Gimme Some Red Stuff
Every once in a while the wording chosen in a particular version of the Bible strikes me as funny - if not hilarious. Today I encountered one of those choice, giggly verses. I have been listening to Genesis today, from an audio New American Standard Bible (NASB). The NASB is well-noted as being a fairly literal translation compared to some others. In regard to Bible versions, "literal" refers to dedicated faithfulness to word-for-word translation from the original languages (sometimes sacrificing readability). The other extreme of translation would be called "dynamic" or thought-for-thought (the extreme of which loses accuracy and literary beauty). NASB is not as literal as King James, but is less dynamic than NIV - at least that's what people say. However, let's take a look at Genesis 25:30. The list below is ordered more-or-less from most literal (word-for-word) at the top to most dynamic (thought-for-thought or paraphrased) at the bottom.
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Genesis 25:30 KJV
And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom.
Genesis 25:30 NKJV
And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom.)
Genesis 25:30 ESV
He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.
Genesis 25:30 NIV
Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew!" (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means "red.")
Genesis 25:30 NLT
and said, "I'm starving to death! Give me some of that red stew right now!" That's how Esau got the name "Edom."
Genesis 25:30 CEV
Esau came in from the field, starved. Esau said to Jacob, "Give me some of that red stew - I'm starved!" That's how he came to be called Edom (Red).
Genesis 25:30 The Message
Comparing these various popular Bible versions, all of them pretty much say the same thing. Esau wanted the red stew (or "pottage"). If you look up the Strongs number for the word, this rendering seems fairly accurate. It was some sort of soup or stew. Okay, NOW look at how the NASB renders this verse, keeping in mind that the NASB is a Bible translation fairly well known for being on the literal side of the scale. Prepare for it now... this is awesome!
and Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom.
Genesis 25:30 NASB
STUFF!??! Awesome! Now I KNOW I chose the right Bible version to listen to! When you think about it though... Esau was very famished, probably bending over in stomach pains as he stumbled into the room. It's quite possible he might have said something that reads in English as "Dude! Gimme some of that red stuff!" or simply, "Bro! Hand that over now!". Nevertheless, I don't really understand why the translators chose to substitute a more general word for something that is pretty specific and doesn't need to be generalized, even to meet the demands of changing language patterns. Oh well. It's not all that important to me. It sure gave me a chuckle to hear it said in my ears though!
Oh, and by the way, in case you are a massively legalistic, literalistic scholar, consider this. Do you think the use of the fairly modern word "stuff" is heresy? Did you know that the oldest commonly used version of the Bible, the King James Version, uses the word "stuff" a bunch of times? It is used exactly the same way you or I use it today! Don't believe me? See here! And you thought this was a fairly modern, lazy word! Think again! There is no better word than "stuff". How can you describe a group of things that aren't related to each other? It's the only word that works, dude! The only use of the word that you probably won't find in any Bible is the "pointless suffix" use: "Today I went to the mall, ate lunch at Subway, got my pictures from Costco, and stuff."
So, in the end, what is the more accurate word for Genesis 25:30? Stew or stuff? I'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. In general, don't base your life off a whim impression - this is the very Word of God, to be considered deeply and carefully... though on matters of "stew" and "stuff", I think it's not a matter of life or death. Speaking of Bible versions, which one do you read? Give me some reasons why you decided for "your" version or against the others. Me? I read (or listen to) all of the ones listed in this blog post (except the CEV and Message - too "iffy" for my studious, detail-oriented taste). I also have one other one. I think it is an ASV Study Bible or something.