“I am black and beautiful . . . “

Dr. Aubrey Buster, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, contemplates how a translation of an ambiguous word can reflect and/or lead to serious errors of perception, including perceptions of race and social class. A common Hebrew conjunction used in Song of Songs 1:5 could be read as “black but beautiful” or “black and beautiful.” The latter, “and,” is more likely contextually, though it has long been translated as “but.”

To hear the podcast (about 7 minutes) click here.

“Exegetically Speaking” is a weekly podcast of the friends and faculty of Wheaton College, IL and The Lanier Theological Library. Hosted by Dr. David Capes, it features language experts who discuss the importance of learning the biblical languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—and show how reading the Bible in the original languages “pays off.” Each podcast lasts between seven and eleven minutes and covers a different topic for those who want to read the Bible for all it is worth.

If you’re interested in going deeper, learn more about Wheaton’s undergraduate degree in Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) and our MA in Biblical Exegesis. 

You can hear Exegetically Speaking on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at exegetically.speaking@wheaton.edu.