Why have newer translations of the Bible changed the term "Slaves of Christ" to "Servants of Christ"?

Question

Isn't that changing the word of God!!!

Answer 1

Slaves. Servants. Same thing.

Answer 2

Many of the newer translations had to change quite a few words in order to receive a copyright on that translation. Some translations have modified up to 60,000 words by either removing them or changing them, sometime for the worse. All this was done to make money from the copyrights.

Personally, the Authorized King James Version is my Bible of choice. It has remained unchanged for nearly 400 years and was translated out of more reliable manuscripts than the newer versions.

Answer 3

your right. Some people are offended by certain words and feel they can change words as long they don't change the meaning. But then when outsiders read the 'new' bible translations, they get it's meanings all wrong.

Funny that I just read your question just as I open my Bible and read Rev 22:18-19 "I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God ill take away his shar in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book."

I've even see a Bible that changed 'mankind' to 'humankind' and 'brethren' to 'persons'. Due to feminists.

I read other answers and want to add that many are saying that slave and servant mean the same. They don't and that's why it's an issue. Slaves are property of their master, their are owned; held in bondage. Servant is one that serves, works for another person in return for monies.

Answer 4

I don't know where people get the idea that slaves and servants are the same thing.

Slaves have no choice. People who are slaves are held in servitude if they want to serve or not. Failure to serve your master is cause for punishment.

Servants have a choice. They serve their masters out of obligation and are rewarded for their service.

Considering that according to the bible if you don't serve Christ, you go to hell, I'd say "slave" is the correct word. I imagine they tried to make it more friendly by using servant instead but really, the term just does not fit!

Answer 5

Translating period could be deemed changing the word of God, but considering how few of us speak Aramaic or Hebrew or Greek, translations simply have to do their best to encompass the intended meaning. Just because it was originally translated "Slaves of Christ" doesn't mean it was the best translation. "Servants of Christ" may well be closer to the intended meaning.
You really can't take any single translated word in the bible to mean *exactly* what it means in English, since there might have been variations of meaning in the original language, and that one word is as close as translators can get.
A perfect example of this is when Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. The English translation uses the word "love" all three times, but in the original Greek, three different words that mean different kinds of love are used (one is brotherly love, one is passionate love, and one is unconditional love).
Translators do the best they can do, and when they make changes like that, it's to make understanding the Bible easier and closer to the original meaning.

Answer 6

The Bible hasn't changed. The KJV only has two references to slaves and that's not one of them and the KJV goes back 500 years.

Jeremiah 2:14 [Is] Israel a servant? [is] he a homeborn [slave]? why is he spoiled?

Revelation 18:13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Just about everyone here is a slave OR DID YOU BUY YOUR HOME FOR CASH! How about your car.

You have indentured yourself to the bank for 5 to 30 years.

Are you free to walk off your job tomorrow. Do you have six months wages saved up so you can keep paying your payments or will the man come and take away your car in the middle of the night (and by the way, you'll still have to make the payments on it, even after re-possession).

Will they FORCE you into bankruptcy court?

A servant goes home after they work.

In olden times there were the RICH and the POOR and somtimes the poor didn't have a place to live so they indentured themselve to the RICH in exchange for food, shelter.

That's man's way not God's ways.

Now, how many of you will take a HOMELESS person into your house, feed them give them a room and REQUIRE NOTHING OF THEM IN RETURN.

Are you all potential SLAVE owners!

Answer 7

Original word is the same. The language of English which man keeps changing now denotes a negative connotation for the word slave that is not in the original. Servant is a better word for today's English speakers. Without changing the original meaning.

Answer 8

You can find many examples of Greek/Hebrew words that don't fit well with our words..It's not changing the word of God, its having a better understanding of the word of God. Here are the definitions of servant and slave, I don't see much of a diff...


Main Entry: ser·vant
Pronunciation: 's&r-v&nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from present participle of servir
: one that serves others ; especially : one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer


Main Entry: 1slave
Pronunciation: 'slAv
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English sclave, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French esclave, from Medieval Latin sclavus, from Sclavus Slavic; from the frequent enslavement of Slavs in central Europe during the early Middle Ages
1 : a person held in servitude as the chattel of another
2 : one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence
3 : a device (as the printer of a computer) that is directly responsive to another

Answer 9

Nope not at all, because it fits the context of the meaning that is in the passage,
A slave is an un-willing servant, in todays contextual meaning, a Servant is a willing partcipant or servant.
You need to brush up on you Greek and the correct meaning of the Greek to English Contexual meanings of words then...maybe you will get it

Answer 10

It means the same thing.

Slave:
1 : a person held in servitude as the chattel of another
2 : one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence
3 : a device (as the printer of a computer) that is directly responsive to another

servant:
one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer