Christians: How do you know that the Bible you personally read is the same as the original text?

Question

As you know, there are numerous Bible editions on the market today (and there were numerous versions even in medieval times, etc...) Some of these editions have been denounced by Christians as 'false', so given that false editions of the Bible CAN exist, how can you know that the edition YOU use is right? What is the good of God preserving the original text of the Bible if you have to guess which one it is from multiple diffrerent versions? If you use the wrong one by mistake, will you go to Hell...?

Answer 1

All bibles are the same as the original text, with the exception of minor errors here and there.

Do a real verse by verse comparison of differents texts and you'd see they don't differ much except on rare occasion.

I'll give you an example if you forgive me the cut & paste...

I picked a short verse ...

KJV - Rom 6:7 - For he that is dead is freed from sin.
King James Version 1611, 1769

NKJV - Rom 6:7 - For he who has died has been freed from sin. New King James Version © 1982 Thomas Nelson

NLT - Rom 6:7 - For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. New Living Translation © 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust

NIV - Rom 6:7 - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. New International Version © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society

ESV - Rom 6:7 - For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Footnote: Greek has been justified
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version © 2001 Crossway Bibles

NASB - Rom 6:7 - for he who has died is freed from sin.
New American Standard Bible © 1995 Lockman Foundation

RSV - Rom 6:7 - For he who has died is freed from sin.
Revised Standard Version © 1947, 1952.

ASV - Rom 6:7 - for he that hath died is justified from sin.
American Standard Version 1901 Info

Young - Rom 6:7 - for he who hath died hath been set free from the sin. Robert Young Literal Translation 1862, 1887, 1898 Info

Darby - Rom 6:7 - For he that has died is justified from sin.
J.N.Darby Translation 1890 Info

Webster - Rom 6:7 - For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Noah Webster Version 1833 Info

HNV - Rom 6:7 - For he who has died has been freed from sin. Hebrew Names Version 2000 Info

Answer 2

Some people get unnecessarily worked up about the various editions of The Bible. The discovery of many more ancient texts in the last century or so has clarified a few points and given translators more knowledge of the old languages. For instance it is definitely 'do not murder' not 'do not kill'. However the Old Testament books have mostly been carefully guarded against mistakes and worse. A 2200 year old copy of Isiah found differs only in a few piffling copying mistakes from what we read today. This shook a few who had said it contained far too many accurate prophecies about Jesus etc to be genuinely that old. Many enthusiasts have several Bibles, even JW's who have their own literal translation, because it helps one understand finer points but they do not exactly contradict each other wholesale. Some are deliberately very easy to read, so would probably be of little use to academics. Some are literal translations. That is never mind how it flows that is what the original text says. Some are more concerned with readibility. A good example of modern translations is the ESV, English Standard Version, which is an update of the American Standard Version. Over 200 respected academics and churchmen from all denominations produced it. It is very well respected and reads beautifully. In conclusion though, it is not valid to regard any well known version as being consistently inaccurate.

Answer 3

Simple question.

We still have in existence today over 2,300 manuscripts of the New Testament books from the early years of Christianity, before any of the church councils under Constantine that people think changed it. There over 5,000 more manuscripts from that time to the invention of the printing press.

When compared, those manuscripts agree with each other word for word 99.3% of the time. Of the remaining 0.7%, the majority of those are either different spellings of the same word, or the reverse of the word Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus.

Of the 70,000 lines of the New Testament, fewer then 40 of them are debated by scholars, and none of them affect a single major Christian doctrine.

Within the manuscripts there are some recognized errors of transcription. That means that since all manuscripts before 1400AD were copied by hand, that a scribe would make a mistake. They would miss a word or a line, or copy the same word/line twice. Or sometimes one person would read a manuscript while several scribes wrote what he said. The scribe might accidently write "there" instead of "their".

Fortunately, with 7,300 of manuscripts to compare, if you have one manuscript that has the word "there", and 7,299 that say "their", it is usually very simple to spot the errors and determine the correct reading.

Using the 7,300 manuscripts, scholars but together a standard Greek text which has been the basis for most translations throughout history.

Many translation have been made over the centuries, and the accuracy of those translations has varied based on the skill of the translator(s) and their motive in doing the translation. There have been translations such as the Jehovah's Witnesses New World "translation" which are deliberately slanted and mistranslated to support their doctrine.

As someone who can read the original language, I can attest that the modern Bibles in mass market sale are accurate and reliable translations of the original manuscripts. What differences there are in them is more often a difference in style then in meaning. Such as the English will vary if translated for British audience rather than an American audience.

If you are concerned about the translation, there is a simple solution. Get yourself four or five mainstream translations and compare them. (Or use a site like http://biblegateway.com that allows you to vies multiple translations). It will not take long to see that they argue with each other on content and doctrine. The differences are only style or intended audience.

If you do find a verse in which there is variation, then get an interlinear bible (which is the original text with English word under the Greek) and check out what the original says.

But with the available of both translations and originals text, any person who wants to know what the original says can easily find the information.

Answer 4

I do not think that the situation is quite as dire, or as difficult as you indicate.

There are numerous Bible translations on the market, yes.
(I do not think that it is quite right to call these editions.)

At the other end of the situation, there are numerous ancient manuscripts (Hebrew, Greek, Latin, etc) that witness to the "original" text, which is not longer in existence.
(God did not preserve the original text in the sense of the manuscript that came from the hand(s) of the author(s). These are long gone.)

There is a whole scholarly endeavor to examine these manuscripts and try to discern as best they can the original text. One or more of these scholars make a decision, not perfect, but not arbitrary either, as to what the original text was. This might be termed an "original" text reconstruction.

Translators then translate this reconstruction into English (or whatever). Of course, translators differ in their interpretation of the original language and differ on how it should be rendered into English.

I think that Christians (or others for that matter) are misguided to characterize any particular translation or text reconstruction as "false." The vast majority of translations and text reconstructions have been done in good faith. It is fair to disagree with them in one detail or many.

Most, if not all, translations will reward careful study.

Answer 5

Well I have been anointed with the Spirit of Truth, the annointing who leads me in all Truth. And so I read the bible with the Holy Spirit. And also have purchased a Strongs Exhaustive that has all the words of the bible with the original greek or hebrew word & definition.

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Greek_Index.htm

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Hebrew_Index.htm

As I have studied the bible this way, they basicall all have the same message. Unless someone added or took away from them. But then they aren't the bible. The Catholic Cannon has added apocryphal in it & the Mormons have a Mormon book they exalt over the Holy Bible. And the Muslims have a Koran that they exalt over the Holy Bible. But if you test the Holy Bible going to the original words, then you will find that the message is the same in most of the translations, editions, etc., if you study with the anointing you received when Jesus saved you from your sins. & you confessed Him Lord of your life.

You can't go wrong if it is the Holy Bible no matter what edition it is, if you have the Holy Spirit. We are not saved by the law of the letter. We are saved by Grace. We follow after the Spirit. Things are written differently for different peoples way of thinking. The Holy Spirit will correct your understanding with a way of wording that is hard to understand for you.

Also, The dead sea scrolls of biblical books have proven that the books we have today are the same message as what was found around the dead sea. Isaiah was found in entirety & is the same. Isaiah is very prophetic & Isaiah is tested & proven to be a true Prophet of the LORD God. And Jews don't like the idea of Trinity, but won't change Genesis verses that indicate Trinity. Like God (Elohim) said, "Let Us make man in our image.".

Answer 6

The King James Version was preserved since 1611. Before that it was translated from a reliable set of manuscripts that originated from Greece, not Egypt (the New International Version's roots come from Egypt.) The original new testament was written in Greek and Aramaic.

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and carefully preserved by the Jews. Every time they would complete a scroll they would count the number of words from the beginning to the middle and from the end to the middle. If they didn't match they would destroy the scroll and start over.

Recently, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. They were written in 200 B.C. and matched today's Hebrew manuscripts virtually 100%.

Finally, no, you will not go to hell for using the wrong Bible, unless you believe baptism gets you to heaven.

Answer 7

Regarding the translator of the Bible into English, it has well been said that his chief responsibility is to render the Biblical meaning as accurately as possible into appropriate English.

This is a position that hardly can be argued against, and yet comparatively few translators have acted in accord with it in regard to the distinctive name of God, Jehovah. In the Hebrew Scriptures this is represented by the Tetragrammaton, that is, the “four-letter word” YHWH. There is no question as to its importance, for not only does it occur more than 6,900 times, but the Creator is referred to by it more than by all other designations used in those Scriptures.

The importance of the name Jehovah was highlighted in the Preface to the American Standard Version, 1901, which, among other things, stated: “This Memorial Name, explained in Ex. iii. 14, 15, and emphasized as such over and over in the original text of the Old Testament, designates God as the personal God, . . . the Friend of his people; . . . the ever living Helper . . . This personal name, with its wealth of sacred associations, is now restored to the place in the sacred text to which it has an unquestionable claim.”

Though stated almost seventy years ago, its position is affirmed by one of the latest scholarly translations, The Jerusalem Bible. Although many of its footnotes savor of higher criticism, this translation restores God’s name to its rightful place, but preferring the form “Yahweh.” The Editor’s Foreword states, among other things: “It is not without hesitation that this accurate form has been used, and no doubt those who may care to use this translation of the Psalms can substitute the traditional ‘the Lord’. On the other hand, this would be to lose much of the flavour and meaning of the originals. For example, to say ‘The Lord is God’ is surely a tautology [needless repetition or redundancy], as to say ‘Yahweh is God’ is not.”

Of all the many modern translations of the Bible into English, few indeed are accurate in this matter. Among those few are Rotherham’s Emphasised Bible, which translation also uses the form “Yahweh,” and Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, the American Standard Version and the New World Translation, which use the form “Jehovah.”

Answer 8

I cannot read Hebraic. But the scientists who can are claiming the last Hebraic transcriptions of the Old Testament (the part which counts) proved to be identical to the oldest ones ever found. So the problem is not there, but in translations. If they are often inexact, they rarely modify the general sense. I have compared the texts in four different languages from different epochs, and found out only minor differences. But one: all texts had translated the sixth commandment as "You shall not kill." What is a great mistake. It should have been stated as "You shall not commit murder." What makes a big difference indeed, and had mistaken the authors of the New Testament, regrettably.

Answer 9

Technically, I know that it is NOT the same...because I can't read anything except English and the original texts were written in another language! ...but I think you're missing the point. The bible is the living word of God...if we read it with that perspective...seeking to hear his word, he will reveal the truth to us.

Consider this...go to the dictionary and look up the meaning of three words...any three words. How many of those words have a single meaning/definition listed? In my experience, most words have multiple meanings...what a word may mean to me now may NOT be the same thing the word meant when the translation was written OR when the original text was written. I believe that when people denounce a version of the bible as "false" it happens for one of two reasons...either they are misinterpreting the meaning of various words in that translation thereby making the words inconsistent with the message OR it really is a false version.

When I read the bible, I don't limit myself to a single version...and most of the bible scholars I know (my pastor, my father, etc...) don't either. ...and we don't read it in a vacuum. As we read and study the word, we seek out other translations to see how they may differ semantically...and at the same time, we ask God to reveal directly to us what each passage truly means. If I read a translation/version of the bible that God consistently revealed to me as inconsistent with the message he intended to deliver, I would denounce the version as false. On the other hand, if I find something that I think sounds inconsistent in the version I read, by reading other versions and talking to God about what I'm reading, I frequently come to realize that the flaw isn't in the translation, it is in the meanings I attach to the words.

Will using the wrong version by mistake cause someone to "go to Hell"...if they are reading it superficially and taking everything they read at face value without seeking God's wisdom, it isn't the version but their own laziness that would condemn them. On the other hand, if I'm honestly seeking God's wisdom, I believe he promises to give it to me even if I'm reading the "wrong" version...of course, part of his wisdom will be that I realize that the version is flawed and thus, assuming I have time to come to that realization before I die, I will eventually stop reading it!

Answer 10

there are multiple additions... but they are all based on the same Bible.... the 66 books that were chosen in the codification of the scrolls are the same 66 books in my bible... I have a Teen Study Bible which writes the verses w/o the confusing language and gives multiple interpretations of each passage... it makes it much easier for me than King James Version with all the words that are no longer used in the English Language.... Some Bibles are labeled as false, but just by comparing it to a KJV.. you can tell if it is or not

Answer 11

Um No, There are many different translations and interpretations of the Bible, the main truth is that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, I can not think of one version that leaves out this point (by all means if you have one let me know and I will take it back) all the rest is not important as far as salvation goes. You hear about the people who are unbelievers on their death bed who suddenly accept Jesus and die- well did they go to hell because they hadn't read the Bible? I don't think so, what about the illiterate? I believe that as long as you understand the concept, everything else will just fall into place. Good luck