andrew dodson

There he goes, again. That John Piper guy is getting all literal on us, telling us that we should just throw our ESV away and go back to the KJV.

I’m really, really kidding. But, it’s an interesting word-study. He says:

The following meditation comes from my devotional lingering over Psalm
96:7. All the modern versions translate it, “Ascribe to the
Lord…strength” (ESV, NIV, NASB). Only the KJV renders it with the
literal, “Give unto the Lord…strength.”

There’s nothing unusual about this Hebrew word “give” (yahab). It’s used over sixty times in the Old Testament in all the ordinary ways the word give is used.

The word ascribe in Psalm 96:7 is an interpretation. It’s
a paraphrase. It’s a good interpretation, I think, but, as with all
paraphrases, it short circuits our reflection. But for me,
full-circuited reflection is where my soul gets its best food. So I am
glad I spent the summer of 1969 with William LaSor learning Hebrew.

That’s just a highlight. If you want, you can go read the whole article.