Author Archives: Dungadin

Acts 20;35 support the weak

Acts 20:35 Support the Weak

I show here an example of translator discretion, how various translations have supplied this subject or that for the verb in English, or in my case have chosen not to supply a subject.  This is a common occurrence when translating the Greek New Testament into English.  Mind you that there is no Greek textual variant here, so a differing source Greek text does not explain the differences among the English translations for this clause.  The Greek verb is an INFINITIVE, preceded by δεῖ (indicates an OBLIGATION or NECESSITY), and there is NO SUBJECT.

The clause in Greek, and a formal equivalent translation:
ὅτι οὕτως κοπιῶντας δεῖ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν ἀσθενούντων
how with such labor it is necessary to support the weak

Tyndale         how that so laboring ye ought to receive the weak
Genev            howe that so labouring, ye ought to support the weake
KJV                  how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak
ASV                 that so laboring ye ought to help the weak
NKJV               by laboring like this, that you must support the weak
CEV                 how you should work to help everyone who is weak
NASB              that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak
MEV                how, working like this, you must help the weak

Phillips           that by such hard work, we must help the weak
GNB                that by working hard in this way we must help the weak
NIV                  that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak
TNIV               that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak
ESV                  that by working hard in this way we must help the weak
NRSV              that by such work we must support the weak
NABRE           that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak
NET                 that by working in this way we must help the weak
GW                  that by working hard like this we should help the weak

RSV                 that by so toiling one must help the weak

HCSB               that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak
CSB                  that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this
DRP                 how with such labor it is necessary to support the weak

I originally rendered it, “how with such labor one must help the weak,” but I changed my mind for two reasons.  (1), this obligation does not apply to you if you are one of those weak ones that need the support.  So it is better not to supply any of the subjects “you,” “we,” or “one.”  (2) I want to keep an English word that couples with the English infinitive, because the δεῖ applies to the next, following phrase as well, which also begins with an infinitive, “to remember.”  It is necessary both to labor, and to remember.

NLT                  how you can help those in need by working hard

Finally, the New Living Translation is an outlier; here the NLT says “you CAN help those in need.”  That is simply 180 degrees opposite of what the Greek says.  The Greek says it is an obligation or a necessity.  The NLT is this inaccurate extremely often.  I have no tolerance for the NLT at all, and I believe it is my duty from God to urge you to throw away these following translations: The Message, the NLT, the NRSV, and the NAB.

Keep America

Don’t be mad at Honduran, Mexican etc. immigrants for wanting to escape their countries and come to America. Turn them against Democrats with my new slogan, “Keep America.” The contrast between Democrats and Republicans is now that stark. Democrats want to get rid of the border, literally, and want to get rid of our institutions such as the Senate, and the Electoral College, and get rid of basic human rights such as “Innocent Until Proven Guilty.” Appeal to the immigrants with reason and sympathy as follows: You left your home countries because they do not have such things as “Innocent Until Proven Guilty.” Why would you vote for Democrats, who do not believe in that, and who want to get rid of the border that keeps America separate and distinct from those countries you escaped? In addition, most of those Latin American immigrants are conservative Catholics or Evangelicals on social issues. If they really knew the Democrat party’s positions on things, like the official platform that people can cut up and throw away human babies just as they are being born, those immigrants would be disgusted. Many other examples. Democrats defended one of their politicians who said “America was never that great.” Well, these immigrants obviously disagree with that. Moreover, these Latin American immigrants are hard working, self-motivated, responsible people. And are business entrepreneurs. (Which Obama mocked, saying, “You didn’t build that. The government did.” Look, rather than complain or be violent toward their government, these immigrants took drastic personal responsibility and action, to move to a country that is better. But that is in sharp contrast to what the Democratic Party stands for; Democrats want people to be dependent on the government and live on handouts. It is clear fact, that most of these Latin American immigrants have nothing in common with the Democratic Party! They align with the Republican Party in almost all respects. Just point this out, with calmness and respect.

Variant Acts 20.4-5

Acts 20:4-5, NKJV:

(4) And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.  (5) These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.  [While Paul and Luke went through Macedonia]

One immediately sees a problem with this text.  Verse 4 contradicts verse 5 and vice versa.  If they went on ahead of him to Troas (the landing port in Asia) then they did NOT accompany him αχρι – as far as Asia.

Ah, but the NA28 text does not contain the words αχρι της ασιας “as far as Asia.”

Also, the NA29 text has “δε” before “went on ahead.”  And there too, with the verb, is another variant.

20:4 txt omit ?⁷⁴ ℵ B 33 vg cop eth Or-Lat(V) NA29 ‖ αχρι της ασιας A (D μεχρι) E H L P Ψ 049 056 1175 1611 1739 1891 2464 it syr Chrys TR RP ‖ lac ?⁴¹ C

20:5 txt προσελθοντες δε ℵ A B* E Ψ 1735 1739 2464 TG SBL NA29 ‖ προελθοντες δε ?⁷⁴ B² 33 1611 1891 syr-h cop-sa,bo TD NA28 ‖ προσελθοντες H L P 049 056 1175 RP ‖ προελθοντες D latt syr-p Chrys TR AT BG ‖ lac ?⁴¹ C

The NA text makes more sense: these men accompanied him, δε, “however,” or, “except that” they went on ahead of him to Troas.

Robinson-Pierpont GNT 2018 Update

Robinson-Pierpont Greek New Testament 2018 edition

I have updated and uploaded my PDF document of the Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine Greek New Testament. The 2017 text was converted to Unicode in Microsoft Word by myself, David Robert Palmer, from CCAT raw text files sent to him by Dr. Maurice A. Robinson. Then DRP has now updated the Nestle-Aland textual variants to the NA28, and in Acts, to the ECM / NA29.  All old links to the RP GNT still work, and they do point to this updated edition, since I did not change the file name.

The 2018 edition of the Robinson-Pierpont text has very few, and minor, text changes from the 2005 edition, including one corrected error of reading (based on misinterpretation of Hoskier’s data) at Rev 2:17 (now omits φαγειν) and John 18:11, 32, where a marginal reading has now become the main text and vice versa. Mainly it has updates and corrections in capitalization, accentuation, and punctuation, plus some previously missing iota subscripts. The most significant changes in this 2018 edition is that the variant readings of the Nestle-Aland text are updated to the NA28 in the catholic epistles, and in the Acts of the Apostles, to the ECM (Editio Critica Maior), which changes in Acts will likely be the text of the NA29.

Now available for download by right-clicking here or going to the long list on my translations page: Robinson, Maurice A., and Pierpont, William G.: The New Testament in the Original Greek, Byzantine Textform; PDF, 13 MB. This is a free download of a single pdf. (A stripped down edition without variants or Appendix is available also, a 9 MB pdf.) This Robinson-Pierpont edition of the Greek New Testament attempts to represent the Byzantine text form archetype. This is not the same approach to textual criticism as, for example, the Hodges-Farstad Majority Text approach. Also included in this document is the Appendix, entitled, “The Case for Byzantine Priority” by Maurice A. Robinson, PhD.

I have also uploaded editions of some of my Greek-English documents, but with the Robinson-Pierpont 2018 Greek text, and the English translation thereof. You can download them right here as well. Completed are: The Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke,  Gospel of John, The General Epistles and Revelation.  You can get Amazon printed editions of Robinson-Pierpont Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the General Epistles as well.

Download Robinson-Pierpont 2018 NT PDF.

robinson-pierpont 2018

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Luke 2;15 Textual Variant

Luke 2:15a txt οἱ ποιμένες ℵ B L W Θ Ξ 1 565 700 1071 1582* it-a,aur,b,β,e,f,ff²,l,r¹ vg syr-s,p,pal copsa,bo arm geo Or-lat Eus NA28 ‖ καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ποιμένες A D E F G H K M P S U Y Γ Δ Λ Ψ Ω 053 ƒ¹³ 2 28 33 118 157 892 1009 1010 1079 1195 1216 1230 1241 1242 1344 1424 1546 1582c 2148 2174 ? Lect-m it-(e),d,q syr-h Diatess-a,n,t TR RP ‖ καὶ οἱ ποιμένες 579 1365 ‖ lac ?⁴⁵ ?⁷⁵ C N Q T Π

This variant was footnoted with a [D] rating of certainty in the UBS3, and now in the UBS5 is not footnoted at all.

The Byzantine text presents an odd style, which the UBS commentary says is Lukan.  The biggest difficulty with the Byz reading is the word και.  Most of the translations from the Byz text translate και as “that,” (a Semitism?) while the KJV did not translate it at all.  The other major difference is the addition of οι ανθρωποι.  The main translations treat οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ποιμένες as a pleonasm and translate it simply as “the shepherds.”  This latter is indeed Lukan style.  But και as “that,” not so much Lukan style.  I’ve seen it in John.

First the UBS text and translation:

Καὶ ἐγένετο, ὡς ἀπῆλθον ἀπ’ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν οἱ ἄγγελοι, οἱ ποιμένες ἐλάλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους

DRP: And it came about that when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds were saying to one another

Now the Byz text and some translations thereof:

Καὶ ἐγένετο, ὡς ἀπῆλθον ἀπ’ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν οἱ ἄγγελοι, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ποιμένες εἶπον πρὸς ἀλλήλους

MLV: And it happened, as the messengers went away from them into heaven, and the men, the shepherds, said to one another,

ALT: And it happened, when the angels departed from them into heaven, that the men, the shepherds, said to one another

Geneva: And it came to passe whe the Angels were gone away from them into heauen, that the shepheards sayde one to another,

EMTV: So it was, when the angels had departed from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another,

KJV: And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,

Download the Luke document containing this data in a footnote.

Unqualified Bible Translators

An example of the work of unqualified Bible translators

There are many examples of “crankish” individual translations done by persons reputedly not qualified to translate the Bible these days, but they are not that dangerous, since very few people will read them. What are more dangerous are translations that are respected and reputed to be scholarly, such that many people will read them and trust them, but they are very badly translated. Take the following example.  (First a correct translation, then the wrong ones.)

1 Timothy 3:2- Δεῖ οὖν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνεπίληπτον εἶναι, μιᾶϛ γυναικὸϛ ἄνδρα
Therefore an overseer must be… the husband of one wife (ESV)

NRSV: Now a bishop must be … married only once

NABRE: Therefore, a bishop must be… married only once

These did not translate ανηρ, did not translate γυνη, and they added a word “married” that is not there. Three errors already. Then also, there are errors of wrongly allowed implication, implying: A Bishop is qualified if married to a horse, as long as married only once. A Bishop is qualified if married to the same gender as himself, as long as married only once. A bishop is qualified if a female, as long as married only once.

CEB: They should be faithful to their spouse
CEV: That’s why officials must… be faithful in marriage.

Whoever translated these 4 above, either do not know what the words ανηρ and γυνη mean, or, much worse, blatantly changed the word in order to help foster acceptance of their belief that a female can be a bishop / overseer / pastor, something contradicted clearly in many other scriptures. Or acceptance that a homosexual can be a bishop / overseer / pastor, something contradicted clearly in many other scriptures. But the apostle says the subject is a MALE human, who has a FEMALE human mate.

So, such translations, which have the reputation of being scholarly, and respected, are far more dangerous than “crankish” individual translations done by unrecognized, unrespected persons, since many people will actually read the NRSV and NAB and trust them.

I declare without reservation, that those persons who produced the above renderings in the NRSV and NAB translations, are NOT QUALIFIED to translate the holy Word of God. It is GOD’S word, which means HE decides who is qualified. I can assure you that anyone who promotes or allows the belief that a female can be a bishop / overseer / pastor in His church, Does Not have the approval of God, neither anyone who promotes or allows the belief that a homosexual can be a bishop / overseer / pastor.  Jesus’ apostles very clearly contradicted these notions in the scriptures. If you have studied the Bible on these topics, you KNOW FULL WELL that this is true. Do not lie against the truth.

There are several Bible translations so called, that I urge you to throw in the garbage if you have them: the NRSV and permutations, the NAB and permutations, the Message, the CEV, and CEB, and the New World Translation.

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