Catholic Bible Missing OT Verses?

[Philthy]

Does anyone know anything about the following peculiarities in the New American Bible (St Joseph Edition)?

Book of Hosea:

• Chapter 1 ends at verse 9 (whereas NSV ends at verse 11)
• Chapter 2 starts on verse 4(though its the same as verse 1 in NSV)
• Chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 follow verse 15 (instead of 7)

Weird. Thanks-

Phil

 

[Thomas_More_1]

Philthy:

Does anyone know anything about the following peculiarities in the New American Bible (St Joseph Edition)?

Book of Hosea:

• Chapter 1 ends at verse 9 (whereas NSV ends at verse 11)
• Chapter 2 starts on verse 4(though its the same as verse 1 in NSV)
• Chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 follow verse 15 (instead of 7)

Weird. Thanks-

Phil

It is weird. If the editors are going to make changes like that, they should explain them clearly!

Here’s what’s going on:

1. in the NAB, Chapter 3 goes from verses 1 to 5 (skipping 3, no clue why), and then has three more verses, numbered 1 to 3. Well, of those extra verses, the first two are Chapter 1, verses 10-11 in the other versions (e.g. my RSV).
2. That third verse (the verse numberd 3 in chapter 3 in the NAB) is Chapter 2, verse 1, at least in the RSV. In my RSV, I have 2:1 as equal to the NAB’s 3:3.
3. The NAB has Chapter 2 begin with verse “4” . . . that is the same as 2:2 in my RSV. I have NO CLUE why they start numbering at 4; I’d expect it to be 2:2. What do I know?

The NAB translators/editors play fast and loose with verse numberings in other books too. It’s a headache, which is why I only use it when I want to know exactly (well, almost) what is read at Mass.

Go RSV-CE! Or Douay-Rheims .

 

[Liberian]

Thomas More:

It is weird. If the editors are going to make changes like that, they should explain them clearly!

Thomas,

Well, in my (paperback red) copy of the St. Joseph NAB, they do explain it in the footnote to 1:7. I don’t particularly like the explanation, but it is there.

Also, Hosea 3:3 is there, it just doesn’t start in the left margin. It begins with “Then I said to her:”.

• Liberian

 

[Nan_S]

The footnote in my NAB refers to the Hosea verses being originally rearranged by an unknown editor ages ago, and says that the NAB restores the “more natural order” of the verses. They’re not missing.

 

[puzzleannie]

the numbering of the verses was never in the bible as originally written down, but arbitrarily assigned later by various translators and transcribers, so there is no inherent heresy in changing the numbering if the new translation, which hopefully corrects earlier errors, results in a recasting of an entire section so that the verse numbers won’t match. did you consult the footnotes of the versions you quoted? How is the NSV an authorized version, any more than the NKJV or any other version, that you assume their translation and verse numbers are the only correct ones? by what authority to the issuers of these versions claim to translate the scripture in the first place?

 

[Philthy]

puzzleannie:

the numbering of the verses was never in the bible as originally written down, but arbitrarily assigned later by various translators and transcribers, so there is no inherent heresy in changing the numbering if the new translation, which hopefully corrects earlier errors, results in a recasting of an entire section so that the verse numbers won’t match. did you consult the footnotes of the versions you quoted?

I did consult the footnotes. There was no mention of:

1. 
   *]Why chapter 2 began at verse 4
   *]Why Chapter 2 inserted verses 8 and 9 between verses 15 and 17
   
   
   puzzleannie:
   

   How is the NSV an authorized version, any more than the NKJV or any other version, that you assume their translation and verse numbers are the only correct ones?

   I never made such an assumption - that is of your own making. I simply made the observations of 3 peculiarities in the NAB text and described them as “peculiarities”. Do you not think it odd to begin a chapter with verse 4 and make no mention of why? Do you not find it peculiar to put 2 verses out of numerical order without explanation?
   
   
   puzzleannie:
   

   by what authority to the issuers of these versions claim to translate the scripture in the first place?

   Easy does it! Im Catholic and trust my Catholic edition of the NAB over the NIV - but that is not the point. I was just wondering why those presumed changes were in the NAB without some footnotes. If you were misled by the title of the thread, my fault - I listed it that way to get attention…it worked. :yup:
   
   Phil

 

[Liberian]

Philthy:

I did consult the footnotes. There was no mention of:

1. 
   *]Why chapter 2 began at verse 4
   *]Why Chapter 2 inserted verses 8 and 9 between verses 15 and 17

1. 
   Phil,
   
   I’m not sure what footnotes you were looking at, but my footnote for 1:7 says in part: “The terrible punishments announced by the prophets were so fully realized that later generations made a point of recalling the same prophets’ messages of consolation also, even though it meant taking these from another context. Thus, an editor placed the words of Hos. 2,1ff after the repudiation of Israel in Hos. 1, 9; here the more natural order has been restored.”
   
   I don’t see anything about 2:8,9 in the footnotes.
   
   I would also like to see some concrete evidence that the verses had been moved before I started monkeying around with the received text.
   • Liberian

 

[Thomas_More_1]

I think it would make a lot more sense to keep the order for two reasons:

1. It’s the way it was handed down to us! That “editor” might have been inspired by the Holy Spirit, so be careful.
2. The NAB can sometimes be a nightmare to compare to other Bibles, because of its unique numbering changes. Like in the Book of Job, too.

Anyway, what they should have done in my useless opinion is keep the text in the traditional order, with suggestions of what they feel the more natural order is in footnotes, or introduction.