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Why are the newer translations of the Bible
missing verses?
.
the newer translations are attempting to
accurately present what the biblical writers originally wrote, and that means
leaving out anything that was not part of the original text - any content
“missing” in newer translations is believed by most scholars to not have been
in the Bible to begin with
Got
Questions Ministries
If you compare the King James and New King James Versions with the newer translations (e.g., the New International Version, English Standard Version, Christian Standard Bible, New Living Translation, etc.), you will notice that several verses are entirely missing from the newer translations.
Examples of
missing verses and passages are John 5:4, Acts 8:37, and 1 John 5:7.
Another
example is Mark 16:9–20, although that passage is always placed
in the text or in footnotes.
In addition to
the few missing verses, there are numerous words and phrases that are missing
from newer translations.
Why do these
translations omit these verses, phrases, and words?
No, the newer
translations are not removing verses from the Bible.
Rather, the
newer translations are attempting to accurately present what the biblical
writers originally wrote, and that means leaving out anything that was not part
of the original text.
Any content
“missing” in newer translations is believed by most scholars to not have been
in the Bible to begin with.
The KJV was
translated in AD 1611; the New Testament translators of the KJV used a Greek
manuscript called the Textus Receptus.
Since that
time, many biblical manuscripts have been discovered that predate the Textus
Receptus, and these older manuscripts, in theory, are likely to be more
accurate.
In their
research, Bible scholars and textual critics have discovered some differences
between the Textus Receptus and the older manuscripts.
It seems that,
over the course of 1,500 years, some words, phrases, and even sentences were
added to the Bible, either intentionally or accidentally.
The “missing
verses” mentioned above are simply not found in some of the oldest and most
reliable manuscripts.
So, the newer
translations remove these verses or place them in footnotes or in brackets
because the translators believe they do not truly belong in the Bible.
For
example, John 5:4 is included in the KJV, but in the
NKJV the verse has a footnote attached explaining that it is not found in many
Greek texts; the NASB includes the verse in brackets; the NIV places the verse
in a footnote, so John 5:4 is “missing” in the actual text.
The disputed portion is this: “waiting for the moving of
the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool
and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the
water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was
afflicted” (John 5:3–4, NASB).
Here is a possible explanation of how John 5:4 ended up in the Bible: a scribe is
writing out John 5, in which Jesus visits the pool of Bethesda: “Here a great number of disabled
people used to lie — the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had
been an invalid for thirty-eight years” (John 5:3–5).
But then the scribe gets to verse 7, as Jesus speaks to the
man about his desire to be healed, and the man says, “I have no one to help
me into the pool when the water is stirred” (verse
7).
The scribe
considers the man’s reference to “stirred” water as a source of possible
confusion, as John does not expound on it.
So, the scribe
writes a quick note in the margin to explain why the invalid was waiting for “stirred”
water — an angel came down at certain times to make something special happen.
The scribe’s
notation was an attempt to aid the reader in understanding Scripture.
But then, as
more and more copies of that manuscript were made, the scribe’s marginal note
was transferred from the margin and inserted into the actual text as part of
the passage.
It may be that
the later copyist misconstrued the intention of the marginal note: instead of
being a commentary of sorts, the note was seen as the scribe’s attempt to
correct a mistake, inserting a verse he had accidentally left out.
Thus, what the
scribe meant as a helpful gloss resulted in John 5 expanding by one verse.
It is
important to remember that the verses in question are of minor significance.
None of them
change in any way the crucial themes of the Bible, nor do they have any impact
on the Bible’s doctrines — Jesus’ death and resurrection; Christ’s being the
only way of salvation; and the doctrines of heaven and hell, sin and
redemption, and the nature and character of God.
These
doctrines are preserved intact through the work of the
Holy Spirit, who safeguards the Word of God for all generations.
It is not a
matter of the newer translations missing verses, and it is not a matter of the
KJV translators adding to the Bible.
It is a matter
of determining, through careful research and textual science, what content was
most likely part of the original manuscripts of the Bible.
Got
Questions Ministries
seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing biblical, applicable, and
timely answers to spiritually related questions through an internet presence.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
We will do our best to prayerfully and thoroughly research your question and answer it in a biblically based manner. It is not our purpose to make you agree with us, but rather to point you to what the Bible says concerning your question. You can be assured that your question will be answered by a trained and dedicated Christian who loves the Lord and desires to assist you in your walk with Him. Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, biblical counselors, Bible/Christian college students, seminary students, and lay students of God’s Word.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
We will do our best to prayerfully and thoroughly research your question and answer it in a biblically based manner. It is not our purpose to make you agree with us, but rather to point you to what the Bible says concerning your question. You can be assured that your question will be answered by a trained and dedicated Christian who loves the Lord and desires to assist you in your walk with Him. Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, biblical counselors, Bible/Christian college students, seminary students, and lay students of God’s Word.
https://www.gotquestions.org/missing-verses.html
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