Answers about translation

Why did God allow for translational inconsistencies in 2 Kings 24:8 & 2 Chronicles 36:9; 2 Kings 8:26 & 2 Chronicles 22:2; and 2 Samuel 10:18 & 1 Chronicles 19:18?

2Ki 24:8  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 2Ch 36:9 KJV  Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did [...]

Topics: , , , ,

What does “maranatha” mean?

This is the combination of two Aramaic words, either מרנא תא (“marana tha”) or מרן אתא (“maran atha”) and means either “Come our Lord” or “Our Lord has come”. It occurs once in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 16:22. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! [...]

Topics: ,

Why the inconsistency between 2 Chronicles 36:9 and 2 Kings 24:8?

This inconsistency is only evident in some translations as it is often corrected. Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 36:9 NKJV) Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and [...]

Topics: , , ,

Does the word “fornication” refer to more than just sexual acts?

The English word “fornication” generally refers just to voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons, though it sometimes include adultery. In the New Testament the word often translated “fornication” is the Greek word porneia, which has a much broader semantic field. The word porneia derives from the word porne (“harlot”). It was used rarely in [...]

Topics: , ,

Why is Mark 7:16 left out of the NIV?

To understand why some translations omit Mark 7:16, first we need to understand a little bit about a process known as “textual criticism”. In brief, the original versions of the NT books (known as the “autographs”) are no longer available (they no doubt disintegrated many centuries ago). The Greek text we have today is based [...]

Topics: , ,

What is the Septuagint?

The Septuagint (often abbreviated to LXX) is an ancient Jewish translation of the Old Testament (and a few other Hebrew writings) into Greek. It was completed c. 250 BC in the city of Alexandria, Egypt. It is often the versions of the Old Testament that is quoted in the New Testament. The name “Septuagint” is [...]

Topics: , ,

How many versions are there of the Bible and do any of them contradict each other?

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of translations of the Bible. In English alone, there have been more than 100 published translations of the Bible in the last ten years (see www.biblereadersmuseum.com for a list). In general, the differences between the translations are largely about style of language and whether the translation is more word-for-word or [...]

Topics: , ,

Does Matthew 24:7 refer to underwater earthquakes?

In the King James Version, this passage reads For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (Matthew 24:7 KJV) “Divers places” does not refer to places where divers go. This is archaic spelling for “diverse places”. The King James Version was [...]

Topics: ,

How should 2 Corinthians 3:17 be translated?

Q. Should this verse read “the Lord is the Spirit” (ESV etc.) or “the Lord is that Spirit” (KJV)? 2 Co.3:12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being [...]

Topics: ,

How many times is the name Jesus in the Bible?

In the ESV, “Jesus” occurs 925 times, all in the New Testament.  The only book of the New Testament that does not contain the name Jesus is 3 John. The number is slightly different in each version because of variations in the ancient manuscripts and because the translators will sometimes choose to insert a name [...]

Topics: ,