New NWT deception at Genesis 8:22 to indicate earth remains forever.

by jwfacts 51 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  jwfacts

  I could not find mention of this before.

  I was reading Genesis 8:22 in the NIV and was surprised I had never noticed that this verse gives the impression that the earth will not remain forever. Genesis 8:22 stated by God after the flood, when promising to never again destroy all living creatures.

  “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” - NIV

  All translations that I have checked use similar terminology, including the 1961 NWT.

  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. - KJV

  
  For all the days the earth continues, seed sowing and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, will never cease. - NWT 1961

  In Hebrew the first phrase is 'erets yowm - literally earth days, to show that the seasons will continue for as long as the earth remains. Terms such as "for all the days the earth continues," "while the earth remaineth," and "as long as the earth endures" give the impression that the earth will have a finite existence.
  

  The 2015 NWT has changed this verse to:

  From now on, the earth will never cease to have seed-sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night.

  
This is quite deceptive, as it makes it appear that Genesis 8:22 indicates the earth will never cease. This change is to support Watchtower doctrine that the earth will remain forever, despite the passage indicating the opposite when translated correctly.

  
  
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  Witness 007

  Good point thanks. The evidence in the bible for paradise earth is very shonkey!
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  slimboyfat

  That's interesting, I think there have been a few doctrinally convenient changes made under the guise of improving readability. Interesting that they've left Psalms 102 intact though, that also contradicts their teaching.

  25 Long ago you laid the foundations of the earth,And the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you will remain;Just like a garment they will all wear out.Just like clothing you will replace them, and they will pass away.
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  Bobcat

  Interesting. The old NWT has the more literal rendering. The new one is more interpretive.

  Bobcat
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  Wonderment

  Whether the earth's lasts forever or not is not the main idea within the context.

  The idea is brought out well by the New Living Translation: "As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night."
  

  ISV: ""Never again, as long as the earth exists, will sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night ever cease."
  

  The Hebrew adverb ‛ôd has been rendered with the idea of a: going-around, continuance, still, again, yet, while, as long as, during, etc.

  The LXX (Greek) literally says: "All the days of the earth, seed and harvest, chilliness and sweltering heat, summer and spring, day and knight, will not be caused to cease." The Latin Vulgate reads alike. See also NABRE.

  The Concordant Version reads: "In the future, all the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and warmth, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

  And in Ge. 8:21,22, The Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox, reads: "21 And when YHVH smelled the soothing savor YHVH said in his heart: I will never curse the soil again on humankind's account, since what the human heart forms is evil from its youth; I will never again strike down all living-things, as I have done; 22 (never) again, all the days of the earth, shall sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night ever cease!" (Parenthesis his.)

  So the main idea is: God promised that the daily and annual cycles of nature would continue as long as the earth remains.

  The revised NWT cleverly and conveniently took the negative particle lō' meaning "not" or "never" toward the end of the sentence, and placed it at the beginning of the verse (as did ISV) after the constituent adverb ‛ôd, still within the bounds of Hebrew-English translation to have it say: "From now on, the earth will never cease to have seed-sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night."

  BUT, the NWT reader may get the overall impression, more so than with Fox's translation, that the verse somehow indicates the eternal existence of the earth, when that in itself is not explicit by the wording used.
  
  
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  bradford

  Couldn't the WTS just say the phrase "as long as" doesn't mean there is a finite time for the earth, but instead, the wording means that no matter how long the earth is remaining (forever), the important part of the verse is that there will be seasons and days and nights.

  It is a testament to their deceptiveness in choosing doctrinal-friendly wording. Nothing earth shattering, pun intended.
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  smiddy

  As I have said before and will say again these words attributed to GOD ?Jehovah ? over 2000 years ago and are continually debated today as to what the correct interpretation lies ,???? Where has he/she been these last 2000 years ? He/She could easily clear up these controversial passages , and there are heaps of them , if he/she just spoke up ? Imperfect humans decided what books were to be included to make up the Bible Cannon , GOD never had a say in it .Is that reasonable ?

  After all He/She is GOD the Almighty ? Why so silent for 2000+ years ?

  smiddy
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  jwfacts

  Wonderment, good summary. The focus of the passage is not the earth, but that may be missed by Watchtower followers.

  Neither the 1961 or 2015 NWT directly state the earth will remain forever, nor that it will perish, so the translators could content that they have not changed the meaning. The deception is that casually reading the passage will lead the reader to the incorrect conclusion the writer meant the earth will never cease to exist. The new translation is misleading, even though it could have been rewritten to be easier to read without changing the meaning. For instance:

  For as long as the earth continues, it will never cease to have seed-sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night.
  
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  stuckinarut2

  Good points smiddy!

  Yes, it's amazing that the Almighty would allow there to be so much of a variance in the understanding of his "perfect" word.....

  If it's his word, it should be the CLEAREST, most easily understood piece of literature, with NO room for variances of understanding or wording....
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  Beth Sarim

  Is there any real verse in the Bible talking about a ''paradise earth''? I've always wondered that.