Lesson 13

As it is only used once in the Hebrew text, tracing back to the root word for Heylel helps us discover what God meant when he used it. The Latin word Lucifer is only used once in most English Bible versions. It first appears in the Latin Vulgate Bible translated by Jerome in 405 AD. Lucifer is a compound word from 2 Latin words Lux=light and ferrous=to carry or bear, which means light-bearer or light-bringer. Therein lies the problem for anyone who wants to gain a deeper knowledge of the Bible, as that translation does not match the root Hebrew words for Heylel. The Old Testament Greek Septuagint translation, which had been widely available from before the 2nd century BC., uses the Greek word “eosphoror”, the old way of saying “phosphoros” for Heylel. If Jerome used it to work from, then he would be accurate as Lucifer is a great Latin translation of the Greek word phosphorus. Rather than Heylel being a word only used once, the Septuagint uses the old Greek word “eosphoror” to translate 6 different Hebrew words. They are 1 nesheph=twilight, 2 mishchar=dawn, 3 aphaph=eyelids or dawn, 4 boqer=morning or daybreak, 5 shachar=dawn or dayspring and, 6 heylel=?. All six of these translations are incorrect. In other scriptures, the Septuagint uses the Greek word “orthros” 26 times to translate the Hebrew word for dawn, and daybreak which would have been the best Greek translation for “aphaph”, “boqer”, “mishchar”, and “shachar”.  Recognizing some of the Hebrew word mistakes, Jerome correctly used the Latin words vespere=evening  for “nesheph”, as well as aurorae=dawn, diluculo=in the early morning, and diluculi=early morning for “phosphoros”. Many scholars find the Septuagint translation untrustworthy. Among other errors, it used one Greek word “hupostasis” to represent 15 different Hebrew words. Phosphorus and lucifer are inadequate choices for Heylel as it has nothing to do with morning or light. The original Hebrew text used the word Heylel only one time. It was used to describe an individual, not a set of physical circumstances. To translate it properly, it needs a word that reflects its uniqueness into whatever language it is being translated. How would you translate the words in these verses? What source reference material would you use to start with? Is it important to know what God has actually said, or is a paraphrase just as good? When Satan passes himself off as an angel of light, is his name part of the disguise?

John 6:63 Easy-to-Read Version
63 It is the Spirit that gives life. The body is of no value for that. But the things I have told you are from the Spirit, so they give life.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 English Standard Version
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.