The value of studying Greek and Hebrew

From The Berean Call:

Question: You seem to discount the value of studying Greek and Hebrew in order to be able to understand the Bible better. A friend of mine is trying to persuade me to go to seminary in order to learn the original biblical languages. Why shouldn’t I?

Answer: If the Lord leads you to seminary, by all means go. But let’s be practical. How many years of study and experience do you think the translators of the King James Bible had in order to qualify them for that job? How long would it take a beginner to learn Greek and Hebrew well enough to discover where these men made a poor translation (if they did) and to improve it? Does your friend, or do you, intend to reach that level of expertise? Is that remote possibility worth the time and effort?

If you say that Greek is a richer language than English, and that knowing it would give you a deeper understanding, I won’t argue. But wouldn’t the time you’d have to spend learning Greek to any beneficial level be better spent in studying the Bible itself on your knees, seeking understanding from the Holy Spirit, and getting to know Him and His Word? Comparing scripture with scripture, and using a good concordance, you can see how the same Greek or Hebrew words and expressions are used in different passages. The Bible interprets itself.

I have been told lately by several Calvinists that I can’t understand the Bible—not even John:3:16—because I don’t know the original languages. If so, then neither does the average Christian, but must look to experts to interpret it for him—experts who therefore stand between him and God. Far from biblical, this is elitism similar to Roman Catholicism, which discourages ordinary members from studying the Bible because only the magisterium (bishops in concert with the Pope) can interpret it.

Saying this doesn’t make me popular and offends some of my dearest friends. But a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew has been elevated so highly that one must conclude that the Wycliffe Bible translators have wasted their time all these years. Why translate the Bible into native languages if these people still couldn’t understand it because they don’t know Greek and Hebrew? Wouldn’t it be more efficient and less time consuming to teach Greek and Hebrew to native peoples so they could read the Bible in those languages instead of translating it into their native tongues? May the Lord give you wisdom in coming to your own conclusions.

The Berean Call Staff (Dave Hunt, T. A. McMahon, et. al), September 1, 2003 [Note: I have some minor disagreements with the quote—for example, rather than “go” to seminary, I advocate the church taking back the education of its ministers—but I agree with the general tenor of it regarding the use, misuse, and abuse of language studies to create an elite class among (above) our churches.]