Difference between revisions of "Translating eternal life"
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== John 3:16 == | == John 3:16 == | ||
| − | John 3:16 uses the phrase "eternal life" as the opposite of "perish" (which is sometimes translated as "be lost" or "destroyed", which are more suggestive of [[anxiety]] or [[addiction]]). | + | John 3:16 uses the phrase "eternal life" as the opposite of "perish" (which is sometimes translated in this verse as "be lost" or "destroyed", which are more suggestive of [[anxiety]] or [[addiction]]). |
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| + | The Greek work in this verse for perish is ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi), but it translated as "ruined" in {{bibleref|Matthew|9|17}} as to the wineskins, | ||
== αἰώνιον == | == αἰώνιον == | ||
Revision as of 15:37, July 11, 2024
Translating eternal life is a fundamental question of how best to translate into English a phrase that occurs 18 times in the Gospel of John, multiple times in each of the other Gospels, and 6 times in John's first letter, which is commonly translated as "eternal life." This phrase is part of perhaps the most significant Bible verse of all: John 3:16
In the original Greek, the phrase is "αἰώνιον ζωὴν".
An issue is whether this phrase is only about the future, or whether it refers immediately to the present also. For example, does it merely mean "life forever," or does it also have value immediately for overcoming pain, anxiety, or addiction?
John 3:16
John 3:16 uses the phrase "eternal life" as the opposite of "perish" (which is sometimes translated in this verse as "be lost" or "destroyed", which are more suggestive of anxiety or addiction).
The Greek work in this verse for perish is ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi), but it translated as "ruined" in Matthew 9:17 as to the wineskins,