A Translational Observation, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A Translational Observation on Psalm 24:1 -- “There is no textual reason, nor any compelling translational reason, for the NKJV not to keep the familiar wording of the KJV, as the ESV does.”
• A Den, and Then Some -- “I don’t suffer from ophidiophobia (the fear of snakes), but even I was nervous stepping into a building full of the world’s most venomous vipers.”
• Acts 20:28 – Smuggling in an Emendation? -- “English readers should be aware that at least eight modern versions essentially echo a conjectural emendation in this verse.”
• Black-Eyed Peace -- “Twenty-five years ago this month, in the weeks before a new millennium, hardy Texans joined the rest of the world in making anxious last-minute preparations.”
• Did the Original Scribes Write the Distigmai in Codex Vaticanus B of the Bible? -- “Near infrared microscope reflectography combined with micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy proved that the distigmai...”
• Everybody’s Beeswax -- “In the U.S., honey production was up 11% in 2023 after three years of decline, according to the Department of Agriculture.”
• History of 1800s Black Baptists a story of Alabama’s post-Civil War rebirth -- “Born in Mobile in 1845 and an ordained minister since 1868, Boothe’s seminal work, The Cyclopedia of Colored Baptists of Alabama, was first published 30 years after the Civil War.”
• “Not excepting Garrison himself”: Charles Spurgeon’s Abolitionism -- “The universal conviction in England is, that the leaders of your government care nothing about slavery, and that they make you fight for empire and not for freedom”
• Parents Blast High School LGBTQ Assignment Given To Their Kids -- “I am totally disgusted. I am ashamed I work for the district, and you guys allow this to happen in our schools.”
• Seasonal Grave Symbolism -- “With their unique blend of traditions, holiday gatherings, and quiet solitude, the darker months of the year naturally lend themselves to remembrance.”
• The incredible Iguazu Falls of South America -- “The incredible Iguazu Falls and the rocks over which they flow are a tiny reminder of the power of flowing water, and of the true history of our world...”
• The Short History of Fredonia -- “Edwards christened his disputed land grant the Republic of Fredonia, based on a concept first articulated in New York by Dr. Samuel Latham Mitchill in 1800.”
• Why Do We (Still) Use the KJV? Some Doctrinal Thoughts... -- “This is probably one of the most asked questions I get from visitors when the find out that our church still uses the King James Version (KJV).”
• 3 Questions about Creation: Who, How, and Why? -- “We do not look at the universe rightly unless we see in creation a glorious reason to praise the living God.”

If there be any virtue

In the Facebook Textus Receptus Academy group, I pointed out a certain modus operandi that Mark Ward used in his video “Five False Friends Staring with ‘D’.” This is in the context of declaring a KJV word no longer means what it meant in 1611. I used “debate” to give the example. 

1. Define a word in a way that limits its range of meaning. Debate = a formal discussion on a particular topic...
2. Fail to include other definitions in the semantic range. Debate (1st definition in the modern Merriam-Webster online dictionary) = a contention by words or arguments. (Contention, one of the very words Mark said it “used to mean.”)
3. Declare you proved your point.
4. Easy peasy.

This is something that runs through his work (ergo, modus operandi). He did it on December 23 with the word “virtue” in the video “Virtue Went Out of Jesus?”[i]

1. Define a word in a way that limits its range of meaning. Virtue = behavior showing high moral standards....
2. Fail to include other definitions in the semantic range. Virtue (2nd definition in the modern Merriam-Webster online dictionary) = a beneficial quality or power of a thing. (Power, one of the very words Mark said it “used to mean.”)
3. Declare you proved your point. 

In the New Testament (King James Bible), the word “virtue” occurs seven times in six verses. Four times it carries a meaning and connotation of moral excellence (ἀρετή; Philippians 4:8; 2 Peter 1:3, 5). The other three times, where virtue carries a meaning and connotation of power, representing the Greek word δύναμις.

• Mark 5:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
• Luke 6:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
• Luke 8:46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

In other places the King James translators translate the word δύναμις as power. I believe there are at least three reasons why they chose to use virtue instead of power in Mark 5:30, Luke 6:19, and Luke 8:46.

1. The translators did not tie themselves to uniformity of phrasing, and Greek words might vary in connotation. “…we have not tied ourselves to an uniformity of phrasing, or to an identity of words, as some peradventure would wish that we had done, because they observe, that some learned men somewhere, have been as exact as they could that way. Truly, that we might not vary from the sense of that which we had translated before, if the word signified the same thing in both places (for there be some words that be not of the same sense everywhere) we were especially careful, and made a conscience, according to our duty.”
2. The translators followed the wording of the English Bibles that came before them. The Bishops, Geneva, 1557 Geneva NT, Great Bible, Taverner, Matthew, Coverdale, and Tyndale had “virtue” in these three texts of Scripture. The only exception is that Coverdale had “the power” in Mark 5:30).
3. The translators probably thought virtue carried some connotation useful to the context, such as “excellency” in connection with power, like the excellency of power inherent in Jesus as deity (see OED I.1, 1933, p. 238), or the effect of the power. Using “virtue” over and over in reference to the power of Jesus Christ versus the brazen serpent Ralph Robinson wrote, “Virtue doth really go forth from Christ to the Sin-bitten sinner, for the healing of him” and that “Christ excells the brazen Serpent in 11 particulars” (Christ All in All, 2nd edition, London: John Rothwell, 1660, p. 553).[ii]

One of Mark’s problems is that he thinks the “uppermost sense of” the word in a person’s mind governs the “meaning” of the word, and then sets out of prove that point in ways that often veer too far from consistently comprehensive inspection of sound words.[iii] We know that people (most all people) will normally travel to the first sense they know for a word to try to make sense of it. We deny that folks cannot and should not learn to interpret words in their context, and with much diligence.

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[i] Mark did a modified version of his m.o. with the word “issue” in “Mr. Median Meets the Woman with the Issue of Blood.” If you check with discernment, you will see this kind of stuff occurs over and over.

1. Define a word in a way that limits its range of meaning. Issue = personal difficulties or problems....
2. Fail to include other definitions in the semantic range. Issue (4th definition in the modern Merriam-Webster online dictionary) = a discharge (as of blood) from the body. (Exactly the “issue” Mark is talking about in Leviticus 12:7 and Matthew 9:20. He eventually admits this one is slippery, but claims it is just too uncommon for modern folks to understand.)
3. Declare you proved your point.

[ii] Ralph Robinson was pastor of St. Mary Wolnoth in London. The sermon “Christe the true brazen Serpent” was preached in January of 1654. Robinson specifically mentions Luke 6:19 and 8:46 in the context quoted.  In his sermon A Sermon of Spirituall Life and Death, John Preston used power and virtue (virtue) as synonyms, but several times in a way that suggests he sees a slightly different range of meaning. (London: T. C., 1630, pp. 17-19; preached in November 1626). He also writes, “when Iron comes neere the Load-stone, there goes a virtue from the Load-stone that draws the Iron to it…” In A Christian Dictionary, Thomas Wilson gives as “No. 2” meaning of “Virtue” – Power and might, or the effect of power, Luke 8, 46. Vertue is gone out of me; that is, there is some healthfull effect wrought by my power.” (London: William Iaggad, 1622).
[iii] For example, in “Three False Friends in One Important Verse” (Psalm 2:1), Mark fails to engage with a New Testament verse that refers to the verse he is discussing. He is so focused on his “word study,” that he does not engage in “Bible study.” How can we maintain consistency as Bible believers and not do that. Additionally, when building his false friend case he goes back to find what the OED might say a word meant in 1611 (looking for a definition to confirm his point), but he seldom, if ever, looks for sermons or commentary from that period to see how a contemporary might interpret or understand the word in its biblical context. It seems that Mark stops searching when he finds what he hopes to find.

From the beginning of the year to the end of the year

Combining Acts Commentary and the New Year.

Acts 11:25 ...a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.

At Antioch Syria (some 150 miles southeast of Tarsus, where Barnabas found Saul), Luke summarizes an entire year in their assembling with the church at Antioch and teaching the people. This is about AD 41-44 – before the dearth “in the days of Claudius Cæsar.” They were first called Christians here.

Deuteronomy 11:12 ...a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

The promised land is described as a land for which the Lord careth, so that the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro throughout the whole earth, are on it all year long, from the beginning unto its end. casting all your care upon him; May we remember, as his people, that he careth for you, that his eyes watch over us all the year long. May we cast all our care upon him, and, among other things, find ourselves assembling with his people, edifying, exhorting, and teaching one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching – and so much that we, like those at Antioch, be recognized as and called Christians.

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: Numbers 6:24-25

Jesus Christ our Lord in Romans 1:3

Q. Where do the words “…Jesus Christ, our Lord…” come from in Romans 1:3?

A. This is a confusing conundrum created when merely comparing verses to verses in various translations. In what are verses 1 through 7, the words ιησοῦ χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν (Jesus Christ the Lord of us, that is Jesus Christ our Lord) are found in the sentence, in what is verse 4 in the Greek once the sentence is divided into verses, but in verse 3 in some English translations and in verse 4 in other English translations.

This is an interesting question and find, and one that does not seem to have much discussion about it, either pro or con (as far as what I have been able to find). I had not noticed this before, and so had to take a careful look. “Jesus Christ our Lord” (or “our Lord Jesus Christ”) is also included in verse 3 in some translations outside of the King James line of texts, such as the CSB, CEV, ERV, NCV; so it is not just a King James Bible issue.

Observe: Verses 1-7 (in both KJV & ESV, from which I give excerpts below) are one long sentence. The words “Jesus Christ our Lord” are in the sentence in all versions – it is just placed differently in the sentence. This is best considered a translator’s decision as to how its reads best in English. Different decisions have been made by different translators. None of them delete “Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Here is the King James translation, where the words are in verse 3, and the ESV is used as a representative of the words being in verse 4.

• AKJV vs. 3-4: concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
• ESV, vs. 3-4: concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

There is a description or designation of how English and Greek differ syntactically. Much of our language is governed by word placement in the sentence (syntax), whereas in Greek it is governed more by inflection; it is much more flexible regarding word order. English is an analytic language, in which syntactic roles are assigned to words primarily by word order (the words change order and relationship to convey grammatical information). It may also be called or considered configurational. Greek is a synthetic language, in which syntactic relationship between the words is achieved or assigned via inflection (the words change form to convey grammatical information). It may also be called or considered non-configurational.

I have studied Esperanto some in the past. (I am not good at it, because I have never needed to use it.) Esperanto is a created language and is more extreme than Greek for non-configuration. It is designed so that word order has little or no input toward the meaning of the sentence – you just have to put the right endings on the words and they mean the right thing regardless of placement in the sentence.

All this to say, where to best put “Jesus Christ, our Lord” in this long sentence is a translational consideration. It is not a textual difference in the Greek. To me it reads more smoothly in the KJV, but obviously part of that is that I have been reading it that way all my life.

My conclusion is:

• that the words obviously belong somewhere in the long sentence
• that we should not think of the sentence just in terms of verses for the purpose of understanding the issue here
• that the difference is a translational choice
• that the King James placement is best

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Note: Seeing this as one long sentence will go a long way in understanding the problem. One can see below how that in the SBL Greek NT it is one sentence.

1 Παῦλος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ 2 ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις 3 περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα, 4 τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, 5 δι’ οὗ ἐλάβομεν χάριν καὶ ἀποστολὴν εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ, 6 ἐν οἷς ἐστε καὶ ὑμεῖς κλητοὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 7 πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀγαπητοῖς θεοῦ, κλητοῖς ἁγίοις· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.