Accuracy of the KJV

[tygger2]

KJV and the Only Personal Name of God

This was written primarily for those who believe the King James Version is the infallible, perfect word of God (and for those who wish to discuss it with them).

There are numerous problems with the accuracy of the KJV translation. For example, see the 1 John 5:7 study.

This study, however, will concentrate on Ps. 83:18 in the KJV and the actual personal name of God.

1. The Hebrew text used by the King James translators is known as the Bomberg (or the Ben Chayyim) text. It may be found here online:
https://www.areopage.net/PDF/BibliaSacra.pdf

Remember to read from right to left in Hebrew!

Psalm 83:16-18 in the IB:

“Fill their faces with shame, and they will seek Your name, O Jehovah. Let them be ashamed and terrified forever; yea, let them be confounded and perish. And let them know - Your name (is) Jehovah - that You alone (are) the Most High over the whole earth.

2. This text used by the KJV translators contains the name YHWH (יהוה Strong's H3068) in Hebrew characters thousands of times.

3. The Most High God declares that his name is YHWH many times in this text.

4. The KJV translators 'translated' this name as ‘LORD’ (all-capitals) in nearly all of its thousands of occurrences in the Bomberg text.

5. In several places, however, these translators rendered it as ‘Jehovah.’

6. Probably the most important of these is found at Psalm 83:18 in the KJV (which is actually Ps. 83:19 in the Bomberg text used by the KJV translators).

7. Here is how Ps. 83:16-18 reads in the KJV:

“16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

“17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

“18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” (Boldfacing added)

8. Notice how the name YHWH in the Hebrew texts (including the Bomberg text used by the KJV translators) as found in verse :16 (:17 in the Bomberg text) is translated in the KJV: “LORD.”

9. The actual word in Hebrew used for “Lord” and applied to God is “adonai” (ADNI in Hebrew characters). YHWH is an entirely different word, a personal name which means something like “He Will Be.” It is the only personal name that God tells us to use for him. And this is exactly what the ‘infallible’ KJV tells us in verse :18 (:19) - “…thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”

10. Those who believe the KJV is entirely accurate must believe that ‘Jehovah’ is the only name for the Most High God. There should be no argument by them that it is mistranslated, mispronounced or should be ‘Yahweh’ or similar transliterations.

11. More important, it becomes obvious that the usual translation of YHWH in the KJV as ‘LORD’ (ADNI in Hebrew) is a serious mistranslation! OR, the translation of YHWH as JEHOVAH in several verses is a serious mistranslation! Either way, the KJV has seriously mistranslated and is certainly not infallible.

12. Although still not infallible, the American Standard Version (ASV) uses the KJV’s Elizabethan English but has corrected the thousands of uses of YHWH in the Hebrew text from the ‘LORD’ of most of the KJV verses to ‘Jehovah.’ The Divine Name KJB has done the same - http://www.dnkjb.net/

13. How can we possibly consider the KJV to be infallible (or even the best Bible available)?

[placebofactor]

KJV and the Only Personal Name of God

This was written primarily for those who believe the King James Version is the infallible, perfect word of God (and for those who wish to discuss it with them).

There are numerous problems with the accuracy of the KJV translation. For example, see the 1 John 5:7 study.

This study, however, will concentrate on Ps. 83:18 in the KJV and the actual personal name of God.

1. The Hebrew text used by the King James translators is known as the Bomberg (or the Ben Chayyim) text. It may be found here online:
https://www.areopage.net/PDF/BibliaSacra.pdf

Remember to read from right to left in Hebrew!

Psalm 83:16-18 in the IB:

“Fill their faces with shame, and they will seek Your name, O Jehovah. Let them be ashamed and terrified forever; yea, let them be confounded and perish. And let them know - Your name (is) Jehovah - that You alone (are) the Most High over the whole earth.

2. This text used by the KJV translators contains the name YHWH (יהוה Strong's H3068) in Hebrew characters thousands of times.

3. The Most High God declares that his name is YHWH many times in this text.

4. The KJV translators 'translated' this name as ‘LORD’ (all-capitals) in nearly all of its thousands of occurrences in the Bomberg text.

5. In several places, however, these translators rendered it as ‘Jehovah.’

6. Probably the most important of these is found at Psalm 83:18 in the KJV (which is actually Ps. 83:19 in the Bomberg text used by the KJV translators).

7. Here is how Ps. 83:16-18 reads in the KJV:

“16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

“17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

“18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” (Boldfacing added)

8. Notice how the name YHWH in the Hebrew texts (including the Bomberg text used by the KJV translators) as found in verse :16 (:17 in the Bomberg text) is translated in the KJV: “LORD.”

9. The actual word in Hebrew used for “Lord” and applied to God is “adonai” (ADNI in Hebrew characters). YHWH is an entirely different word, a personal name which means something like “He Will Be.” It is the only personal name that God tells us to use for him. And this is exactly what the ‘infallible’ KJV tells us in verse :18 (:19) - “…thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”

10. Those who believe the KJV is entirely accurate must believe that ‘Jehovah’ is the only name for the Most High God. There should be no argument by them that it is mistranslated, mispronounced or should be ‘Yahweh’ or similar transliterations.

11. More important, it becomes obvious that the usual translation of YHWH in the KJV as ‘LORD’ (ADNI in Hebrew) is a serious mistranslation! OR, the translation of YHWH as JEHOVAH in several verses is a serious mistranslation! Either way, the KJV has seriously mistranslated and is certainly not infallible.

12. Although still not infallible, the American Standard Version (ASV) uses the KJV’s Elizabethan English but has corrected the thousands of uses of YHWH in the Hebrew text from the ‘LORD’ of most of the KJV verses to ‘Jehovah.’ The Divine Name KJB has done the same - http://www.dnkjb.net/

13. How can we possibly consider the KJV to be infallible (or even the best Bible available)?

My response to your post: If all scripture is God breathed, what you are implying is that the LORD is not capable of keeping his word intact and uncorrupted, is that what you are saying? If you say yes, it appears your god is weak. The corruption by men began a little over 100 years ago, not with the King James Bible that has remained steadfast for the past 414 years, a Bible born out of persecution and prayer, not profit mongers.

Then why did the King James translators obscure the name of Jehovah several thousand times? They replaced it with "LORD." God is not weak. The original manuscripts kept the name of God and do not actually use "LORD." It is the translations that have erred. God's original words are there, but men have preferred to ignore much of them and have presented to the world largely erring translations, the KJV being one of them (though I love the language).

Hold on one second; I said, "Are you implying that the LORD is not capable of keeping his word intact and uncorrupted?" Your answer to my question would be NO, Jehovah is not able or capable of keeping men from corrupting his word. Are you implying that the LORD kept his word intact from the time the original letters were written until the King James came out, then 60 of the greatest scholars in the world got together, and for the next 11 years figured out how to fool and mislead every person who picked up their word for the next 425 years, is that what your implying?

Or is it possible, because there was no known pronunciation for YHVH, or YHWH, the LORD thought it best to have it replaced by LORD and God, two words that can be understood and written in every language known to man.

You appear to have forgotten your history. When the King James first came out, in the English alphabet A-B-C. etc., until the 1600's there was no letter "J" in the alphabet. The name Jehovah was written in English as "Yahweh." Later, the letter J was introduced into our alphabet for an easier pronunciation of words. Also, the W is the union of two Vs. V is the form of the Roman capital letter which we call U. The W is properly a vowel but does not retain that distinction today. To conclude, the Y was changed to J. The W was changed to V. The vowels were added for pronunciation purposes, and now we have the English rendering, Jehovah. Then, upon publication of the English Bible, Jehovah became LORD and God.

But you are insisting that the earliest known manuscripts had Jehovah. Sorry, the ancient Jews would not have rendered YHWH as Jehovah, maybe Yahweh, but I doubt even that. So, if the Watchtower insists on Jehovah, no problem, but I see no problem with LORD or God. Either way, it is to be understood as the name of both the Father and Son.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #11]
The Tetragrammaton is clearly written into the Hebrew text of Mss. Even if someone didn't know how to pronounce it, the name is there---God's personal name that he wanted everyone to know and use. (Exodus 3:15) There are many ways to pronounce it, and I'm sure He doesn't care as long as it is used in the particular culture that is under examination, whether spoken aloud or just read.

[placebofactor]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #11]
The Tetragrammaton is clearly written into the Hebrew text of Mss. Even if someone didn't know how to pronounce it, the name is there---God's personal name that he wanted everyone to know and use. (Exodus 3:15) There are many ways to pronounce it, and I'm sure He doesn't care as long as it is used in the particular culture that is under examination, whether spoken aloud or just read.

Okay, if it's YHWH, or YHVH, then it's not Jehovah, or Yehovah, it's YHWH. So why didn't the Watchtower put the Tetragrammation YHWH in your N.W.T., instead of adding vowels that may, or may not be correct? You keep telling me when it's convenient for you that the Greek doesn't have vowels, then you put them in between the Letters YHWH and say it's okay.

Your Jehovah is as wrong as if I published a Bible and for YHWH, replaced it with George. Then, put in my introduction, every time you see the name George, it's God's name. No, LORD and God, like I said, can be translated into every language on earth, and understood by all who read it.

All the Watchtower had in mind when they incorrectly replaced God with Jehovah in both the Old and New Testaments was to try to make themselves look holier than thou, and to sell more books. And if the Watchtower had an ear to God like they claim, and special spiritual enlightenment, why did it take three copyrights of the N.W.T. to replace LORD and God with Jehovah?

As far as I'm concerned, it's nothing but a big scam.