Latin and other Tongues

Today I was looking at E-Sword and tried to read a verse from the Latin Vulgate translation. I could make out a few words, but not very many, so I searched for a free online tutorial for learning Latin. I found one that teaches right out of the Bible! So I read the first lesson which taught on how to interpret John 1:1 in Latin:

in principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word."

This was easy, but the words and their forms, conjugations, tenses and persons all take some time to learn and understand. What is cool about Latin is that it is so closely related to Spanish. In is the same as en in Spanish and in in English, but it also can mean at or on as well. Principio means beginning in both Latin and Spanish. Erat means it was or he/she was, which is very similar to era in Spanish. Verbum is easy because it means Word in both Latin and Spanish, although in Spanish it is Verbo and I also noticed Palabra used more in contemporary Spanish. Deum and Deus are two forms of the same word for God. In Spanish it is simply Dios, but Portuguese I think uses Deus for God also. The lesson's author explained that Deum and Deus are different in the same way that we use Him and He differently: "and the Word was with Deum [Him] and Deus [He] was the Word", but only Deum and Deus both mean God.

Not only this, but I have also been doing some more translating from Greek today. Although I do not understand much Greek without the help of the website source I use for translating, it is another important Biblical language that I am very grateful to have access to. I posted my new translation of Romans 1:18-32 here in a blog post on Depravity. I also just found out I can read John 1:1-6 in Greek as well as Spanish, and now I'm learning it in Latin. :) Now that I think of it, it has been a long time since I studied a little bit of Hebrew. Not since over a year ago, but perhaps I will get fired up for that again as well? I don't know?

I must get back to my other work now. My Lord and Savior has been graciously teaching me more things than I deserve.