


And it seems that the larger any ebook is-and Bibles tend to be large-the more difficult it is to get around. I can't flip pages past the middle to find Obadiah. However, this obviously cannot be done with an ebook version of a Bible. I knew I could open my Bible to the midway point and find myself in the book of Psalms. As a child, I was taught in Sunday School that the book of Psalms is right in the middle of the Bible (physically speaking). If you've done anything more than straight reading of the Bible on a Kindle or Nook, you can probably feel his pain. He said, "I was trying to follow you, but every time you referred to a particular passage, you were already on to something else by the time I got there." This just happened to be on a Nook, but the problem applies just as much on a Kindle.

The offender simply cannot get to the offense quickly enough!Īs always, your thoughts, questions, comments and rebutalls are welcome below.Ī few months ago, I was talking to a fellow about using the Bible on an eReader. The use of hotfoot suggests that the offender is not merely moving toward the sin quickly, but moving toward it quickly with desire and anticipation-with eagerness as the definition at the top of the post suggests. All three instances have to do with hastening toward some kind of sinful activity. The NRSV offers a fairly literal translation to the last phrase: "your feet are swift to commit murder." The Latin impiger simply conveys the idea of swift, active, or diligent.Īlthough hotfoot is not a word used often by myself or in my circles, I actually like what is communicated by the REB in these verses. This text, although originally written in Hebrew, only survives in Latin. You have stained your hands with blood you hasten hotfoot to commit murder.Īt the beginning of the apocalyptic 2 Esdras, God is making his case against Israel for their coming judgment. The ESV and HCSB both translate the phrase as their feet run. The NIV employs rush here with "their feet rush," making perhaps an rough attempt at approximating the sound of the Hebrew with an English word.

The text says literally that their feet run ( רוּץ/ ruṣ) to evil. In this context the writer of Proverbs is referring to the sinful. They hasten hotfoot into crime, pressing on to shed blood. Other translations: my foot has hurried (NIV), my foot has hastened (ESV), my foot has rushed (HCSB). The REB's use of hotfoot conveys the Hebrew חוּשׁ/ ḥuš, which by itself simply means "to hurry," as applied to Job's foot. Here, Job is defending himself against the accusations of his friends. I swear I have had no dealings with falsehood and have not gone hotfoot after deceit. The REB combines this idea into one word: hotfoot. In all of the texts below, there is some reference to "feet" in the original along with a word that suggests speed. The word occurs in three places in the complete Revised English Bible. Yet, I have heard the word used occasionally, usually from an "older" individual. I admit that personally, I don't use the word hotfoot in everyday conversation. In my reading of the Revised English Bible, I've come across an interesting translation choice that I thought I'd quickly share.
