IDEA: We may be translated as Enoch was.
TEXT: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:5-6).
"Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:21-24).
PURPOSE: To help listeners see the hope of those who walk by faith.
Have you ever had to translate from one language to another? What are the factors that you have to weigh?
Do the translators of the Bible have any additional problems to wrestle with as they translate the Scriptures?
I. The biblical translators are caught in a tension between being true to the words of the Greek or Hebrew and also to the thought patterns of people in the 21st century.
Some translators are concerned to represent the biblical text but may do so in a wooden way.
Other translators are concerned about representing the biblical thought to our modern thought, so they look for a dynamic equivalence.
Which of the two options makes for a better translation?
II. This explains why different translations may differ a bit as they reflect a particular biblical text.
In Hebrews 11:5 in the King James, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
In Hebrews 11:5 in the New King James, "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him,' for before he was taken he had this testimony that he pleased God.
In Hebrews 11:5 the New International Version, "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God."
In Hebrews 11:5 the Revised Standard Version, "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God."
J. B. Phillipps translates Hebrews 11:5: "It was because of his faith that Enoch was promoted to the eternal world without experiencing death. He disappeared from this world because God promoted him, before that happened his reputation was that 'he pleased God.'"
The New English Bible: "By faith Enoch was carried away to another life without passing through death; he was not to be found because God had taken him, for it is the testimony of Scripture that before he was taken he had pleased God."
III. The King James version says that Enoch was "translated." That is almost a literal translation of this word. What does it mean to "translate"?
What does it mean when we translate languages?
What do you think it means when it refers to Enoch?
Do you think something like that could ever happen again?
In 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 Paul says that it must happen again.
Why was Enoch translated? Why would we expect to be translated?