Questions tagged [textual-criticism]
The art/science of textual criticism attempts to reconstruct the oldest or original wording of a given text.
6
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1answer
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Is “Ish-bosheth” a modified form of “Eshbaal?”
A professor of mine made an interesting claim in class today with regard to 2 Samuel 2:8:
But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken
Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him ...
9
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2answers
1k views
2 Samuel 1:26 — How does the Vulgate have a sentence not present in the Masoretic text or Septuagint?
I was scrolling through English translations of David's eulogy for Saul and Jonathan and noticed the Douay-Rheims Bible/the Vulgate has an entirely new sentence/thought in verse 26.
The Masoretic ...
3
votes
2answers
101 views
Why is the word “honeycomb”, in Luke 24:42, missing from most Bible translations?
King James, together with a few other translations, has "fish and honeycomb" in Luke 24:42, while most other translations only mention "fish". Why is "honeycomb" missing? Is "honeycomb" a newer added ...
1
vote
3answers
137 views
Could Jesus actually have risen from the dead on the fourth day, instead on the third day?
I was reading Luke 24:7 just now. The verse is about an angel who tells the disciples that Jesus was going to rise the third day. I noticed that it didn’t say on the third day, or after the third day. ...
4
votes
1answer
64 views
Should we take up our cross daily or not?
In Luke 9:23 in the HCSB Jesus is quoted saying
"If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me."
In the parallel passages in Mark 8, and Matthew 16 ...
1
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2answers
82 views
God's decision regarding The Great Flood
Am curious as to how and why God went all "I'm going to get rid of ALL creation." in Genesis 6:7 to "Noah take animals with you aboard the Ark." in Genesis 6:19-20 concerning the beasts of the earth.
...
1
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2answers
74 views
Why are there only four kings of Persia in Daniel 11:2? [closed]
Daniel 11:2,
Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia,
and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he
has gained power by his wealth, he ...
3
votes
2answers
85 views
What is the earliest dating we can put on the orderings of the books of the Old Testament?
What is the earliest dating we can put on the ordering of the books of the Old Testament?
I understand that there are two orderings or at least, broadly, two orderings.
One being the Tanach/Tanak/...
0
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0answers
55 views
Are nomina sacra thought to have been used in the autographs?
Nomina sacra are abbreviations used for the sacred names of God, Jesus, the Spirit, etc. (though also common unsacred words such as ανθρωπος) in many Greek manuscripts. Do any approaches to textual ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views
What is the difference between “the law” in John 1:17 & “the law” in Galatians 4:21
John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ.
Here the scripture says law was given through Moses.
And again from
Galatians 4:21-22 Tell me, you who ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
What are the lameds in the scribal annotations in the Aleppo Codex?
In this comment on History SE, I recalled
reading the Biblical book of 1 Kings in the Aleppo Codex (10th century AD). Where Elijah is taunting rival prophets with the suggestion that their god Ba'...
1
vote
3answers
74 views
Does 1 Peter 3:21 teach baptismal regeneration?
20Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21The like ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
What is the textual evidence for 'of the sins' in Colossians 2:11?
Please Note : This is a question about the TR, not about the Westcott and Hort text or the Nestle Aland text.
Stephens, Beza, Elzevir and Scrivener all include των αμαρτιων 'of the sins' in the text ...
3
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3answers
84 views
Meaning of “pc” in the Nestle-Aland critical apparatus (Revelation 5.10)
In Which translation for Revelation 5:10 is correct?, this answer gives a helpful explanation of which readings appear in which manuscripts. I don't doubt the author's correctness! But I am struggling ...
4
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3answers
172 views
Which translation for Revelation 5:10 is correct?
Some translations of this scripture use the pronoun "us" but other ones use the pronoun "them". The use actually changes what is going on prior to this scripture in terms of who is singing the new ...
6
votes
2answers
157 views
What does “oppositions of science falsely so called” mean?
1 Tim. 6:20(KJV) says,
"O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding
profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so
called".
What does "Oppositions of ...
3
votes
1answer
45 views
Why is the KJV version of Matthew 5:44 so much longer than other Bibles?
From my search the KJV includes the phrase, "do good to them that hate you"
But that phrase doesn't seem to exist in the versions I typically use.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=...
1
vote
3answers
88 views
Why is there extra text in the KJV of 1 John 5:7?
John 5:7 (KJV)
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
1 John 5:7 (NIV)
For there are three that testify:
...
3
votes
3answers
82 views
Is Numbers 12:3 an interpolation?
Numbers 12:1-5 NIV
(1) Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. (2) “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he ...
1
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1answer
130 views
Textual Criticism of 2 Samuel 23:8 and 1 Chronicles 11:11
2 Samuel 23:8
אלה שמות הגברים אשר לדוד ישב בשבת תחכמני ראש השלשי הוא עדינו העצנו על־שמנה מאות חלל בפעם אחד ס
These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, ...
1
vote
3answers
293 views
When is the Septuagint containing manuscript “Codex Sinaiticus” dated?
I would like to know the dating of this particular manuscript that contains Deuteronomy in the Septuagint version.
How do I find that out? I mean was it written before 3rd century BC or was it ...
4
votes
2answers
77 views
Which Tobit 1:1 genealogy is closer to the original?
What did the genealogy look like in the original version of Tobit? Did it look like the one in Vaticanus, or like the one in Sinaiticus, or neither?
Tobit 1:1:
Codex Vaticanus B —
ΒΙΒΛΟΣ ΛΟΓΩΝ ...
5
votes
2answers
163 views
Does Genesis 22:13 speak of a “single ram”, “another ram”, or “a ram behind”?
Genesis 22:13 (MT) reads:
וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּה־אַ֔יִל אַחַ֕ר נֶאֱחַ֥ז בַּסְּבַ֖ךְ בְּקַרְנָ֑יו וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ אַבְרָהָם֙ וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֶת־הָאַ֔יִל וַיַּעֲלֵ֥הוּ לְעֹלָ֖ה ...
3
votes
1answer
72 views
Defense of a variant of Numbers 22:5 about the location of Pethor
Numbers 22:5 (MT) reads:
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח מַלְאָכִ֜ים אֶל־בִּלְעָ֣ם בֶּן־בְּעֹ֗ר פְּ֠ת֠וֹרָה אֲשֶׁ֧ר עַל־הַנָּהָ֛ר אֶ֥רֶץ בְּנֵי־עַמּ֖וֹ לִקְרֹא־ל֑וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ר הִ֠נֵּ֠ה עַ֣ם יָצָ֤א מִמִּצְרַ֙יִם֙ הִנֵּ֤ה ...
4
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2answers
157 views
What factors attest Nehemiah 7:68 is, or is not original to Nehemiah?
Nehemiah 7:68, is missing from most Hebrew manuscripts. This fact suggests it was not in the autograph (original). Nevertheless, it is included in most English translations:
67 besides their male ...
10
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2answers
110 views
The confusing order of Laban's tent raids in Genesis 31:33
In Genesis 31:33 we read of Laban's search of the tents of Jacob's party:
וַיָּבֹא לָבָן בְּאֹהֶל יַעֲקֹב וּבְאֹהֶל לֵאָה וּבְאֹהֶל שְׁתֵּי
הָאֲמָהֹת וְלֹא מָצָא וַיֵּצֵא מֵאֹהֶל לֵאָה וַיָּבֹא ...
3
votes
1answer
127 views
Theory to explain ordering of tribes in Numbers 13
I noticed two strange things about the the listing of the tribes in Numbers 13:4-15. Firstly, the order of the tribes is as follows:
Reuben, Simon, Judah, Issachar, Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, ...
3
votes
2answers
71 views
Possible Word Inversion in Romans 9:5?
I couldn't help but notice, while pondering on another question, that inverting the current word order of the Greek text of Romans 9:4-5 by replacing the final o on from the middle of verse 5 with on ...
0
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1answer
58 views
In Ephesian 5:27 what does Christ “present to himself”?
I was struck with the oddness of a groom "presenting" one's bride "to himself" as it doesn't match our culture where the father of the bride "gives away" his daughter. As I looked at this familiar ...
0
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1answer
54 views
Did Plutarch Use the Term Sabbatismos in Plutarch, De Superstitione 3, in Moralia 2. 166a
Question:
What are the actual phrases used by Plutarch, in regards to "sabbatismos / σαββατισμὸς" - in the different manuscripts of his writings, (if there is more than one reading in Greek).
How / ...
2
votes
2answers
229 views
Why does the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew (NASB) omit Admin of Luke 3:33 (NASB)?
I'm comparing both Matthew and Luke's genealogy of Jesus.
Matthew wrote this:
Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon... -
Mat 1:3 (NASB)
And Luke wrote this:
the ...
1
vote
2answers
157 views
Does the Codex Sinaiticus contain the Hebrew Tetragrammaton or Greek LORD (KURIOS)?
The New King James Version uses the Tetragrammaton in the New Testament (written as +LORD [CAPS-smallcaps]) apparently it uses a Tetragrammaton source material, or it arbitrarily implies it while the ...
9
votes
3answers
240 views
Which reading is the original text of Ruth 1:2 (and other similar verses)?
As I noted in Usage of "fields of" vs. "land of" Moab in Ruth, in the first Chapter of Ruth, the term שדי/שדה מואב or "field(s) of Moab" is used to refer to the land of Moab.
In ...
0
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0answers
59 views
What significance the text variant has for interpreting Revelation 13:1?
Revelation 13:1 (KJV)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Why did Jesus call His mother “Woman”?
In John 19:26 it says,
"When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by,
whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!"
This isn't the 1st time Jesus uses ...
8
votes
1answer
326 views
Exodus 12.40: Did it originally mention Canaan?
Just as Moses finally leads the Israelites out of slavery, Exodus 12.40 tells us how long the Israelites had lived in Egypt:
NRSV
The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred and ...
7
votes
5answers
144 views
“Covenant” or “covenants” in Romans 9:4?
In Romans 9:4, Paul writes (NIV):
Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
It seems that some of ...
3
votes
1answer
352 views
Why is Acts 8:37 omitted in some Bibles?
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
-- Acts 8:37 (KJV)
Why don't some versions of Bible ...
6
votes
1answer
96 views
Were Bela and Balaam originally the same person?
Genesis 36.31-32 (NRSV)
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites. Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah.
...
11
votes
1answer
206 views
Is “ Ὁ ὢν” used as a title for Yahweh in LXX Jeremiah?
While looking into a question about the Greek phrase "ο ων" ("the one being") as a title for Yahweh in Koine Greek literature, I ran across this appellation in LXX Jeremiah. It occurs three times in ...
2
votes
2answers
83 views
Is there any evidence to support Beza's inclusion of εκ σου in Luke 1:35?
The text of Luke 1:35 according to Erasmus (1519) Stephens (1550) Elzevir (1624) Byzantine Majority (2000) and Byzantine Majority (Family 35) is as follows :
και το γεννωμενον αγιον κληθησεται ...
6
votes
3answers
140 views
Why does a segolate noun in Psalm 38:1[2] retain its segol with pronominal suffix?
The first column (right-to-left) is a list of segolate nouns.
The second column shows that, when a pronoun is added to segolate noun, the vowel under the first letter of the root reverts to whatever ...
1
vote
1answer
119 views
John 1:28 Bethany/Bethabara Location?
So, i'm just wanting to know where the location of Bethany is as mentioned by John. I've seen different maps that have it in different places. Some NT maps even show two Bethanys!
You should see the ...
0
votes
2answers
169 views
Does Isaiah 7:14 rule out the possibility of sex during the miraculous pregnancy?
If one is satisfied that Isaiah 7:14 is properly translated as:
King James Bible
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call ...
4
votes
1answer
142 views
What is the BEST Textual Cristicism argument for keeping “us” in Revelation 5:9 and 10?
There seems to be a lot of information as to why Rev 5:9 should be read as "them" instead of us, but what are the strongest arguments from a textual manuscript criticism basis for keeping the TR "us?"
1
vote
0answers
136 views
Proper translation of Genesis 49:10 [duplicate]
In Genesis 49:10, comparing ESV with NIV with NETS (Septuagint) with JPS with NKJV, all seem to be saying different things for the second half of the verse - which is correct? This has major ...
5
votes
3answers
73 views
Was Jesus Forgiving the Adulteress Originally in the Gospel of John? [duplicate]
I've heard this story was not originally part of the Gospel, but was added in.
The best reason I can imagine is it shares many sentiments with Matthew 18's parable of the king who forgives the ...
4
votes
2answers
160 views
Duplicate bible verses - Does it also duplicate in the original text? [closed]
I read the Proverbs and I suddenly notice that there is duplicated text
PROVERBS 22:3
The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
PROVERBS 27:12
The ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
What does a writer accomplish by the use of ὑποκάτω in place of ὑποπόδιον when citing Psalm 110?
After clearing the Temple, when the children cry out "Hosanna to the Son of David" the chief priests and the scribes protest and Jesus responds by citing from the Psalms:
and they said to him, “Do ...
2
votes
1answer
150 views
Why were Japhetic peoples the only ones to be described as gentiles in the table of nations? Genesis 10:5?
Genesis 10:5 (KJV)
5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
The word "gentile" is only mentioned once ...
