Words Made Flesh

I wish I could read ancient Greek and Hebrew. It's not a skill I think I will ever possess, but it would be nice. In just the minuscule amount of Scripture I have studied, it seems almost every verse has some nuance that is lost in translation.

For instance, I was listening to a talk by Tim Staples about the Blessed Virgin Mary.  He pointed out that in Luke's narrative of the Annunciation there in an interesting word play going on. Mary asks "How can this be, since I do not know man?" Every translation I am aware of (including "literal" translations) has the angel's reply in Luke 1:37 as:

³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”

or very similar wording. But according to Tim, and I looked it up in a Greek interlinear Bible, the actual words written were

37   ὅτι οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πᾶν εἶπεν

or

37   for not will be impossible with God every word said.

or

37  for every word of God's is possible.

Similar meaning, but it gives quite a different emphasis to Mary's reply "Let it be done to me according to your word."

Posted in: bible,Catholic,Mary