[B-Greek] KLINE
Harold Holmyard
hholmyard at ont.com
Sat Jul 22 18:44:06 EDT 2006
Dear Fridolin,
>My main point was, that if I translate KLINE with a different word than
>"bed", the questions that were discussed would not make such a big
>difference. Since there are at least 4 different words in Greek, that are
>all translated as "bed" into different languages, shouldn't we try to
>differentiate between them in the target-language in order to simplify the
>comprehension of the text for the readers? Couch for KLINE, mattress for
>KRABBATON, pillow for KLINIDIO, and bed for KOITE, as possibilities. If you
>could place a light bellow the KLINE (theoretically), it obviously wasn't
>touching the ground (Luke 8:16), and it was in a public place for the people
>to have its light or don't have it. Unless you had one room in the whole
>house the KLINE would be located in an area where the guests would commune.
>While the "object" upon which people slept at night was a KOITE (Luke 11:7).
>By the way, Luke is the only writer that uses all four words. Since sofa has
>something to lean on, and the KLINE did not, this word could not be used.
>The technically correct word for KLINE in Portuguese would be our word for
>DIVAN.
>
>I have the impression that in the given scenario, the two were not lying in
>a bed. They were either reclining and having fellowship in the
>"living-room", or they were reclining at a meal, on a KLINE.
>
HH: We shouldn't tie one English word to one Greek word because KLINH
has different meanings in different contexts. It can be a portable bed
(cot), or a more permanent kind of bed. In the LXX, where there is quite
a bit of usage, the overwhelming meaning of the word is a bed for
sleeping. A couple of times it refers to a funeral bier. Once or twice
it seems to be a dining couch (Esth 1:6; 7:8). While your meaning of two
people dining together is possible, the mention of "night" in Luke 17:34
and the predominant meaning of the word favor the idea of a bed.
Yours,
Harold Holmyard
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