Cast in the teeth

[John Henry]

"THE THIEVES ...
CAST THE SAME IN HIS TEETH"
(Matthew 27:44)

Matthew 27:42-44:  "He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.  The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth."

On page 231 of Bible corrector, James White's, book, The King James Only Controversy he says, "The KJV is not free from 'dynamic' translations.  At times the translators were actually quite free with their terms. They translated the rather straightforward term "reviled" as "cast the same in his teeth" at Matthew 27:44 (there is no word "teeth" in the Greek text)."

However, in the Websters 1828 Dictionary under "Upbraid" it says, "To charge with something wrong or disgraceful; to reproach; to cast in the teeth ..."  To "cast in the teeth" is an idiomatic verbally equivalent to "upbraid," "reproach" or "revile."  The KJV is not Dynamic Equivalent translation, but is rather Verbally  Equivalent.

"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Psalm 12:6-7)


NOTES:

1.  Verbal or Formal Equivalence:  A literal translation tries to remain as close to the original text as possible, without adding the translators' ideas and thoughts into the translation. Thus, the argument goes, the more literal the translation is, the less danger there is of corrupting the original message. This does not necessary mean word for word translation, but rather verbal equivalence (i.e. Equivalent English word or words for original word or words). The King James Version is formally equivalent to the original text. Formal Equivalence honors God.

2.  Dynamic Equivalence:  A dynamic equivalence translation tries to clearly convey the thoughts and ideas of the source text. A dynamic equivalence translator attempts to convey the subtleties of context and subtext thus opening the translation up to the possibility for human error and prejudice. The New Living Translation and the New International Version are examples of dynamic equivalence. Dynamic Equivalence honors man.

3.  Idiomatic: An idiom is an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements. It is an artistic expression characteristic of a particular period, school or medium.

-- John Henry