Some notes on a new bible translation

There’s a new bible translation now out called The Passion Translation. You can read Dr Michael Heiser’s review of its translation of the Song of Solomon, here. Until I saw that yesterday I had not heard of this new translation, so I went to check it out. (Link)

It turns out that it is endorsed by many modern NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) leaders, and the first one on the list is:

Yes, Bill Johnson. Hmmm.

They also show the variations in bible verses here. I’ll include just a couple for brevity:

Now compare to the KJV

One more example:

What do you notice? Immediately without even reading the text you can see there is more of it. Whatever you might feel about the actual meaning of the passages, and how this might be changed, it’s clear there is more text. Not only is there more text, but the additions are not italicised, so you cannot differentiate the added text. This poses a problem – they are adding to the word of God. I’m sure they would say they are enriching the experience and understanding of the word, but they can do that with far greater care than they have shown. Brackets, italicisation – these make clear when you are adding text to make something clear, and when you are reading the original words, translated.

The bible tells us:

Anything dated from the Revised Version onwards, (which uses the Wescott and Hort text) is not complete. The Textus Receptus which the KJV of 1611 was based on, is complete, and there are more original texts and text fragments backing that translation than there are for any later versions. From the Westcott and Hort version onwards, bit by bit verses have been removed from the bible. Meanings are inevitably changed by this. If you want an idea just how much has been removed, put your hand into your bible at Acts 14, and then look how much of the bible is left between your hand and the end of Revelation. That is the amount of text which is missing in most modern translations of the bible!

If you want to learn more, there are two wonderful video talks by Walter Veith you can watch:

We need to stand for truth – rely on God’s word, and not allow modern translations to be our guide.

God Bless you

Lis