Q: In the Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society of America, I have found several passages that have been translated into English differently than the way the passages read in the KJV, NIV, or NAS. For example in the Holy Scriptures Gen. 3:15 reads, "...They shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel." In the New American Standard this verse reads, "...He shall bruise you on the head. and you shall bruise him on the heel." Another example is found in Genesis 49:10. The NAS reads "...until Shiloh comes" and the Holy Scriptures reads, "... As long as men come to Shiloh." Since both of these translations are based on the Masoretic Text, please explain the difference in the translations. On the surface these differences appear to be insignificant, but since these are scriptures which are dealing Messianic Prophecy, I feel an explanation is needed
A:
Genesis 3:15
Literally the Hebrew reads “He shall bruise,” but since “he” actually refers back to the word “seed,” how this verse is translated depends on how one interprets the word “seed.” It is obviously a metaphor for Eve’s progeny. Since Christians take this verse to be Messianic, they naturally read it as singular, a reference to Messiah. Non-messianic Jewish theologians see this as a reference to the Jewish people, hence the plural rendering.
Genesis 49:10
The name "Shiloh" is a puzzle to theologians and Bible translators, since it has no obvious meaning. The easiest solution is to read it as the name of a person and leave it untranslated. However, we do know there is a place called Shiloh, and the old JPS Holy Scriptures apparently assumed that the reference is to a place and filled in the preposition "to" which does not appear in the Hebrew. The 1985 JPS has read "shai lo" – tribute to him. I think the best answer is to read "she lo" which means "whose it is." That is to say, the Ultimate, Rightful Owner, the King Messiah. This is the reading used in the NIV.
For what it's worth, the Talmud sees this verse as Messianic.