Steven Gerdvil
https://business.facebook.com/steve...CiRCzTuYUbSMquXis2UTZHoqNWK11DytTt89AoVdXxnel
Dear friends,
At Psalm 26:2, we read from the NIV translation, "(Test) me, LORD, and (try me), (examine) my heart and my mind."
However, the original NWT says, "(Examine) me, O Jehovah, and put me to the (test), (refine) my kidneys and my heart."
One translation says, "Test and try twice, then examine," while the original NWT says, "Examine first, then test, and refine."
So, how should this verse be translated? And who is correct?
There are three unique Hebrew verbs in the text, and they are all different and have different meanings.
The root of the first Hebrew word in consideration is בּחן, which is circled in green in the picture provided.
Gesenius Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon defines בּחן as "to search out, to examine," and is provided in the second picture.
The second root word in Hebrew is נסה, and is circled in aqua in the picture provided.
Gesenius Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon defines נסה as "To try, to test," and is shown in the third picture provided.
The final root word in Hebrew is צרף, and is circled in pink. Gesenius Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon defines צרף as "To melt a metal, especially by fire," which is shown in the final picture.
As you can see, all three Hebrew words, בּחן, נסה, and צרף, mean "to examine," "to test," and "to refine."
Therefore, King David wanted Jehovah to first "examine" him, then "put him to the test," before finally "refining" his kidneys and his heart.
Once again, the NWT has done a remarkable job in dissecting these three unique Hebrew verbs and bringing out the correct sequence of events, while over twenty-seven other translations have missed these unique nuances.
Your brother,
Steven G
