I'm taking a Bible as Literature course this semester.

Previously, though I was as familiar with the Bible as most "Westerners", I hadn't particularly studied it religiously or academically.

I had of course heard of the phrase "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." I suppose I've heard it on TV, in movies, or seen it as an allusion in works of literature.

Now actually *studying* Biblical text, I've stumbled on the fact that this beautiful literary image does not appear in the "original" Hebrew.

I understand that the Bible began as oral stories, which were eventually and gradually compiled and transcribed. I know that these texts have gone through numerous translations and revisions. However, certainly the Hebrew text must be more "true" to the original words than, say, the King James version which was written around 1611.

Ok, this is what I found:

Psalm 23:4

Hebrew: "Gam ki elech b'gia tzalmavet..."
"Even though I walk in a valley of deep darkness..."

New English Bible: "Even were I to walk through a valley of deepest darkness..."

King James Version: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."


The New English Bible is considered a scholarly translation of the oldest Hebrew texts available. And, at least compared to the Hebrew version I have, it does seem quite similar. In addition to these three, I also found the a translation from Ugaritic texts. These are, for now, the oldest biblical texts discovered. In the Ugaritic translation the line is simply: "Even though I should walk in the midst of total darkness..."

It seems as though there are a lot of very religious people on Rinkworks, particularly of Judeo-Christian faiths. I'm curious what your reactions are to these differences.

My own opinion is that the "original" was probably very close to the Ugaritic and Hebrew versions. However, from a literary standpoint, the King James version is much more beautiful.

Grace