How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.  Jeremiah 8:8

It is time to begin another series, albeit, semi-regular.  I have just found another verse in Scripture that is clearly mistranslated by almost every translation and effects the common man’s theological thought process…  Jeremiah said rightly, “How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the law of the Lord is with us’?  But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.”

First, let me state unequivocally, most translations are pretty good, HOWEVER, NONE is perfect and it is incumbent upon every student of the Word to learn to use tools that help them dig out the TRUTH without the filter of the pulpit, doctrinal statements or other functions of men.

Second, the purpose of this series is NOT to denigrate any particular translation or shake your faith in whatever translation you prefer, RATHER it is to demonstrate that each of us who claims to love Messiah Y’shua needs to be learning skills and computer programs that helps us dig deeper into the Word. 

[Aside: One such program that is free, easy, and in-depth, is e-sword.  You can get it here, or drop me a note in the comments section with name and address.  I’ll delete as soon as I get the info and will mail you a copy of e-sword 10.+ on dvd.  My fellowship helps support this.]

Now, let’s look at a passage of Scripture:

For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; James 2:2 KJV

See it?  Gross mistranslation!

Here, let’s consult a few more translations to see if there is a pattern…  I’ll highlight the word in question.

From e-sword:

(ABP+)  For ifG1437 G1063 [2should enterG1525 3intoG1519 G3588 4your gatheringG4864 G1473 1a man]G435 wearing gold ringsG5554 inG1722 [2attireG2066 1bright],G2986 and there should enterG1525 G1161 alsoG2532 a poor man G4434 inG1722 filthyG4508 attire,G2066

(Bishops)  For yf there come into your companie a man wearing a golde ryng, clothed in goodly apparell, and there come in also a poore man in vile rayment:

(Geneva)  For if there come into your copany a man with a golde ring, and in goodly apparell, and there come in also a poore man in vile raiment,

( KJV-1611)  For if there come vnto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poore man, in vile raiment:

(KJV)  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

(KJV+)  ForG1063 ifG1437 there comeG1525 untoG1519 yourG5216 assemblyG4864 a manG435 with a gold ring,G5554 inG1722 goodlyG2986 apparel,G2066 andG1161 there come inG1525 alsoG2532 a poor manG4434 inG1722 vileG4508 raiment;G2066

(LBLA)  Porque si en vuestra congregación entra un hombre con anillo de oro y vestido de ropa lujosa, y también entra un pobre con ropa sucia,

(NBLH)  Porque si en su congregación entra un hombre con anillo de oro y vestido de ropa lujosa, y también entra un pobre con ropa sucia (andrajosa),

(KJVA)  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

(WoY)  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

(The Scriptures 1998+)  For if there should come into your meeting a man with gold rings, in a splendid robe, and there should also come in a poor one dressed in rags,

(NET)  For if someone5 comes into your assembly6 wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,

(ISV)  Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in.

(ASV)  For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing;

(ESV)  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,

(YLT)  for if there may come into your synagogue a man with gold ring, in gay raiment, and there may come in also a poor man in vile raiment,

(LBP)  For if there should enter into your synagogue a man with gold rings and costly garments, and there should also enter a poor man in soiled clothing;

(ANT)  if for may enter to assembly [of] you* Man Wearing (Gold) in clothing fine may enter but and [Man] Poor in dirty clothing

(ANT+)  ifG1437 forG1063 may enterG1525 toG1519 assemblyG4864 [of] you*G5216 ManG435 Wearing (Gold)G5554 inG1722 clothingG2066 fineG2986 may enterG1525 butG1161 andG2532 [Man] PoorG4434 inG1722 dirtyG4508 clothingG2066

(GNT-TR+)  εανG1437 COND  γαρG1063 CONJ  εισελθηG1525 V-2AAS-3S  ειςG1519 PREP  τηνG3588 T-ASF  συναγωγηνG4864 N-ASF  υμωνG4771 P-2GP  ανηρG435 N-NSM  χρυσοδακτυλιοςG5554 A-NSM  ενG1722 PREP  εσθητιG2066 N-DSF  λαμπραG2986 A-DSF  εισελθηG1525 V-2AAS-3S  δεG1161 CONJ  καιG2532 CONJ  πτωχοςG4434 A-NSM  ενG1722 PREP  ρυπαραG4508 A-DSF  εσθητιG2066 N-DSF

(IGrNT+)  εανG1437 γαρG1063 FOR IF   εισελθηG1525 [G5632] MAY HAVE COME   ειςG1519 τηνG3588 INTO   συναγωγηνG4864 υμωνG5216 YOUR SYNAGOGUE   ανηρG435 A MAN   χρυσοδακτυλιοςG5554 WITH GOLD RINGS   ενG1722 IN   εσθητιG2066 APPAREL   λαμπραG2986 SPLENDID,   εισελθηG1525 [G5632] δεG1161 AND MAY HAVE COME IN   καιG2532 ALSO   πτωχοςG4434 A POOR   ενG1722 “MAN” IN   ρυπαραG4508 VILE   εσθητιG2066 APPAREL,

(EMTV)  For if a man enters into your assembly with a gold ring, in fine clothes, and there should also come in a poor man in dirty clothes,

Okay.  Exactly how far down the list did you have to go before you found the correct translation of ‘synagogue?’  Two of those translations are basically out of print and the other is a translation from the Aramaic Peshitta that you probably never heard of!!  (And, of course, the two in Greek that give away the lying pen of the scribes…)

Many would think, ‘not a BIG deal’ and they would be wrong.  Here’s why:  ‘Synagogue’ is a distinctly Jewish term and we have wrongly been told that the ‘Jewish stuff’ doesn’t have any bearing on the Christian. So, the translators conveniently change this word in their translations because they prefer to maintain this wall of separation instead of truth.  They have traditions of men that drive their doctrinal predispositions and translations.

I mean, can you imagine the horror of some innocent believer reading the Word for themselves and actually understanding what Jacob, I mean, James is saying??  That poor believer might actually believe that Gentile believers were worshiping in the synagogues…  And, they would be RIGHT!!  We can’t have that level of honesty, it might break down the wall of separation.  Next thing you know, they would understand Ephesian 2:12 to say that we are members of the commonwealth of Israel, strangers or aliens being joined to THEM.  Gasp!!  How can we ever maintain a separate religion if people begin to figure out that Y’shua did NOT come to start a new religion??!!

And, since I’m busting the chops of the translators in the Book of Jacob, I mean, James…  Have a look at this verse:

1 ^[a]James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes who are ^[b]dispersed abroad: Greetings. James 1:1

See that little footnote [a]?  Yep, says the author’s name is NOT James.  It is Jacob.  Just click the link to read the verse straight from Biblegateway with footnotes.  Seemingly inconsequential until we understand that the name was changed to James to stroke the ego of one King James….  I guess scribes can be bought.

The point, as previously stated is not to shake your faith so much as to shake you awake so you will dig for yourself and stop accepting spoonfed fallacies that start in the translation and run straight through doctrinal statements into pulpits of men who’s allegiance may or may not be first to TRUTH!!  (Most will vehemently argue this point, but I maintain, if truth was at the top of their list it wouldn’t take little blogs like this to point out obvious errors.  They’d be hollering it on Sabbath morning…  But that is another battle they are unwilling to fight and the next in the series of the ‘lying pen.’)

Truly,

“Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood,
Futility and ^[a]things of no profit.”   Jeremiah 16:19-21

Dig in!!