“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
These two scriptures – Job 1:1 and Romans 3:23 – are loved by skeptics as they feel the two verses provide a “perfect” example of biblical contradiction. How, they ask, could Job be “blameless” (NIV, ESV, etc.) or “perfect” (as translated in the King James Version) – in other words, sinless – if, as Paul affirms, all have sinned?
Many Christians realize that when the New Testament uses the word “perfect” (as when Jesus tells his followers to “be perfect” – Matthew 5:48), the Greek word used means “mature” or “complete” (see “Does God Expect You to Be Perfect?” here). In the Old Testament a similar situation occurs. The Hebrew word tam translated in Job 1:1 as “blameless” or “perfect” (and again in Job 1:8, 2:3) has several shades of meaning. It comes from a root word meaning to be complete or finished (Genesis 47:18, Deuteronomy 31:24) and in a secondary sense to be morally sound or upright (Job 22:3, Psalm 18:26). Tam itself can be translated “complete,” “finished,” “blameless,” “innocent,” or “having integrity.” In Proverbs 29:10, for example, the word is used in the phrase “a person of integrity.”
This meaning – of having moral integrity or “uprightness” – that lies at the heart of what we are told in Job does not imply perfection as we might think of the word in modern English usage. In fact, the respected Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Abingdon, 1981) states categorically: “the words which are rendered in English by ‘perfect’ and ‘perfection’ [in the Hebrew Bible] denoted originally something other and less than ideal perfection.”
So although Job 1:1 records that Job was blameless, and in Job 1:8 and 2:3 God is said to have declared Job to be blameless, the Hebrew word translated “blameless” does not have to mean morally perfect and completely sinless. This can be seen in that the book itself shows Job’s failings. In 7:21 Job states “Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?” and in 42:6 Job confirms his own sinfulness when he says: “Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” When we take these facts into account, it is clear that being “blameless” or “perfect” before God in Job – and elsewhere in the Old Testament – means being morally upright, but it does not have to refer to some kind of sinless perfection.
Putting the scriptures together, then, there is no contradiction between what the Book of Job tells us and what Paul affirms in Romans. All humans, including Job, have sinned, as Paul stresses; but Job had attained a level of integrity or moral uprightness that God himself acknowledged as being remarkable – just as the Book of Job states.
“Posture: Noun. A. The position of the body in movement or at rest. B. A mental or spiritual attitude.”
Ever hear the expression “watch your posture!”? Health care professionals (and parents) know that posture affects a person’s health in many ways.
The Bible also has something to say about posture in a spiritual sense. We see this in the opening of the book of Psalms where David uses metaphorical language for specific types of wrong behavior from the perspective of our posture (which, as the dictionary definition above shows, can reflect our spiritual attitude as well as the position of our body):
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers” (Psalm 1:1).
It’s easy to read over these words without thinking about the analogy David was making, but we see in this verse three different ways we can err in our lives. First, David speaks of the person who walks “in step with the wicked” or “in the way of the wicked,” as other translations word it. When we read the entirety of Psalms we see that this isn’t just a poetic way to say “does wrong” – it is a specific comment regarding those who choose to actively move toward or with what is wrong. It’s an expression based on a Hebrew way of thought that is found not only in the Psalms, but also in many other biblical books: “They rush to commit evil deeds” (Proverbs 1:16); “Feet that run rapidly to evil” (Proverbs 6:18); “Their feet run to evil” (Isaiah 59:7); etc. This is ultimate wrongdoing in that it encompasses a deliberate desire for evil.
Next, David speaks of those who “Stand in the way that sinners take.” By contrast with those who “run to evil,” such people do not necessarily desire to go in a wrong way. This is evident in the fact that they are not “walking” or “running” with evil, but they “stand” in that way in the sense that they do not remove themselves from it. This can apply to those who know better, but do not choose to avoid evil, or even feel trapped in its hold through the force of habit, addiction, or lack of resolve. In Ecclesiastes 8:3 we are warned not to “stand” in an evil situation, or to “stand up” for evil by supporting those who further it.
Finally, in this analogy David speaks of those who “sit in the company of mockers.” Being a “mocker” in the Hebrew Scriptures is often synonymous with being someone in rebellion against the way of God (Proverbs 29:8; Isaiah 29:20; etc.). In this case, we are not told of those who actively seek evil or who do not remove themselves from it, but who, perhaps in weakness of character, “sit” with those who do wrong – they passively participate in what is not right, because of peer pressure, work pressure, or whatever.
It’s a simple analogy, but David’s three “postures” of sin should remind us all that it is possible to fail by degree. We may not actively be seeking evil by “walking” or “running” after it, but are we still allowing ourselves to stand or “stay put” in wrongdoing, or to be influenced by those around us so that we “sit” with and do not truly separate ourselves from those we know influence us to do wrong?
The word of God gives us alternatives to these failing behaviors. In 2 John 1:6 we are told that “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands,” Philippians 4:1 tells us that we should “stand firm in the Lord in this way” and Revelation 3:21 states “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne.” The common denominator in all these positive spiritual “postures” is clearly that of obedience. Physical posture is important for physical health, but David’s point in laying out the three types of sin in his first psalm is that our spiritual posture is even more important for our spiritual health!
If we don’t read the original languages in which the books of the Bible were written – Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek – we need a translation, and even scholars who can read those languages often don’t read all of them, so ultimately everyone needs or can profit from a good translation.
But there are literally dozens of Bible translations or “versions” available in English – how can you choose the “best” one for your purposes? This article briefly considers some of the most widely used and recommended English translations and gives a number of pointers to help you select a good one for your own needs.
1. No Perfect Translation. First, we need to realize that there is no such thing as a “perfect” translation, although some are certainly much less imperfect than others. We often need to choose a translation based on our specific needs – perhaps an easy reading version for daily study or perhaps a more precise, though not as easy to read version to check scriptures regarding doctrine or important details. Ideally, we might find a single translation that works well for both needs, but often it is a good idea to have two translations (see point 2) if possible, and we should check several translations to decide important questions.
2. Words vs. Thoughts. Next, it’s important to understand that translation can be done in two ways – what we might call a “word-for-word” (technically called the “formal equivalence“) approach, versus a “meaning for meaning” or “phrase for phrase” (“dynamic equivalence”) approach. While an exact word for word translation might seem desirable, we can’t always do that without actually clouding the meaning. For example, the Hebrew Bible uses the expression “God’s nostrils enlarged” and even the King James Version, a “word-for-word” translation, had to use a meaning for meaning approach for this expression which means “God became angry.” On the other hand, while this approach works for translating idioms, if we just translate for “meaning” all the time, we run the risk of the translator’s understanding of the meaning entering into the picture, so that what is translated is not really in the text at all. The New International Version, for example, translates Ephesians 6:6 to say that slaves should “Obey [their masters] not only to win their favor…” But the word “only” is not in the original Greek, and this addition changes the meaning considerably. More extreme “meaning” based versions such as the Living Bible or The Message Bible are really paraphrases – often using different words entirely to try to convey the meaning. While they are easy reading, these are not usually recommended for serious study.
3. Balancing Act. One way we can balance accuracy with readability is to use two translations – a word-for-word version such as the English Standard Version, and a more dynamic version such as the New International Version. While this approach might work well in theory, in practice it is often tedious and time consuming to have to switch back and forth between versions when we just want to read. However, some recent English versions try to balance between formal and dynamic equivalence in their translation. The results are not always perfect, but some of these versions are very good. The Christian Standard Bible is one example, liked by many as it does a good job of carefully translating the meaning of a verse in a readable manner. The Berean Study Bible and New English Translation are also excellent versions of this type.
4.Safety in Numbers. It’s usually best to not choose a translation done by a single person or by a religious denomination as a primary study Bible, as the results are almost always going to be affected by the beliefs of the individual or group. Many translations by single individuals, while they may be very readable, are paraphrases which convey only the general meaning of a verse and simply cannot be trusted for accurate understanding. While it is often said that committees can never agree on anything important, the most trustworthy translations are nevertheless produced by large committees of biblical scholars who balance each other and try to arrive at the best understanding of the original meaning of the text. Most of the major translations mentioned in this article were produced by a large team of scholars – several of the teams being in excess of 100 members. Committee translations include the English Standard Version, Christian Standard Bible, New International Version and others.
5. Newer May be Better. The venerable King James Version, although much loved and still a wonderful version to read, is often hampered as a study Bible by its age. Sometimes it is because the English language has changed a lot since 1611 when the KJV was made. The word translated “conversation” in the KJV, for example, means “conduct” and unless we realize that we can misunderstand what is being said. Also, many ancient manuscripts of the Bible, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, have been found since 1611 which help clarify some difficult verses. As a result, the New King James Version, which maintains much of the beautiful language of the old KJV, updates the English where needed and includes manuscript evidence now available. On the other hand, some newer versions use gender inclusive language substitution (e.g., “person” for “man” or “they” for “he”). Sometimes this is helpful, but sometimes it changes the intended meaning and is misleading.
6. Older May be Good. The King James Version with its “thee” and “thou” forms is often very precise. “Thee,” “thou,” ”thy,” and “thine” refer to one person. “Ye” and “you” mean more than one person, so when a modern translation dispenses with the older forms of address we can lose meaning. For example, in the NKJV, Exodus 16:28 states: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?’ “ which sounds like God is talking to Moses, whereas the old KJV “… How long refuse ye to keep my commandments…?’ ” shows God was actually talking about the Israelites in general. Modern translations must be careful with the lack of precision which is part of modern English.
7. Notes May or May Not Help. Many people like study bibles with lots of articles, notes, etc.; but there is little point in taking great care to choose an accurate translation then bringing in notes with information that may be dated, confusing or inaccurate. It’s certainly not a good idea to choose a Bible on the basis of its notes alone, and sometimes safer to just get a good version without a lot of additional material, especially if the notes are of a doctrinal nature. Important questions can be researched far more thoroughly in multiple commentaries and other more extensive works. Notes which show other translation possibilities are certainly useful, as are cross references to related scriptures, maps, and some other helps, but the quality of the translation itself should always be the main concern.
Putting It All Together. To reiterate what was said at the outset, no translation is perfect. Individual needs and circumstances must guide the selection of the “best” translation for each person and for particular uses, but the points given above should help in making choices. An excellent option, if possible, is to have a good word for word translation such as the English Standard Version or New King James Version and a version such as the New International Version or Christian Standard Bible closer to the thought for thought side of the spectrum. When the wording of a section of scripture needs to be studied in detail, however, it is still a good idea to consult a number of translations using resources such as the BibleHub.com or BibleGateway.com websites. You can use these sites to compare versions to find one that works well for you, and you can freely download several of the Bible versions discussed in this article, and others, from the FreeChristianEBooks.org website.
This chart shows the relative positions of some of the English versions discussed in this article across the spectrum of translation – from very literal to not literal at all. Generally speaking, while extreme thought for thought versions may be easy to read, a Bible on the word for word side of the spectrum, or in the center of the range, is recommended for serious study.
The story of Eun Hye is one that is typical of many who have come to believe while living in repressive and anti-Christian cultures. Eun Hye is not her real name, which has been kept secret by the Christian organizations that have helped her in order to protect her and her North Korean relatives. When Eun Hye’s parents travelled to China to try to find two of their daughters who were missing, Eun Hye ended up in a crowded official “camp” for street children where conditions were abysmal. Forced to learn to hunt rats (which were plentiful), the sixteen-year-old was barely able to survive and began to pray to “Hananim,” the invisible God who her grandmother had told her about.
As reported by Christian organizations that have worked with her, one day, the camp guards sought volunteers for work in the mountains and Eun Hye heard a voice in her head urging her to volunteer. She did, and while in the mountains she and another girl were left alone just long enough to escape. After an arduous journey – without supplies – hiking through mountains, swimming across a reservoir, and tunneling under an embankment with their bare hands, Eun Hye finally reached her hometown where she was reunited with her family. Her father had become a Christian and explained to her who the God Hananim was. Soon after, the family swam across a border river and escaped to China where they were able to join an underground church. But the group was betrayed and Eun Hye and her family were arrested and transported to a detention center in North Korea. There, Eun Hye suffered frostbite, her parents were brutally interrogated, and the father confessed to being a Christian. Yet miraculously, the family was released and returned to their home.
Eventually, as the family did not have enough food for everyone, Eun Hy and her mother swam across the river into China, somehow surviving as the North Korean guards fired at them. Eun Hye was able to settle in China,though she has been in continued danger of betrayal and miraculously escaped several attempts to capture her. At one point the truck sent to take her back to North Korea broke down and she was somehow released. Her father eventually died from his interrogation injuries, and her brother remains trapped in North Korea. However, Eun Hye married in China and was able to flee with her husband to South Korea, where she lives today.
Eun Hye is a fortunate Christian. She is one of the few who have escaped – and the very few who have escaped twice – from the horrific situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, where the only gods people are permitted to worship are the nation’s brutal rulers: Kim Jong-un and his family. Most believers suffer – and a great many die as a result of their faith.
For nearly two decades, the totalitarian communist state has been named the worst place in the world to be a Christian by Open Doors, the Christian charity which tracks persecution of the faith around the globe. The organization estimates that there are around 300,000 Christians (about one per cent of the country’s total population) living in constant fear in North Korea, and of those 300,000, Open Doors believes some 50,000-70,000 are imprisoned in brutal labor camps where inmates are treated horrendously, and most are eventually worked to death.
For those of us living in the nations of the Western world and in many other areas around the globe, it is hard to really comprehend the suffering that is ongoing for Christians in North Korea and other repressive nations – but we must not ignore it. As the book of Hebrews reminds us, we have a responsibility toward those who are suffering for their faith: “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3). Remembering the persecuted in our prayers is something we can all do to help them. The other thing we can do is to support organizations like Open Doors and to pray for the work they are doing to help those who, despite all they are enduring in places like North Korea, are remaining faithful.
King David’s life and reign are so well documented in the Bible that the many people involved – truly a cast of hundreds – can be confusing at times. But the identity of some of these individuals is important for understanding David’s story.
For example, the individual Zeruiah is named a total of twenty-six times (twice as many times as Nehemiah, for example) in four separate books of the Old Testament. Zeruiah also had three prominent sons: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel (2 Samuel 2:18). But who was Zeruiah?
The answer to this question is found in the genealogy of David, recorded in 1 Chronicles 2:3-16. This genealogical summary records that David had seven older brothers (also mentioned in 1 Samuel 16:10-11) and two sisters. Zeruiah was one of David’s two sisters, and the three sons of Zeruiah (Joab, Abishai, and Asahel) were David’s nephews. This explains a number of otherwise puzzling events or circumstances in David’s reign.
For example, 2 Samuel tells us that when David’s son Absalom attempted to forcibly take the kingship and sought to kill his father, he made Amasa the commander of the Israelite army (2 Samuel 17:25). Even though Amasa led the forces that tried to overthrow and kill David at this time, once Absalom had been defeated King David retained Amasa as commander of the army in place of the previous commander Joab who had disobeyed David by killing Absalom.
We might wonder why David would trust Amasa, but the answer to this question is found in 2 Samuel 17:25 and 1 Chronicles 2:16–17. Amasa was the son of a woman called Abigail (not David’s wife by that name). This Abigail was David’s other sister in addition to Zeruiah (1 Chronicles 2:16). So Amasa was David’s nephew. This is why David asked Amasa, “Are you not my own flesh and blood?” (2 Samuel 19:13).
Unfortunately for Amasa, Joab (the son of Zeruiah) killed his cousin to regain his role as head of Israel’s army. The fact that Joab was David’s nephew explains why David would not execute him despite his crimes, but had Solomon kill him – as Solomon did not have the same direct familial ties to the commander.
Royal politics, as with many other aspects of life in the biblical world, were often driven by such family connections and relationships. Responsibilities to close family members were particularly strong, and it was rare for individuals in power to kill or even punish close relatives unless they were perceived as a direct threat. In the cases we have looked at here, David not only would have had to break this societal attitude if he had executed his nephews Amasa or Joab, but also he would have disgraced his own sisters by doing so.
The identity of David’s two sisters helps us to understand David’s actions or lack of action on several occasions and looking at the family connections involved can often help us to understand the story of this and other Old Testament kings.
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