Hypotheses non fingo

Scholarship has proven that no cardinal doctrine is affected by any viable variant. Regardless of what text is used, Jesus is affirmed as God in the flesh, as rising from the dead bodily, as ascending to heaven and as coming again some day.

“99.8% of textual variants affect nothing, most are spelling differences. there’s different ways to spell John, there’s different ways to spell Mary, they’re not going to affect anything, but the one-fifth of 1% that do affect things are the ones that scholars talk about. The bottom line is it does not matter in some respects which New Testament you use because no essential doctrine is jeopardized by any of these textual variants” — Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, Senior Research Professor, Ph.D.

While it is true that no essential doctrine is jeopardized by any textual variants, I am reminded of Solomon’s wise words in Ecclesiastes:

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. — Ecclesiastes 10:10 NLT (New Living Translation)

We also know that as time progresses, knowledge will increase.

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. — Daniel 12:4 KJV

Remember, that it is the “untaught” that ultimately end up twisting scripture. Scholars are doing the Lord’s work, what they say has value.

as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. — 2 Peter 3:16 NKJV (New King James Version)

Considering these things, in this article I will attempt to locate a version of the Bible that, in my opinion, is closest to the original autographs. Just keep in mind we’re splitting hairs since the New Testament has over a 99.5% textual purity.

“The interval, then, between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.” — Sir Frederic Kenyon (former director and principal librarian of the British Museum)

Contents

I. Occult Influence?
II. Behemoth or Hippopotamus?
III. Leviathan or Crocodile?
IV. Jehovah or Yahweh?
V. “Come” or “Come and see”?
VI. Book Of Life or Tree Of Life?
VII. Wash their robes or Do His commandments?
VIII. The Lucifer Problem
IX. Does God create evil or calamity?
X. Which Textual Criticism Methodology?
XI. Gender Inclusivness?
XII. A Virgin or Young Woman?
XIII. Jesus Deity
XIV. Bracketing, Footnotes, or Omission?
XV. Conclusion

Contenders

I will be reviewing the follow versions of the Bible.

21st Century King James Version (KJ21) © 1994
American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain
Amplified Bible (AMP) © 2015
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987
BRG Bible (BRG) Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition™ Copyright © 2012
Christian Standard Bible (CSB) © 2017
Common English Bible (CEB) © 2011
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) © 1998
Contemporary English Version (CEV) © 1995
Darby Translation (DARBY) Public Domain
Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) © 2011
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) Public Domain
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) © 2006
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) © 2019
English Standard Version (ESV) 2016 © 2001
English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK) © 2001
Expanded Bible (EXB) © 2011
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW) © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020
Good News Translation (GNT) © 1992
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009
International Children’s Bible (ICB) © 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015
International Standard Version (ISV) © 1995-2014
Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) © 1960, 1972
Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) © 2013, 2020
King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
Authorized King James Version (AKJV)
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) © 2021
Lexham English Bible (LEB) © 2012
Living Bible (TLB) © 1971
The Message (MSG) © 1993, 2002, 2018
Modern English Version (MEV) © 2014
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE) © 2011
Names of God Bible (NOG) © 2011
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE) © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970
New American Standard Bible (NASB) © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995
New Catholic Bible (NCB) © 2019
New Century Version (NCV) © 2005
New English Translation (NET) © 1996-2017
New International Reader’s Version (NIRV) © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014
New International Version (NIV) © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011
New International Version UK (NIVUK) © 1979, 1984, 2011
New King James Version (NKJV) © 1982
New Life Version (NLV) © 1969, 2003
New Living Translation (NLT) © 1996, 2004, 2015
New Matthew Bible (NMB) © 2016
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA) © 1989, 1995
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition (NRSVACE) © 1989, 1993, 1995
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) © 1989, 1993
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE) © 2021
New Testament for Everyone (NTE) © 2011
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011
Revised Geneva Translation (RGT) © 2019
Revised Standard Version (RSV) © 1946, 1952, and 1971
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) © 1965, 1966
Tree of Life Version (TLV) © 2015
The Voice (VOICE) © 2012
World English Bible (WEB) Public Domain
Worldwide English (WE) © 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998
Wycliffe Bible (WYC) © 2001
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) Public Domain

I. Occult Influence?

Here is the Lord’s Prayer from The Message (MSG) Bible, which is only a paraphrase and not a translation; however, the phrase “as above, so below” caught my eye. Suffice It to Say, I will be removing The Message from the line up.

…
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

— Matthew 6:9-13 MSG (The Message)

A more correct version can be found below.

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

— Matthew 6:9-13 ESV (English Standard Version)

The Message (MSG) is eliminated:

The Message (MSG) © 1993, 2002, 2018

II. Behemoth or Hippopotamus?

The Biblical description of the Behemoth can be found in Job 40:15-24 (comparison). As you can see from the comparison, very few versions get this wrong.

15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. 16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. 17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. 18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. — Job 40:15-24 KJV (King James Version)

The absurdity of translating Behemoth as hippopotamus is highlighted below. How many hippopotamuses do you know with a tail like a cedar tree? This is obviously a prehistoric creature.

15 “Take a look at the hippopotamus! I made him, too, just as I made you! He eats grass like an ox. 16 See his powerful loins and the muscles of his belly. 17 His tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit together. 18 His vertebrae lie straight as a tube of brass. His ribs are like iron bars. — TLB

The following versions are eliminated:

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987
- In parentheses, still not acceptable.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) © 1995
Living Bible (TLB) © 1971
New Life Version (NLV) © 1969, 2003
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011
- In parentheses, still not acceptable.

Note: The 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) contains the reference to Behemoth in Jb 40:10.

III. Leviathan or Crocodile?

The Biblical description of the Leviathan can be found in Job 41 (comparison). As you can see from the comparison, very few versions get this wrong.

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? … 15 His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; … 18 His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. 20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21 His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth. … 24 His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone. … 31 He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. — Job 41:1,15,18-21,24,31 NKJV (New King James Version)

This is obviously a prehistoric creature. How many crocodiles do you know of that can breath fire? See the absurd translation of the NLV below.

“Can you pull the crocodile out with a fish-hook? Can you tie his tongue down with a rope? …” — Job 41:1 NLV (New Life Version)

The following versions are eliminated:

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987
- In parentheses, still not acceptable.
Living Bible (TLB) © 1971
New Life Version (NLV) © 1969, 2003

Note: The following Bibles contain references to Leviathan in different verses and are not eliminated:

The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) refers to leviathan as Livyatan in Job 40:25
The Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) contains the reference to Leviathan in Job 40:20
The New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE) has Leviathan in Job 40:25
The New Catholic Bible (NCB) has placed Leviathan in Job 40:25
The Tree of Life Version (TLV) references Leviathan in Job 40:25

IV. Jehovah or Yahweh?

The Mistransliteration ‘Jehovah’ Was Never Used By The Jews

Jewish and Christian scholars, who are thoroughly familiar with the Old Testament Hebrew language and how to pronounce Hebrew words, make it clear that the Hebrew word YHWH is more accurately pronounced “Yahweh” (Yaw-Way) rather than “Jehovah”.

“The origin of the word Jehovah can be traced to the late Middle Ages (around the year 1500), when Jewish scribes began inserting the vowels from the Hebrew word adonai (“my Lord”) into the name YHWH. The insertion resulted in the hybrid term YaHoWaH. Scribes wanted this new word to remind readers that God’s name was too holy to pronounce, so they should substitute adonah for it when reading biblical passages aloud. Then, when the term YaHoWaH was Latinized, the “Y” and “W” were changed to “J” and “V”—resulting in Jehovah. In other words, Jehovah is a mistransliteration, compounded by the fact that, while “J” has a “Y” sound in Latin, it has a very different sound in English—as in the word jam. Jehovah appears in no literature earlier than about the thirteenth century, and it began to be popularized in the sixteenth century by well-meaning but mistaken Christians. — Richard Abanes (The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, p. 19, 83)”

Here is what other scholars say about the name or pronunciation “Jehovah”:

The Jewish Encyclopedia: “Jehovah” — a mispronunciation of the Hebrew YHWH the name of God. This pronunciation is grammatically impossible. The form ‘Jehovah’ is a philological impossibility.”
The New Jewish Encyclopedia: “It is clear that the word Jehovah is an artificial composite.”
Encyclopedia Judaica: “the true pronunciation of the tetragrammaton YHWH was never lost. The name was pronounced Yahweh. It was regularly pronounced this way at least until 586 B.C., as is clear from the Lachish Letters written shortly before this date.”
The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia: “JEHOVAH is an erroneous pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton a four lettered name of God, made up of the Hebrew letters Yod He Vav He. The word “JEHOVAH” therefore is a misreading for which there is no warrant and which makes no sense in Hebrew”
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: “Jehovah” — “False reading of the Hebrew YAHWEH.”
Encyclopedia Americana: “Jehovah” — “erroneous form of the name of the God of Israel.”
A Dictionary of the Bible by William Smith: “Whatever, therefore, be the true pronunciation of the word, there can be little doubt that it is not Jehovah.”
Encyclopedia Britannica: “The pronunciation ‘Jehovah’ is an error resulting among Christians from combining the consonants YHWH with the vowels of ADHONAY….The Masoretes who from the 6th to the 10th century worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible replaced the vowels of the name YHWH with the vowel signs of Adonai or Elohim. Thus the artificial name Jehovah came into being.”
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary: “Jehovah” — “Intended as a transliteration of Hebrew YAHWEH, the vowel points of Hebrew ADHONAY (my lord) being erroneously substituted for those of YAHWEH; from the fact that in some Hebrew manuscripts the vowel points of ADHONAY (used as a euphemism for YAHWEH) were written under the consonants YHWH of YAHWEH to indicate that ADHONAY was to be substituted in oral reading for YAHWEH. Jehovah is a Christian transliteration of the tetragrammaton long assumed by many Christians to be the authentic reproduction of the Hebrew sacred name for God but now recognized to be a late hybrid form never used by the Jews.”
New Catholic Encyclopedia: “Jehovah” — “false form of the divine name YAHWEH.”
The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia: “Jehovah” — “is an erroneous form of the divine name of the covenant God Israel.”
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: “Jehovah” — “is an artificial form.”
Encyclopedia International: “Jehovah” —”the vowels of one word with the consonants of the other were misread as ‘Jehovah.’”
Merits Students Encyclopedia: — “is an inaccurate reconstruction of the name of God in the Old Testament.”
Encyclopedia Judaica: “YHWH” — “When Christian scholars of Europe first began to study Hebrew, they did not understand what this really meant, and they introduced the hybrid name ‘Jehovah’…THE TRUE PRONUNCIATION OF THE NAME YHWH WAS NEVER LOST. Several early Greek writers of the Christian church testify that the name was pronounced ‘YAHWEH.’ This is confirmed, at least for the vowel of the first syllable of the name, by the shorter form Yah, which is sometimes used in poetry (e.g. Exodus 15:2)… The personal name of God of Israel is written in the Hebrew Bible with the four consonants YHWH and is referred to as the ‘Tetragrammaton.’ At least until the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. this name was regularly pronounced with its proper vowels, as is clear from the Lachish Letters, written shortly before that date.”
Nelson’s Bible Dictionary: “Jehovah” — “The divine name Yahweh is usually translated Lord in English versions of the Bible, because it became a practice in late Old Testament Judaism not to pronounce the sacred name YHWH, but to say instead “my Lord” (Adonai) – a practice still used today in the synagogue. When the vowels of Adonai were attached to the consonants YHWH in the medieval period, the word Jehovah resulted. Today, many Christians use the word Yahweh, the more original pronunciation, not hesitating to name the divine name since Jesus taught believers to speak in a familiar way to God.”

Here is a comparison of Exodus 3:15 where God reveals his covenant name.

The translation “Yahweh” is substantiated by scholarly reconstruction as well as by historical discussions in Theodoret, Epiphanius, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Aquila. Consequently, those latter individuals affirm the usage of God’s covenant name in the period of the early church. — lsbible.org

If the name of God is so important, which it definitely is, then we should not only pronounce it correctly, but spell it correctly too. As a side note, only the LSB, LEB, WEB, and NOG Bible versions completely restore Yahweh in the Old Testament. Whenever you see LORD in all caps, this is YHWH in scripture. More on this later.

The following versions that contain the artificial composite “Jehovah” will be eliminated:

American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain
Darby Translation (DARBY) Public Domain
Living Bible (TLB) © 1971
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) Public Domain

The Following versions were also eliminated due to the following verses: Ge 22:14 KJV; Ex 6:3 KJV; Ex 17:15 KJV; Jg 6:24 KJV; Ps 83:18 KJV; Is 12:2 KJV; Is 26:4 KJV

21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
BRG Bible (BRG) Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) *Except Is 12:2
King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
Authorized King James Version (AKJV)

V. “Come” or “Come and see”?

The short answer is that “Come” is likely a command given to the horsemen and not to John to “Come and see” who was already near, nor to the Lamb who was already opening the seal in Re 6:1. Here is a comparison.

Controversy

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. — Revelation 6:1 KJV (King James Version)

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. — Revelation 6:3 KJV (King James Version)

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. — Revelation 6:5 KJV (King James Version)

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. — Revelation 6:7 KJV (King James Version)

–

Then I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 Then I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out overcoming and to overcome. — Revelation 6:1-2 LSB (Legacy Standard Bible)

And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sits on it, it was given to him to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. — Revelation 6:3-4 LSB (Legacy Standard Bible)

And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” Then I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sits on it had a pair of scales in his hand. — Revelation 6:5 LSB (Legacy Standard Bible)

And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 Then I looked, and behold, a pale horse; and he who sits on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. — Revelation 6:7-8 LSB (Legacy Standard Bible)

NET Translator Notes:

Revelation 6:1 tc The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, erchou) in 6:1, 3-5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

The words “and see” are doubtful. They are found in some MSS. and omitted in others: the authority for their omission and for their retention is about equally divided. Under these circumstances we may fairly be guided by the context. To whom is the summons addressed? Who is bidden to come? If it was taken to be addressed to the seer, we can understand why some copyist should add the words “and see.” But are they addressed to the seer? It seems difficult to see the purpose of such a command. He was near already. He had seen the Lamb opening the seal. There was no object in his drawing near. Are the words, then, addressed, as Alford supposes, to Christ? It is difficult to believe that the living creature would thus cry to the Lamb, who was opening the scroll. The simplest way of answering the question is to ask another: Who did come in obedience to the voice? There is but one answer—the horseman. The living beings cry “Come,” and their cry is responded to by the appearance of the several riders.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Come and see] The two last words are almost certainly spurious here and in Revelation 6:3; Revelation 6:5; Revelation 6:7 : the cry is only “Come!” in all four cases. Who then is to come? Some say the received reading, originally no doubt a gloss, is a correct gloss—the Seer is to draw near. But the word is quite different from the “Come hither” of Revelation 17:1, Revelation 21:9 : also there is no sign that he does draw near or has need to do so, and if he has done so once, why is he bidden to do it thrice again? Others take it to be a summons to the Horseman who in fact does come: and this at least is in harmony with the context, and makes good sense, and applies equally to the opening of the first four seals where the same expression occurs.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6:1. Come and see—One oldest manuscript, B, has “And see.” But A, C, and Vulgate reject it.
6:3. and see—omitted in the three oldest manuscripts, A, B, C, and Vulgate.
6:5. Come and see—The two oldest manuscripts, A, C, and Vulgate omit “and see.” B retains the words.
6:7. and see—supported by B; omitted by A, C, and Vulgate.

The following versions containing “and see” are likely incorrect, but given the undecided nature of this specific variant, I won’t count this section:

21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
BRG Bible (BRG)
Darby Translation (DARBY)
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB)
King James Version (KJV)
Authorized King James Version (AKJV)
Modern English Version (MEV)
New King James Version (NKJV)
New Life Version (NLV)
New Matthew Bible (NMB)
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
World English Bible (WEB)
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

VI. Book Of Life or Tree Of Life?

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: — Genesis 3:22 KJV (King James Version)

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. — Revelation 2:7 KJV (King James Version)

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. — Revelation 22:2 KJV (King James Version)

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. — Revelation 22:14 KJV (King James Version)

Controversy

There are certain textual variants which are so pivotal that they’re reason enough to warrant serious investigation. An explanation as to why you cannot lose your salvation and be erased from the book of life can be read in this article. Here is a comparison of Bible versions.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. — Revelation 22:18-19 KJV (King James Version)

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and [a]from the holy city, which are written in this book. — Revelation 22:18-19 NASB ‘95 (New American Standard Bible 1995)

NET Bible Translator Notes:

Revelation 22:19 tc The Textus Receptus, on which the KJV rests, reads “the book” of life (ἀπὸ βίβλου, apo biblou) instead of “the tree” of life. When the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus translated the NT he had access to no Greek mss for the last six verses of Revelation. So he translated the Latin Vulgate back into Greek at this point. As a result he created seventeen textual variants which were not in any Greek mss. The most notorious of these is this reading. It is thus decidedly inauthentic, while “the tree” of life, found in the best and virtually all Greek mss, is clearly authentic. The confusion was most likely due to an intra-Latin switch: The form of the word for “tree” in Latin in this passage is ligno; the word for “book” is libro. The two-letter difference accounts for an accidental alteration in some Latin mss; that “book of life” as well as “tree of life” is a common expression in the Apocalypse probably accounts for why this was not noticed by Erasmus or the KJV translators. (This textual problem is not discussed in NA27.)

The following versions which use ‘Book of Life’ are eliminated:

21st Century King James Version (KJ21) © 1994
BRG Bible (BRG) Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition™ Copyright © 2012
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) Public Domain
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) © 2013, 2020
King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
Authorized King James Version (AKJV)
Modern English Version (MEV) © 2014
New Matthew Bible (NMB) © 2016
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) *Sefer
Revised Geneva Translation (RGT) © 2019
Wycliffe Bible (WYC) © 2001
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) Public Domain

Note: The New King James Version (NKJV) footnotes: “NU (Critical), M (Majority) tree of life”. It would otherwise have been eliminated.

VII. Wash their robes or Do His commandments?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. — Revelation 7:14 KJV (King James Version)

Controversy

Here is a comparison of the following verse in Revelation.

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. — Revelation 22:14 KJV (King James Version)

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. — Revelation 22:14 NASB ‘95 (New American Standard Bible 1995)

MacLaren’s Expositions

‘Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life,’ carries us back to the old law, and has no more hopeful a sound in it than the thunders of Sinai. If it were, indeed, amongst Christ’s last words to us, it would be a most sad instance of His ‘building again the things He had destroyed.’ It is relegating us to the dreary old round of trying to earn Heaven by doing good deeds; and I might almost say it is ‘making the Cross of Christ of none effect.’ The fact that that corrupt reading came so soon into the Church and has held its ground so long, is to me a very singular proof of the difficulty which men have always had in keeping themselves up to the level of the grand central Gospel truth: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His mercy. He saved us.’

‘Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the Tree of Life,’ has the clear ring of the New Testament music about it, and is in full accord with the whole type of doctrine that runs through this book; and is not unworthy to be almost the last word that the lips of the Incarnate Wisdom spoke to men from Heaven. So then, taking that point of view, I wish to look with you at three things that come plainly out of these words: - First, that principle that if men are clean it is because they are cleansed; ‘Blessed are they that wash their robes.’ Secondly, It is the cleansed who have unrestrained access to the source of life. And lastly, It is the cleansed who pass into the society of the city. … continue reading.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

do his commandments—so B, Syriac, Coptic, and Cyprian. But A, Aleph, and Vulgate read, “(Blessed are they that) wash their robes,” namely, in the blood of the Lamb (compare Re 7:14). This reading takes away the pretext for the notion of salvation by works. But even English Version reading is quite compatible with salvation by grace; for God’s first and grand Gospel “commandment” is to believe on Jesus. Thus our “right” to (Greek, “privilege” or “lawful authority over”) the tree of life is due not to our doings, but to what He has done for us. The right, or privilege, is founded, not on our merits, but on God’s grace.

through—Greek, “by the gates.”

The following versions which use ‘Do his commandments’ are eliminated:

21st Century King James Version (KJ21) © 1994
Amplified Bible (AMP) © 2015
BRG Bible (BRG) Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition™ Copyright © 2012
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) © 2013, 2020
King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
Authorized King James Version (AKJV)
Modern English Version (MEV) © 2014
New Matthew Bible (NMB) © 2016
Revised Geneva Translation (RGT) © 2019
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) Public Domain *His commands

Notes: This list is the same as the section for ‘Book of Life or Tree of Life?’ excluding DRA, WYC.

The New King James Version (NKJV) footnotes: [“NU (Critical) wash their robes”]. It would otherwise have been eliminated.
World English Bible (WEB) footnotes: [NU reads “wash their robes” instead of “do his commandments”.]. It would otherwise have been eliminated.

VIII. The Lucifer Problem

The word Lucifer is not a proper name, but the Latin word for ‘morning star,’ which literally referred to Venus in the Latin Vulgate. The KJV translators duplicated the word used in the Latin Vulgate instead of translating it. Here is a comparison.

Controversy

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! — Isaiah 14:12 KJV (King James Version)

“How you have fallen from heaven, O [a]star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! — Isaiah 14:12 NASB ‘95 (New American Standard Bible 1995) a. Heb Helel; i.e., shining one

Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations! — Isaiah 14:12 NET (New English Translation)

Net Bible Translator Notes:

Isaiah 14:12 tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל. …

An exceptional article was written by one of the world’s foremost scholars and senior research professors on this topic. Let’s take a quick look at the verse in question.

In Isa 14:12 KJV, The KJV translators did not actually translate the Hebrew word ‏הילל as ‘Lucifer.’ This word occurs only here in the Hebrew Old Testament. Most likely, the KJV translators were not sure what to make of it, and simply duplicated the word used in the Latin Vulgate that translated ‏הילל.

the Vulgate, Isa 14:12 KJV reads as follows:

quomodo cecidisti de caelo lucifer qui mane oriebaris corruisti in terram qui vulnerabas gentes.

Notice the fifth word of the text—lucifer. It is not a proper name but the Latin word for ‘morning star.’ The word lucifer occurs four times in the Vulgate: Isa 14:12 KJV, Job 11:17 KJV, Job 38:32 KJV, and 2 Peter 1:19 KJV.

In Job 11:17 KJV, the KJV renders the Hebrew word ‏בקר as ‘morning’:

et quasi meridianus fulgor consurget tibi ad vesperam et cum te consumptum putaveris orieris ut lucifer

In other words, ‘morning star’ or lucifer in the Latin Vulgate literally referred to Venus, but metaphorically would refer to earthly kings, emperors, and pagan deities.

— Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, Senior Research Professor, Ph.D.

The following versions which contain ‘Lucifer’ are eliminated:

21st Century King James Version (KJ21) © 1994
BRG Bible (BRG) Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition™ Copyright © 2012
Darby Translation (DARBY) Public Domain
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) Public Domain
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) © 2013, 2020
King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
Authorized King James Version (AKJV)
Living Bible (TLB) © 1971
Modern English Version (MEV) © 2014
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011
Wycliffe Bible (WYC) © 2001

Note: The New King James Version (NKJV) footnotes: [Lit. Day Star]. It would otherwise have been eliminated.

IX. Does God Create Evil Or Calamity?

An explanation as to why this rendering is absurd should go without saying. The word translated “evil” is from a Hebrew word that means “adversity, affliction, calamity, distress, misery.” Modern scholarship in conjunction with our oldest and best manuscripts which predate those used in the TR by over a thousand years, reflect this sentiment. It is without a doubt, calamity.

Controversy

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. — Isaiah 45:7 KJV (King James Version)

I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. — Isaiah 45:7 ESV (English Standard Version)

I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things. — Isaiah 45:7 NET (New English Translation)

I make the light and create the darkness. I bring ·peace [prosperity; wholeness; ^C Hebrew shalom], and I ·cause [create] ·troubles [disaster; calamity]. I, the Lord, do all these things. — Isaiah 45:7 EXB (Expanded Bible)

I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. — Isaiah 45:7 NLT (New Living Translation)

The following versions which contain ‘evil’ are eliminated:

21st Century King James Version (KJ21) © 1994
American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987
BRG Bible (BRG) Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition™ Copyright © 2012
Darby Translation (DARBY) Public Domain
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) Public Domain
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) © 2013, 2020
King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
Authorized King James Version (AKJV)
Lexham English Bible (LEB) © 2012
Wycliffe Bible (WYC) © 2001
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) Public Domain

X. Which Textual Criticism Methodology?

Because the last five sections removed the Textus Receptus, I think this is a good time to have that talk.

There are approximately 300,000 textual variants among New Testament manuscripts. The Majority Text differs from the Textus Receptus in almost 2,000 places. So the agreement is better than 99 percent. But the Majority Text differs from the modern critical text in only about 6,500 places. In other words the two texts agree almost 98 percent of the time. — Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, Senior Research Professor, Ph.D.

Textus Receptus

The Textus Receptus was a manuscript of the Bible that was compiled by a man named Erasmus in the 1500s A.D. He took the limited number of manuscripts he had access to and compiled them into what eventually became known as the Textus Receptus. The Textus Receptus is the textual basis behind the King James Version and New King James Version. — Textual Criticism

The first printed edition of the Greek New Testament was completed by Erasmus and published by Johann Froben of Basel on March 1, 1516 (Novum Instrumentum omne). Due to the pressure of his publisher to bring their edition to market before the competing Complutensian Polyglot, Erasmus based his work on around a half-dozen hand-copied Greek manuscripts, all of which dated from the twelfth century or later; and all but one were of the Byzantine text-type.

Erasmus did not even transcribe the manuscripts; he merely made notes on the manuscripts themselves and sent them to the printers. Rife with typographical errors, the 1st edition of the Novum Instrumentum omne was printed in only six to eight months.

“But one thing the facts cry out, and it can be clear, as they say, even to a blind man, that often through the translator’s clumsiness or inattention the Greek has been wrongly rendered; often the true and genuine reading has been corrupted by ignorant scribes, which we see happen every day, or altered by scribes who are half-taught and half-asleep.” — Erasmus, “Epistle 337” in Collected Works of Erasmus Vol. 3, 134.

When Erasmus translated the NT he had access to no Greek mss for the last six verses of Revelation. So he translated the Latin Vulgate back into Greek at this point. As a result he created over a dozen textual variants which were not in any Greek mss. Erasmus adjusted the text in many places to correspond with readings found in the Vulgate or as quoted in the Church Fathers.

The problem with Erasmus was that he only used really three manuscripts. In fact, the manuscript Erasmus used for the book of Revelation lacked the last leaf. He was in a rush to get his Greek New Testament published, because he knew there were others trying to get their editions out. Consequently, he back translated from his defective copy of the Latin Vulgate into Greek for the last six verses of Revelation. In the process, he created twenty new textual variants that have not been found in any other manuscripts—except a few that were based on what he did several years later.

Textus Receptus is the Greek text that stands behind the King James Bible. Contrary to what its name suggests, it is not the text received by all. Even Erasmus wasn’t pleased with the production. He never liked it. He admitted it was rushed, that it was precipitated rather than produced. He put in eight years of work. By the end, he was tired.

In the late 1800s, Frederick Scrivener said there was no book he had ever seen with as many errors as the first edition of Erasmus’ Greek New Testament. — Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, Senior Research Professor, Ph.D.

Novum Instrumentum omne
1st Edition (1516)	Content
Minuscule 1 (Codex Basilensis A. N. IV. 2 or 1^eap) (12th century)	The entire NT except Revelation
Minuscule 2814 (1^rK) (12th century)	Book of Revelation
Minuscule 2 (2^e) (12th century)	Gospels
Minuscule 2815 (2^ap) (12th century)	Acts and Epistles
Minuscule 2816 (4^ap) (15th century)	Pauline epistles
Minuscule 2817 (7^pK) (12th century)	Pauline epistles
Minuscule 817 (15th century)	Gospels
2nd Edition (1519)	Content
Minuscule 3 (Codex Corsendocensis) (12th century)	Entire NT except Revelation
3rd Edition (1522)	Content
Minuscule 61 (Codex Montfortianus) (16th Century)
Comma Johanneum
4th Edition (1527)	Content
Complutensian Polyglot	Altered 90 passages in the Book of Revelation. Erasmus forgot what places he translated from Latin and didn’t correct all of them.
5th Edition (1535)	Content
	The fifth edition differed only in four places from the fourth.

Erasmus’ second edition of the Novum Instrumentum omne became the basis for Luther’s German translation, while the third edition was used by William Tyndale for the first English New Testament (1526), by Robert Estienne as a base for his editions of the Greek New Testament from 1546 and 1549, and by the translators of Geneva Bible and King James Version.

Criticized for his work which contained numerous textual errors, he incorporated readings from the Complutensian Polyglot in later editions of his work. It was not until the publication of the Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament in 1881 that the Textus Receptus lost its prominent position as a basis of biblical textual interpretation due to the inception of textual criticism.

There are 27 Greek editions of the Textus Receptus.

Critical Text

The Critical Text or eclectic method involves considering external and internal evidences for determining the most likely original text. External evidence makes us ask these questions: in how many manuscripts does the reading occur? what are the dates for these manuscripts? in what region of the world were these manuscripts found? Internal evidence prompts these questions: what could have caused these varying readings? which reading can possibly explain the origin of the other readings? The New International Version, New American Standard, New Living Translation, and most other Bible translations use the Eclectic Text. — Textual Criticism

Dismissing the Textus Receptus as an inferior text rife with errors, two prominent scholars, Westcott and Hort compiled a new Greek text in 1881, later called the Critical Text. With special focus on two fourth-century manuscripts, the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Sinaiticus, they attempted to preserve the most accurate wording possible. Their work dethroned the Textus Receptus and established the critical text, a text which gave evidence to being closer to the New Testament Autographs.

“In comparison with any other ancient Greek or Latin writing, the NT suffers from an embarrassment of riches when it comes to extant copies. The average ancient Greek or Latin author’s literary remains are to be found in fewer than two dozen copies, while the NT has about 5,600 extant copies in Greek alone, not to mention the another 10,000 in latin, several thousand copies in other early versions, and several hundred thousand quotations in the early Christian writers known as “the fathers” and referred to as the patristic writers. The NT textual critic not only has significantly more material to work with than textual critics of, say, Demosthenes, Livy, or Josephus, but the MSS are closer to the time of the original documents. Mere decades seperate some of the earliest fragments of the NT from the originals, while hundreds of years seperate the earliest copies of other ancient literature from the author’s manuscript.” — Professor Daniel B. Wallace Ph.D.

It’s important to note, that today’s Critical Text Novum Testamentum Graece is not the same as the Westcott and Hort text, and is nigh-infinitely superior with modern day scholarship. There’s an incredible amount of history between 1881 and 2022. Instead of going into the history of how we got from WH to NA28 I’d rather investigate our current Greek New Testament.

Sign	Name	Date	Content	Discovery
𝔓⁴⁵	Chester Beatty I	3rd	fragments of Gospels, Acts	1931
𝔓⁴⁶	Chester Beatty II	c. 200	Pauline epistles	1931
𝔓⁴⁷	Chester Beatty III	3rd	fragments of Revelation	1931
𝔓⁶⁶	Bodmer II	c. 200	Gospel of John	1952
𝔓⁷²	Bodmer VII/VIII	3rd/4th	Jude; 1-2 Peter	1952
𝔓⁷⁵	Bodmer XIV-XV	3rd	Gospels of Luke and John	1952
א	Codex Sinaiticus	330-360	NT	1844
B	Codex Vaticanus	325-350	Matt. — Hbr 9, 14	16th century?
A	Codex Alexandrinus	c. 400	(except Gospels)	17th century
C	Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus	5th	(except Gospels)	17th century?
Q	Codex Guelferbytanus B	5th	fragments Luke — John	18th century
T	Codex Borgianus	5th	fragments Luke — John	18th century
I	Codex Freerianus	5th	Pauline epistles	1906
Z	Codex Dublinensis	6th	fragments of Matt.	1787
L	Codex Regius	8th	Gospels	18th century?
W	Codex Washingtonianus	5th	Luke 1:1–8:12; J 5:12–21:25	1906
057	Uncial 057	4/5th	Acts 3:5–6,10-12	20th century?
0220	Uncial 0220	6th	NT (except Rev.)	1950
33	Minuscule 33	9th	Romans	18th century?
81	Minuscule 81	1044	Acts, Paul	1853
892	Minuscule 892	9th	Gospels	1877

Papyri: 𝔓¹, 𝔓⁴, 𝔓⁵, 𝔓⁶, 𝔓⁸, 𝔓⁹, 𝔓¹⁰, 𝔓¹¹, 𝔓¹², 𝔓¹³, 𝔓¹⁴, 𝔓¹⁵, 𝔓¹⁶, 𝔓¹⁷, 𝔓¹⁸, 𝔓¹⁹, 𝔓²⁰, 𝔓²², 𝔓²³, 𝔓²⁴, 𝔓²⁶, 𝔓²⁷, 𝔓²⁸, 𝔓²⁹, 𝔓³⁰, 𝔓³¹, 𝔓³², 𝔓³³, 𝔓³⁴, 𝔓³⁵, 𝔓³⁷, 𝔓³⁹, 𝔓⁴⁰, 𝔓⁴³, 𝔓⁴⁴, 𝔓⁴⁹, 𝔓⁵¹, 𝔓⁵³, 𝔓⁵⁵, 𝔓⁵⁶, 𝔓⁵⁷, 𝔓⁶¹, 𝔓⁶², 𝔓⁶⁴, 𝔓⁶⁵, 𝔓⁷⁰, 𝔓⁷¹, 𝔓⁷⁴, 𝔓⁷⁷, 𝔓⁷⁸, 𝔓⁷⁹, 𝔓⁸⁰ (?), 𝔓⁸¹, 𝔓⁸², 𝔓⁸⁵ (?), 𝔓⁸⁶, 𝔓⁸⁷, 𝔓⁹⁰, 𝔓⁹¹, 𝔓⁹², 𝔓⁹⁵, 𝔓¹⁰⁰, 𝔓¹⁰⁴, 𝔓¹⁰⁶, 𝔓¹⁰⁷, 𝔓¹⁰⁸, 𝔓¹¹⁰, 𝔓¹¹¹, 𝔓¹¹⁵, 𝔓¹²².

Uncials: Codex Coislinianus, Porphyrianus (except Acts, Rev), Dublinensis, Sangallensis (only in Mark), Zacynthius, Athous Lavrensis (in Mark and Cath. epistles), Vaticanus 2061, 059, 068, 070, 071, 073, 076, 077, 081, 083, 085, 087, 088, 089, 091, 093 (except Acts), 094, 096, 098, 0101, 0102, 0108, 0111, 0114, 0129, 0142, 0155, 0156, 0162, 0167, 0172, 0173, 0175, 0181, 0183, 0184, 0185, 0189, 0201, 0204, 0205, 0207, 0223, 0225, 0232, 0234, 0240, 0243, 0244, 0245, 0247, 0254, 0270, 0271, 0274.

Minuscules: 20, 94, 104 (Epistles), 157, 164, 215, 241, 254, 256 (Paul), 322, 323, 326, 376, 383, 442, 579 (except Matthew), 614, 718, 850, 1006, 1175, 1241 (except Acts), 1243, 1292 (Cath.), 1342 (Mark), 1506 (Paul), 1611, 1739, 1841, 1852, 1908, 2040, 2053, 2062, 2298, 2344 (CE, Rev), 2351, 2427, 2464.

Source: Alexandrian text-type

Majority Text

The Majority Text takes all of the manuscripts that are available today, compares the differences, and chooses the most likely correct reading based on which reading occurs the most. For example, if 748 manuscripts read “he said” and 1,429 manuscripts read “they said” the Majority Text will go with “they said” as the most likely original reading. — Textual Criticism

Sign	Name	Date	Content
A (02)	Codex Alexandrinus	5th	Gospels
C (04)	Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus	5th	Gospels (mixed Byzantine/Alexandrian)
W (032)	Codex Washingtonianus	5th	Matt 1-28; Luke 8:13–24:53
Q (026)	Codex Guelferbytanus B	5th	Luke–John
061	Uncial 061	5th	1 Tim 3:15-16; 4:1-3; 6:2-8
E^e (07)	Codex Basilensis	8th	Gospels
F^e (09)	Codex Boreelianus	9th	Gospels
G^e (011)	Codex Seidelianus I	9th	Gospels
H^e (013)	Codex Seidelianus II	9th	Gospels
L (020)	Codex Angelicus	9th	Acts, CE, Pauline Epistles
V (031)	Codex Mosquensis II	9th	Gospels
Y (034)	Codex Macedoniensis	9th	Gospels
Θ (038)	Codex Koridethi	9th	Gospels (except Mark)
S (028)	Codex Vaticanus 354	949	Gospels
1241	Minuscule 1241	12th	only Acts
1424	Minuscule 1424	9th/10th	NT (except Mark)

Papyri: 𝔓⁷³

Uncials: Codex Mutinensis (Uncial 014), Codex Cyprius, Codex Mosquensis I, Campianus, Petropolitanus Purp., Sinopensis, Guelferbytanus A, Guelferbytanus B, Nitriensis, Nanianus, Monacensis, Tischendorfianus IV, Sangallensis (except Mark), Tischendorfianus III, Petropolitanus, Rossanensis, Beratinus, Dionysiou, Vaticanus 2066 (Uncial 046), Uncial 047, 049, 052, 053, 054, 056, 061, 063, 064, 065, 069 (?), 093 (Acts), 0103, 0104, 0105, 0116, 0120, 0133, 0134, 0135, 0136, 0142, 0151, 0197, 0211, 0246, 0248, 0253, 0255, 0257, 0265, 0269 (mixed), 0272, 0273 (?).

Minuscules

More than 80% of minuscules represent the Byzantine text.

2, 3, 6 (Gospels and Acts), 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28 (except Mark), 29, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 60, 61 (Gospels and Acts), 63, 65, 66, 68, 69 (except Paul), 70, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 82, 83, 84, 89, 90, 92, 93, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 104 (except Paul), 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 116, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 155, 156, 159, 162, 167, 169, 170, 171, 177, 180 (except Acts), 181 (only Rev.), 182, 183, 185, 186, 187, 189, 190, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 (Epistles), 206 (except Cath.), 207, 208, 209 (except Gospels and Rev.), 210, 212, 214, 215, 217, 218 (except Cath. and Paul), 219, 220, 221, 223, 224, 226, 227, 231, 232, 235, 236, 237, 240, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 250, 254 (except Cath.), 256 (except Paul), 259, 260, 261, 262, 263 (except Paul), 264, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 272, 275, 276, 277, 278a, 278b, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 297, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 308, 309, 313, 314, 316, 319, 320, 324, 325, 327, 328, 329, 330 (except Paul), 331, 334, 335, 337, 342, 343, 344, 347, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 364, 365 (except Paul), 366, 367, 368, 369, 371, 373, 374, 375, 376, 378 (except Cath.), 379, 380, 381, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 390, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 398 (except Cath.), 399, 401, 402, 404, 405, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 417, 418, 419, 422, 425, 426, 429 (Paul and Rev.), 431 (except Acts and Cath.), 432, 438, 439, 443, 445, 446, 448, 449, 450, 451 (except Paul), 452, 454, 457, 458, 459 (except Paul), 461, 465, 466, 469, 470, 471, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 490, 491, 492, 493, 494, 496, 497, 498, 499, 500, 501, 502, 504, 505, 506, 507, 509, 510, 511, 512, 514, 516, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522 (except Acts and Cath.), 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 538, 540, 541, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 553, 554, 556, 558, 559, 560, 564, 568, 570, 571, 573, 574, 575, 577, 578, 580, 583, 584, 585, 586, 587, 588, 592, 593, 594, 596, 597, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 607, 610 (in Cath.), 614 (in Cath.), 616, 618, 620, 622, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 632, 633, 634, 637, 638, 639, 640, 642 (except Cath.), 644, 645, 648, 649, 650, 651, 655, 656, 657, 660, 662, 663, 664, 666, 668, 669, 672, 673, 674, 677, 680, 684, 685, 686, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 694, 696, 698, 699, 705, 707, 708, 711, 714, 715, 717, 718, 721, 724, 725, 727, 729, 730, 731, 734, 736, 737, 739, 741, 745, 746, 748, 750, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 768, 769, 770, 773, 774, 775, 777, 778, 779, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 789, 790, 793, 794, 797, 798, 799, 801, 802, 806, 808, 809, 811, 818, 819, 820, 824, 825, 830, 831, 833, 834, 835, 836, 839, 840, 841, 843, 844, 845, 846, 848, 852, 853, 857, 858, 860, 861, 862, 864, 866, 867, 868, 870, 877, 880, 884, 886, 887, 889, 890, 893, 894, 896, 897, 898, 900, 901, 902, 904, 905, 906, 910, 911, 912, 914, 916, 917 (Paul), 918 (Paul), 919, 920, 921, 922, 924, 928, 936, 937, 938, 942, 943, 944, 945 (Acts and Cath.), 950, 951, 952, 953, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 969, 970, 971, 973, 975, 977, 978, 980, 981, 987, 988, 991, 993, 994, 995, 997, 998, 999, 1000, 1003, 1004, 1006 (Gospels), 1007, 1008, 1010 (?), 1011, 1013, 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019, 1020, 1023, 1024, 1025, 1026, 1028, 1030, 1031, 1032, 1033, 1036, 1044, 1045, 1046, 1050, 1052, 1053, 1054, 1055, 1056, 1057, 1059, 1060, 1061, 1062, 1063, 1065, 1067 (except Cath.), 1068, 1069, 1070, 1072, 1073, 1074, 1075, 1076, 1077, 1078, 1080, 1081, 1083, 1085, 1087, 1088, 1089, 1094, 1099, 1100, 1101, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1107, 1110, 1112, 1119, 1121, 1123, 1129, 1148, 1149, 1150, 1161, 1168, 1169, 1171, 1172, 1173, 1174, 1176, 1177, 1185, 1186, 1187, 1188, 1189, 1190, 1191, 1193, 1196, 1197, 1198, 1199, 1200, 1201, 1202, 1203, 1205, 1206, 1207, 1208, 1209, 1211, 1212, 1213, 1214, 1215, 1217, 1218, 1220, 1221, 1222, 1223, 1224, 1225, 1226, 1227, 1231, 1241 (only Acts), 1251 (?), 1252, 1254, 1255, 1260, 1264, 1277, 1283, 1285, 1292 (except Cath.), 1296, 1297, 1298, 1299, 1300, 1301, 1303, 1305, 1309, 1310, 1312, 1313, 1314, 1315, 1316, 1317, 1318, 1319 (except Paul), 1320, 1323, 1324, 1328, 1330, 1331, 1334, 1339, 1340, 1341, 1343, 1345, 1347, 1350a, 1350b, 1351, 1352a, 1354, 1355, 1356, 1357, 1358, 1359 (except Cath.), 1360, 1362, 1364, 1367, 1370, 1373, 1374, 1377, 1384, 1385, 1392, 1395, 1398 (except Paul), 1400, 1409 (Gospels and Paul), 1417, 1437, 1438, 1444, 1445, 1447, 1448 (except Cath.), 1449, 1452, 1470, 1476, 1482, 1483, 1492, 1503, 1504, 1506 (Gospels), 1508, 1513, 1514, 1516, 1517, 1520, 1521, 1523 (Paul), 1539, 1540, 1542b (only Luke), 1543, 1545, 1547, 1548, 1556, 1566, 1570, 1572, 1573 (except Paul?), 1577, 1583, 1594, 1597, 1604, 1605, 1607, 1613, 1614, 1617, 1618, 1619, 1622, 1628, 1636, 1637, 1649, 1656, 1662, 1668, 1672, 1673, 1683, 1693, 1701, 1704 (except Acts), 1714, 1717, 1720, 1723, 1725, 1726, 1727, 1728, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1736, 1737, 1738, 1740, 1741, 1742, 1743, 1745, 1746, 1747, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1752, 1754, 1755a, 1755b, 1756, 1757, 1759, 1761, 1762, 1763, 1767, 1768, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1800, 1821, 1826, 1828, 1829, 1835, 1841 (except Rev.), 1846 (only Acts), 1847, 1849, 1851, 1852 (only in Rev.), 1854 (except Rev.), 1855, 1856, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1869, 1870, 1872, 1874 (except Paul), 1876, 1877 (except Paul), 1878, 1879, 1880, 1882, 1883, 1888, 1889, 1891 (except Acts), 1897, 1899, 1902, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936,1937, 1938, 1941, 1946, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2048, 2096, 2098, 2111, 2119, 2125, 2126, 2127 (except Paul), 2132, 2133, 2135, 2138 (only in Rev.), 2139, 2140, 2141, 2142, 2144, 2160, 2172, 2173, 2175, 2176, 2177, 2178, 2181, 2183, 2187, 2189, 2191, 2199, 2218, 2221, 2236, 2261, 2266, 2267, 2273, 2275, 2277, 2281, 2289, 2295, 2300, 2303, 2306, 2307, 2309, 2310, 2311, 2352, 2355, 2356, 2373, 2376, 2378, 2381, 2382, 2386, 2389, 2390, 2406, 2407, 2409, 2414, 2415, 2418, 2420, 2422, 2423, 2424, 2425, 2426, 2430, 2431, 2437, 2441, 2442, 2445, 2447, 2450, 2451, 2452, 2454, 2455, 2457, 2458, 2459, 2466, 2468, 2475, 2479, 2483, 2484, 2490, 2491, 2496, 2497, 2499, 2500, 2501, 2502, 2503, 2507, 2532, 2534, 2536, 2539, 2540, 2545, 2547, 2549, 2550, 2552, 2554, 2555, 2558, 2559, 2562, 2563, 2567, 2571, 2572, 2573, 2578, 2579, 2581, 2584, 2587, 2593, 2600, 2619, 2624, 2626, 2627, 2629, 2631, 2633, 2634, 2635, 2636, 2637, 2639, 2645, 2646, 2649, 2650, 2651, 2653, 2656, 2657, 2658, 2660, 2661, 2665, 2666, 2671, 2673, 2675, 2679, 2690, 2691, 2696, 2698, 2699, 2700, 2704, 2711, 2712, 2716, 2721, 2722, 2723, 2724, 2725, 2727, 2729, 2746, 2760, 2761, 2765, 2767, 2773, 2774, 2775, 2779, 2780, 2781, 2782, 2783, 2784, 2785, 2787, 2790, 2791, 2794, 2815, 2817, 2829.

Source: Byzantine text-type

XI. Gender Inclusivness?

The heresy of political correctness and gender inclusion has invaded the world of Bible translation and perverted God’s original message. There are times when inclusiveness is appropriate and times when it absolutely is not. Let’s look at some examples and remove some of the remaining versions that violate God’s message.

Imagine if the following verses only applied to half the population (Men):

20 If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? — 1 John 4:20 WEB (World English Bible)

This translation isn’t necessarily wrong, but those who understand the Bible, understand that ‘he’ in the Greek is referring to oneself [αὐτός (autos)], and ‘brother’ [ἀδελφός (adelphos)] is referring to a member of the Christian community. (See MOUNCE)

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,[a] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? — 1 John 4:20 NLT (New Living Translation)

See also 1 Jn 2:9; 4:8; Titus 3:10; Pr 10:18; 16:28; 20:19; 1 Pe 2:1; James 1:12; 4:11-12; Lk 6:45; Ps 101:5; Mt 5:22; 12:36; Jn 13:35.

Controversy

In Acts 1:16 the very first word Men [ἀνήρ (anēr)] is used, which refers only to males even when women are present. This is an instance of God using language in the Bible that is clearly and specifically directed at men (See MOUNCE). Here is a comparison of versions.

“Men, brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. — Acts 1:16 LSB (Legacy Standard Bible)

Here are two examples of translations completely butchering the Greek scriptures.

and said, “Brothers and sisters,[a] the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. — Acts 1:16 NIV (New International Version)

“Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the lips of David [king of Israel] about Judas [Iscariot], who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus. — Acts 1:16 AMP (Amplified Bible)

NET Translator Notes:

a. Acts 1:16 tn Grk “Men brothers.” In light of the compound phrase ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί (andres adelphoi, “Men brothers”) Peter’s words are best understood as directly addressed to the males present, possibly referring specifically to the twelve (really ten at this point—eleven minus the speaker, Peter) mentioned by name in v. 13.

The following versions will be eliminated for containing “sisters”:

The following versions containing “friends” will be eliminated:

Notes: The Expanded Bible (EXB) contains the literal translation even though it is derived from the NCV which was eliminated, It would otherwise have been eliminated.

XII. A Virgin or Young Woman?

This controversy doesn’t necessarily take away from the prophecy of Christ’s virgin birth, but it sure is suspect and I personally don’t care for what some of the newer versions are doing. Here is a comparison.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. — Isaiah 7:14 NKJV (New King James Version)

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman′u-el. — Isaiah 7:14 RSV (Revised Standard Version)

NET Translator Notes:

Isaiah 7:14 tn Traditionally, “virgin.” Because this verse from Isaiah is quoted in Matt 1:23 in connection with Jesus’ birth, the Isaiah passage has been regarded since the earliest Christian times as a prophecy of Christ’s virgin birth. Much debate has taken place over the best way to translate this Hebrew term, although ultimately one’s view of the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ is unaffected. Though the Hebrew word used here (עַלְמָה, ʿalmah) can sometimes refer to a woman who is a virgin (Gen 24:43), it does not carry this meaning inherently. The word is simply the feminine form of the corresponding masculine noun עֶלֶם (ʿelem, “young man”; cf. 1 Sam 17:56; 20:22). The Aramaic and Ugaritic cognate terms are both used of women who are not virgins. The word seems to pertain to age, not sexual experience, and would normally be translated “young woman.” The LXX translator(s) who later translated the Book of Isaiah into Greek sometime between the second and first century b.c., however, rendered the Hebrew term by the more specific Greek word παρθένος (parthenos), which does mean “virgin” in a technical sense. This is the Greek term that also appears in the citation of Isa 7:14 in Matt 1:23. Therefore, regardless of the meaning of the term in the OT context, in the NT Matthew’s usage of the Greek term παρθένος clearly indicates that from his perspective a virgin birth has taken place.

The following versions have been eliminated:

Notes: The New English Translation (NET) expanded upon the literal interpretation and included ‘Virgin’ in it’s translator notes. Otherwise it would have eliminated.

XIII. Jesus Deity

I recently wrote an article covering most all of the verses in the Bible dealing with Jesus deity. There are about 4 out of approximately 40 that are specific to textual basis. They should be represented in Bibles since they come from our oldest and best manuscripts. Let’s look at a few.

The Textus Receptus

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. — 1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV (New King James Version)

The Majority Text

Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. — 1 Timothy 3:16 WEB (World English Bible)

The Critical Text

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. — Jude 1:5 ESV (English Standard Version)

Here is a comparison. Note: Ho 13:4; Gen 19:24

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. — John 1:18 LSB

To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen. — Romans 9:5 NET (New English Translation)

The following versions survived:

*The Expanded Bible (EXB) contains the alternate reading of Jude 5 in the footnotes, It would otherwise have been eliminated.

Of the entire list of 62 Bibles, everything failed the Jude 5 test except the following versions: CSB, DRA, ESV, ESVUK, LSB, LEB, NET, NLT, NRSVUE, and WYC.

XV. Bracketing, Footnotes, or Omission?

In my humble opinion, bracketing is preferable over footnotes and omission is not an option for a Primary Bible. Between bracketing and footnotes there needs to be consistency. Let’s look at a few controversial verses that are not found in our oldest and best manuscripts. Here are the verses in question:

Mt 9:34; 12:47; 17:21; 18:11; 21:44; 23:14
- Legacy Standard Bible
- Expanded Bible
- NET Translator Notes
- LEB,ESV,NLT footnotes
Mk 7:16; 9:44,46; 11:26; 15:28; 16:9-20
- Legacy Standard Bible
- Expanded Bible
- NET Translator Notes
- LEB,ESV,NLT footnotes
Lk 17:36; 22:20,43,44; 23:17; 24:12,40
- Legacy Standard Bible
- Expanded Bible
- NET Translator Notes
- LEB,ESV,NLT footnotes
Jn 5:4; 7:53-8:11
- Legacy Standard Bible
- Expanded Bible
- NET Translator Notes
- LEB,ESV,NLT footnotes
Ac 8:37; 15:34; 24:7; 28:29
- Legacy Standard Bible
- Expanded Bible
- NET Translator Notes
- LEB,ESV,NLT footnotes
Ro 16:24
- Legacy Standard Bible
- Expanded Bible
- NET Translator Notes
- LEB,ESV,NLT footnotes

Only the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB), which is an update to the NASB ‘95 & ‘77, consistently brackets verses that do not appear in our oldest and best manuscripts (Critical Text).

And He said to them, “Because of your little faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 21 [But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”] — Mat 17:20-21 LSB (Legacy Standard Bible, update to NASB ‘95 & ‘77)

It should be noted, that the Expanded Bible (EXB) also does this with vertical bars, but one of the stipulations for Primary Bible is that it should be formally equivalent. The Expanded Bible is functional or dynamically equivalent in text, and therefore makes a better Parallel rather than a primary in my opinion.

Jesus answered, “Because ·your faith is too small [you have so little faith]. I tell you the truth, if your faith is ·as big as [as small as; the size of; ^L as; like] a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. ·All things will be possible [^L Nothing would be impossible] for you. |21 That kind of spirit comes out only if you use prayer and fasting.|” — Mat 17:20-21 EXB (Expanded Bible)

English Standard Version (ESV), New English Translation (NET), and New Living Translation (NLT) consistentantly footnotes said verses in the previous verse in which it appears.

ESV footnotes

Some manuscripts insert verse 21: But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting
NLT footnotes

Some manuscripts add verse 21, But this kind of demon won’t leave except by prayer and fasting. Compare Mark 9:29.
NET Translator Notes

d. Matthew 17:20 NET tc Many significant mss (א* B Θ 0281 33 579 892* e ff1 sys,c sa) do not include 17:21 “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” The verse is included in א2 C D L W Γ Δ ƒ1, 13 565 579 700 1241 1424 M al lat sy(p),h, but is almost certainly not original. As Metzger notes, “Since there is no satisfactory reason why the passage, if originally present in Matthew, should have been omitted in a wide variety of witnesses, and since copyists frequently inserted material derived from another Gospel, it appears that most manuscripts have been assimilated to the parallel in Mk 9.29” (TCGNT 35). The present translation follows NA28 in omitting the verse number as well, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

XVI. Conclusion

A recent update, as of 12/30/2022, has dethroned the LSB and it has subsequently relinquished its crown to the ESV. The litmus test in question has to do with Deut. 32:8 which should read “sons of God” according to our oldest and best manuscripts found in the DSS. The decision is defended by Dr. Michael S. Heiser, NET Translators’ Notes, ESV Study, etc.

Unfortunately this also removed the Expanded Bible from the finalists.

Winners

These highly recommended versions and studies push our understanding far beyond our previous limitations. I study with the ESV Study Bible and Net Full Notes. I read leisurely with the NLT. If I’m traveling, I’ll use something small like the LSB NT w/ Psalms & Proverbs.

Translation type	Recommendations
Formal Equivalence “Word-For-Word”	▫️ ESV Study Bible

According to quantitative linguistic comparison of Bible translations using computerized statistical analysis, the ESV is one of the most literal Bible versions on earth. In addition to this, the Bible Study variant won ECPA Book of the Year and is considered to be the very best study bible.

“… The ESV is one of the few, and surpasses the others in its simple yet elegant style. In many respects the ESV has accomplished in the 21st century what the KJV accomplished in the 17th: a trustworthy, literary Bible that is suitable for daily reading, memorizing, and preaching.” — Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts

The ESV Study Bible has over 200+ biblical scholars (100+ ESV; 95 Study); 9 countries, 20 denominations, 50 seminaries, colleges, and universities, including Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, London, Japan, California, MIT, Duke, Westminister, Dallas, etc. 20,000 study notes, 80,000 cross-references, 200+ charts, 50+ articles, 240 full-color maps and illustrations. Textual Basis: Masoretic Text BHS ‘83, DSS, LXX, SP, S, Vg; UBS5, NA28. Many distinguished scholars including:

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Translation type	Recommendations
Optimal Equivalence “Best-Of-Both-Worlds”	▫️ NET Full Notes ▫️ EXB Expansions

The NET Bible, Full Notes Edition lends an extraordinarily unique perspective, namely, the minds of the translators. This transcends study bibles on details concerning language and translation decisions. With the translators’ notes, this is the most accurate version of the Bible on earth bar none.

“The extensive and reliable notes in the NET Bible were a wonderful help to our translation team as we worked to prepare the English Standard Version.” — Wayne Grudem, Harvard, Westminister, & Cambridge educated Research Professor and member of the Translation Oversight Committee of the ESV

The NET Bible: Full Notes Edition is a completely new, non-sectarian and “inter-denominational,” translation of the Bible with 60,932 translators’ notes, completed by more than 25+ of the world’s foremost biblical scholars from Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Sheffield, Columbia, Dallas, etc. This is the largest set of translators’ notes ever created. Textual Basis: Masoretic Text BHS [B19^A(L)], DSS; NA28, UBS4. Many distinguished scholars including:

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Translation type	Recommendations
Dynamic Equivalence “Thought-For-Thought”	▫️ NLT Filament *Most Readable

The NLT Filament Study Bible has over 90+ Scholars in translation from Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Columbia, Westminster, Dallas, etc. The study brings even more to the table. In addition to the NLT being the most readable Bible version on earth according to quantitative linguistic comparison of Bible translations using computerized statistical analysis, many distinguished scholars are worth noting:

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Translation type	Recommendations
Paraphrase “In-Other-Words”	Not Recommended

This ministry does not recommend a Bible of the paraphrase type. We would instead direct you to dynamic equivalence. Paraphrases are NOT translations.

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Interlinear	The English-Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament: English Standard Version (ESV)
Hebrew Lexicon (HALOT)	The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament
Greek Lexicon (BDAG)	A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed.
Greek Lexicon (TDNT)	Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in One Volume
Biblical Hebrew OT	The Hebrew Old Testament Reader’s Edition
Koine Greek NT	ESV Greek-English New Testament: Nestle-Aland 28th Edition and English Standard Version
Courses	Basics of Biblical Hebrew 2.0 Basics of Biblical Greek 2.0 Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics