Ask Your Preacher - Archives

Ask Your Preacher - Archives

“Species Classification”

Categories: OLD TESTAMENT
In Exodus 7:10, it says that Aaron's staff turned into a snake.  I have heard that in the Hebrew language, the word they used for what his staff turned into translates into crocodile.  Have you heard of this?  Does the Bible contain many of these mistranslations?

Sincerely,
Editor-In-Chief

Dear Editor-In-Chief,

The Hebrew word you are referring to is ‘tanniyn’ and it means snake or serpent.  Depending on the context, the word ‘tanniyn’ can be used for a sea serpent/beast, dragon, dinosaur, or snake.  Ex 7:10 isn’t mistranslated; it is appropriately translated using the context of the surrounding verses.

People often hear these stories of the Bible being mistranslated, but it is important to remember that every Greek and Hebrew scholar on the planet is constantly searching the Bible and studying Its translation.  If there were an error, half a dozen translators would scream, “Foul!” within five seconds.  The Bible translation has stood up to rigorous academic scrutiny from atheist and religious alike.  Ex. 7:10 is a perfectly acceptable translation from the original Hebrew.