06 Differences in the Bible Text

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I’ve been using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the bible since the first day it was published in 1982. Since I was familiar with the Old King James Bible language, this seemed a good move because it was a translation which did not use 17th century language yet preserved the poetry and accuracy of the traditional version and the verse divisions. At the present time, the New International Version (NIV) of the bible seems the most popular for readers who wish to use a good literal translation. The English Standard Version (ESV) is also popular as the publishers have relaxed the copyright. In fact, there are something like fifty to one hundred English versions of the bible; many of these are paraphrases. Paraphrased versions combine ease of reading and may even add interpretations of what the text means. I am not advising on the merits of any particular bible translation here.

copying

Why I mention all this is because my NKJV is full of footnotes. Until I began reading this bible, I hadn’t realised that our English versions are translated from different Greek texts rather than a single one. My bible helpfully notes the main differences in the texts used. The NKJV was translated from the traditional ‘Received Text’. However, modern versions like the NIV are based on a different text called the ‘Majority Text’. This is the reason why bible versions often read differently. Sometimes in the Majority Text there are passages which are absent. The most famous one is the story of the Woman caught in Adultery in John 8. There are many very small differences between bible versions because of differences in the manuscripts although sometimes those differences are little more than the spelling of words.

Some differences do cause problems for people who believe that the scriptures contain absolutely no errors. This has never bothered me since the bible was written by human authors who were inspired. Being inspired doesn’t mean being totally free of human weakness; it means the writers experienced a purposeful divine anointing to write about the works of God in the world. You will appreciate that we do not have the original documents which these authors wrote. These documents are referred to as the original “autographs”. We only have handwritten copies of these originals, and these were made by hundreds of scribes over centuries. Inevitably, mistakes were made during copying which were somehow missed. This can be a problem even with modern printing! I find either spelling mistakes or typos in most modern books I read. But thankfully you will not find any in our modern English bible translations because they are edited and proof-read with the greatest diligence.

There are some people who wish to present the bible as being “without error”. Since there are so many differences in the manuscripts which have been discovered, then they get round this by asserting that “the original autographs were without error”. This implies that any discrepancies are merely the fault of copying scribes. As we don’t have the originals, then it is difficult to argue against this. However, there are problems with this approach which I don't find helpful. Let me illustrate this with an example. In the third century BC, it was decided to translate the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) into Greek since this was the common language of the time. This translation is known as the Septuagint (LXX from the Roman Numeral for seventy) and in fact, it became the main translation used by the Christian Church. Then in the fourth century AD, the whole bible was translated into Latin since this had become the common written language of that time. This was called the Vulgate Bible. When we compare the English versions of these translations, there are notable differences in wording between the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint and the Vulgate. But the problem with saying that the original autographs were without error is that Paul in his original letters quotes bible passages using the Septuagint and not the Hebrew bible. It means the actual original letter which Paul wrote quoted from the Old Testament scriptures using a translation and not the original autographs. Again, I do not find this troublesome!

human

My foundational point throughout this series is that the bible is the book God intended us to have. That means there does not need to be word perfect correlation amongst the different translations. God used the human authors, not as people He dictated to word by word, but as people whom He inspired to write through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. God is well able to cope with human weakness and still perform His will. Paul acknowledged this when he wrote:

God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. … we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, … For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:21-25)

God communicates the gospel to disbelieving flawed people through believing flawed people! He is quite happy if this message appears foolish to disbelievers since His concern is that they should hear the truth. God’s use of flawed people might be seen as a weakness since many things could and have gone wrong. But even though in His wisdom God entrusts the message of the gospel to flawed messengers, this still proves stronger than any human strength or human wisdom. Paul again comments on weakness later in this same letter, writing:

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:9-12)

In the present, our knowledge is deficient. In the eternal Kingdom there will be no deficiency. It meant that Paul was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit but was not yet possessed of full knowledge. This is why I am content that there are differences in scripture since they were written by those who only knew “in part” and prophesied “in part”!

You can tell you are getting to know your bible well when you begin to notice textual differences. I am not referring here to differences in the different manuscripts. I am referring to differences in the details, numbers and information which crop up when you compare parallel passages. Now some people seem to be disturbed by this, but I am trying to show that this worry is unnecessary. Differences do not detract from the message or the wonderful inspiration which God intended us to know by searching the scriptures. I thought I would address some of them here to make that point. The scriptures convey the message of redemption and differences do not need to detract from that.

Numbers in the bible

It appears that ancient writers did not consider exact numbers to be important. Numbers could be symbolic, if this helped to convey the message. Our modern system of exact numbering (for which the zero was a vital invention) only began many centuries after the bible was written. Some of the ancient numbering systems were quite clumsy and not exact. Numbers were used to convey the message. For instance, the numbers of people who left Egypt in the Exodus could not be exactly as written. If taken literally, the numbers in Exodus suggest there were between 2 and 3 million people. Now 3 million people standing in line would form a queue up to 1000 miles long! That is about 3 times the distance between Egypt and the Promised Land. The exact number is not known. There are other ways of interpreting the Hebrew words used in numbering which results in smaller overall totals. However, the message which bible is communicating is that it was a large body of people that left Egypt.

In Matthew, there is the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew divides it into three sections of fourteen generations. In order to organise it neatly into three sections, he has left out some of the actual generations. Matthew deliberately did this to develop his message of the significance of Jesus. The three sections highlighted three eras in biblical history. Reducing the generations may also have made it easier to memorise. There may also be a connection between the number 14 and the way the name, David, is written in Hebrew. The message he wanted to show was that Jesus was the son of Abraham and the son of David. Also, for some reason, Matthew doubles up some numbers. He has two demoniacs in Gadara and two blind men at Jericho. The bible writers were not fools prone to exaggeration; they were inspired men who sought to communicate their inspired message to specific audiences. Matthew’s Gospel was aimed at those from a Jewish background for whom the interconnections of scripture were very important.

Mythology

The bible-believing writer, William Lane Craig, describes the stories, especially in Genesis, as “mytho-history”. He concludes this as he attempts to reconcile the stories in Genesis with the discoveries made in science. That is, he believes in God as Creator and also in the historical existence of the men and women mentioned in the bible but does not think that the Genesis account is exact history as we now understand history. Whether or not you agree with him, he is making a genuine attempt to reconcile two difficult things. Another consideration when reading the bible is the Jewish understanding of “Midrash”. Midrash means ‘interpretation’ and it is the way they use the scriptures to understand the ethics and theology which give directions in how the people of God should live. In our day, the interpretations of the Old Testament which have been developed by the writer, Jordan Peterson, seem to me to be a form of Midrash. He uses the bible accounts to outline principles of human life.

So, are we to believe that the universe was created in 144 literal hours? Were there two special trees in a garden? Who did the sons of Adam marry, and so on? These stories are included for important reasons as part of the divine message. I do believe in scientific evidence, however, much of the past cannot be proven to have happened in any specific way. There are many explanations of what might have happened based on the little evidence we have obtained. But remember that explanation is not evidence. Many modern people speak as though their explanations are true and so claim to know exactly how things in the past happened when their assertions can never be proved. I believe in the revelations of science and also the revelations of the bible. That is, that God has revealed Himself in both the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture. What is to be taken literally in the bible and what is not, I cannot easily say. I read the bible to receive its message of inspiration asking for the Spirit’s help since it was compiled under the inspiration of the Spirit.

Factual incongruities

There are many factual incongruities in the bible. Those who believe the bible is without error do make credible if tenuous attempts to rationalise these. There are websites dedicated to giving explanations of why there are these incongruities. For instance, did Judas Iscariot buy a field with the betrayal money or did the chief priests buy it (cp. Matthew 27:3-8 & Acts 1:18-19)? Did Theudas lead a rebellion in Judea before Judas of Galilee or was it historically the other way round (see Acts 5:36-37)? Did the census commanded by Caesar happen when Quirinius was Governor of Syria or was there some confusion over that reference (see Luke 2:1-3)? There are no easy answers to such questions. But I do not worry myself about such details. The major parts of each story are correct in what each is conveying: the betrayal money was used to purchase a field and Judas hanged himself; there were two serious rebellions in Judea in the first century; there was a historical census around the time of Quirinius. The bible wasn’t written to be a chronological account of history, but a spiritual account of God’s working in the affairs of nations and the experiences of people of faith.

interpretation

There is also latitude in the way the Old Testament scriptures are quoted. When preaching in Antioch, Paul quoted this from Habakkuk:

Look, you scoffers,
wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
that you would never believe, even if someone told you. (Acts 14:41)

But if you read Habakkuk in the Old Testament it reads:

Look at the nations and watch –
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe, even if you were told. (Habakkuk 1:5)

As I mentioned before, Paul quoted from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and it is different. Does it really matter? His message was clear, and the listeners could go home and look it up. When Stephen was preaching before his martyrdom, he quoted from Amos in the Old Testament. But he interpreted his quotation rather than giving the original version. Stephen said:

Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. (Acts 7:43)

But the actual quote in Amos reads:

Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus. (Amos 5:27)

There are many instances of differences in wording, but does it really matter to the substance of the inspiration of scripture?

In conclusion, let me point out that the bible is a book for this created world. There will not be copies of the bible handed out in the new Kingdom to those who qualify to be part of it. In the new Kingdom we shall know the presence of God without any barriers of time, space, flesh, language and sin; or the need for a book to inspire us. The bible is the book to aid us in our present journey and to illuminate our destination. The bible only manifests its secrets to those who read in faith and in the Spirit. It is an inspired book which demands the subjugation of proud intellects to the wonders of loving faith. We are to immerse ourselves both in the knowledge of scripture and in the knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Jesus made it clear that this is the only way to read and use the bible correctly. He said:

You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)