NOTE: For the sake of consistency, from here on translations will be listed in chronological order of publication, according to the latest edition reviewed. They proceed in this order: Tyndale, GEN, KJV, RV, Young, Darby, ASV, Weymouth, Moffatt, Montgomery, AAT, BV, William, Lamsa, PME, Norlie, NWT, AMP, JB, MLB, CPV, RSV, LB, NEB, TBV, NKJV, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, KJ21, LITV, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, CW, HCSB, NLT2.
While there are over five thousand manuscripts of the Greek New Testament, no two are identical. Those who copied them by hand sometimes made mistakes, and sometimes made changes. One of the tasks of the biblical scholar is to determine what the original reading was wherever there are variant readings. This task is called textual criticism. It is a necessary first step before translation, because someone must decide which reading is to be translated.
Toward which manuscript tradition does the translation lean?
When someone has compared the manuscripts so as to compile a Greek New Testament that resembles the original text as closely as possible, this is called a critical edition. The first printed critical edition was done by Erasmus, and it and its revisions came to be known as the Textus Receptus, or Received Text. Erasmus' work was later revised several times by Stephanus and again by Theodore Beza. As more manuscripts were discovered and techniques were refined, other editions followed. The one in use today is available in two identical forms (differing only in format)–the UBS Greek New Testament (now in its fourth edition) and the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (now in its 27th edition). These editions are known as the Critical Text, since they represent the present state of textual criticism.
Erasmus did most of his work from a few later Greek manuscripts. They come from what we call the Byzantine tradition, a fairly standardized text that came to dominate the majority of manuscripts, since Greek was native to Byzantine Europe. For this reason, the Byzantine tradition is also called the Majority Text. After the time of Erasmus, however, other traditions were uncovered as earlier manuscripts were discovered. The "Western" tradition, influenced by Latin though not limited to Western Europe, tended to embellish the stories of the Bible and is generally longer. The Alexandrian tradition, associated with Egypt and Palestine, tends to be shorter and more careful to avoid confusing similar passages. Some textual critics propose there is a fourth tradition, the Caesarean, associated with Origen and marked by a tendency to combine the other traditions.
When the KJV was translated, various revisions of the Textus Receptus (TR) were virtually the only viable option for a New Testament text base. Today, since Alexandrian readings are supported by the most ancient papyri and other evidence, most modern translations use the Critical Text. Still, the KJV has established the TR firmly as the traditional text, and the English verse divisions are based on it, and so it and the Majority Text still have many advocates.
(Evangelical scholar Daniel Wallace has an excellent analysis of the main theological arguments for TR/Majority Text advocacy.)
Summary: Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV work strictly from the Textus Receptus. The CW is about 3/4 Byzantine, and the TBV and Darby's version have an even mix of Alexandrian and Byzantine readings. Since Lamsa works from the Syriac (Western) tradition, his readings match the Byzantine text most of the time, but he has several unique readings. Moffatt, Norlie, LB, ISV, and MSG are also fairly eclectic. The other translations surveyed almost always go by the Critical Text. The consistently Alexandrian versions are AAT, NWT, JB, NIV, TNIV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, INC, NASB, CEV, ESV, and HCSB. The Amplified Bible usually places Byzantine readings in italics, and BV, MLB, NASB, and HCSB use parentheses or brackets when an entire sentence or verse is in question.
Presence or absence of a divine name
One feature of the Byzantine text is the tendency to make the name of God explicit where it was not expressed originally. This was often done out of reverence or for clarification.
Matthew 19:17
Alexandrian: Why do you ask Me about what is good? Only one is good.
Byzantine: Why do you call Me good? No one is good except one–God!
Matthew 21:12
Alex.: Jesus went into the temple and cast out...
Byz.: Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out...
Romans 1:16
Alex.: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God...
Byz.: I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God...
Ephesians 3:9
Alex.: hidden in God who created all things,
Byz.: hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 3:14
Alex.: I bow my knees to the Father
Byz.: I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV have the Byzantine reading in all five instances. Norlie has the longer reading all five times, but in Romans 1:16 has the gospel of Jesus Christ, an expansion not supported by any Greek text. The LB and TBV choose the Byzantine three times, and the Darby and CW twice. The RV, ASV, Moffatt, Lamsa, RSV, NLT1, NLT2 and ISV each have only one Byzantine reading of the five. The AMP chooses one Byzantine reading and includes the other four in italics. Weymouth, Montgomery, AAT, BV, William, PME, NWT, JB, MLB, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NASB, GW, NIrV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, and HCSB take the Alexandrian reading all five times.
Related to the above issue is the lengthening of a name. Christ becomes Jesus Christ, which becomes the Lord Jesus Christ, which becomes our Lord Jesus Christ. This tendency is easy to trace through the manuscripts and is not limited to biblical texts.
Matthew 16:20
Alex.: that they tell no one that He was the Christ.
Byz.: that they tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
John 6:69
Alex.: we believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.
Byz.: we believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Acts 16:31
Alex.: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
Byz.: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
2 Corinthians 4:10
Alex.: carrying in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus...
Byz.: carrying in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus...
2 Timothy 4:22
Alex.: May the Lord be with your spirit.
Byz.: May the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Once again, Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV have the Byzantine reading all five times. Lamsa, Norlie, and CW have three Byzantine readings. (CW also rewrites Matt. 16:20.) Darby, Moffatt, LB, TBV, and AMP each have one Byzantine and four Alexandrian readings (the AMP again using italics for rejected readings). The others consistently use the Critical Text–RV, ASV, Weymouth, Montgomery, AAT, William, PME, NWT, JB, MLB, RSV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, HCSB, and NLT2. INC is Alexandrian but replaces Lord with Savior in Acts 16:31. (MSG uses Master instead of Lord.)
A striking example of the growth in manuscripts is in the title of Revelation. From The Revelation to John it grows in ms. 1775 to The Revelation of the all-glorious evangelist, bosom-friend [of Jesus], virgin, beloved to Christ, John the theologian, son of Salome and Zebedee, but adopted son of Mary the Mother of God, and Son of Thunder. Most changes are not quite as striking, but liturgy and asceticism have led many a scribe to "heighten" the text at certain points. Often this is easy to detect, as it shows up in only one or two manuscripts. But some of these caught on and are included in the Byzantine tradition:
Matthew 6:13
Alex.: deliver us from the evil one.
Byz.: deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
John 3:13
Alex.: the One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man.
Byz.: the One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
John 9:35
Alex.: He said to him, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?'
Byz.: He said to him, 'Do you believe in the Son of God?'
1 Corinthians 7:5
Alex.: so that you may devote yourselves to prayer
Byz.: so that you may devote yourselves to fasting and prayer
1 Corinthians 10:28
Alex.: and for conscience' sake.
Byz.: and for conscience' sake. For the earth is the Lord's, as well as its fullness.
Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV continue to stand together with all Byzantine readings here. Lamsa has four readings, Norlie and CW three, and RV, Darby, ASV, Weymouth, and MSG have two Byzantine readings apiece. (The MSG paraphrases the Byzantine coda of the Lord's Prayer as You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.) The PME, NEB, TBV, GNC, REB, and ISV each take one Byzantine reading. The Montgomery, NASB, and HCSB place the doxology of the Lord's Prayer in brackets but otherwise have Alexandrian readings. AMP is Alexandrian here but puts three of the Byzantine readings in italics. MLB is Alexandrian with two of the Byzantine expansions in brackets. The others–Moffatt, AAT, William, NWT, JB, RSV, LB, NIV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, CEV, NCV, GNT, GW, NLT1, NIrV, NET, TNIV, ESV, and NLT2–take the shorter, Alexandrian readings each time. INC is Alexandrian but reads Chosen One in John 9:35.
Theological clarification
On a few occasions, scribes made slight alterations to the text for theological reasons. Perhaps they felt free to add precision to the author's point, or they may have suspected that a text had been changed already and that they were restoring it to its original form. In any case, the tendency in such changes is to make difficult texts harmonize with orthodox theology.
Mark 10:24
Alex.: How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
Byz.: How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
Luke 2:43
Alex.: Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know [it].
Byz.: Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but Joseph and His mother did not know [it].
Acts 4:25
Alex.: ...who said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant...
Byz.: ...who said by the mouth of your servant David...
Acts 16:7
Alex.: but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.
Byz.: but the Spirit did not permit them.
1 Pet. 4:1
Alex.: Since, then, Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise...
Byz.: Since, then, Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise...
Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV, which consistently have the Byzantine reading, are joined by the Lamsa in four cases and the TBV in three. Norlie has two Byzantine readings and two Alexandrian, but paraphrases the crucial phrase out of Luke 2:43. CW is likewise split and rewrites Mark 10:24 as, It isn't easy for those who make a lot of money to change, even if they've earned it legitimately. Several translations have one Byzantine reading (usually in Mark 10:24): RV, Darby, Moffatt, ASV, Weymouth, Montgomery, PME, LB, ISV, and MSG. The AMP is Alexandrian but includes two of the Byzantine readings in italics, and Moffatt and MLB bracket the reading in Mark 10:24. The fully Alexandrian versions here are AAT, William, NWT, JB, RSV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, NET, TNIV, ESV, HCSB, and NLT2. The Cotton Patch Version chooses the Alexandrian reading for both verses in Acts, and the INC is Alexandrian except its unattested reading Mary and Joseph in Luke 2:43.
Additional examples: Luke 2:33; 23:42; John 1:18; 6:47; 1 Cor. 5:7; Col. 2:11; 1 John 4:3
Possible marginal glosses
When scribes made mistakes, they or others often placed corrections in the margins. Unfortunately, the margin was also a place where scribes would write explanatory comments (glosses) and other remarks about the text. Rather than risk omitting part of the text, a later scribe might incorporate such a note if he thought it might be part of the text itself. A number of longer variants with very weak textual support are suspected of having arisen in this manner.
Mark 9:49
Alex.: For all will be salted with fire.
Byz.: For all will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.
Luke 9:54
Alex.: ...command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?
Byz.: ...command fire to come down from heaven and consume them (as Elijah did)?
John 5:3-4
Alex.: In these lay a multitude of sick people: blind, lame, and paralyzed.
Byz.: In these lay a multitude of sick people: blind, lame, and paralyzed. They were waiting for the moving of the water, for the angel of the Lord would come from time to time into the pool and stir up the water. So the first one to enter after the stirring of the water would become healthy from whatever disease he had.
1 Peter 4:14
Alex.: the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Byz.: the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
Nine translations choose the longer reading all four times: Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, Darby, TBV, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV. Three times the Lamsa, Norlie, GNT, ISV, and CW have the longer reading. (CW adds a full sentence to Luke 9:54 referring to Mount Carmel and asking that the towns be wiped off the map). The ASV, Moffatt, Montgomery, PME, MLB, LB, GNC, NASB, and HCSB each include one of the longer readings in brackets. The AMP uses italics for the longer reading three times, and the other versions omit the longer readings: RV, Weymouth, AAT, William, NWT, JB, CPV, RSV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, INC, GW, NLT1, NIrV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, and NLT2.
Story embellishments
As a narrative is transmitted over the centuries, whether or not it is part of the Bible, little details and snippets of dialogue tend to find their way into the text. This is most prominent in the book of Acts, where the Western text (followed in English only by the Lamsa Bible) is ten percent longer than the Alexandrian or Byzantine versions of the book. Since these are usually innocuous details, there is no reason they would have been left out had they been original.
Matthew 20:7
Alex.: You too, go into the vineyard.
Byz.: You too, go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is just.
Matthew 28:9
Alex.: And behold, Jesus met them, saying...
Byz.: And as they were going to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying...
Mark 7:8
Alex.: you hold onto the traditions of men!
Byz.: you hold onto the traditions of men–washings of pots and cups, and you do many other such things similarly!
John 8:59
Alex.: He hid Himself and left the temple.
Byz.: He hid Himself and left the temple by going through their midst, and thus He got past them.
Acts 28:16
Alex.: Paul was allowed to live by himself...
Byz.: The centurion handed the prisoners over to the captain of the guard, but Paul was allowed to live by himself...
Darby joins Tyndale, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV as fully Byzantine here, but the GEN has the Alexandrian reading at John 8:59. CW has four Byzantine renderings, Lamsa and TBV have three, Norlie and LB two, and the NIrV and AMP each have one. (The AMP also includes three Byzantine readings in italics, and MLB brackets the addition to Acts 28:16.) The majority of translations stay with the older, shorter readings: RV, ASV, Moffatt, Weymouth, Montgomery, AT, NWT, JB, CPV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NASB, GW, NLT1, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, HCSB, and NLT2.
Stylistic changes
Some words or phrases are especially common in the Bible, or in the writings of a particular author. When the author then departs from that characteristic style, scribes may "correct" the text to bring it in line with other verses. This may also happen unintentionally, as certain ways of expressing things tend to become habitual.
Mark 1:31
Alex.: and the fever left her.
Byz.: and the fever left her immediately.
Ephesians 6:10
Alex.: Finally, be strong in the Lord...
Byz.: For the rest, my brothers, be strong in the Lord...
James 5:16
Alex.: Confess sins to one another.
Byz.: Confess trespasses to one another.
1 John 2:7
Alex.: Beloved, I am not writing you a new commandment...
Byz.: Brothers, I am not writing you a new commandment...
Revelation 8:13
Alex.: I heard one eagle flying in the midst of heaven...
Byz.: I heard one angel flying in the midst of heaven...
As usual, Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, Lamsa, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV follow the Byzantine readings, but a surprising number of others join them. The TBV has four of the five Byzantine readings, Darby, Norlie, LB, and CW have three, Montgomery has two, and Moffatt, AMP, PME, NCV, and NLT1 have one apiece. That leaves the RV, ASV, Weymouth, AAT, William, NWT, JB, MLB, RSV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, GNT, INC, GW, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, HCSB, and NLT2 with all Alexandrian readings. (Free translations reading dear friends in 1 John 2:7 are working from the Alexandrian text.)
Additional examples: Mark 6:16, 33; 7:16; 9:24, 44, 46; Luke 9:55-56; 11:29; John 1:27; 11:41; 16:16; Acts 23:9; 28:29
General deliberate changes
Scribes would also sometimes make additions to the text in order to explain or clarify it, or else to balance out a thought.
Romans 11:6
Alex.: If [it is] by grace, then it is no longer from work; otherwise grace becomes no longer grace.
Byz.: If [it is] by grace, then it is no longer from work; otherwise grace becomes no longer grace. But if from work, it is no longer grace; then work is no longer work.
Romans 14:6
Alex.: The one who regards a day regards [it] for the Lord.
Byz.: The one who regards a day regards [it] for the Lord, and the one who disregards a day disregards [it] for the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:39
Alex.: A woman is bound as long as her husband lives.
Byz.: A woman is bound by law as long as her husband lives.
1 John 4:19
Alex.: We love because He first loved us.
Byz.: We love Him because He first loved us.
Translations fall along the usual lines in this category. Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, Lamsa, Norlie, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV are Byzantine four times. RV, Darby, Moffatt, ASV, Weymouth, AAT, NWT, JB, RSV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, HCSB, and NLT2 are Alexandrian four times. Of the remainder, CW has three Byzantine reading TBV has two, and Montgomery, PME, LB, and GNC are Byzantine at 1 John 4:19. AMP has one Byzantine reading in plain type and one in italics. MLB is Alexandrian but has brackets at 1 Cor. 7:39.
Those who copied the Scriptures had much of the Bible memorized and were thoroughly familiar with the Gospel accounts. This familiarity sometimes must have worked against them, for it appears that at times they inserted into one passage material that is found in another. This is most common with parallel passages in the Gospels. An example is the Lord's prayer, which is quite different in Luke than in Matthew (for both the Byzantine and Alexandrian manuscripts), but in a few manuscripts they are absolutely identical. Some of this appears to be deliberate harmonization, or else influence from a harmony of the Gospels produced by Tatian in the early centuries of the church. But whether accidental or deliberate, when material from one passage ends up in another, this is called an interpolation.
Matthew 5:44 (compare Luke 6:27-28)
Alex.: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Byz.: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute you
Mark 11:10 (compare Luke 19:38)
Alex./Byz.: Blessed [be] the coming kingdom of our father David!
TR: Blessed [be] the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!
[Note: The Textus Receptus has no Greek textual support for this change. It may be a copyist's error from the preceding verse.]
Luke 11:2 (compare Matt. 6:9)
Alex.: Father, may Your name be kept holy. May Your kingdom come.
Byz.: Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy. May Your kingdom come. May Your will come about, as in heaven so also on earth.
Luke 23:38 (compare John 19:20)
Alex.: there was an inscription on it:
Byz.: there was an inscription written over Him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew:
1 Corinthians 11:24 (compare Matt. 26:26; Luke 22:19)
Alex.: This is My body, which is for you...
Byz.: Take, eat, this is My body, which is broken for you...
Most translations are cautious about interpolations. Only Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV have the longer reading all five times, Lamsa and CW have four, Norlie has three, and Darby and TBV have only two. The PME, LB, and ISV have the long version of 1 Cor. 11:24, and Moffatt is Byzantine at Luke 23:38. The rest are Alexandrian–RV, ASV, Weymouth, Montgomery, AAT, William, NWT, AMP, JB, MLB, CPV, RSV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, HCSB, and NLT2–although AMP includes four of the Byzantine readings in italics.
Often the biblical writers would direct their readers back to an Old Testament passage by giving only a partial quote. Scribes familiar with the OT source must resist the temptation to finish out the quote automatically when the author leaves it incomplete. They generally did well, and most excesses lie only in a few manuscripts. But a few made it into the Majority Text preserved in the Byzantine tradition.
Matthew 15:8
Alex.: This people honors Me with their lips...
Byz.: This people draws near to Me with their mouth and honors Me with their lips...
Luke 4:4
Alex.: It is not by bread alone that man lives.
Byz.: It is not by bread alone that man lives, but by every utterance of God.
Romans 9:28
Alex.: Completely and suddenly, the Lord will act on [His] word upon the earth.
Byz.: completing and cutting short [His] word in righteousness, because the Lord will suddenly act upon the earth.
Romans 10:15
Alex.: How beautiful [are] the feet of those who bring good news of good things.
Byz.: How beautiful [are] the feet of those who bring good news of peace, who bring good news of good things.
Hebrews 7:21
Alex.: You are a priest forever.
Byz.: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
The TBV joins the usual list of Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV in having all Byzantine readings. (So might CW, except that it paraphrases Matt. 15:8 beyond recognition.) There are three in Lamsa and Norlie, and two each in the LB and ISV. MSG appears Alexandrian, but Rom. 9:28 and 10:15 are paraphrased beyond recognition. MLB is Alexandrian with two of the Byzantine readings in brackets. The rest take the older Alexandrian readings: RV, ASV, Weymouth, Moffatt, Montgomery, AAT, William, PME, NWT, JB, CPV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, NET, ESV, TNIV, HCSB, and NLT2.
Probable copyist's errors
In the last category are simple mistakes. Similarly drawn letters may confuse the scribe, or the eye may glance from one string of letters to a similar string, causing him to leave out or duplicate a line. If the text was being read aloud to the scribe, errors of hearing might result. Errors of this sort are usually obvious and therefore isolated, but some make enough sense that they slip in.
Luke 2:14
Alex.: On earth peace among men of [His] good pleasure.
Byz.: On earth peace, among men good pleasure.
[Note: The difference between these two is a small terminal sigma at the end of the verse.]
1 Timothy 3:16
Alex.: Great is the mystery of godliness, 'who was manifested in the flesh...
Byz.: Great is the mystery of godliness. 'God was manifested in the flesh...
[Note: The difference between these two is the circular letter omicron vs. the circular letter theta.]
2 Peter 3:9
Alex.: rather, He is patient concerning you
Byz.: rather, He is patient concerning us
[Note: The Greek words for you and us differ only slightly in pronunciation.]
1 John 3:1
Alex.: that we might be called children of God–and we are!
Byz.: that we might be called children of God!
[Note: The scribe's eye skipped during the sequence KLETHOMENKAIESMENDIA.]
Darby, Lamsa, and TBV join Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV on three of the four readings. Norlie is Byzantine only at 1 Timothy 3:16, and GNC only at 1 John 4:19. CW is Alexandrian once, Byzantine once, and has major rewrites for the other two verses. Aside from the fact that LB's paraphrase of 2 Peter 3:9 removes the pronoun altogether, all the other versions have Alexandrian readings here: RV, ASV, Weymouth, Moffatt, Montgomery, AAT, William, PME, NWT, AMP, JB, MLB, CPV, RSV, LB, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, HCSB, and NLT2.
Additional examples: Heb. 10:34 (my bonds vs. those in bonds); 1 Peter 2:2 (unto salvation is missing in Byzantine versions)
How does the translation handle debatable variant readings?
Not all textual decisions are as simple as choosing one tradition or another. Often the textual evidence may be mixed, or internal probability and textual support seem to conflict with each other.
Difficult Old Testament texts
Decisions in the Old Testament can be particularly perplexing, because the manuscripts do not date as close to the time of composition. The Hebrew scribes were much more cautious about preserving the text than those who transmitted the New Testament, but some questions remain. Most versions follow the Masoretic Text, which is the standardized text in Hebrew, though they often consult Greek, Syriac, Latin, and other ancient versions for comparison.
Judges 18:30 - The priest is not named until the end of the account, when he is revealed to be the grandson of...Moses? Or is it Manasseh? The difference is the letter nun. Masoretic scribes placed the nun above the line to express their opinion that it had been added. (They feared to remove it and thus risk omitting part of God's word.) It seems likely that the name was altered out of respect for Moses.
Only the GEN, KJV, Young, Lamsa, NKJV, KJ21, LITV, and NASB read Manasseh here. The other versions read Moses.
1 Samuel 13:1 - This verse gives the length of Saul's reign, but the numbers are completely absent from the manuscript. We are left with something like: Saul was years old, and for years he reigned over Israel.
Versions have dealt with this in a number of ways. Darby, AAT, NWT, RSV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, and ESV use ellipses to indicate the gap. JB and GNT drop the entire verse down to a footnote. GEN, KJV, Young, Norlie, LB, NKJV, LITV, and MSG try to render the verse as if nothing were missing, as does MLB with a footnote explaining the omission. The rest supply their guesses as to how old Saul was: thirty (RV, NIV, REB, NCV, NASB, CEV, NLT1, NIrV, NET, CW, HCSB), forty (ASV, AMP), or fifty (NEB). Guesses as to the length of his reign range from 22 (NEB, REB) to 42 years (NIV, NCV, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, NET, HCSB). (Acts 13:21 gives 40 years as the length of Saul's reign.)
1 Samuel 13:5 - There are no textual variants here, but the verse says the Philistines attacked with thirty thousand chariots. Yet no nation in world history ever amassed such a huge number. That and the fact that there were only six thousand horsemen (there should be two per chariot) has led many to conjecture that the number should read 3,000. The difference in the text would simply be a line over the number, for which a scribe may have mistaken a crease in the writing surface.
MSG tends to avoid large numbers and so reads three companies. The AAT, Lamsa, JB, LB, NIV, NAB, NCV, NLT1, NIrV, NET, CW, and HCSB choose the smaller number, while the rest leave the text as it stands.
1 Kings 4:26 - Another chariot-and-horse problem occurs here. According to the verse, Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horsemen. The clue in this case is that 2 Chronicles 9:25 says Solomon had 4,000 stalls. Obviously the Chronicles have the correct number, and this one has been mistransmitted.
Astonishingly, even though this text seems more likely to need restoration than 1 Sam. 13:5, only seven versions (JB, NJB, NCV, NLT1, NIrV, NET, and CW) emend the text to 4,000.
Isaiah 3:24 - As Isaiah denounces the prideful daughters of Jerusalem, he gives five examples of how they will exchange wealth for poverty: rottenness for perfume, a rope for a belt, baldness for well-set hair, sackcloth for a robe, and instead of beauty... the Masoretic text then has a conjunction for, which looks like the word for burning, and the Dead Sea Scrolls read shame.
Only Young and NAB follow the Masoretic Text strictly here. Burning is read by GEN, KJV, and LITV, and interpreted as the branding of slavery by RV, Darby, ASV, AAT, NWT, AMP, JB, MLB, NEB, NKJV, NIV, NJB, REB, NCV, KJ21, NASB, NIrV, NET, ESV, and HCSB. The reading shame appears in RSV, LB, NRSV, GNT, NLT1, and CW. GW and MSG imaginatively refer to scars. Lamsa has destruction, possibly in paraphrase.
Difficult texts in the Gospels
Matthew 8:28 - Were the demoniacs in the region of the Gadarenes, Gerasenes, or Gergesenes? The textual support in all three gospels is all over the place, though it seems that Gergesa (Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, Darby, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV) is not read before Origen proposed it. The Critical Text prefers the reading Gadarenes here, though with some reservation, and most versions seem to agree.
Matthew 12:47 - This verse, which is similar to Mark 3:32 and Luke 8:20, does not appear in four of the best early manuscripts or in several Latin and Syriac versions. But since both verses 46 and 47 end with the same word (lalesai), this may be a copyist's error. Moffatt, William, JB, RSV, NJB, and ESV are the only versions that omit the verse, and MLB places it in brackets.
Matthew 18:15 - In if your brother sins [against you], the prepositional phrase is missing in two key manuscripts as well as just a few other texts. Moffatt, NWT, JB, NEB, NJB, GNC, REB, NASB, GW, NET, and TNIV exclude the phrase; the NAB places it in brackets. Other versions rightly keep the reading.
Matthew 23:26 - At least six different readings exist for this verse, with divided support. The main issue seems to be whether and the dish is original or added, with a pronoun adjusted accordingly. Moffatt, PME, LB, NEB, NAB, GNC, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NLT1, ISV, NET, CW, and HCSB do not mention the dish. The NLT2 and the others do.
Matthew 27:16-17 - There is a touch of irony present in some manuscripts: Barabbas's first name is Jesus! Origen indicated this was the majority reading in his day, though he doubted its authenticity. Reverent scribes would be strongly tempted to suppress this reading, and so the Critical Text includes it in brackets. Moffatt, NEB, REB, CEV, GNT, NET, TNIV, and CW include the name Jesus Barabbas, and the NAB has it bracketed.
Mark 1:1 - Four or five early manuscripts do not have son of God in this verse. But considering the weight of the manuscript evidence, plus Mark's theme and style, we are convinced it is original. The name, abbreviated to four letters in Greek, could have dropped out by accident, as also happened with Jesus Christ in one of the manuscripts. Only AAT, William, NWT, TNIV, and MSG leave out son of God. Moffatt, AMP, and NAB place the title in italics or brackets. (INC reads God's own, its usual replacement for son of God.)
Mark 3:32 - When Jesus' mother and brothers came for Jesus, were His sisters there too? So say the Latin and a few Western manuscripts. The committee responsible for the Critical Text is of divided opinion, but the external support is extremely poor. Weymouth, Moffatt, Montgomery, JB, NJB, GNC, CEV, GNT, NLT1, MSG, and HCSB choose this reading, and the AMP and NAB have it in italics or brackets.
Mark 7:9 - Are the Pharisees keeping or establishing their tradition? The NET and ESV are alone in choosing establish (=NET set up), while all other versions have keep or similar, with the exception of GNC, which paraphrases with conform to, and CW, which has emphasize the importance of.
Mark 10:2 - A few Western manuscripts have no reference to the Pharisees, and the word order at the beginning of the verse varies among the manuscripts. This has led some to wonder if the reference to the Pharisees is an interpolation from Matthew or Luke. The NEB and REB seem to think so.
Mark 14:68 - In all traditions but the Alexandrian, there are two cock-crows in Mark's version of Peter's denial. This is a rare case in which the best manuscripts stand against both widespread support and transcriptional probability (i.e., the detail is more likely to be left out than added). AAT, William, NWT, JB, RSV, NEB, NIV, GNC, REB, NCV, NIrV, NET, and TNIV have only one cock-crow. (The first is in italics in MP.)
Luke 10:1 - This is one of the trickiest textual problems in the Bible. Here two key manuscripts and a papyrus dating back to the 200s stand against almost everything else by having Jesus send out 72 witnesses rather than 70. The number 72 has a possible Jewish significance, whereas 70 would represent the traditional number of Gentile nations. The AAT, JB, NEB, NIV, NJB, GNC, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, INC, NLT1, NIrV, NET, ESV, TNIV, and NLT2 choose the 72 reading (my personal preference). The NAB places the two in brackets, and the other versions read 70 (often with a footnote).
The "Western non-interpolations"
The Western manuscripts almost always have longer readings than the Alexandrian or Byzantine ones. However, there are several places near the end of Luke in which the Western text has a shorter reading; something is left out. Scholars are divided over whether the longer or shorter reading is original. On one hand, the combination of Majority support and Alexandrian support is almost always enough for certainty, but on the other, some see the material as interpolations from the other post-resurrection accounts that arose in the Alexandrian texts and made their way into the Byzantine without reaching the Western texts.
The verses involved are significant. They include the angel's words He is not here, but has been raised, Peter running to the tomb, Jesus' greeting, Peace to you, Him showing the disciples His wounds, and His ascension. All this material can be found in Matthew, John, and Acts. Having examined 24:3, 6, 12, 36, 40, 51-52, it is apparent that most translators accept the longer readings here. All of them appear in Tyndale, GEN, KJV, RV, Young, Darby, ASV, Weymouth, Lamsa, Norlie, LB, TBV, NKJV, NIV, NAB, CEV, NCV, GNT, LITV, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, CW, HCSB, and NLT2. Five of the six are in Montgomery, PME, GNC, and NRSV. Moffatt accepts three and places three in brackets. However, the CPV and REB each contain only one (24:3), and AAT, William, RSV, and NEB choose the shorter reading each time. (The William uses brackets for four of the readings, and the MLB does so only at verse 12.)
Other New Testament texts
1 Thessalonians 2:7 - the best attested reading says, we were [like] infants among you, even like a mother nursing her children. The shift in metaphor is jarring, and later manuscripts read gentle in place of infants. But only AAT, William, CEV, NET, and TNIV take the older reading.
James 5:20 - There are two textual problems here. The first and easier is that the verse should begin Let him know rather than You should know. Here, Tyndale, GEN, KJV, RV, Darby, ASV, Weymouth, Montgomery, Lamsa, PME, AMP, MLB, RSV, TBV, NKJV, NAB, KJ21, NASB, NET, ESV, and HCSB have the better reading.
More difficult is that a pronoun (save his soul from death) is absent from the Byzantine tradition but is included elsewhere. Including the pronoun are Weymouth, Moffatt, Montgomery, AAT, William, Lamsa, Norlie, NWT, MLB, RSV, NEB, NIV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, NCV, GNT, NASB, GW, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, HCSB, and NLT2 (similiar GNC). But the CEV and CW paraphrase so as not to deal with either problem.
2 Peter 3:10 - The text is confused in the last word of the verse. In some mss. the earth and its works will be burned up. In one they will melt. In some they are destroyed. In some they will not be found. In some they will be found. In one they will be found destroyed. The reading found seems most able to explain the rise of the others, and is meaningful if understood as exposed, laid bare, or possibly found deserving of judgment. Most translations have burned up, and AAT and William have the similar melt. Lamsa is alone in choosing not found. Among those choosing found are NWT, NIV, NAB, NRSV, REB, CEV, GW, NLT1, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, MSG, HCSB, and NLT2. GNT has the unlikely reading vanish (similar Moffatt, GNC), and here the NIrV is paraphrased beyond recognition–perhaps to avoid the question altogether.
1 John 3:21 - The phrase if our/your heart does not condemn us/you reads eleven different ways in the manuscripts. In several of these the first pronoun is missing, though it would be implied anyway. The NWT and NAB place our in brackets, but otherwise all the versions translate with first-person pronouns here.
Jude 5 - Aside from the issue of whether once goes with you knew or having saved, the difficult issue here is that there is impressive manuscript support for reading Jesus instead of Lord–and great reasons for a scribe to change it. The resulting text has Jesus saving the people from Egypt and then destroying those who rebelled. To date, the NET, ESV, and NLT2 are the only translations to read this way. For the record, Norlie and RSV leave out Lord altogether, and NWT has Jehovah. GNC improvises with the Lord God.
Jude 22-23 - There are six different sets of readings here, but the upshot is that some manuscripts mention two groups of people, while the others mention three. While most older versions and the GNC and CW have two groups, most scholars today believe the triad is more likely. Three groups appear in RV, ASV, Weymouth, Norlie, JB, MLB, RSV, NIV, NJB, NAB, NRSV, REB, GNT, INC, NASB, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, HCSB, NLT2. AMP, LB, and CEV have four groups. Lamsa curiously translates as though only one group of people were in question.
How does the translation handle the larger traditional but unlikely readings?
Mark 16:9-20 - Ancient copies of Mark have four different endings. A few of the oldest end with 16:8. Most of the others include the passage that appears in most Bibles, though quite a few of these mark it off with obelisks or contain marginal notes indicating that it was not believed original. There is also a shorter ending that appears either by itself or with the longer ending. Finally, within the longer ending, one manuscript adds what is called the Freer Logion, a paragraph-long statement of Jesus regarding His triumph over Satan. In brief, for both textual and stylistic reasons, almost all evangelical biblical scholars believe Mark ended his gospel with verse 8 and the rest was added later. For an in-depth overview of the issue, click here.
Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, Darby, ASV, Montgomery, Lamsa, Norlie, TBV, NKJV, KJ21, and CW include the longer ending without comment, and the LITV actually has a strongly worded defense of it in the introduction. Several versions contain a footnote informing the reader of the passage's weak textual standing (RV, Weymouth, Moffatt, William, AMP, JB, LB, NJB, REB, CEV, NCV, GW, ISV, NET, MSG, NLT2). Some versions set the passage off with lines or in-text comments (AAT, PME, NWT, NIV, GNC, INC, NIrV, ESV). In the MLB, NRSV, GNT, NASB, and HCSB the passage is in brackets. The TNIV has the text in a smaller italic font set off by a line and a near-boldface comment on the inauthenticity of the passage. The shorter ending is included as well in Moffatt, AAT, NWT, JB, RSV, NEB, NJB, NAB, NRSV, CEV, GNT, INC, NASB, NLT1, NET, and NLT2. The JB, NJB, NAB, and NRSV also give the Freer Logion in a footnote.
Luke 23:34 - One of the most treasured statements of Jesus is His first saying on the cross: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. This statement is absent in the relevant ancient papyrus, the best Alexandrian, Western, and Caesarean manuscripts, and part of the Syriac tradition, and it seems to have originated in the Western text. But even those who hold that Luke did not write these words still believe that Jesus said them, and that they were incorporated into the text at some early point. The only English versions omitting the saying are AAT, William, and ISV. The words are bracketed in the NWT, NAB, NRSV, NET, and HCSB, and most other versions mention the variation in a footnote.
John 7:53-8:11 - The textual state of the story of the woman caught in adultery can best be described as, to put it technically, a mess. Besides countless textual variants within the passage, the account itself shows up at different points: after John 7:36, after 7:52, after Luke 21:38, at the end of Luke, and at the end of John. Some versions omit it, some do not have the first few verses, and most early versions set the passage in obelisks. Most scholars believe it was a genuine event in Jesus' life not recorded in the original Gospels. It was first preserved at the end of a manuscript of Luke, perhaps because of its very Lucan flavor, and from there scribes placed it where it seemed to fit best.
The passage is included without comment in Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Young, Darby, Norlie, TBV, NKJV, KJ21, LITV, MSG (!), and CW. A footnote accompanies the passage in William, Lamsa, PME, AMP, JB, LB, NJB, CEV, NCV, INC, GW, ISV, and NET. The NWT and RSV relegate the passage itself to a footnote! It is bracketed in RV, ASV, Weymouth, Moffatt, Montgomery, MLB, NAB, NRSV, GNT, NASB, and HCSB. The NIV, GNC, NLT1, NIrV, ESV, and NLT2 set the passage off with lines and/or an in-text explanation. As with the longer ending of Mark, the TNIV has the text in a smaller italic font set off by a line and a near-boldface comment on the inauthenticity of the passage. AAT is the only version reviewed to drop the passage entirely without explanation. NEB and REB take the next boldest step of placing the passage at the end of John, with a lengthy footnote.
Acts 8:37 - In this verse, Philip asks the Ethiopian for a testimony before baptizing him. The verse, with its many variations, first appears in the earliest Latin versions and seems to have made its way into the Western tradition from there. Neither the Majority Text nor the Alexandrian texts contain the verse, but Erasmus found it in the margin of one of his manuscripts and included it in his Textus Receptus because he suspected it was an accidental omission.
The verse appears in Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Lamsa, Norlie, LB, TBV, NKJV, KJ21, LITV, and CW. It is in brackets in Young, ASV, MLB, NASB, and HCSB, and in italics in AMP. Omitting the verse are RV, Darby, Weymouth, Moffatt, Montgomery, AAT, William, PME, CPV, RSV, NEB, NIV, NAB, NRSV, REB, CEV, NCV, GNT, GW, NLT1, NIrV, ISV, NET, ESV, TNIV, and MSG. (Most of these mention the verse in a footnote.)
1 John 5:7-8 - A very explicit statement of the Trinity appears here in the Textus Receptus: There are three that testify: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. While this verse had long been in the Latin Vulgate, no Greek manuscript before the time of Erasmus contained the verse, and he included it in a revised edition of the TR under pressure from the Catholic Church...and only after they presented him with a remarkably fresh-looking "11th-century" text that he suspected was a forgery. Aside from the textual evidence, the greatest argument against this text is that it was never cited during all the church's debates over the doctrine of the Trinity.
Tyndale, GEN, KJV, Norlie, NKJV, KJ21, and CW are the only versions that place this reading on equal footing with the surrounding text. Even the LITV, whose introduction castigates other translations for using brackets, uses brackets in these verses, as does Young. The AMP uses italics, and all other versions omit this addition or place it in a footnote.
Revelation 22:19 - None of the Greek manuscripts available to Erasmus contained the last several verses of Revelation. He had to work from the Latin, back-translating it into Greek. For the most part, he did a good job. Here, there was an error in the Latin text. The Latin refers here to the book of life, libro vitae, but the Greek universally reads tree of life, which in Latin would be ligno vitae. The book reading appears only in the versions that strictly follow the TR: the GEN, KJV, Young, Norlie, TBV, NKJV, KJ21, and LITV.
