How do you explain these blatant errors in the Bible?

Question

JG 4:21 Sisera was sleeping when Jael killed him.
JG 5:25-27 Sisera was standing.

1SA 17:50 David killed Goliath with a slingshot.
1SA 17:51 David killed Goliath (again?) with a sword.

1SA 31:4-6 Saul killed himself by falling on his sword.
2SA 2:2-10 Saul, at his own request, was slain by an Amalekite.
2SA 21:12 Saul was killed by the Philistines on Gilboa.
1CH 10:13-14 Saul was slain by God.

AC 20:35 Quotes Jesus as having said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (No such statement of Jesus is found elsewhere in the Bible.)

Answer 1

Sisera - two different people wrote those chapters, one obviously as a narrative, the other a song of Deborah. One person heard that he was asleep at the time, the Deborah obviously thought he was awake.

David and Goliath - read again please, he knocks Goliath down with the slingshot stone, then runs over, draws his sword and chops Goliaths head off. Where's the conflict there?

"2SA 2:2-10 Saul, at his own request, was slain by an Amalekite." does not mention this btw, did you misquote?

"2SA 21:12 Saul was killed by the Philistines on Gilboa" - yes, that's who they were fighting when he was mortally wounded.

Don't you get this story? He was mortally wounded by the archers of the Philistines, tried to get his armourbearer to run his sword through him, but the guy refused so Saul fell on his own sword.

What conflicts about that?

Answer 2

I don't know what JG stands for. I thought Judges but there is no record of what you refer to there.
In 1Samuel 17:50 it is saying that David killed Goliath yet had no sword. Verse 51 explains how therefore he killed Goliath. It was with Goliath's sword.
2 Samuel 2:2-10 says nothing about Saul.
2 Samuel 21:12 speaks of Saul having been struck down by the Philistines not killed. If you read 1 Samuel 31:3 it says that the Philistines struck him down and then he killed himself by falling on his own sword(vs 4)
1 Ch 10:13-14 reveals that God brought about the death of Saul as a result of his own sinfulness. God can guide a persons behavior. He did this by causing the Philistines to have victory and also by causing Saul to kill himself when he saw that the philistines where gaining victory.

The book of acts is written about the apostles who were formerly the disciples. What is recorded in Acts 20:35 is a quote from Jesus by one who was with Him during His ministry. Just because it is not recorded in the gospel's doesn't mean He didn't say it. Everything that Jesus said was not recorded in the gospels or it would mean that Jesus said very little in 3 years.

I am sorry that you think the Bible is in error. In fact it is inerrant!
I hope I have answered you to your satisfaction.

Answer 3

Blatent: What a drama person! Are you that same person with the long litany of so called errors from before?

That being said:

Sisera fell dead.

David Struck Goliath down with a stone - ran up to him and finished him off with the sword. ) making good and sure.

Saul knew he was mortally wounded. He asked his serveant to finish the job so the Philistines wouldn't get credit. The servant refused. So Saul fell upon his own sword.
The amalakite claimed to killing Saul seeking David's favor - but he lied.
Saul was mortally woulded by the Philistines but finished the job himself. You can be dying and be killed its called Euthanasia.
It was a judgement by God carried out against Saul; Example the State may call for your execution but the actual execution is carried out by an individual.
Jesus may have spoken these words and this is the first time they were recorded. It is says that there were many things not written that Jesus said and did. John 20:31

Answer 4

OK, there's some pretty big misinterpretation here.

Sisera killed Jael while he was sleeping JG4:21, in JG 5 there is a song being sung about what happened and they sing that "Sisera sunk, he fell" this doesn't mean that he was standing and fell, it is simply referring to him dying.


1 SA 17:50-51
David killed Goliath with a sling, then he cut off his head with his own sword.


1 SA 31:4-6 Saul killed himself by falling on his own sword, you are correct here

2 SA 2:2-10 - This passage doesn't speak of Saul's death, it speaks of his burial by the men of Jabesh-Gilead so I don't know where you got that interpretation.

2 SA 21:12 - This verse states that they "struck Saul down", which they did. They did not actually kill him.

1 CH 10:13-14 - Saul was put to death by God, God does not have to be the one physically committing an act to cause it to happen. God's will will be done.

AC 20:35 - OK? Mat, Mark, Luk, John, don't contain the words of Jesus in their entirety so there is no error here

Answer 5

Ok to the second one the bible says that david killed goliath with nothing but a sling. After he had killed him he then took the sword that goliath had and cut off his head.

And for the ones about saul, im not sure what bible you have but mine says that saul killed himself by falling on his sword in 1SA 31:4-6.
In 2SA 2:2-10 talks about how king david sent messangers to praise the men who had buried saul.
In 2 SA 21:12 It says that the Philistines sturck down paul and in a way that is true because he killed himself because he saw them coming and killed himself before they could. So they are still responsible for his death.
In CH 10:13-14 Talks about how it was gods will for the Phillistines to come because Saul was unfaithful to god, so god allowed the Philistines to come and by doing that made Saul kill himself.

Answer 6

I have run across issues in the bible that need explaination...there are websites and books that address many of these issues that are more scholarly than I am.

To address your comment on Acts...not everything Jesus ever said are in the gospels. This is noted in the book of John at the end. If they had written down all the things Jesus said and did, the world couldn't hold the volumns. So there doesn't have to be another place in the bible it is found in for that quote.

AS far as Saul being slain...sometimes God uses others for His purpose...if he puts in a mans heart, to go to war with another nation...and the leader is killed ...

An example...theoretical so please excuse the inflammatory example. Sorry it's the first one that popped into my head.
God puts into President's head, you need to take Saddam Hussein out.....Saddam's regime toppled...Saddam is tried, found guilty and one day is executed.
A person could say, President Bush "killed" or caused to be killed, Saddam. You could say, the Iraqi's killed Saddam. You could say the executioner killed Saddam...If the world sits idley by, and allows it to happen and that's your point of view, you could say the world killed Saddam...You could also say that God killed Saddam because that was , lets just say, God's original purpose. Not that it was or wasn't His purpose, I don't want to speak for God but for the argument...many people could be responsible. Hope that helps.

Answer 7

the nails went into the temples, then the head cut off.

David knocked him down with the slingshot, had no sword and went to the knocked down Goliath and killed him with his sword.

I wont continue on and on with this. There are different translations. I don't know which one you are looking at nor do I know that most of the words above are your own paraphrasing.

The Bible does not contradict itself . . . read it again using different translations. Your interpreting what you read to help your argument.

BTW, every word, move, bowel movement and sneeze of Jesus' wasn't recorded in the Bible. Most books are letters the Saints and Prophets were writing about what they witnessed and heard. Eye witness accounts.

Answer 8

Those are all interesting but can easily be chalked up to different accounts from different sources between different authors. The one that causes me to question the entire premise behind the Bible and its religion is when Jesus says, "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man," (John 3:13). Yet the Old Testament specifically mentions Elijah ascending to Heaven in a chariot of fire, and one could argue that Enoch was taken into Heaven also.

Now that's what I call a contradiction.

Answer 9

You had best go back and reread the Bible. You will understand better the context of the statements you find contradictory. It might help you to realize that the Bible has been translated and interpreted many times in the last 2 thousand years. Man has misinterpreted many things and purposely left out and changed things that were not what he wanted to hear. Many precious things have been lost due to the greed and selfishness of mankind. There is still much greatness in the Bible, however.
One will always find what one is looking for. Does it matter to you how people in the Old Testament died? They died. As for your New Testament quote: Does it have to be said multiple times for you to get it? Once works for me.

Answer 10

Please do not find fault in any scripture.
They were not written by God.
I do not think that He knew all the languages of the world.
We humans, over the years, ( who had the Power by being priests or Kings or both) decided what is best for the society at any given time. We made the laws and the rules and the sins etc.
Ex.For Mohammedans polygamy is not a sin. For Catholics divorce and re-marriage is a sin. If this rule is too restrictive the Catholic commits adultery, but escapes hell by confession.
Even the Bible was written 500 years after Christ. Why are you nit-picking.
Don't rock the boat please.