺς οὔτε εἰς βοήθειαν οὔτε εἰς ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλὰ εἰς αἰσχύνην καὶ ὄνειδος.

Ἡ ὅρασις τῶν τετραπόδων τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ

6 Ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ ἐν τῇ στενοχωρίᾳ λέων καὶ σκύμνος λέοντος, ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἀσπίδες καὶ ἔκγονα ἀσπίδων πετομένων, οἳ ἔφερον ἐπʼ ὄνων καὶ καμήλων τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν πρὸς ἔθνος ὃ οὐκ ὠφελήσει αὐτοὺς [εἰς βοήθειαν ἀλλὰ εἰς αἰσχύνην καὶ ὄνειδος]. 7 Αἰγύπτιοι μάταια καὶ κενὰ ὠφελήσουσιν ὑμᾶς· ἀπάγγειλον αὐτοῖς ὅτι ματαία ἡ παράκλησις ὑμῶν αὕτη.

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