Jeremiah Ames
Well-Known Member
I have discovered dozens of discrepancies between bible translations.
Most appear innocuous. But are they?
I don’t have to go far into the Bible for my first example.
Let’s look at Genesis 1:1
King James Version:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Ok. Very nice. There is a lot here to unpack.
First, we see there is a beginning. Of something.
We find how this something was created.
In the literal; many, many ideas can be had regarding what is going on.
In the inner (or spiritual) understanding, it is more easily understood.
But even then, one knows that there is still much more to discover than what is known. Amazing nuances that will take an eternity to fully discover. (I’m still only talking about Genesis 1:1)
Now, let’s look at the NIV version:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Ok. If I read these two versions aloud, most people would think they are the same. Their minds wouldn’t catch the difference because they expect them to be the same. Even reading them, some people will not see the difference.
Obviously there is one. Is it a big deal?
To the literal reader, it could be, but probably is not.
But to the spiritual understanding, there is a pretty sizable change.
At least, to me, the meaning that I understood from the KJV, has now been obliterated.
My third version is the Good News Translation:
“In the beginning, when God created the universe,”
Well, here we have some significant changes.
First, the word “when” has been added. This changes the tone completely. But the disaster is what now is being described as created.
The universe. Ummm. Even, in the literal, this can be disturbing. Or not.
Anyway. No longer do we have anything resembling what was spoken by God.
Thoughts?
I understand that in the big picture view for the vast majority of people, these things are meaningless. I would guess that there are very few who would be interested in precisely what is happening in Genesis, yet there are a those who want to discover what God is telling his people. Those few are interested in truth.
Most appear innocuous. But are they?
I don’t have to go far into the Bible for my first example.
Let’s look at Genesis 1:1
King James Version:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Ok. Very nice. There is a lot here to unpack.
First, we see there is a beginning. Of something.
We find how this something was created.
In the literal; many, many ideas can be had regarding what is going on.
In the inner (or spiritual) understanding, it is more easily understood.
But even then, one knows that there is still much more to discover than what is known. Amazing nuances that will take an eternity to fully discover. (I’m still only talking about Genesis 1:1)
Now, let’s look at the NIV version:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Ok. If I read these two versions aloud, most people would think they are the same. Their minds wouldn’t catch the difference because they expect them to be the same. Even reading them, some people will not see the difference.
Obviously there is one. Is it a big deal?
To the literal reader, it could be, but probably is not.
But to the spiritual understanding, there is a pretty sizable change.
At least, to me, the meaning that I understood from the KJV, has now been obliterated.
My third version is the Good News Translation:
“In the beginning, when God created the universe,”
Well, here we have some significant changes.
First, the word “when” has been added. This changes the tone completely. But the disaster is what now is being described as created.
The universe. Ummm. Even, in the literal, this can be disturbing. Or not.
Anyway. No longer do we have anything resembling what was spoken by God.
Thoughts?
I understand that in the big picture view for the vast majority of people, these things are meaningless. I would guess that there are very few who would be interested in precisely what is happening in Genesis, yet there are a those who want to discover what God is telling his people. Those few are interested in truth.