Greek word - (pharisaios G5330)
Quiz - Choose the answer that is closest to what you think PHARISEE is.
A - a self-righteous person
B - a legalist
C - a separatist
D - a hypocrite
Problem - Transliteration
KJV Example - "Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican" (Luke 18:10).
Explanation
With this word it is important to understand the difference between a transliteration and a translation. A transliteration is when the letters of a word from a foreign language are transposed into English letters and an English word is formed. A translation is when the meaning of the foreign word is given.
Many names are transliterations of foreign words, but to find out the meaning of that name, the foreign word must be translated into English. For example, Vera is a name that comes from Russia. Vera is a transliteration. This is what vera looks like in Russian: Bepa. An English B in Russian is a V and a P is an R. Vera is the Russian word for faith. So in English, Vera is the transliteration of vera and faith is the translation.
Pharisee is a double transliteration. It is a transliteration of the Greek word, pharisaios, which is a transliteration of a Hebrew word related to parash (paw-rash). Parash means to separate. So a Pharisee is a separatist.
In the Jewish religion the Pharisees were a group of people who strictly followed the law and kept themselves separated from certain people and doctrines. They had many rules in addition to the law that they imposed on themselves. It is good that they emphasized the importance of God and His message (the Law), but their rules caused them to miss the very person the law said would come and rescue them.
The Christian religion also has separatists. They do the same thing. They come up with rules that they impose on themselves and miss the message of God.
A meaning given to pharisee today is a self-righteous person or a hypocrite. This is wrong.
Yes, Jesus called them this, but He was not defining the word. He was pointing out their fault. A pharisee is not a self-righteous person or a hypocrite. He is a separatist.
Using Separatist instead of Pharisee gives the reader a better understanding of what a Pharisee is in the Bible.
In the Bible, a Pharisee is a separatist.
Modern Synonym - separatist
Bible Version Tally (how other versions translate this word) - Pharisee (47 of 50), proud religious law-keeper (1 of 50)
Breakthrough Version - "Two people walked up to the temple grounds to pray: the one a Separatist and the other a tax collector" (Luke 18:10).