It has appeared to us, in the prosecution of our task, that we could put this question before the ordinary English reader in a form to enable him to determine for himself with tolerable correctness the Validity of our plea for a more correct version of Holy Writ. On such a point it is important he should be able to judge for himself: accordingly, we shall exhibit sundry amended passages, by way of specimen, in juxtaposition with the corresponding passages of the present version. It may be premised, that it is not necessary that the amended translation should be in all respects immaculate and unassailable; it suffices for the present purpose if we establish the fact, that the authorized version is capable of amendment. The field before us is almost illimitable, so numerous are the corrections that require to be supplied. Of course, we must pick our path here and there. We begin with the Old Testament; and here two passages recommend themselves for selection, as well for their own intrinsic interest as for the materials they afford for elucidating the principles that underlie the transfusion of Hebrew into English. The reader is invited to ponder the two versions in the points in which they differ, however minute the difference at first sight may appear, as the change in these cases has proceeded upon a strictly literal translation of the original Hebrew; and the variation, on a further view, may not appear so unimportant as at first. Our first passage consists of extracts from the Song of Deborah, Judges v., and the amended version is due, substantially, to the able pen of Dr. Edward Robinson, Translator of Gesenius, &c. See “Biblical Repository.” Two other versions of the same Song are given by Dr. Adam Clarke in his Commentary, from Dr. Hales and Dr. Kennicott respectively; but, with all their merit, they are less literally true to the original, and therefore less eligible for selection, than the one we have adopted:—
Judges v.
| Old Version. 2. Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves. | New Version. 2. For the leading of the leaders in Israel, for the voluntary offering of the people, praise ye the Lord . . . |
| 7. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose . . . | 7. Leaders failed in Israel, they failed, until that I, Deborah, arose, that I arose a mother in Israel . . . |
| 10. Speak, ye that ride on white asses . . . | 10. Ye that ride on white asses, . . . prepare a song, |
| 11. They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates. | 11. Responsive to the voice of those who divide the spoil by the watercourses. There they shall rehearse the victories of the Lord, the victory of his princes in Israel; then shall the people of the Lord descend to the gates. |
| 12. Awake, [13] awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song. . . . | 12. Awake, awake, Deborah; awake, awake, utter a song . . . |
| 13. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty. | 13. Then I said, Descend, ye remnant of the nobles of the people! O Lord, descend for me among the mighty! |
| 14. Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer. | 14. Out of Ephraim came those whose dwelling is by Amalek. After thee (Ephraim) was Benjamin among thy hosts; out of Machir (Manasseh) came down princes, and from Zebulun those who grasp the staff of a leader. |
| 15. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. | 15. The princes of Issachar also came with Deborah; yea, Issachar was the staff of Barak. He rushed into the valley at his feet. For the divisions of Reuben I have great griefs of heart . . . |
| 16. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. | 16. Wherefore didst thou sit still among the folds, to listen to the lowing of the herds? For the divisions of Reuben I have great revolvings of heart. |
| 17. Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches. | 17. Gilead (Gad) abode beyond Jordan; and Dan, why tarried he in ships? Asher sat at the shore of the sea, and abode at his creeks. |
| 18. Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. | 18. For Zebulun, the people scorned their lives, and rushed upon death, and Naphtali, in the high places of the plain. |
| 19. The kings came and fought, . . . they took no gain of money. | 19. The kings came, they fought, . . . they took no spoil of silver. |
| 22. Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. | 22. Then did the horses’ hoofs smite the ground from the haste, the haste of their riders . . . |
We here pause, before proceeding to our second extract, to notice one very damaging source of mistranslation as applicable to the Old Testament. We allude to what may be called the use of the Prophetical or Theological scheme in dealing with the Prophecies. For instance, in the 2nd verse of 53rd chap, of Isaiah, as below, the words “for he shall grow up” ought to be rendered “and” or “so” (resuming the argument of the previous chapter) “he grew up” in the PAST tense; and so on through the chapter. The Prophets, it is well known, in the vividness of their prophetic vision, contemplated the future events that passed under their ken as actually past; [14] and as this is a prominent characteristic of their mode of delivering prophetic truth, it ought not to be lost sight of in a translation. The explanation of the fact that what they spoke of as actually past was still future, belongs to what is called “exegesis,” and stands out as an Order of Rhetoric significant of, and sacred to, their prophetic function; but by no means should such an element enter into a translation, which, if it does not present a faithful reflex of the original, is simply a misnomer. Not that there is any inviolable uniformity in the practice of the translators in the use of this scheme. Far from it; as is evident from the translation that follows. And this serves to render a subject, necessarily obscure from its very nature, immeasurably more so. The truth is, we have here forced upon us the fact, that the translators were not fully acquainted with a principle of the language—now well understood—that lies at the basis of the whole structure. [15] They saw its force—they could not help doing so—in the Narrative portions, but were not cognizant of it as a Fundamental principle of the language, applicable alike to all subjects, and not variable and flexible at the pleasure of the interpreter.
We are sorry we can adduce no particular name on which to cast the responsibility of the following amended version. We have consulted very many of the most distinguished of those who have laboured to translate this, in some respects, very intricate passage, and what we have given must be considered mainly as an amalgam of the joint labours of them all. We are far from thinking we have given the best version possible; and perhaps the text itself, where the difficulty is peculiarly pressing, may yet be found susceptible of improvement:—
Isaiah.
| Old Version. | New Version. |
| Ch. lii. 13. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. | Ch. lii. 13. Behold, my servant shall be prosperous; he shall be exalted and extolled, and be magnified exceedingly. |
| 14. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: | 14. As many were astonished at thee; (so marred was his visage more than any man, and his form than the sons of men.) |
| 15. So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. | 15. So shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him (do him homage); for that which had not been told them have they seen, and that which they had not heard have they considered: |
| Ch. liii. 1. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? | Ch. liii. 1. (Who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?) |
| 2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. | 2. And he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a land of drought: he hath no form nor comeliness that we should see him, and no beauty that we should desire him. |
| 3. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. | 3. Despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and concealing as it were his face from us; despised, and we esteemed him not. |
| 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. | 4. Surely it was our griefs that he bore; and our sorrows, he carried them: but we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. |
| 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. | 5. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his infirmity we were healed. |
| 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. | 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned each one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. |
| 7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, [17a] yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought [17b] as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. | 7. He was oppressed; but he, submitting himself, [17c] does not even open his mouth: as a lamb is brought to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. |
| 8. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. | 8. From oppression and from judgment was he taken: but the wickedness of his generation who shall declare? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people, for the stroke due to them! |
| 9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. | 9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the [impious] [17d] in his death; though he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. |
| 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. | 10. But it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief, proclaiming, If his soul shall make an offering for sin, he shall see a seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. |
| 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. | 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul; he shall be satisfied: by his knowledge of woe [18a] shall my righteous servant make many righteous, and himself shall bear their iniquities. |
| 12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. | 12. Therefore I will allot him the great for his portion, and he shall divide the mighty as spoil, because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with transgressors. So he bore the sin of many, and intercedes [18b] for the transgressors. |
Note.—The new translation is less soft and mellifluous than the old, but let it not be hastily condemned in the comparison on that account. It is more exact, and that is the principal object now. Probably it may yet fall into hands that shall combine all the beautiful flow of the old version, with no less, and even far greater exactness than we have been able to achieve.
Thus far for the Old Testament. We adopt a somewhat different mode of selection in dealing with the New, but adhere to our plan of exhibiting the two versions in juxtaposition. The amended passages that follow are taken, with a few exceptions, from Professor Scholefield’s “Hints for an Improved Translation of the New Testament.” They are, it is presumed, sufficiently important to warrant the selection, but it must be premised that it is not by taking isolated passages for emendation that the WHOLE TRUTH insisted upon in these pages can be enforced. There are numberless points of correction of which our version is susceptible that are not adapted for such isolated exhibition, and which it is the special business of the Greek particles to supply; but the exhibition of such points, involving the structure of sentences and the mutual relation of the clauses of which they are made up, would require a much larger canvass. We indicate this source of correction only to avert the conclusion, that our argument rests solely on the basis supplied in the particular mode of illustration adopted.
Old Version. | New Version. |
Mark iv. 13. | |
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and howthen will ye know all parables? | And he says to them, Know ye not this parable? how thenwill ye know any [19] parables? |
Luke xvi. 12. | |
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is anotherman’s. | . . . in that which is another’s (i.e.God’s). |
John xviii. 15. | |
And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did anotherdisciple. | And Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was theother disciple (probably Judas). |
John i. 9. | |
Which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. | Which coming into the world lighteth every man. |
Whether there be any Holy Ghost. | Whether the Holy Ghost be given. |
Rom. vi. 17. | |
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin. | But God be thanked that whereas ye were the servants ofsin. |
Rom. xiv. 23. | |
Is damned if he eat, because he eateth not offaith. | Is condemned if he eat, because it is not offaith. |
2 Cor. iv. 3,4. | |
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that arelost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of themthat believe not. | . . . be hid (with a veil), it is hid to theabandoned: As to whom the god of this world habitually blinds theirminds, being unbelieving. |
1 Pet. iii. 6. | |
Whose daughters ye are as long as ye do well, and are notafraid with any amazement. | . . . as long as ye do well, and yield to no fear, (asSarah on one memorable occasion did). |
2 Pet. i. 19, 20,21. | |
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye dowell that ye take heed, as unto a light, &c. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is ofany private interpretation; For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; butholy men of God spoke as they were moved by the HolyGhost. | Moreover, we have the word of prophecy made moresure, (the voice from heaven while in the holy mountconfirmed it). Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of thenature of a private revelation; For prophecy was not prompted in old time by the will of man;but holy men of God spoke as prompted by the HolyGhost. |
2 Pet. iii. 5,6. | |
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the wordof God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of thewater and in the water; Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water,perished. | For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the wordof God, the heavens and the earth were of old involved in aconfluence of waters; Whereby the world that then was, being deluged with water,perished. |
I wrote unto you in an epistle. | I have written to you in my epistle (the present). |
1 Cor. vii. 11. | |
But and if she depart. | But if also she be separated. |
1 Cor. x. 17. | |
For we being many, are one bread and onebody. | For there is one bread, and we, who are many, areone body. |
1 Cor. xv. 41. | |
For one star differeth from another star inglory. | Nay (or, this is not all, for) one star differeth fromanother star, &c. |
2 Cor. iii. 18. | |
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass theglory of the Lord | And we all with unveiled face reflecting as in a glass . .. (Moses put a veil on his face, not so the disciples ofChrist). |
2 Cor. v. 1. | |
If our earthly house of this tabernacle weredissolved. | If the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved. |
2 Cor. xii. 2,4. | |
I knew a man in Christ. It is not lawful to utter. | I know a man in Christ. It is not possible. |
Gal. iii. 22. | |
That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be givento them that believe. | That the promise may be given to believers by JesusChrist. |
Eph. v. 13. | |
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by thelight. | But all things are reproved, and made manifest by thelight. |
Phil. i. 7. | |
Partakers of my grace. | Partakers with me of grace. |
Phil. i. 10. | |
That ye may approve things that are excellent. | That ye may try things that differ. |
If there be any virtue, and if there be anypraise. | Whatever virtue, and whatever praise there be. |
Col. i. 19. | |
For it pleased the Father, that in him should allfulness dwell. | For all the fulness of the God-head was pleased to dwellin him. |
Col. ii. 23. | |
Not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. | Not with any regard to the satisfying of the flesh. |
2 Thess. ii. 6,7. | |
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealedin his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who nowletteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. | And now ye know what withholdeth him, that he maybe revealed in his own time. For the mystery of iniquity isalready working; only there is one that now withholdeth it, untilhe be taken out of the way. |
Heb. iv. 2. | |
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them:but the word preached did not word profit them. | For we have the glad tidings thereof even as they; but theword of its report (i.e., which they heard) did not profitthem. |
Heb. ix. 12. | |
He entered in once into the holy place. | He entered once for all into the holy place. |
Heb. ix. 15, 16,17. | |
And for this cause he is the mediator of the newtestament, that by means of death, for the redemption of thetransgressions that were under the first testament, theywhich are called might receive the promise of eternalinheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessitybe the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead:otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testatorliveth. | And for this end he is the mediator of the new covenant,that, his death having taken place for the redemption of thetransgressions under the first covenant, they that are calledmight receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity bebrought in the death of the mediating sacrifice. For a covenant is valid over dead sacrifices: since itis never of any force while the mediating sacrificecontinues alive. |
Heb. xii. 18. | |
To the mount that might be touched. | To the mount that could be touched. |
Heb. xiii. 4. | |
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bedundefiled. | Let marriage be honourable in all, and the bed beundefiled. |
1 Pet. iii. 20. | |
Were saved by water. | Were saved through the water (brought safely through). |
1 Pet. iv. 8. | |
Shall cover the multitude of sins. | Will cover a multitude of sins. |
2 Pet. i. 16. | |
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when wemade known unto you . . . | For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when wemade known unto you . . . |
2 Pet. ii. 1,3. | |
And bring upon themselves swift destruction . . . andtheir damnation slumbereth not. | . . . and their destruction slumbereth not(destruction, precisely the same word as before). |
2 Pet. ii. 5. | |
Noah the eighth person. | Noah, with seven others. |
2 Pet. ii. 14. | |
Cursed children. | Children of the curse. |
Rev. iv. 6. | |
Four beasts. | Four living creatures. |
Rev. x. 6. | |
That there should be time no longer. | That there should be no more delay. |