E
Epistemes
Guest
Many JW pamphlets cite much research to support renderings which we might deem corrupt.
For example:
For example:
Habakkuk 1:12
”Are you not from long ago, O Jehovah? O my God, my Holy One, you do not die. O Jehovah, for a judgment you have set it; and, O Rock, for a reproving you have founded it.”-New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
The rendering of Habakkuk 1:12 the N.W.T. has been challenged as to it’s accuracy on its rendering on this verse. Is their any other additional substantiating material on this translation issue to support the N.W.T.? Yes, as the following will show!
An interesting marginal note appears in the ‘Common Bible’, KJV text on page 1267, which reads thus:-
“12 . . . we shall not die. This in one of the eighteen emendations of the Sopherim (see Ap. 33), which they say they made because it was considered offensive to say this of Jehovah; hence the one word of the primitive text “who diest not” was changed to “who die not” (rendered in A.V., R.V. and American R.V., notice “we shall not die”). This is the only one of eighteen emendations which the R.V. and American R.V. notice and speak of it in the margin as “an ancient Jewish tradition”, whereas a list of such emendations is given in the Massorah. The change from the second person to the first did more that avoid the supposed irreverent expression; it transferred to mortal men the truth which, apart from resurrection, pertains to God alone, “Who only hath immortality” (1 Tim. 6, 16.)”
A New Commentary of Holy Scripture including the Apocrypha by S.P.C.K. page 595 reads:-
“12a The note of interrogation should be placed at Lord. Instead of we shall not die (an expression of hope that the nation will not finally perish), the original text, according to Jewish tradition, was thou diest not (altered through motives of reverence).”
On this verse Peak’s Commentary on the Bible page 566 states :-
“12. Read probably “Yahweh, my Holy God. That diest not ?” (cf. mg.).”
Various Bible translation supporting the rendering in the N.W.T. at Habakkuk 1:12, theses are as follows, only the appropriate phase in the verse if copied:-
“Immortal”-‘The Catholic Study Bible’, New American Bible
“You will not die”-‘The Bible in Living English’, S.T. Byington
“You never die” ftn. “Heb. “we,” a change made by a pious scribe.””-‘TANAKH’ by The Jewish Publication Society.
“Who never dies”-The Jerusalem Bible & The New Jerusalem Bible
“holy and eternal”-The Good News Bible (T.E.V)
“Who never dies”-‘Holy Bible’ (Easy-to-read Version) by World Bible Translation Center Fort Worth, Texas
“The immortal”-‘The New English Bible’
“Who is immortal”-‘The Revised New English Bible’
“You who are eternal”-‘Holy Bible’, New Living Translation by Tyndale
“Thou diest not”-Moffatt
“You who are eternal”-‘The Way’, The Catholic Living Bible
“For you there is no death”-‘The Bible in Basic English’ by Cambridge
“You shall not die”-New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition
“You shall not die”-New Revised Standard Version, Anglicized Edition
“You shall not die”-New Revised Standard Version
“You who are eternal”-‘Holy Bible’ Living Bible Edition
“Thou diest not”-‘An American Translation’ by E.J. Goodspeed
“Thou diest not”-‘The Modern Reader’s Bible’ by R.G. Moulton
“No moriremos”-‘La Biblia’ Madrid 1905
Others read “we shall not die.”
The above show that there is more than ample support for rendering Habakkuk 1:12 in the N.W.T especial since the inserting of “we” is not from the original Hebrew texts but a scribal change, which in its self show the N.W.T. is correct.