Barry:

We are making progress. The one point we may disagree on is who is translating and who is interpreting. A choice potentially to underinterpret a term is just as much an interpretation as one that potentially overinterprets it. BOTH are interpretations. All these decisions about how to render the choices are interpretations (read judgments). Remember, as well, my remarks are made suggesting the benefits of using a variety of translations and one that uses margins well (so the reduced NET does not work so well for these concerns. We are agreed on that). Everything you say about being delivered from the danger of questionable selections of interpretive options applies both ways here. Do not miss a point I was making about the options you do not like ("mortal" and "corrupt"). That is that these renderings are not so much differences as they are nuances on a reading that explains the transience being appealed to. One simply says "transient"; the other explains theologically why in terms already noted in Genesis. So the difference here is not great (I will recognize that sometimes that is not the case between the options). The answer to what your (my) team of experts buys you is simple. It gives you an awareness of the potential force of the text, which is what a good translation should do. They all attempt to give us "the" text, but no translation reaches this goal. You claim that a formal text agrees more often than dynamic renderings, but this does not mean such agreement necessarily brings us closer to the actual intended meaning.  In part, this is because in many cases a failure to render more ambiguous phrases, as formal renderings often leave such ambiguities, may actually leave the text very unclear.

So here we are. We have made it clear that I see more value in dynamic equivalence than you do with your preference for a formal rendering. We agree on the value of careful students paying attention to the options a variety of translations give. We probably agree that the average Bible student does not (always) understand how to resolve these differences, which explains why study Bibles are also emerging as an option for the average student. So let's agree that as we discuss what is out there (and both types are here to stay), that we are clear on the benefits and risks of it all. That is something I hope this exchange of posts has done for everyone.

dlb