Learning the original languages of the Bible is like having X-ray vision because it enables readers to see things others can’t see. For example, God told Noah, “So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out” (Gen 6:14). The Hebrew word for ark is tevah. This word is also used n Exodus 2: Moses’s mother places him in a papyrus “basket” or tevah (v. 3). The story of Moses’s salvation is supposed to remind us of Noah and his family’s salvation. In both stories, people were saved by being in a tevah.
In the New Testament, when Jesus was transfigured, Luke says, “they [Moses and Elijah] spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem” (9:31). The Greek word for “departure” is exodus. Just as the people of Israel went through an exodus, being delivered from slavery into freedom, Jesus would have his own exodus, from death to resurrection life.
In both examples, many modern day English Bible versions, include this basic information in a footnote. So if you are not going to learn the original languages, at least read the footnotes in your Bible.
I have served as a high school Bible teacher and counselor in Asia and the U.S. I am passionate about understanding and teaching the Bible. Here’s a link to my book page.
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