Jesus told his followers that they do not live on bread alone, but “on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). God’s “word” is the objective truth he reveals to man through special revelation. Some of that special, heavenly revelation was written down and ended up as Scripture, the Bible. The Bible is God’s supernatural, spiritual food which feeds our soul (Jer 15:16), informs our mind, and guides our actions and words (Ps 119:105). To live right, in a way that pleases God, is to live according to the Bible’s teaching. Therefore, it is a priority for Christians to know what the Bible says so we can obey it. And therefore, we need to read it properly, which means we need to interpret it properly.
The Danger of Interpreting the Bible Incorrectly
Interpreting the Bible properly falls into the category of what is called “hermeneutics.” Hermeneutics is the science of interpreting literature. Applied to Scripture, hermeneutics is best defined as “the rules of interpretation.” There are rules to be followed when it comes to reading the Bible. And they are fixed, universal, they transcend time and culture, and they were established by God. The Bible is not to be read willy-nilly, superficially, sporadically, or subjectively. Unfortunately, people do that all the time. Doing so is dangerous. Peter reminded fellow Christians of how dangerous it is to read and interpret the Bible incorrectly, apart from the established rules:
And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures (2 Pet 3:15-16).
Peter says in verse 16 that Scripture can be hard to understand and those who are not properly taught, those who do not follow the proper rules of hermeneutics, “twist” (or “manipulate, distort and mangle”) Scripture in a destructive manner. Peter knew what he was talking about. He was an author of divine Scripture, being led by the Holy Spirit as he wrote (2 Pet 1:18-21).
Rule #1: Getting the Translation Right
So, what are the established rules of hermeneutics? There are many helpful books on hermeneutics and Bible interpretation, such as Evangelical Hermeneutics, by Robert L. Thomas and Basic Bible Interpretation by Roy B. Zuck. These books are thorough, but for the sake of this article I just want to talk about the first rule, which is often neglected or forgotten. The first rule of hermeneutics is translation, or getting the translation right.
It is common for us, the English readers, to just read our Bible as is and then run head-long into an interpretation and application without even stopping to pause and ask, “I wonder what this actually says in the original language?” The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Greek. So, our English Bibles are translations; and if you know anything about doing translation from one language into another, there is the inescapable fact that something always gets lost in translation, whether it’s a cultural idiom, a literary device, unique vocabulary, as well as other important nuances that provide precision.
English translations represent a lot of hard work and expertise on the part of the translation teams, but no English translation is perfect. Hence it is imperative that we first consider proper translation before making an interpretation and application.
Case Study: Proverbs 22:6
Many verses in our English Bibles were not translated properly, and as a result they mislead the average English reader. Numerous examples could be given for illustration, but let’s just look at one from the Old Testament. Consider the famous parenting verse of Proverbs 22:6, which is rendered by the King James Version (KJV) as follows:
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
There were about 50 men on the KJV committee of translation back in 1611, doing their work at Cambridge, Oxford, and Westminster. Their rendering of Proverbs 22:6 has stood the test of time, for many modern popular translations followed suit in their renderings of this Hebrew maxim, including the NASB, NKJV, ESV, NET, and the most recent LSB.
Following this translation, many Christians have understood this verse to be foundational to their parenting philosophy. The common interpretation of the verse as stated is that if parents teach their children biblical truth while they are young and impressionable, then when the children grow up and become adults, they will cling to the Christian education their parents imparted to them in their formative years…even if they have a season of doubt or straying, like in the college years.
This popular view understands this verse as primarily pedagogical and even programmatic, meaning, just teach the right doctrine systematically to your young children and they will be programmed to live right forever. The priority in parenting with this view then becomes a matter of just dispensing right information and spiritual data. Memorizing Bible verses in Sunday school, AWANA, homeschool, and in other contexts becomes a foolproof safeguard against unbelief. Rigorous, ongoing recitations of religious catechisms become a panacea for spiritual maturity in later life.
But there is a problem with the above interpretation and application of understanding Proverbs 22:6 in such a manner. It is not a verse primarily about pedagogy, sheer didactic instruction and simple impartation of biblical data. And it is not only, or even primarily, about the heart and attitude of the child, as much as it is about the heart and attitude of the parent. I say this based on the original Hebrew of this verse. The King James did not give the best translation of this verse in 1611. As it stands it is actually misleading; or at least it lacks precision. Let’s consider what it actually says in Hebrew. In other words, let’s reconsider the translation to make sure we have it right before trying to make any interpretation and application.
“Train Up” a Child in the Way He Should Go?
In Hebrew the first word in the sentence is the main verb, which the KJV translated as “Train up.” But the word used does not mean “train up.” The word is chanak, and is used only five times as a verb in the Old Testament. And in the four other instances aside from this verse it is used the same way and means “to dedicate” or “to consecrate.” In all four occurrences it refers to someone formally “dedicating” a new building for proper usage long-term. Two of the four instances describe Solomon “dedicating” and “consecrating” the brand new Temple of YHWH:
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts, and the Levites also, with the instruments of music to the Lord, which King David had made for giving praise to the Lord—“for His lovingkindness is everlasting”—whenever he gave praise by their means, while the priests on the other side blew trumpets; and all Israel was standing. 7 Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat (2 Chron 7:4-7; cf. 1 Kings 8).
In 2 Chronicles 7:5 the word “dedicated” is the same Hebrew verb chanak that is used in Proverbs 22:6. And notice that 2 Chronicles 7:7 above mentions the word “consecrated” which is used as a synonym for “dedicated” in verse 5. Deuteronomy 20:5 uses the word chanak similarly, as it describes the “dedication” of a new house.
In addition to the five usages of the verb chanak there are eight occurrences of the related noun, and in all eight cases it is translated as “the dedication” (cf. Num 7:10, 11, 84, 88; 2 Chron 7:9; Neh 12:27 and the superscript in Ps 30). So, taken together, aside from Proverbs 22:6, all twelve usages of the verb and noun of chanak are rendered as “dedicate” in our English Bibles. Even the King James Bible translates all four other usages of the verb chanak as “dedicate,” so there is no real precedent to translate the same verb as “train up” in 22:6.
Although no current English Bible translation renders the phrase as, “Dedicate a child in the way that he should go,” most scholarly and exegetical commentaries acknowledge the fact that that is what the verb chanak means. The CSB (2017) moves in this direction with its, “Start a youth out on his way” as does the NIV which gives a similar rendering: “Start children off on the way they should go.”
All four references that translate the verse as “dedicate” in reference to a building, whether a soldier’s house or the Temple, emphasize the newness or novelty of the building, thus emphasizing the building was in its “infancy” stage regarding its usage. Metaphorically this parallels a young child as mentioned in Proverbs 22:6 who would be in his infancy stage in life. The verb “dedication” then would have the nuance of “initiation” or “consecration,” something in its beginning stages of usage. Hence the CSB and the NIV legitimately try to catch this nuance with the verb “start.” In light of the foregoing, the first phrase in Proverbs 22:6 should be translated as, “Dedicate a young child.”
In addition to the meaning of the main Hebrew verb being used in Proverbs 22:6, “dedicate,” it is also important to know the “mood” of the verb. In grammar the mood refers to the relationship between the verb and reality, or marking orientation to fact. In this case, the verb chanak is an imperative or a command. The command is to parents, not to the children. God expects believing parents to dedicate or consecrate their young children which will entail long-term implications.
Another tweak that is needed in the translation of the KJV rendition of Proverbs 22:6 is the phrase, “in the way that he should go.” The Hebrew has only two words and literally reads, “according to his way.” So, taken together, the verse is best translated as follows:
Dedicate a child according to his way, and when he is older he will not depart from it.
Even with the proper translation, the meaning of some of the phrases, and the overall point, is highly disputed among Bible scholars. But with a more precise translation, we the English readers, are in a better position to get at Solomon’s original intent when he penned this pithy aphorism 3,000 years ago. Instead of commanding believing parents to take their kids to AWANA weekly to memorize half the Bible to insure their future eternal salvation, Solomon was more likely commanding believing parents to see their children as a gift (James 1:17) and stewardship from God (Ps 127:3), and as a result, he implored them to dedicate their children back to God in thanksgiving and praise.
Conclusion
Our children our not our own. They belong to God. They came from him; they will return to him. Parents need to love, nurture and instruct their children that God has entrusted to their care, all the while remembering that we do so with loose hands, knowing their eternal souls belong to the Creator and Judge. We are not to be hyper-controlling and manipulative parents. This verse is about maintaining the right perspective in terms of our providential role of parenting in light of God’s sovereign control over us and our children. We cannot control the eternal destiny of our children, but God in his wisdom and grace, has chosen to use parents as fundamental instruments in guiding our offspring in the right direction.
A vivid illustration of the implementation of this verse from Solomon’s era can be seen in the attitude of Hannah. She was barren for years and prayed fervently to God, asking that he would open her womb. God answered that prayer are gave her baby Samuel. Hannah loved God and knew that he was the giver of life and she also knew that if she had a child, that child actually belonged to God. So, she literally “dedicated” the baby Samuel to God (1 Sam 1:11; 2:26-28). This was all about her attitude as a parent. She could not determine the future of Samuel’s spirituality all the days of his life, but she had the right priorities in parenting and trusted God with the results. That is what it means to “dedicate” your young child to God, trusting him with their future. (And PS-memorizing Bible verses is a good thing…but it does not guarantee the salvation of our children).
The knotty problem of trying to understand and apply Proverbs 22:6 highlights the importance of good hermeneutics and of not forgetting step number 1: get the correct translation. We need to be familiar with the original Hebrew and Greek. And this is why God in his kindness has given “teachers” to the church (Eph 4:11) who can give us the tools and direction we need to properly understand what God actually says. And many of these faithful teachers have written down the fruits of their labor to be preserved for the wider audience of the church universal. Thank God for such gifts and resources.
