hope for all

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The Bible translation Hope for All (abbreviated Hfa ) is a so-called communicative translation of the Bible by the Biblica Biblica and Mission Society (formerly IBS), which is published by Fontis-Verlag . She places more value on comprehensibility than on word-faithfulness.

history

The New Testament was completed and published in 1983, the Old Testament in 1996. In 2002 the New Testament was published in a first revision. The Hfa is one of the most successful recent German Bible translations. It is one of the most popular translations with 1.3 million copies sold. In 2015 a new version was published, the revision of which has been directed by the linguist at the state-independent Theological University of Basel , Urs Stingelin, for the past eight years.

particularities

On the one hand, the Hfa strives for the highest possible degree of direct comprehensibility . Therefore, she uses the language in expression and style that was common at the time of publication. The translation is kept relatively free and interpretive. Often, however, footnotes refer to the respective literal translation, so that larger interpretive deviations from the wording can be recognized by the reader. On the other hand, the foreword of the Bible edition mentions the reliability of the original texts as the second characteristic .

The ease of understanding makes it particularly popular with young people and beginners in the faith. With its motto “The Bible that speaks your language”, it is particularly popular in confirmation classes.

Bible readers like to use the Hfa as a complementary counterpoint to a text-based translation such as the Elberfeld Bible . The lively, narrative style of the Hfa is particularly suitable for reading Bible passages together. For example, the beginning of the Christmas story according to Luke is:

Luther 1984 hope for all
It came to pass, however, that the Emperor Augustus made a command that all the world should be valued.

And this estimate was the very first, and it was made at the time Quirinius was governor in Syria.

And everyone went to his city to be valued.

During this time the Emperor Augustus ordered that all residents of the Roman Empire should be recorded by name in lists.

There had never been a census like this before. It was carried out when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

Everyone had to go to the city they came from to be registered there.

criticism

The Hfa translation is accused of exceeding the scope for interpretation and straying too far from the original texts. The high standard of the broadest possible general intelligibility leads to the fact that the Hfa translation psychologizes, entontologizes in some places and replaces the actions of God with actions of humans.

Examples:

  • the Greek word “psyche” (Ψυχῇ) in Mt 6.25  EU.Hfa has the basic meaning “soul” or “life”; Hfa translates it here as "livelihood" to fit the context: "Don't worry about your livelihood ...". A footnote referring to the literal meaning is not available at this point.
  • "I am there for you" in Ex 3.14  Hfa means literally translated: "I am who I am". The revised version, which appeared in 2015, translates this passage again as “I am who I am”.
  • “The Lord has turned away from his people Israel. But I am waiting for his help; I hope that he will turn to us again, "is a very free translation of Isa 8:17  EU.Hfa , which in the standard translation reads:" And I will wait for the Lord who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and want to hope in him. "
  • In Joh 16,13  LUT.Hfa the Luther translation translates "But when the one, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth". The NIV 1983 provides, "When is the Spirit of truth, will you the truth fully grasp." NIV 2002 weakens slightly and writes, "When is the Spirit of truth, he will help you in the process of fully grasp the truth."
  • In Rom 12.2  LUT.Hfa , the Luther translation translates like all the others: "And do not equate yourself with this world, but change yourselves through renewal of your mind". The Hfa also changes its meaning here: "Do not adapt to this world, but change yourself by letting God reorient you completely."

Because of these points of criticism, the use of the Hfa translation in worship services is rejected by some theologians. For private use, further translations that are closer to the original text are essential.

literature

  • Stefan Felber: The Bible translation "Hope for all" in a critical comparison of texts , in: Theological contributions 35th vol., Heft 4, 2004, pp. 181–201.
  • Stefan Felber: Communicative Bible translation. Eugene A. Nida and his model of dynamic equivalence , Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft 2013, 481 pages, ISBN 978-3438062499 .

Web links

Bible text

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ So Felber, p. 181 (as of 2004)
  2. ↑ a b The new "Hope for Everyone" is here , idea.de, message from October 2, 2015.
  3. ^ So the conclusion of Stefan Felber, p. 198.
  4. ↑ Exodus 3 - Hope for All :: BibleServer. Retrieved September 22, 2017 .
  5. ↑ See Felber, p. 182.
  6. ↑ See Felber, pp. 198f.