I am learning Hebrew by reading the Old Testament in the original. Much of what seems explicit in the KJV is actually inferred and implicit in the Hebrew text. Is this a widespread characteristic of Biblical Hebrew?

May it bring you light and satisfaction!! I am reminded of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden where the hero of the work spends years doing the same with a group of scholars, and ultimately achieves such light and satisfaction.

That said, Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, is very concise. It says what it says, and readers have to figure out what it means. One can literally spend one’s entire life studying it. One starts with the words, just the words. One asks, “What does this mean?” One posits one or two or three possible meanings. One looks in the commentaries to see what they thought, Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Onkelos, Sforno, Da’at Zekeinim. I have just mentioned six out of many. Jews divide the Pentateuch into 54 portions and read and study one portion each week throughout the year. Each week, Ramban spars with Rashi and Ibn Ezra on the meaning of the words. I attend a class each week that spends an hour focusing on the meaning of one verse, concentrating on the views expressed by those three, and occasionally on the philosophical repercussions of the differences between them.

I remember when I was studying the book of Job; the word “Satan” at the start of the book had six different interpretations by medieval scholars.

Taking this one step further, I will make one other point. As an Orthodox Jew, I accept the interpretations of the great medieval rabbis, and any other interpretation that does not contradict Jewish philosophy or thought. There are countless great rabbis of our day, like Rabbi Ya’akov Medan, who continue to come up with new interpretations. As I said, as long as those interpretations do not contradict Jewish philosophy or thought, they are legitimate.

Now then, the King James translation is one set of interpretations. Most of it fits in with Jewish philosophy and thought, but occasionally it does not. My point is this: From my standpoint, the Hebrew Bible does not owe anything to the King James Translation. I feel no obligation to try to fit the Hebrew into King James. The Hebrew is divine. The King James is not. Most of the time, King James will fit in to one of the Jewish interpretations, but not always.

If you’re already making the effort to read the original Hebrew, give the Hebrew a chance. That is the direct word of God. Try to enjoy it for itself.