Interesting Article
http://doctrinesoffaith.com/more-errors-in-jehovahs-witness-new-world-translation-bible/
More Intentional Repeated Errors in New World Translation Bible: A Study on “Apostates”. Word Study: APOSTATE added to New World Translation.
The Watchtower Society has modified words in the bible and replaced it with the word, apostate. By definition:
This article will state the facts
regarding more errors found in the New World Translation, which was released by
Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2013. It will also examine the
scriptures of the New World Translation version of 1961. Compare the
scriptures for yourself using the resources provided, or other resources that
you have available.
Introduction & Background
The Watchtower Society has modified
words in the bible and replaced it with the word, apostate. By
definition:
Definition of apostate in English:
noun
A
person who renounces a
religious or political belief or principle.
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
The word “apostate” is referred to
in a couple of different ways. The English dictionary refers to it as stated
above. Others suggest that it refers to one who turns against God (to atheism).
The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that it means that a person “turned away from
Jehovah”. However, one who turns away from God no longer has a belief in God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that if
you leave their organization, you automatically leave God Himself. In
essence, they are teaching congregation members that former Jehovah’s Witnesses
are all atheists. What gives this away, is if you ask them if they believe that
all former JWs are atheist, they will likely say, “they left Jehovah
when they left ‘the Truth’ (they refer to themselves as ‘the Truth’, a term
which Jesus assumed for Himself; “I am the Way, the Truth…”) because they liken
their organization to a direct affiliation with God.
So, in a nutshell Watchtower Society
teaches: former JWs left God. (Atheist) However, many former Jehovah’s
Witnesses actually can attest that they are nowhere in this category of having
no belief in God. In fact, many have a stronger belief in God than they ever
did as one of JWs.
Changes in the Jehovah’s Witness
Bible, The New World Translation: John 8
It is no secret that there are
numerous changes, replacements and omissions in the 2013 New World Translation.
The most prominent being John 8:1-11 which has been completely
removed. The Watchtower and JWs claim that this was a passage of debate, as
some expert translators do note in their translations that this passage may
not have been placed properly in this part of the bible. Rather, it may
have belonged in another section, likely Luke.
*1961 New World Translation: Begins John 8 with verse 12, but includes John
8:1-11 below the passage, and acknowledges that some manuscripts
omit John 8:1-11. In this case, it is my opinion that
this version of the NWT was correct in leaving the scripture placed where it
is.
The scripture has not been removed
from other translations, due to the fact that most translators dare not violate
Revelation 22:19 at the risk of being incorrect,
and taking away from the word of the bible. The repercussion stated in
scripture is losing out in heaven. The Watchtower, however, has ignored this
scripture warning, likely because the Governing Body states that God personally
directs them.
Changes to New World Translation:
Apostate
The word apostate was used in the
1961 version, but then some of those scriptures were changed back again, as
seen in the 2013 version.
The New World Translation,
intentionally added the word apostate to their bible in the
following scriptures, taken from their website, which shows the 2013 version of the NWT. The
1961 Version also shows the word apostate in the passages below, as well as
additional passages.
Source: The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
(Scriptures spelled out below are copied from the JW.org website and
do not match the clickable links of the scripture itself. Clickable links are
provided by ESV Bible translation. Click the scripture link to see how the ESV
version reads for each scripture.)
Proverbs
11:9 By his mouth the apostate
brings his neighbor to ruin, But by knowledge the righteous are rescued
Isaiah
10:6 I will send him against an apostate
nation, Against the people who infuriated me; I will command him to take much
spoil and much plunder And to trample them like mud in the streets.
Isaiah
33:14 The sinners in Zion are in
dread; Trembling has seized the apostates: ‘Who of us can live where
there is a consuming fire? Who of us can live with unquenchable flames?’
Isaiah
9:17 That is why Jehovah will not
rejoice over their young men, And he will have no mercy on their fatherless
children and their widows Because all of them are apostates and
evildoers And every mouth is speaking senselessness. In view of all this, his
anger has not turned back, But his hand is still stretched out to strike.
The word apostate is
intentionally added into the above scriptures in the 1961 and 2013 versions of
the New World Translation.
* The 1961 New World Translation
also injects the word apostate into:
However, these scriptures are
changed back in the 2013 New World Translation, correcting the word, and
instead using “godless” or “ungodly”, as it should be translated. They did not,
however, treat the scriptures in Proverbs and Isaiah the same way.
A complete study was performed using
15 of the most common bible translations, including the most popular King James
Version, New King James Version, New International Version, English Standard
Version, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and others. The
15 translations translate the word using the Strong’s H2611 word, chaneph which is
actually properly translated in all 15 translations to be either:
- hypocrite
- godless
- ungodly
- profane
The Jehovah’s Witnesses Watchtower
Society has changed the word to say “apostate”, which is an entirely
different meaning of the Strong’s H2611 word, chaneph, found 13
times in the King James Version, as well as the widely accepted most accurate
translation, the NASB. What does this mean? Read the verses again. If the word
is most commonly translated to “hypocrite” 13 times in the most accurate
word-for-word version, then there is a reason that the Watchtower translated
the word to imply a word used for former Jehovah’s Witnesses.
If the JWs teach that former JWs
have left God, then by changing their scripture, they reaffirm that former JWs
are hated by God (even if they are Christians who love God). The Jehovah’s Witness
Bible implies that anyone who leaves Jehovah’s Witnesses:
With this being clarified, JWs have
taken the word for hypocrite and likened it to an atheist, by their own
terms. In the dictionary, a hypocrite is stated to be: (Source: Mirriam
Webster)
hyp·o·crite
\ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit\noun
: a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about
what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs
Strongs H2611
Hypocrites pretend to have certain beliefs. Strongs H2611 also refers
to Godless (atheist) or Ungodly (acting in a way that shows
defiance against God). Nowhere does this word translate to apostate,
(renouncing a religious belief).
Also note: A religious belief is not
the same as theology. Religion is not defined as the study of God. It is a belief
in. Theology is the study of God.
Apostate does not mean hypocrite.
Apostate does not mean godless.
Apostate does not mean profane.
Apostate means to renounce a belief.
Not to renounce God.
The word Apostate was added
by the Watchtower Society to these scriptures, where it does not appear in any
other bibles that are readily found in the top 15 translations.