Over the years we have noticed that there are a lot of questions that people have about Bibles and translations. Many of the questions people have are because they have been given the wrong information about the Bible and various translations. Hopefully we can clear up some misconceptions and misunderstandings about the Bible and open the way for people to realize they can trust the Bible in their hands

We believe this is critical in light of all of the competing religious groups and philosophies in our world today. We think it is especially critical since many of these groups and philosophies attempt to degrade, devalue and even displace the Bible as the Word of God. They present to the world their own sacred scriptures which they claim to have come from God, and claim as well that their sacred scriptures are truth. Consider with me the following misconceptions and facts regarding the Bible and you will realize that no other sacred writing has so much proof for it's validity and reliability.

We would encourage you to consider these things, then if you wish to know more about this information we have a book list at the bottom of the page for you to do further study.

Misconception: "You know the Bible is like the whispering game. You know, one person whispers into the ear of another person who then whispers into the ear of another person and around the room it goes. After several people the story is changed and you have a different story."

This is a common misconception about the Bible and could not be farther from the truth. Actually, the Bible we have in our hands is one of the most reliable of ancient documents. There is nothing in ancient writings that has as much documentation and proof currently available. When I say this, I mean nothing. This includes some of the writings of Plato, Socrates, and William Shakespeare. That list of authors is taught without question in modern colleges every day. So, using the same testing methods for testing reliability of ancient documents we find the Bible actually has more proof for its reliability in all areas. Archaeology, Geography, Anthropology, Historic records all point to the Bible as being reliable.

Consider the weight of evidence just in available working manuscripts:

There are now more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Add over 10,000 Latin Vulgate and at least 9,300 other early versions and we have more than 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existence. No other document of antiquity even begins to approach such numbers and attestation. In comparison, the "Illiad" by Homer is second with only 643 manuscripts that still survive. The first complete preserved text of Homer dates from the thirteenth century. - Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense, page 43 (For a breakdown of the number of surviving manuscripts and sources to consult, see "Evidence That Demands a Verdict", Josh McDowell, page 40)

So you see, we have more than sufficient manuscripts to know that we have translated the scriptures properly and with great confidence.

All of the work done on Bible translations is based upon manuscripts and pieces of manuscripts that we have available for study in museums and research libraries all over the world. Our understanding of the ancient languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek is well demonstrated and they provide clear translating ability in regard to the text. A Jew on the streets of Jerusalem today can read the ancient languages of his forfathers as well as he can read the daily newspaper. As another example, the Dead Sea Scrolls when unearthed, contained the oldest and most complete manuscript of the Book of Isaiah. That ancient manuscript was exactly what we had already in our hands and validated the authenticity of the current translations. It provided a clear confirmation of what we already knew. No one is whispering and there is no game, this is all out in the open and clear. All translation work is done from the original manuscripts we have in our possession today. There are some Bibles that are called "paraphrases" and these are only a representation of someone's idea of what the Bible meant. They do not claim to be translations and are not reliable for study purposes. (i.e. The Living Bible) A paraphrase can be good for devotional purposes, but can never replace a good translation.

Misconception: "You know the Bible is full of errors and contradictions."

This is another misconception about the Bible, often only a result of not knowing the Bible itself or the cultures and languages it was written in. There is some less than seven percent of the whole Bible that we are not absolutely clear on. In those passages we have questions about, there is nothing that changes any doctrine of the Christian Church and what is considered to be orthodox teaching. These problems for instance, are in regard to copies having letters out of place or combined incorrectly in the sentence structure. Here are some examples of writing problems that arise.

(and the bear) (an dthe bear) (andt he bare) (proceeding - procedding)

Eventually it becomes clear what was meant to be interpreted based upon the context of the verse. There are a handful of words which translators struggle with the meanings of because the word in the Hebrew for example, does not exist anywhere else in current ancient texts. They have nothing to compare the word to in order to confirm their translation. So in such cases, using our understanding of Hebrew writing styles or poetry styles among the Jews helps us with what we need to know about what the word likely meant. Again, none of this effects what we already know and believe.

Concerning Contradictions:
An example of a contradiction presented by some is the fact that Matthew and Luke have differing geneologies regarding Jesus' family line. The misunderstanding comes from not knowing that it was customary to write a geneology based upon audience. Matthew who writes primarily to Jews is careful to follow the family line back to King David, an important fact to Jews looking for their Messiah from the line of David. Luke on the other hand was not as concerned with David's family line attachments for the king, so he does not concentrate upon that family geneology. There is no contradiction, only differing audiences requiring differing geneologies. This is the way it is with all supposed contradictions, lack of knowledge makes for
mistaken perceptions and assumptions.

Misconception: "You know anyone can interpret the Bible any way they want to and make it say anything they want it to say."

While this perspective is true in one sense, it is far from the truth in another way. We have found that there are a good number of people individually, as well as religious groups who are doing just this. Many people interpret the Bible to suit their wants and desires so they can accommodate their sinful practices. Others interpret the Bible based upon their own brand of doctrine they wish to promote. These people and groups though, do their interpreting of the Bible in an uninformed or deliberate manner. They are dishonest and without scruples in how they use the Bible. There is an old saying, "If you choke and twist it enough, you can make the Bible confess to anything." If you approach the Bible trying to make it say something, you can likely make it say that. If you allow the Bible to say what it says, it will not have many interpretations... there will be only one. Like any other language and writing, the Bible was written to a certain people at a certain time and place. For the whole of the Bible, Old and New Testament, there are no options in regard to interpretation unless you simply ignore the plain meaning in the original languages. When the Bible says, "Do not steal" or "Do not commit murder," there are no interpretation variances allowed. The words say what they mean and there is no other way to look at them. This is how we need to come to the Bible, letting it say exactly what it means to say without any preconceived ideas or leanings when we approach it. By turning to the original languages we can have a clear understanding of exactly what God meant for us to know. By taking into consideration who was being spoken to, when it was being spoken, and where the readers were when they received it from the author, we can gain a clear knowledge of God's word. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament is a clear example of how the author was writing to Jews and much of the wording reflects this in content and word usage.

So, yes, you can twist the Bible and make it say all sorts of things. But no, the Bible is not open to any personal and biased interpretation. The apostle Peter told us that the scriptures were not given by any private interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20) Each man spoke and wrote according to the will of God who moved them to write and speak His words. So, if you approach the Bible honestly and allow God to speak what He wanted to speak, then you will not find Him speaking with variation. Pehaps there will be times in your life when something emotionally may mean something to you that is not directly being said. This does not make the interpretation your emotions have conjured correct. You may sense God speaking about an area of your life, but that does not make it eternal truth. Let the Bible say what it means and you will have truth presented to you.

Misconception: "The Bible is not to be taken literally, it is just a collection of myths and stories to show us how to live."

Among religious people this is a popular concept, but the Bible never presents itself as a collection of myths. Myths and legends are simply meant to provide a means of communicating truths of tribal peoples and their ways of life. The American Indians for instance use myths like the first man and woman being birthed from a stalk of corn as a means of presenting the connection of humanity to the earth. The fathers or tribal leaders never thought of their stories necessarily needing factual proofs, this was not the point of their stories. The Bible on the other hand is a historic record. The people mentioned, the lands that are named, everything is considered to be literally known and they are. Many characters of the Old Testament such as Noah are mentioned by Jesus, who by the way, always speaks of them as real and literal. If you give any credence to Jesus, then you must consider that He spoke of the Old Testament in real and literal terms. In terms of the reality of the people, places and events of the Old Testament, we have their record for us to find. The people of Ammon, Egypt, Babylon, and Israel are all accounted for in archaeology, anthropology and historic records apart from the Bible. The places of the Bible are accounted for as well, many of them still exist throughout the Middle East. Activities mentioned such as methods of war, animal herding, farming, and other elements of the Biblical record are also fully documented as being exactly done as the biblical record speaks of it. As an example of this we read of how the shepherd leads the flock in Psalm 23. While in the West shepherds drive the flock, in the East among the Jews, shepherds led their flocks.

Something else that makes the reality of the scripture more viable to us as the reader is the prophetic record. The Bible is full of prophecies that are spoken, some hundreds of years before the events took place. In Jesus' life alone over three hundred prophecies are fulfilled. Other events like the fall of Babylon, the fall of Tyre and the fall of Egypt are easily demonstrated in historic records apart from scripture. Many of the prophecies of Daniel and Ezekiel are found fulfilled in the kingdoms of the Medo-Persian empire, Alexander the Great and others that we know to be real and literal characters of history.

There are times when the Bible uses poetic language, picture words and so on. These can easily be distinguished from literal texts. The Bible speaks of God in picture language to help us understand a part of His character such as how He "desired to spread his wings over Israel" which was to indicate to them how He wanted to protect them. It is never thought that God has wings, this is only picture imagery to present a concept. We are told later in the Gospel of John in chapter four that "God is Spirit and is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth." No wings, not a physical being in the sense you imagine to be like some Greek god. The Bible is then to be taken as literal and real unless it is obvious from the text itself that this is not possible.

Misconception: "Only the King James Version of the Bible is true, other modern translations are unreliable and were created by people who had an agenda to ruin the Bible."

This argument comes in many forms, but this is essentially the argument. Actually the King James translation was written to please the King in terms of language and form. This translation though beautiful to read at times, is not what the common man would have spoken, it was king's court language. Modern translations while remaining faithful to the manuscripts and ancient languages, provide us with easier reading which is because of the use of a more common language understood by most people. Since the time of the King James there has been a great increase in learning in regard to the ancient langauges. Coupled with this learning, we have also uncovered more manuscripts which date earlier than the ones available to the translation teams of the King James Bible. This has only served to provide us with an even more accurate language study and even more reliable translations to study from personally as non-scholars. By sticking to the original languages and referring to several translations for study, we avoid all of the problems associated with every translation.

While we do not have the room to discuss all the arguments of this debate, I would suggest checking into the books below on the suggested reading "for further study" section. I would especially recommend the book, "The King James Only Controversy".

The Bible in your hands has come to you through many years of difficulties and strenuous effort on the part of many good and godly men. It is no mistake of history that has brought God's word to you, it is without a doubt the sovereign will of God that has maintained His word for us. Consider a couple of tidbits regarding how incredible the Bible is.

"I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word." Psalm 138:2 (NIV)

The Efforts of the Scribes
The Bible speaks of men known as "scribes" in the New Testament. These men, whose only job was to copy the Hebrew text took their jobs extremely seriously. They had devised many methods of securing the proper transmission of the scriptures. They had a numbering system of each page and section of the Old Testament, a number corresponding to each letter. When a scribe had finished a page of the text he would then count the letters and check each page for corresponding letters to numbers. If any part of the page was incorrect, they whole thing was destroyed and then he would start all over again. When a scribe came to a text that had the name of God to be written, "Yahweh" or "YHWH", he would stop and first ceremonially wash himself before proceeding. For these men it was total accuracy that was critical, no one hurried through any part of the text he was working on.

The scrolls among the Rabbi then would have been such that the newest versions were more reliable because they were all fresh ink and there was utmost confidence that the scroll in front of them was done exactly as it was supposed to be. Although this is backward for us today who want the oldest of manuscripts, for them, this was only natural since the scrolls were being produced so perfectly.

Eyewitnesses
While many ancient manuscripts we have from outside sources contain second-hand information, the Bible contains eyewitness accounts from those who knew of the events personally. Moses is spoken of in Exodus as recording the events and words of God given to him, Joshua wrote of what he knew as well. This tradition continues on to the time of the apostles who also wrote as eyewitnesses of the things they knew.

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:1-3

Paul in giving his testimony to Herod Agrippa tells him, "For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner." (Acts 26:26) The whole of the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are like this, real events written by eyewitnesses. None of this was done in some secret chamber or hidden place where only the testimony of the person is the given evidence. Everything is out in the open and able to be traced. So these eyewitnesses spoke of events, places and people who really
existed and are verifiable to us today.

Later Efforts
      Later translations were done just as strenuously by the men and women who worked on them, all comparable to the scribes of early Judaism. Martin Luther, known as the "great reformer," translated the Bible into German so that the common man could read it. Other men like John Wycliffe risked their lives trying to make an English version that was loyal to the original languages as well. Wycliffe who literally ran for his life all over Europe, spent every waking moment trying to translate and print the Bible so the common man could read it.

Today's modern languages such as the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version have been put together by reliable scholars who knew they were not working on just any book. They had differing styles of interpretation, but the message is still the same. The New American Standard is word for word, the most literal translation of the Bible we have to date. The New International Version is thought pattern to thought pattern the most clear of translations available. Modern translations like their predecessors were created to make the Bible available to the common man.

Ps 119:50 "This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me." NASB
Ps 119:50 "This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me." (KJV)

As these examples demonstrate, there are differing words used, but the message remains the same. Nevertheless, checking the original languages it would be immediately understood and each of these translations only adds to the meaning that is clearly presented.

So you see, the Bible is incomparable. The Biblical record is clearly God's word to us about Himself and the great love He has for us. If anyone spends any time studying the facts on the Bible, they will without a doubt have to realize, there is no other sacred scripture like it. So let God's word revive and strengthen you. Be comforted in knowing that the Bible is not just another book, it is clearly the word of God given to men so that we might know Him. Consider the words of Norman Geisler;

"The Bible is the only book that both claims and proves to be the Word of God. It claims to be written by prophets of God who recorded in their own style and language exactly the message God wanted them to give to humankind. The writings of the prophets and apostles claim to be the unbreakable, imperishable, and inerrant words of God. The evidence that their writings are what they claimed to be is found not only in their own moral character but in the supernatural confirmation of their message, its prophetic accuracy, its amazing unity, its transforming power, and the testimony of Jesus who was confirmed to be the Son of God." (Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Apologetics, pp. 95,96)

For further study

• Josh McDowell, "A Ready Defense" - excellent work demonstrating the reliability of scripture.
• Gleason Archer, "Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties" - thorough work on difficult passages in the Bible
• Norman Geisler, "Inerrancy" - another excellent work on the reliability of scripture.
• F.F. Bruce, "The Canon of Scripture" - work on how the Bible was formed into what we know it to be today.
• James White, "The King James Only Controversy" - as the title suggests, this covers the issues surrounding the
  King James translation and other modern translations as well.
• Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz, "Bruce and Stan's Guide to the Bible" - lighter reading than the others on the Bible.

If you can get through these books and want more, contact us and we will provide an enlarged list of books that are available on the Bible. God bless you as you seek Him.

                                                  We also have recommendations on how to study the Bible