Proverbs 14:32, Translators Can Pervert Scripture – A Warning!

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September 1, Proverbs 14:32

2 Cor. 2:13-17; Rev. 22:17-21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

Translators Can Pervert Scripture – A Warning!

Because our readings are primarily devotional, we do not often digress into strictly matters of textual criticism. Such discussions are rather technical and may seem remote for the average reader’s needs. They seem rather involved, but they show how the Words of God can be corrupted. Allow this departure on 14:32, because it does illustrate how subtle changes are introduced into God’s Word unobserved by most new version readers.

1. The Plotted Exchange: The KJV reads, but the righteous hath hope in his death. In many versions, the word death is replaced with integrity! The RSV (1952) reads: but the righteous finds refuge in his integrity. Are these two translations giving the same message? The Bible by Moffatt (1922) says, but the good man may trust in his integrity. The Bible by Smith and Goodspeed (1935) renders it, But the righteous man finds refuge in his integrity. The Jehovah Witness New World Translation (1961) has, but the righteous will be finding refuge in his integrity. These versions all appear to be copycats. Yet there are a few exceptions to “following the leader.” The Holy Scriptures According To The Massoretic Text (1917), reads, But the righteous, even when he is brought down to death, hath hope. The word death is retained by this Jewish-Hebrew translation. The NASV (1977 Gideon Ed.) gives, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies. The Jerusalem Bible has integrity. A later NASV (with Apocrypha) changes when he dies to his honesty, why? The NRSV still gives integrity, but adds a note [Gk.,Syr.,Heb., in their death]! Why do these critics insist on integrity over death? How do they justify their setting aside what we believe has been given by inspiration of God?

2. The Plotter Exposed: This change goes back, claim critics, to the Septuagint (LXX-note in RSV). Is this certain? See the NRSV note above! Those who translated the Hebrew into Greek decided to emend death to integrity. Their justification was not because the Hebrew text was in any doubt. No! They did not like what they read, and so, sought to avoid it, by making a very slight change that they claimed would make the parallelism between the two parts of the verse smoother! This was Lange’s opinion. They wanted something in the second part that would better reflect the antithesis (opposite) of wickedness in the first part. Here’s the slight-of-hand they pulled off. They first had to assume a copyist’s error! Then, note the next step carefully. The Hebrew word integrity can be represented in English as TM (19:1) while death is MT! So all they did was to switch the order of the letters, and, hey presto! integrity pops out of the hat instead of death. Thus you can see how subtle is the change, and how slickly it is palmed off on the Christian world. These versions, quoted above, are presented as the “latest and best in modern scholarship”! Kidner calls this a “far reaching change,” as indeed it is! Lange calls it a “divergent reading,” and diverges it most certainly does from the truth!

Thought: “The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, is Christ’s credo.”

Prayer: Lord, make every one of your Words precious to me.