You read it right: Todopoderoso.
What is that?
The other day I was reading the New Test
ament reading in my Spanish Bible (Version Reina-Valera) and made a neat discovery in both Spanish and English."Yo soy el Alfa y la Omega, principio y fin, dice el Senor, el que es y que era y que ha de venir, el Todopoderoso" (Apocalipsis 1:8 -- sorry, I don't know how to do accent marks on here.)
Can you guess what verse that is? :-)
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8)
When I read that strange long word, Todopoderoso, I was baffled and had to read it out loud to myself several times slowly before I could make any sense out of it. Then I started to piece together the etymology. Perhaps I am wrong, and if any of you bloggers out there are experts at Spanish, you can clear my understanding of this, but what I gathered was this:
Todopoderoso
Todo means "all" in Spanish.
Poder means "to be able".All + To Be Able = Can Do Anything! All-Powerful! Boundless! Infinite! Todopoderoso! All-mighty!
I realized then that the word "Almighty" has become so commonplace that I don't pay attention to the root words in there: All + Might. Discovering this new Spanish word helped me to think through it again and realize, our God does have all might, all power. He is "able to do all". This was something He needed to bring out to John right away at the beginning of the Revelation, because if we did not know our God was "able to do all", "all mighty", the following descriptions of the seals and the vials and the tribulation would seem chaotic and hopeless and horror-filled; we would seem doomed. But here we have the assurance of an "All-Able" God to whom we can trust our entire being and know He will come out victorious, and so shall we through Him.
Think of all the great works He has already done; all the things that only He can do. For all the great discoveries made by modern Science, still man can not make a living animal or person. But God makes every blade of grass, eve
ry little insect, every living soul of man. The Power that created all the nature and life we see around us is truly All-Powerful, All-Able, All-Mighty.Perhaps long Spanish words don't excite you like they excite me, but I hope that the thought stands out to you: Remember that our God has all might and power, is able to do anything, and we can trust Him and let Him take control of our lives and the future.
7 comments:
Oh my!!! How amazing! I love it!! It's God just awesome?!! (In the literal mean of the word). I'm just so amazed and I love the word Todopoderoso.
Melaninia,
A fellow Spanish lover!!!! I don't have a Spanish Bible so I sit around with my Spanish dictionary. :)
Thanks for sharing the verse and thoughts on "Almighty", that's really cool and something I too need to reflect more on.
How are you learning Spanish? I took half a semester or more through BJ LINC, but then when we were preparing to move I had to resort to books for everything. (We didn't want to mess with re-setting up the satalite.:p) I really want to get Rosetta Stone or some other interactive program so I can continue my Spanish studys. Maybe for Graduation???? :0 :p :D
Thanks for sharing, Melanie! It always encourages (and humbles) me when I realize that God Who created everything takes a personal interest in someone like me. What an awesome God we serve!
That is so neat, Melanie! :D It's funny, before I read your whole post ( I read enough to know it was Spanish), I was trying to figure out what the word meant by looking at its pieces.:) I can see how reading the Bible in a different language would help you understand it better, at times; it makes you stop to think about what you're reading. Thank you for sharing!
Ana,
Thank you for your comment! Yes, our God IS truly awesome!
Tedalina,
I didn't realize you were learning Spanish! You and I will have to join each other in the effort to minister to the Spanish people from El Canelo that came to church on Laura's invitation; they came to the Smiths last night when we were there and I tried talking a little in Spanish. It was hard to understand what they said, because my understanding is SO limited-- I read it better than listen to it.
In answer to your question, I took 1 1/2 years of Spanish using the A Beka curriculum, with CDs; now I am learning out of a book called "Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish". It's very good, except there is no audio anything to help me learn to LISTEN to Spanish and comprehend it.
Miranda, Thank you for your comment!! :-) You are right, it is very humbling and encouraging to think of God's care for us.
Alaina, That's funny how you were also "breaking up" the word Todopoderoso too! ;-) Reading the Bible in a different language IS so very helpful! I missed you at church yesterday. :'-(
That was great, Melanie!
Oh! Is that who they were? I saw them but I never got the chance to talk to them.
Ya, well, I'm not very good at Spanish...that's why you didn't know.... But I do love it! I've been trying to get my hands on a good program for months! Like I said, I sit around with my Spanish dictionary and figure out how to pronounce things. If I find something funny, I laugh until my dog thinks I've cracked. He's like: "She is definately not speakin' English!!" :)
Ya, I'm a bit weird....
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