1 Kings 7:23 "He made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about." Circumference = Pi() x Diameter, which means the line would have to have been over 31 cubits. In order for this to be rounding, it would have had to overstate the amount to ensure that the line did "compass it round about."
Lev 11:20-21: "All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you." Fowl do not go upon all four.
Lev 11:6: "And the hare, because he cheweth the cud..." Hare do not chew the cud.
Deut 14:7: " "...as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof." For the hare this is wrong on both counts: Hare don’t chew the cud and they do divide the "hoof."
Jonah 1:17 says, "...Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" Matt 12:40 says "...Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly..." whales and fish are not related
Matt 13:31-32: " "the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed which…is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown is the greatest among herbs and becometh a tree." There are 2 significant errors here: first, there are many smaller seeds, like the orchid seed; and second, mustard plants don't grow into trees.
Matt 4:8: " Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them." Unless the world is flat, altitude simply will not help you see all the kingdoms of the earth.
2006-11-27 05:52:52 · 17 answers · asked by Jer 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's so funny to me that in your first question people said there were no contradictions and asked you to name some. When you DID name some they say it screwed up translation. Good job.
2006-11-27 06:06:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
Almost all of these "errors" are simply that God kept the bible simple - lamens terms, so all could understand it.
1 Kings 7:23-Do you think they had calculaters back in the day? Or even pi to calculate with? Besides, you yourself said they could have been rounding. If you round up or down it depends on the speaker/writer.
Lev 11:20 - ever hear of bats? the scripture goes on to speak of some bugs, too.
Lev. 11:6 -The Hebrew term here used for chewing literally means “bringing up,” the modern scientific classification was not the basis for what the Israelites in Moses’ day understood ‘cud chewing’ to be. So there is no foundation for judging the accuracy of the Bible statement by the restricted, relatively recent conception of what constitutes a cud-chewing animal, as done by many critics.
Also scientific observation of hares and rabbits in more recent yearsindicate that even more than seeming cud chewing is involved. Writes François Bourlière (The Natural History of Mammals, 1964, p. 41): “The habit of ‘refection,’ or passing the food twice through the intestine instead of only once, seems to be a common phenomenon in the rabbits and hares.
Deut 14:7 - same as above - and the bible stands correct saying hares don't have hooves.
Jonah 1:17 vs. Matt 12:40 - my bible translates both as "huge fish" - but acknowledges that it could also be translated "sea monster" - this is only a difference in translation in what you're reading.
Matt. 13:31- Several kinds of mustard plants are found growing wild in Palestine, black mustard (Brassica nigra) being the variety commonly cultivated. In rich soil the seed, after a few months, may become treelike, a plant measuring as much as 4.5 m (15 ft) in height, with a central stalk having the thickness of a man’s arm. In the fall the stems and branches of the plants harden and become rigid, strong enough to support birds such as linnets and finches that feed on the seeds.
While some may argue that a mustard grain is not “the tiniest” of all seeds, orchid seeds being smaller, and that it does not actually become “a tree,” it must be borne in mind that Jesus was speaking in terms familiar to his audience. As far as Jesus’ listeners were concerned, the mustard grain was indeed among the tiniest seeds planted, and it is noteworthy that the Arabs designate as “trees” plants smaller than the mustard.
Matt 4:8-the word translated here is ko´smos, it's used to signify all non-Christian human society, regardless of race. This is the world that hated Jesus and his followers because they bore witness concerning its unrighteousness and because they maintained separateness from it. So we're not talking about a point of view where you could see the whole circumfrence of the earth. The bible refers to the earth being a circle or sphere in Isa 40:22.
Well, I'm sorry it took so long, but there was some research and typing needed, both of which take some time.
2006-11-27 14:40:57 · answer #2 · answered by CHRISTINA 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
First, you obviously need a lesson in Hermeneutics of which I majored in. You must first resort to the original Greek text before you begin to proclaim the Bible is full of factual errors.
Lev. 11:20-21 - Original Greek word for fowl is peteinovn meaning insect.
Lev. 11:6 - Some animals that eat grass and leaves have more than one stomach and chew their food a second time after it has been partly digested in the first stomach. This partly digested food is called the " cud."
Deut. 14:7 - Reference above.
Jonah 1:17 - Actually you are correct. The word whale has only been used in modern times. Jonah was in fact in the belly of a large fish rather than a whale. Much like the fallacy that Eve ate an apple in the Garden of Eden. The Bible does not say she ever ate an apple.
Matt. 13:31-32 - Mustard seed was the only known smallest seed known to the culture in Israeli society at that time. Nevertheless, the message is not lost here.
Secondly, you are comparing an infallible writing (Bible) inspired by an immortal God to fallible scientific laws and theories derived from mortal beings (man).
If you recall, the scientific community for thouands of years proclaimed the earth to be flat while for thousands of years the Bible clearly stated otherwise, reference Isaiah 40:22.
Keep trying. Good luck.
2006-11-27 14:27:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I hate using time on this but here we go
About the measurement of the sea - Im not sure the measurements of the ancient cubits, but exactly what would be gained from writing in a false or incorrect measurement.???
About hte creeping fowl - obviously God felt that this type of creature was unnatural whatever it is referring to. But if this section of Lev was about diet, what purpose would be gained by telling the Israelites not to eat of an animal that didnt exist? None. So this refers to some type of fowl that the people new of and had access too. More than likely the fowl used in this instance referred to flying insects
About Jonah - Fish was a term used to describe fin having animals in the ocean. It is not until recently that we came up with categories such as whales and mammals.
About hte mustard seed - Christ was talking to a specific agricultural people who had a great deal of familiarity with the mustard seed. The mustard seed was the smallest seed that these people regularly worked with. They would have had little to no use of and exposure to the orhid seed since it has no agricultural value. If Jesus used the orchard seed , the metaphor would have flown over their heads
Kingdoms of the earth - you falsely assume that two spiritual beings like Christ and the Devil would be limited to the physical restraints of vision set on humans.
Thanks for all this. If these are the best 'errors' you could come up with for saying the bible is false then youve just affirmed my faith further
2006-11-27 14:08:11 · answer #4 · answered by h nitrogen 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
1 Kings 7:23:
Objection: The Bible is wrong because it says pi = 3. According to 1 Kings 7:23, which reads: “And he proceeded to make the molten sea ten cubits from its one brim to its other brim, circular all around; and its height was five cubits, and it took a line of thirty cubits to circle all around it” pi = 3
Of course we all know that pi really = 3.14159265358979323846, so that if the diameter of the sea was 10 cubits, then its circumference, its measurement around the brim, would have been 31.4159265358979323846 cubits. However, there are two or three factors that people overlook when using this situation. One is that obviously when they measured it they would immediately recognize that it was slightly more than 31 cubits around. Another is the simple conclusion that it was rounded off to the nearest whole number. However, the third is an interesting but little known fact: If one take a circular object which is 10 cubits in diameter, which would be a radius of 5 cubits, and then measures the brim with a string the length of the radius, measuring from point A to point B in a straight line which dissects the brim slightly, and so on to point C and on all the way around back to point A, it works out to be exactly 30 cubits! Note the following information in this regard related by Christopher Wordsworth in Notes on the King James Version, London, 1887:
“Up to the time of Archimedes [third century B.C.E.], the circumference of a circle was always measured in straight lines by the radius; and Hiram would naturally describe the sea as thirty cubits round, measuring it, as was then invariably the practice, by its radius, or semi-diameter, of five cubits, which being applied six times round the perimeter, or ‘brim,’ would give the thirty cubits stated. There was evidently no intention in the passage but to give the dimensions of the Sea, in the usual language that every one would understand, measuring the circumference in the way in which all skilled workers, like Hiram, did measure circles at that time. He, of course, must however have known perfectly well, that as the polygonal hexagon thus inscribed by the radius was thirty cubits, the actual curved circumference would be somewhat more.”
Thus, it appears that the ratio of three to one (that is, the circumference being three times the diameter) was a customary way of stating matters, intended to be understood as only approximate. Again, this objection falls short of proving anything.
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Leviticus 11:20-21
Objection: The Bible is wrong because insects have six legs, not four: The picturesque language of the Bible refers to insects as ‘going on all fours.’ Obviously Moses was familiar with the fact that insects have six legs. So the reference is undoubtedly to their mode of travel rather than to the number of their legs. There are winged insects, including the bees, flies, and wasps, that walk with their six legs in the manner of four-legged animals. Other insects, such as the locusts, are equipped with two leaper legs and thus literally use the other four legs for crawling.—Leviticus 11:20-23.
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Leviticus 11:6; Deuteronomy 14:7
There are some scientists who believe the hare does chew the cud, though not in the same manner as the cow. They do re-chew their regurgitated food. Some call this “chewing the cud.”
Hares do not split the hoof; they have feet, not hooves.
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Jonah 1:17
The Israelites and other ancient people are not bound by modern methods of animal classifications. Perhaps their method of classifying fish was any creature that lives its entire life in the water. If that is the case, then whales they would classify as fish.
From their viewpoint, we may seem foolish for calling them animals if they did not know why we do so.
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Matthew 13:31, 32
The mustard grain was tiny and so it could be used to designate anything extremely small. (Luke 17:6) When fully developed, some mustard plants actually attain a height of 3 to 4.5 m (10 to 15 ft) and have sturdy branches, thus virtually becoming “a tree,” as Jesus said.
Perhaps a rendering from a modern English translation will make it more clear:
“Another illustration he set before them, saying: ‘The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard grain, which a man took and planted in his field; 32 which is, in fact, the tiniest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the largest of the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and find lodging among its branches.’”
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Matthew 4:8
This was simply Matthew’s way of expressing in some understandable form the fact that Satan showed these to Jesus by some miraculous means beyond our understanding.
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Regarding Pi and mustard seeds, certainly the bible writers were well aware of these facts, whether the Bible is or is not inspired, so these and the others cannot be considered as factual errors!
2006-11-27 14:05:26 · answer #5 · answered by Abdijah 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I Kings 7:23 - you can read it yourself I won't insult your intelligence.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v17/i2/pi.asp
Lev 11:20 here is a bettter translation
20'All the winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you.
21'Yet these you may eat among all the winged insects which walk on all fours: those which have above their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth.
so insects not fowl...
Lev 11:6 and Duet 14:7 - Cud just means that they continue to chew their food like a cow over and over. I have seen rabbits do this. As for the hooves rabbits don't have hooves they have paws so they don't divide the hoof.
Jonah and matt 12 - the original in both (Hebrew and Greek) means big fish.
Matt 13 - the mustard seed was a common seed back then and what would be the purpose of talking about a plant that nobody knows about for an example. As for the tree part... Mustard plants grow to be like 8 feet tall and birds can land on the plants. Take it as it is meant.
Matt 4:8 He was on a mountain. It does not mean that he could seen them from the mountain. I don't know what the devil did perhaps he showed them to him in a vision or other form.
2006-11-27 13:58:57 · answer #6 · answered by icthyus05 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
It is obvious from reading the questions that you have and the answers that you are getting that many people have absolutely no idea why or how the Bible was inspired.
If you think the Bible was written to tell you whether or not a rabbit chewed its cud, or whether the earth is round, flat, or spherical, or whether the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds and grows into a tree, you are sadly mistaken. The men who wrote the Bible were human, just like you and me. You will find errors in the Bible that reflect the culture and understanding of their time. These errors are not material to the purpose of the Bible. It is only when an error is doctrinal that the Holy Spirit corrects the error, like was done when John bowed to worship an angel in Revelation 19:10.
The purpose of inspiration in writing the Bible is to bring you to a knowledge of God necessary for you to be saved eternally from your sins. This can be summed up in the words written by Paul to Timothy.
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Notice that the purpose of scripture is doctrinal, not how many feet fowls or insects have. Those who teach that the errors in scripture are a result of faulty translation are doing a grave misjustice to the Bible and to inspiration. If these errors exist, how many others were missed? However, if we understand properly the reason for inspiration and how the Bible was written, we find that humans, who are not all knowing, were used to tell the story about a God, who is all knowing. In doing so, the Holy Spirit impressed upon these men what to write, but did not interfere with cultural expressions, even when they were in error, unless they introduced doctrinal error that would affect the salvation of men.
By comparing text with text, line upon line, precept upon precept, we can find an understanding of God that is necessary for salvation. This is the purpose of scripture. To argue about how many legs an insect has is trivial.
2006-11-27 16:50:26 · answer #7 · answered by 19jay63 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
many of the words in the bible were translated to things that were know to the translators, hare in the text you refer to isn't the word that is in the original text, the Hebrew word was actually arnebeth, which was not a known animal to the English translators, the Hebrew text does not identify what the animal is. you are good at research but if you were better you would know that most of the Christians, seek out the closest meaning starting from the original writings and go from there. if we have a question we usually find a way to reference the text we don't understand.
2006-11-27 14:24:25 · answer #8 · answered by cvgm702 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Until you understand your need for forgiveness from God and ask Him to forgive your sins, you will never understand the scriptures. They are closed to you except the ones that talk about your need for salvation.
The bible will always be mythology to you.
30 is about 31, it was rounded off
Fowls that walked and didn't fly were unclean
Hares eat grass
A big fish can be refered to as a whale.
Mustard seed are really tiny
The Devil showed Jesus all kingdoms, present and future not just the ones on earth at that time.
You need to understand 4 things:
1 You are a sinner
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
2. The price of sin is death:
The wages of sin is death; that is spiritual death, the soul cut off from God.
3. Jesus paid the price for your sin
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
4. If you ask HIm to forgive you, He will
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved
Saved from spritual death in this life and eternal death in the life to come
The
author of the bible will give you understanding about HIs Word
2006-11-27 14:14:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
OK so some bad translation there I am sure at the time of Jonah people were no awear whale and fish were not relayed but I am sure the bible does not say whale it was a large fish. you must remember the knowledge people had when the bible was written it was based on the knowledge at that time Jesus was not giving them science lessens
2006-11-27 13:59:21 · answer #10 · answered by Mim 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I am by no means disagreeing with you. It seems like you have indeed found some errors.
The only reason I can think of for these errors is that maybe the details got lost in translation. Remember, the Bible was translated into English, not originally written that way.
2006-11-27 13:58:43 · answer #11 · answered by ? 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋