Bible Study John 14:2--rooms or mansions?

[evenifigoalone]

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."~John 14:2 KJV

But in other versions--not sure about all of them, but at least some, say rooms.


Now someone I know regards this as a major contradiction and argues that you'd rather have a mansion than just a nice hotel room.

On the other hand, it occurred to me just this evening that since the words "in my Father's house" are used, that calling the place Jesus has prepared for us "rooms" would make a little more sense.

But then, translating words from ancient languages can be tricky, since the cultural context often should be kept in mind.

 

[reba]

How about in my Fathers family are many places...

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

G3614 = house
From G3624; properly residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively); by implication a family (especially domestics): - home, house (-hold).


G3438 = mansions
From G3306; a staying, that is, residence (the act or the place): - abode, mansion.

G3306
A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own.

 

[farouk]

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."~John 14:2 KJV

But in other versions--not sure about all of them, but at least some, say rooms.


Now someone I know regards this as a major contradiction and argues that you'd rather have a mansion than just a nice hotel room.

On the other hand, it occurred to me just this evening that since the words "in my Father's house" are used, that calling the place Jesus has prepared for us "rooms" would make a little more sense.

But then, translating words from ancient languages can be tricky, since the cultural context often should be kept in mind.

[MENTION=89910]questdriven[/MENTION]:

I think your last sentence hits the nail on the head.

This underlines the difficulty of spiritualizing whole theories on the basis of one, isolated translation rendering in the King James. (I myself use and love the King James.)

Blessings.

 

[Sinthesis]

If I recall correctly, the symbolism here is of the Jewish wedding custom where the son to be wed leaves his fiance to prepare a place in the patriarch's house for his betrothed. Once the father considers his son's quarters ready, the father then announces the time of the wedding.

 

[RevSRE]

How about in my Fathers family are many places...

The word for Mansion here “mona” in Greek is a place, an abode.1 The 1611 King James romantic English translators must have thought, “The ultimate, the best abode is a mansion and being with God would be just that the best. Their idea was right. When thinking on this I ask, What is God’s HOUSE?

Isa 57:15 Says, For so says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose name is Holy;

If God’s house is eternity Jn 14:2 could read.

In eternity the dwelling of, God There is a place for ME!

And as we look at that place the story only gets better and better. ”Oykeeah” in Greek is the home of a family.6 The Majesty of the Eternal Holy God made a place for me but so much more than a dwelling in eternity. He made a place for me in the Family of God.
Ro 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God....The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

 

[reba]

Below are a few verses taken from OT and NT. The question i would ask are these verses using the word 'house' as a building or the family?


Gen_34:19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
Gen_39:2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Num_3:15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
Jos_17:17 And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:
Jos_21:45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
2Sa_3:19 And Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.

Luk_1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Heb_8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Act_2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 

[Sinthesis]

The House of Israel was a 'house' of familial allegiance even when they were all living in tents in the wilderness.

 

[Chopper]

Oh boy, I'm going way back in my memory (not much left at my age) to a study I made on this subject. I believe the correct word is "dwelling places" In the Jewish custom at the time of this writing, the engaged man would go to his fathers house and build a room or apartment on the right side of the house where he and his bride would live. As other sons would marry, each would build on the right side and so on until it was a solid, or close to it, wall of apartments forming a courtyard in the center where the whole family would meet for festive occasions.

 

[th1b.taylor]

Hi Reba. Not to slight anyone but I think I've not been down to long for Reba to remember an grumpy old man.

The idea that the scriptures can be translated in a word for word fashion is silly and anyone that has ever or does speak at least two languages knows, some words do not translate. That being said, I study from several translations but prefer the NASB because it is as close as a person can to a word for word translation and this is rendered places. What I hope for is a room, as close to the Throne Room as Jesus will assign me.

God bless.

 

[reba]

Hello Taylor ! Nice to see ya here and at the new site.... Been wondering about you... Welcome again....

 

[th1b.taylor]

Hello Taylor ! Nice to see ya here and at the new site.... Been wondering about you... Welcome again....

I've had a bout with the MS that slowed me way down but it did not kill me this time, lol. It's good to be back.

 

[dc.apostello]

callings

 

[reba]

I've had a bout with the MS that slowed me way down but it did not kill me this time, lol. It's good to be back.

Glad to see you made it over to the new site....The guys are working getting every thing up to par as best as they can....

 

[OhFarouk]

The French has 'demeures', which is 'dwelling places'.

(Another slight insight from bilingual Canada.)

Blessings.