HAGAH !

Ever find that things often get lost in translation?

I mean even through our society of texting and emails we can never really get the full extent of what someone is trying to portray. Or even the he said she said type of run around where things completely get twisted and turned. I played a game with the Sunday school class whisper down the lane and the sentence given was "The big pink giraffe was eating the leaves" and what came back was "Bugs pick at giraffes eating the trees". I mean it was kind of close right? It has me reflecting a lot about what comes back around to us and sometimes we miss the whole meaning right there in front of us. Working with people that don't necessarily speak English, in fact its called Liberian English there has been many conversations where I hear one thing and it is completely opposite. And well, if you don't exactly know what Liberian English sounds like, it's a lot like holding your tongue and speaking. At least that's how I hear it in my head.

I've heard a similar take on this before and it's gotten me really thinking about translation.

So with that being the thought on my mind, can you only imagine the things in scripture that got passed down the line and kind of got tumbled around through translation? One of the biggest misconceptions I've found in scripture being the word meditate. Especially in Joshua 1:8,

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Now when you think of the word, meditate, my inclination is that I am to reflect. You know, go sit quietly somewhere and think over God's word day and night. Now, let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with that. But I find that we miss the most powerful message of all behind that word meditate! It all goes back to an onomatopoeia which was one of the lessons I LOVED in English class. For those of you who did not pay attention in class here is a refresher, an onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like it's meaning. Like when you hear water dripping and it's making that splish, splosh, splash noise. If we go further into the Hebrew language there are tons of these types of words that get so lost in the power of their meaning.

HAGAH!

When the word Hagah was translated into English, translators unfortunately went with the word "meditate" as its literal meaning. So if we go back to James 1:8  and replace the word meditate with the word, HAGAH, it is the onomatopoeia for what a hungry lion does when he is searching for his food. You know, that spine chilling roar the lion lets out as he's desperately looking and passionately searching for something to fulfill him. Does that sound like a quiet meditation to you? In Joshua 1 it is primairly focused on being hungry for the word of God day in and out. To desire God's love and words as a hungry lion, I mean common, HAAAAGAAAAAAAHHHHH!

Often at times I find myself just treating the bible as a snack. You know, talk about it when needed, but not all the time. In no way do I keep careful to "do everything written in it" as it's declared clearly before us. I find it interesting that in Joshua 1:8 shows that our hunger and our obedience to what His Word declares to us is DIRECTLY RELATED to our "success" in life. Now keep in mind we all label success in different translations too. I find frustration in how we've reduced the bible to a set of rules and regulations and take our diets and work outs as a "way of life" more seriously than we take our relationship with Christ. Just saying, don't hate. These rules or laws you may say are here to restrict us but in reality if you've experienced following these you seen that they are here to GIVE US LIFE.  Why do you think He is living on the inside ROARING like a lion?

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates (hagah) day and night.- {Psalms 1:1-2}

So I'll end with this,

Where in your life are you HAGAAAAH'ing?