John 5:18 "...making himself equal to God"
"For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." - NIV.
FIRST EXPLANATION
The
Jews were wrongly accusing Yahshua of making himself equal to God in the authority
to change the Law. Yahshua had
just healed a man on the Sabbath. Jewish tradition had added numerous
restrictions to the Sabbath law over the years. Yahshua would certainly not
break the Law which was still in effect until his sacrificial death.
So, when the Jews accused him of making himself equal to God (by
"breaking" the Sabbath traditions of the Jews and claiming that it
was not wrong to heal on the Sabbath), they were insisting that their tradition
of not healing on the Sabbath was actually God's will. And, therefore, Yahshua’s
claim that it was lawful to do so was "making himself equal to God"
(in this case of healing and "changing" the Law - which would be
God's right alone).
It seems reasonably certain that the
Jews didn't really believe Yahshua was actually claiming to be God but
attempting to usurp God's authority in this one respect. But, since these
were Yahshua’s enemies who were making this false charge at John 5:18, it
really matters very little what they claimed.
The Jews opposing Yahshua with this objection were his ENEMIES.
What does matter, however, is what Yahshua claimed. How did Yahshua answer this
false charge by his enemies?
"To this charge Yahshua replied,
`In truth, in very truth I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he does
only what he sees the Father doing....'" - John 5:19, NEB.
So Yahshua did not claim that he was
Almighty God or even equal to Him. He clearly told the Jews that he was not
God, but that, even as God's spokesman, he could not act upon his own
initiative. Can we really picture the Almighty God of the universe saying that
he could do nothing on his own initiative?
We find, then, that the Jews made a charge, and Yahshua refuted it. He never
claimed to be the Almighty God. He never claimed to be equal to Almighty God.
SECOND EXPLANATION
This second explanation is the best explanation about the
LAW OF AGENCY and how Yahshua being an AGENT and DIRECT REPRESENTATIVE of
Almighty Yahweh was actually EQUAL to Yahweh’s representation in the eyes of
the Jews.
HOW IS JESUS EQUAL WITH GOD? John 5:18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loac2l3_GF4
Sharing the above EXCELLENT but a
little bit long Video on Whats app too.
Lost
in Translation: 11 Hebrew Idioms Better Left Untranslated Posted by Tova
Horwitz Categories Uncategorized, Blog
Date February 26, 2017
by Tova Horwitz
While Hebrew is indeed
the language of the Bible, modern Hebrew is a fast paced, ever-changing
language full of vibrant expressions, idioms and fun slang. Some of modern
Hebrew’s linguistic jewels – those phrases that make just the perfect point –
simply don’t translate well into English. Here’s a list of ten great Hebrew
expressions that are better in their original form!
Chaval al hazman (חבל על
הזמן)
This phrase is used quite frequently and literally translates to “shame on the
time.” Really, it is an exclamation of how awesome something is, perfectly
suited for when you’re talking about something incredible that happened. For
example, let’s say someone asks you, “How was the party?” If the party was
amazing then an appropriate response would be “It was chaval al hazman!” Some
people even shorten the three word expression into a single word by saying
chavlaz!
Titchadesh/i
(תתחדש/תתחדשי)
When you receive a new shirt as a gift, buy a pair of eyeglasses from the
store, or place an order for a new refrigerator someone (in Israel) will most
likely say to you – titchadesh! This single but powerful word translates to “be
new,” but really it’s a way of exclaiming your wish that the person will enjoy
and benefit from the new item. Next time you make a purchase and the
salesperson says titchadesh….simply respond todah (thanks), and smile.
Stam (סתם)
Plug the word סתם into the online dictionary, Morfix, and you get: (colloquial)
purposelessly; (colloquial) simply, just. But stam is more than that; it’s an
all-around great word that is such a pleasure to use because it is so versatile
and can be said as a response to all types of situations. It’s difficult to
directly translate, though, because it has so many potential meanings. Stam can
convey “just” or “because” as in “no reason,” or “just kidding,” or “just
because.” Usage example: “Why is he sitting there?” Answer: “He is stam sitting
there!” (He’s just sitting there for no reason!”)
Chai b’seret (חי בסרט) and Chutzpah
(חצפה)
Translated word for word to English, chai b’seret means ”living in a movie.”
It’s actually an idiom used to describe a person who has unrealistic
expectations or who is completely out of touch with reality. Chutzpah is a
well-known and oft-used Hebrew expression that describes someone who has
audacity, often that manifests itself in a negative way. Usage example: Mom
says to child, “Have you finished your homework?” Child makes a shocked
expression and responds with chutzpah, “At chaya baseret?!” “Are you
crazy/kidding me?!”
Naeem meod (נעים מאוד)
In Israel it’s quite common to say naeem meod when being introduced to someone
new or meeting someone for the first time. Literally, naeem meod means “feels
very pleasant” but it is used as if you’re saying in English, “it’s nice to
meet you!” Usage example: You meet a new neighbor for the first time. You say,
“Naim meod!” (“It’s great to meet you.”)
Ta’asu chayeem (תעשו
חיים)
You may hear this being said to someone who is leaving on a trip, parting from
someone from a while, or even heading out the door for a night out. It means
“to do or make life.” What it really means is: go and have a great time, enjoy,
make memories! Usage example: Your nephews are traveling to India for a month
and you wish them, “Ta’asu chayim!” (“Have a great time!”)
Al ha’paneem (על הפנים)
A classic Hebrew expression that simply does not translate well to English. Al
hapaneem translates to “on the face.” Really, it has nothing to do with a face
at all; it’s used to describe a big failure or something really bad. Usage
example: You ask your friend how the movie was that she recently watched. She
makes a face of displeasure and replies, “The movie was al hapaneem!” (“The
movie was just terrible!”)
Sof ha’olam smalah (סוף
העולם שמאלה)
You are most likely to hear this expression when you are asking for directions
to some obscure place. Word for word it means “the end of the world, to the
left.” In English, the closest translation of its meaning would be “in the
middle of nowhere.” Usage example: A person asks, “Where’s the wedding
reception being held?” Other person answer (with a sigh), “It’s sof ha’olam
smolah.” (“It’s way off in the middle of nowhere.”)
Sof ha’derech (סוף הדרך)
Literally, this phrase translates to “end of the road” which is similar to the
previous idiom “sof ha’olam smolah.” However, this expression has an entirely
different usage. You use it when describing something so amazing that there are
no other words to express your feelings. For example, someone asks you, “How
was your vacation?” You just had the best week of your life, so you respond,
“You have no idea! It was sof haderech!” (“You have no idea how absolutely
amazing it was!!”)
Davka (דווקא)
Finally, we come to the word davka, that Hebrew word that defies literal
translation because there is no equivalent English word that captures all its
various nuances. Morfix defines davka as: (colloquial) specifically, precisely;
(colloquial) in fact, actually. While that’s true, davka also has an added
element of attitude that simply gets lost in translation. Adding davka to a
sentence makes it more pointed; doing something “davka” means doing something
on purpose, or spitefully; davka can be used to point out a paradox; and it can
mean not necessarily, or on the contrary, too. Usage examples: “She started the
presentation davka just before I got there!” (“She started the presentation
intentionally just before I arrived (to get to me…)!” Or, “You didn’t like the
pasta? I davka liked it.” (“You didn’t like the Pasta? I actually (perhaps
surprisingly) really liked it.”)
If the exact usage of
the word davka and the other phrases still seems elusive to you, don’t despair!
As with most things, getting a hang of these idioms is just a matter of
practice and time.
WHY DID
I SHARE THE ABOVE ARTICLE?
The
above 11 Hebrew Idioms are Modern day Idioms that are presently being used in
day to day communication in Israel and still ITS EXTREMELY PAINFUL AND
DIFFICULT for translators to translate, communicate and convey the original
intended meaning.
Then how can we expect Imperfect Human
Translators to travel back in time, to
understand 2000 year old traditions, culture, sayings, jokes, idioms,
metaphors, similes, punches, puns and double meanings that were part and parcel
of that people and time 2000 plus years ago.
THIS SAME ISSUE HAS HAPPENED WITH THE
SCRIPTURE AT JOHN 5:18 – Yahshua was
equal in Representation. The Hebrew Idiom comes to play here that is: The SENT
person is EQUAL to the SENDER. But today, 2000 years later, we just get STUCK
to one word that is EQUAL and we say, See Yahshua is equal in ESSENSE to
Yahweh. Sad & Sorry to Say. A lot is
lost in Translation. Lots.