Questions tagged [textual-criticism]
The art/science of textual criticism attempts to reconstruct the oldest or original wording of a given text.
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What is the most accurate (original Greek text), and (translation) of Jude 1:4?
KJV of Jude 1:4 declares that God is the only lord, beside the lord Jesus Christ, i.e: it may means that the only Lord is God the father, beside the lord Jesus Christ.
Like KJV, also, World English ...
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What are the implications of the recent finding in Vatican Library in relation to Matt 12:1?
Matthew 12:1 was in the news recently after the discovery of a hidden and over- written ancient manuscript in Syriac in the Vatican Library. The finding is important in the sense that the text ...
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What manuscript(s) does BHS get Joshua 21:36-37 from?
Note- This is not a duplicate of Is Joshua 21:36-37 authentic or an addition? because I am asking what the source of the hebrew of those two verses is, and for the BHS specifically. So for example,...
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Whose faith is the subject of Hebrews 11:11?
Πίστει καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα δύναμιν εἰς καταβολὴν σπέρματος ἔλαβεν καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν ἡλικίας, ἐπεὶ πιστὸν ἡγήσατο τὸν ἐπαγγειλάμενον (Hebrews 11:11, Westcott and Hort)
The traditional translation of Hebrews ...
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Evidence for/against Romans chapter 16 being a later addition to the text?
There are those who suggest that chapter 16 is a later addition to an originally shorter epistle to the Romans.
It strikes me that arguments against the originality of Romans 16 based upon what we do/...
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Understanding Jesus' apparent lie in John 7:8
John 7:8:
"...You go to the festival. I am not[a] going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come."
The all important footnote:
[a] John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet
It seems ...
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Is the textual evidence to the missing ending to Mark evidence of Mark being the earliest Gospel?
Mark 16:8 seems much too abrupt for an ending to the Gospel of Mark. The textual evidence indicates that none of the four endings we now have after Mark 16:8 are original, in other words the original ...
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What does the RMS at the top of page one of Eph 1:1 of Chester Beaty Papyrus P46 mean
At the top the first page of Ephesians in Chester Beatty papyrus P46 there is a notation in the Greek letters RMS. I also notice a similar notation at the top of many of the pages, with slight ...
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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? ...
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Missing verset in Psalm 15:3
The verset ". . .slanders not with his tongue" is missing from the Psalm (15,3) found at Qumran. The LXX does contain this reference to slander which begs the question, at least for me, when ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Why was Mtt 17: 21 as appearing in KJV skipped in other versions of NT? [duplicate]
We read in Mtt 17:18-21 (KJV)
And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not ...
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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:
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What is the argument against the authenticity of 1 John 5:7-8 in the KJV?
I was reading through Lee Strobel's The Case for the Real Jesus and came across a passage in the book that indicates the inauthenticity of 1 John 5:7-8 in the King James Version:
1 John 5:7-8 (KJV)
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Who are "the sons of disobedience" in Colossians 3:6?
If this variant represents the original text, then who are "the sons of disobedience" (τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας, tous huious tēs apeitheias) in Colossians 3:6?
NA28:
δι᾿ ἃ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ ...
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What does Isaiah mean by saying that the LORD's "hand is stretched out still"? (Is. 5:25;9:12,17,21;10:4)
I heard explained that it means that the LORD will still extend mercy in spite of sins. I have also heard that it means just the opposite-that an extended hand in ancient Near Eastern context means a ...
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Romans 13:9, what is the accurate text? With or without "false testimony"?
Romans 13:9, (DRB):
For Thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness: Thou shalt not covet: and if there be any other commandment, it ...
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Is Jesus' flesh the veil mentioned in Heb 10:19?
Heb 10:19-20 which says in the NIV:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that ...
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Is John 6:4 authentic?
A friend of mine at church says John's gospel chapter 6 verse 4 is inauthentic and should not be there.
And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. (John 6:4 KJV)
What is the manuscript ...
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Do translators leave out the definite article of Satan in the New Testement?
It is well known that in many cases in the Old Testament that whenever Satan is described, it is accompanied by a definite article rendering it as ‘Ha-Satan’ (The Satan).
(This question will not go ...
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Did God say that Adam will die on the same day he ate the fruit?
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,
for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis
2:17, NKJV)
but you must not eat from the tree of the ...
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Why is the word wife removed from most translation in Matthew 19:29?
Matthew 19:29
Some translations include the word wives. Others do not. For example:
NIV: And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for ...
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What is the significance of the definite article in 1 Cor 14:2?
In John MacArthur's Bible Commentary, he says that in 1 Cor 14:2, before God there is no definite article so it could be translated "a god" instead of "God." In some Greek texts ...
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Were New Testament Books Written to be Historical Documents?
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Did New Testament Authors, (such as Luke), employ extant "copying" techniques used by Scribes to ensure that content would be preserved, and that copies could be authenticated?
For Example:
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Should John 1:18 read "the only begotten God"?
I was reading my New King James version of the Bible and found a footnote for this verse:
John 1:18 (NKJV)
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son,[a] who is in the bosom of the ...
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"In A Beginning" vs. "In THE beginning"? Different implications?
Possibly the most famous phrase in the Hebrew Bible is: "In the beginning." Anyone can recite it without ever having read the Hebrew Bible. But is that the accurate translation? With a background in ...
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Examining NKJV's and KJV's inclusion of "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and," in Revelation 1:11 [duplicate]
The phrase "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and," that is in the King James Bible and the New King James Version is not found in most translations of the bible.
Are the ...
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Arguments for/against the Pauline authorship of NT prohibitions against women speaking in church - 1 Cor. 14:34, 1 Tim. 2:12 [closed]
Note: This question focuses on authorship, not the meaning of the verses.
1 Timothy 2:12 "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent."
1 Corinthians 14:...
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Should Cainan be included or excluded from the geneology of Jesus?
In the Masoretic Text, Genesis 11:12-13 reads like this:
And Šëm lived after he begat ´Arpa¢šað five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And ´Arpa¢šad lived five and thirty years, and begat ...
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Where, if anywhere is Psalms 22:16 in Qumran Dead Sea Scroll 4Q88/4QPs f?
Regarding Psalm 22:16
By Psalm 22:16, I mean "Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet."
(v17 in the jewish verse numbering) "For dogs have ...
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What is the meaning of "calculate" in Revelation 13:18?
This is perhaps the most famous prophesy in popular culture:
This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his ...
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2 Chronicles 22:2; 2 Chronicles 21:20; was Ahaziah two years when he reigned, or there are two Ahaziahs?
2 Chronicles 22:2;
2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
2 Chronicles 21:20;
...
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Is the word "begotten" in John 3:16 of Authorized Version a problem that creates confusion when establishing the Deity of Christ? [closed]
The Authorized Version has the word "begotten" in
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have ...
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Why is the doctrine of fasting omitted by the modern revisions of the Bible?
Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:2), just as Moses had done and Elijah had done (see Exodus 24:18, 1 Kings 19:8). And Jesus taught the disciples to fast, such as before ...
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What is a text critical analysis of Revelation 1:11?
I agree that the phrase "Alpha and Omega" refers to the Father in the three verses of the book Revelation, namely Rev 1:8, 21:6 and 22:13, as in your discussion above. But in the King James ...
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Did Ancient authors in general retain a copy for themselves? [closed]
From 2 Corinthians 2:
3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have
sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you
all, that my joy is the joy of you all.
...
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How should Psalm 22:16 read?
Psalm 22:16 seems textually quite difficult. The NET for example reads:
Yes, wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet.
Yet, they note that ...
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Why do some translations of Ephesians 4:9 have the word "first" and others do not?
I am wondering about the logic behind some translations including the word "first" in Ephesians 4:9 when other translations do not. For example, the KJV/NKJV include the word "first&...
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If the LXX version of Judges 18:30 states "Μωυσῆ" (Moses), why would New Testament bibles prefer מְנַשֶּׁ֜ה (Menasseh) from Tanakh's MT?
Why would Tanakh's MT sometimes be preferred over Greek LXX as correct sources for New Testament bibles? - Example : Judges 18:30.
[Judges 18:30, LXX] states :
"καὶ ἀνέστησαν ἑαυτοῗς οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ...
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Textual Variants of John 19:26-27 (Entrustment of Mary)
Are there any known historical variants, interpolations, or alternate interpretations regarding the Entrustment of Mary in John 19:26-27?
Specifically the four bold words in verse 26 below?
John 19
[...
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When did the textual variation in Daniel 7:13 arise?
Daniel's famous vision is recorded in the middle of chapter 7:
I was watching in the night visions,
“And with the clouds of the sky
one like a son of man was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient ...
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What is the internal & external evidence for the authorship/inclusion of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and what evidence is against its inclusion? [duplicate]
We read:
“Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not
permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also
says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their ...
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Does Revelation 22:18-19 threaten Christian Scribes salvation in terms of a parablepsis or Gloss?
“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away ...
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Is there a Textual Issue with Ephesians 3:9?
We compare translations:
“and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan – a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things.”
Ephesians 3:9 {NET}
VS.
“and to make all ...
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Textual variants of “day of eternity” and exegesis of it (2 Peter 3:18)
Q: What is the definition of “day of eternity”? And do enough
manuscripts support evidence for its inclusion?
“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the ...
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Heb 6.18 says there are two immutable things; why can't there be three immutable things (according to Gen 15, the covenant with Abram)? [closed]
God cannot deny His promise nor His oath. These are two immutable things, says Heb 6.18. But covenant too is the third one which God cannot deny. If He denies, he will become like Jer 34:18.
So by ...
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Why do [1 Peter 2:8 | Romans 9:33] misquote the Greek LXX version of Isaiah 8:14?
Apostles Peter & Paul prefer a different version of [Isaiah 8:14] based on their revision of the Greek LXX.
Referencing the Isaiah 8:14 as documented in Septuagint, we read : “καὶ ἐὰν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ ...
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Versions of Daniel not Mentioning Darius in the Sixth or Ninth Chapter
There are three main versions of the Book of Daniel : Masoretic, Old Greek, and Theodotion. However, they all read Darius (but allude to Cyrus) in both their sixth and ninth chapters.
Are there any ...
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Why does the apostle Peter misquote Isaiah 28:16 in [1 Peter 2:6]?
If the Greek LXX version of Isaiah 28 was studied by Peter, Why does the apostle Peter misquote Isaiah 28:16 in [1 Peter 2:6]?
[1 Peter 2:6, LXX]
“Ἰδού, [τίθημι ἐν] Σιὼν λίθον [?] ἀκρογωνιαῖον ...
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