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Podcast: The Bible as Literature
Episode: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent
Description: When reading an ancient text in translation—especially one laden with nuance—there is a high risk of misunderstanding. On the one hand, there are expressions, cultural and historical references, and terminology that are not immediately accessible to modern readers. At the same time, a statement’s meaning often seems obvious, when, in fact, the translation is misleading or the reader has assumed a context that is foreign to the narrative. The first rule of exegesis is that everything must be heard in context. Historical context, linguistic context, but most importantly, narrative context. When a phrase seems to jut out of...