MS: וַיַּחְתְּרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים לְהָשִׁיב אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָׁה וְלֹא יָכֹלוּ כִּי הַיָּם הוֹלֵךְ וְסֹעֵר עֲלֵיהֶם
LXX: Καὶ παρεβιάζοντο οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς τὴν γῆν καὶ οὐκ ἠδύναντο ὅτι ἡ θάλασσα ἐπορεύετο καὶ ἐξηγείρετο μᾶλλον ἐπʼ αὐτούς
TJ: וְשָׁיְטִין גַבְרַיָא לַאֲתָבָא לְיַבֶּשְׁתָּא וְלָא יְכִילוּ אֲרֵי יַמָא אָזֵיל וְנַחְשׁוֹלֵיהּ תַּקִיף עֲלֵיהוֹן
Verse Breakdown
MS: וַיַּחְתְּרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים לְהָשִׁיב אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָׁה LXX: Καὶ παρεβιάζοντο οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς τὴν γῆν TJ: וְשָׁיְטִין גַבְרַיָא לַאֲתָבָא לְיַבֶּשְׁתָּא
MS: And rowed, the men, to get back to dry land LXX: And rowed, the men, to get back to land TJ: And rowed, the men, to get back to dry land
MS: וְלֹא יָכֹלוּ כִּי הַיָּם הוֹלֵךְ וְסֹעֵר עֲלֵיהֶם LXX: καὶ οὐκ ἠδύναντο ὅτι ἡ θάλασσα ἐπορεύετο καὶ ἐξηγείρετο μᾶλλον ἐπʼ αὐτούς TJ: וְלָא יְכִילוּ אֲרֵי יַמָא אָזֵיל וְנַחְשׁוֹלֵיהּ תַּקִיף עֲלֵיהוֹן
MS: But were not able, for the sea was going, and the tempest was upon them LXX: But were not able, for the sea was going and stirring greater upon them TJ: But were not able, for the sea was going and its waves were strong upon them
Critical Reconstruction
Shortest Construction:
“And rowed, the men, to get back to land, but were not able, for the sea was going, and the tempest was upon them.”
Longest Construction:
“And rowed, the men, to get back to dry land, But were not able, for the sea was going and stirring greater upon them.”
Overview:
This verse is somewhat stable. There are two small changes. First, the LXX changes “dry land” from MS and TJ to simply “land.” Second, both LXX and TJ differ in the reasoning they were not able to get back to land, but with the same basic premise. The rowing was ineffective, according to the MS, because “the sea was going, and the tempest was upon them,” but LXX notes it was, “stirring greater upon them,” and TJ notes that its, “waves were strong upon them.” Both LXX and TJ add a clarifying word that the storm was strong or stirring more, so they were not able to get to land. These are simple explanative notes.
Use Your Imagination
One of the greatest things that have been lost with reading the Bible is using our imagination. When we approach Bible study, we want to do it with the integrity of the text. In other words, we want to see what the author is saying, and not center on things the author is not clear on. This practice of centering on something the author is not noting is called taking something out of context. One time I heard a pastor teach on Jesus calming the storm. He said something to the effect of, “Jesus said ‘peace, be still.’ He was commanding peace itself to be still, because peace itself had come out of order.” This is a very interesting point, but it is what we would call taking something out of context. In context, Jesus is speaking to the storm, and commands it to have peace and be still. He is not speaking to the abstract concept of peace itself, which had become unpeace. This is generally a bad method to use when preaching on what a text literally means.
However, in our own Bible study, it is important to try to put ourselves in the shoes of the characters. In the previous example, Jesus is not telling peace itself to be still. Peace is an abstract concept that can not become unpeace, because then saying “peace” would not refer to it. However, as we read the text imaginatively, it is okay to careful separate what the text is literally saying, which is what we can be sure of and should teach, and what sticks out to us. In the scene of Jesus in the storm, imagine yourself there.
The waves crash up against the boat. Your fellow disciples are terrified. A great, dark storm looms over you. You cry out, “teacher will you let us die?” but it can hardly be heard over the sound of pouring rain and the crack of thunder. Suddenly, Jesus arises and cries out to the storm. Three words, calmly spoken, hardly heard: “Peace. Be still.” The clouds vanish, the waves cease. It is as if you are sailing on a small pond, the water clear and still. The sky sunny, warm on your face once more. When we read a text imaginatively, as we have practiced, you come to see the reality of the people involved. However, when we practice this kind of Bible reading, there are benefits and dangers. The benefit is clear. We come to have a greater appreciation for the events, motivations, and the way God intervenes. However, the danger is also serious. In reading imaginatively, we can become separate from the real meaning of the text. It’s a lot like looking at a painting of a biblical story. You know know the people or places really looked like that. In fact, you should know they likely did not. But it helps to put you there. Would you ever make a sermon on an attribute of a painting? DiVinchi’s “Last Supper” places Jesus and the disciples on one side of the table. Should that ever be a sermon point? No, because it is not in the text. But we can imagine the story to give us a better appreciation for its contents.
