Judges 14:15 - The Seventh Day - a Riddle within a Riddle. Is the Hebrew text wrong? For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? (modern day scholar who corrects the true Holy Bible) where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? I Corinthians 1:19, 20. It is sad to see so many modern bible versions that corrupt the true words of God. It is sadder still to see so many Christians who dont seem to care about it. Many scholars today sit in judgment upon the inerrant words of the living God and tell us there are numerous scribal errors in the Hebrew Masoretic text. They dont believe any version or any particular text is now the inerrant, inspired Holy Bible. The King James Bible is the only widely used English Bible that consistently follows the Hebrew text without changing it. There is a riddle within a riddle put forth by Samson in the 14th chapter of the book of Judges. Many modern bible versions consider the Hebrew text to be in error in numerous places and have changed the Hebrew readings based on their own lack of understanding and unbelief. Versions such as the RSV, NRSV, ESV, Holman Christian Standard, New Jerusalem bible, NASB, and the NIV frequently reject the Hebrew texts and follow instead the Syriac, Greek Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, or just make up their own text as they go along - and often not even in the same places. Instead of leaning to our own understanding, lets examine the text as it stands in the Hebrew Scriptures and adopt what today would seem to be the novel approach of believing that God actually got it right. We will then offer a reasonable explantion to solve the apparent contradiction. Samsoms riddle as put forth in Judges 14:12-18. 12.And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me WITHIN THE SEVEN DAYS OF THE FEAST, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments; 13. But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. 14. And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not IN THREE DAYS expound the riddle. 15. And it came to pass ON THE SEVENTH DAY, that they said unto Samsons wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy fathers house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so? In verse 15 the Hebrew text clearly says ON THE SEVENTH DAY. This is the reading of the Latin Vulgate of 425 A.D., Wycliffes translation of 1395, Coverdale 1535, Matthews Bible 1537, the Bishops Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, the King James Bible, the Revised Version 1881, American Standard Version 1901, Websters 1833 translation, Darby, the Douay-Rheims bible, the Douay, Youngs, the 1917 and 1936 Jewish translations, the Hebrew Names Version, the 1998 Complete Jewish Bible, Third Millenium Bible, the KJV 21, Greens Modern KJV, the Spanish Reina Valera 1960, the Portuguese de Almeida E sucedeu que, ao sétimo dia, the Italian Diodati, the French Louis Segond 2006, And the Modern Greek Bible - Και την εβδομην ημεραν ειπαν προς την γυναικα του Σαμψων = and THE SEVENTH DAY and the Modern Hebrew Bible - ויהי ביום השביעי ויאמרו לאשת שמשון פתי את אישך ויגד לנו את החידה פן נשרף אותך ואת בית אביך באש הלירשנו קראתם לנו הלא׃ = And it came to pass ON THE SEVENTH DAY... The NKJV also reads on the seventh day but it has a footnote that says some ancient authorities read the 4th day, thus casting doubt on the true reading. Other English Bibles that follow the Hebrew text and say ON THE SEVENTH DAY in Judges 14:15 are The Word of Yah 1993, Gods First Truth 1999, Sacred Scriptures Family of Yah 2001, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach 2004, Greens Literal 2005, the Ancient Roots Translinear Bible 2008, Bond Slave Version 2009, Hebrew Transliteration Scripture 2010, Online Interlinear 2010 (André de Mol), Holy Scriptures VW Edition 2010, Biblos Interlinear Bible 2011, The Work of Gods Children Illustrated Bible 2011, Conservative Bible 2011, World English Bible 2012, the Natural Israelite Bible 2012 and the Hebraic Roots Bible 2012. Many modern versions change the Hebrew text from THE SEVENTH DAY to THE FOURTH DAY, and their footnotes tell us the reading of the 4th day comes from SOME Septuagint manuscripts (they are not all the same) and the Syriac, while the Hebrew text clearly says the 7th day. Among these versions that reject the Hebrew text of the seventh day and change it to the fourth day are the NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NEB, Dan Wallace and companys NET version 2006, the Holman Christian Standard 2009, the Living Bible, New Living Translation, Bible in Basic English 1960, the 2001-2011 English Standard Version, Todays English Version, The Message 2002, the New Century Version, The Voice 2012, Names of God Bible 2011 and the Modern Literal Version 2014. THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION The earlier Catholic Versions like the Douay-Rheims of 1610 as well as the Douay Version of 1950 both followed the Hebrew text in Judges 14:15 and say: ON THE SEVENTH DAY. However the 1968 Jerusalem bible, the 1970 St. Joseph New American bible and the 1985 New Jerusalem all reject the Hebrew reading of ON THE SEVENTH DAY and change this to ON THE FOURTH DAY, thus following some Septuagint copies and the Syriac. The Jehovah Witness New World Translation also rejects the Hebrew text and says ON THE FOURTH DAY. The International Standard Version of 2014 follows NO text and merely says AND THE NEXT DAY The first major version to introduce this textual change in number was the liberal RSV of 1952. Even the Revised Version and the American Standard Version did not change the Hebrew text here. The NASB has no footnotes in this place. The NASB frequently changes the Hebrew text but doesnt tell the reader when they have done so. The NIV, ESV and Holman do have a footnote that tells us the reading of the fourth day comes from some Septuagint manuscripts and the Syriac, but the Hebrew says the seventh day. As we continue with the rest of the passage we will show why the NASB, NIV, ESV, HCSB reading is false and offer an explanation that vindicates the Hebrew and King James reading of the seventh day. 16. And Samsons wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou has put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? 17. And she wept before him THE SEVEN DAYS, WHILE THEIR FEAST LASTED: and it came to pass ON THE SEVENTH DAY, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people. 18. And the men of the city said unto him ON THE SEVENTH DAY before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stonger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. The NASB, Holman, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NET and NIV reading in verse 15 ON THE FOURTH DAY is clearly wrong because we are told in verse 17 that she wept before him THE SEVEN DAYS WHILE THEIR FEAST LASTED. Thus there is a clear contradiction if we follow this spurious reading. If the fourth day were correct, then there would only be three days left in which she could weep before him - not the full seven days which are clearly mentioned in verse seventeen. The NASB, NIV, Holman and many commentators wrongly assume the three days in which the men could not expound the riddle of verse 14 form part of the feast of the seven days. Now, for a reasonable explanation that vindicates the inspired Hebrew text as found in the King James Bible. This explanation of the riddle within a riddle DOES NOT CONTRADICT any of the information provided in the text. The change made in many modern versions from the 7th day to the 4th day DOES CONTRADICT the information given in the text. Samson proposes the riddle three days BEFORE the first seventh day mentioned in verse 15. What would the seventh day mean to Samson who was a Jewish Nazarite from his mothers womb? It would be the seventh day of rest mentioned in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:10 But THE SEVENTH DAY is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. Many Bible commentators miss what is going on here and make a bunch of silly statements or else they more wisely omit any commentary about the seventh day. However, I think John Gill, Kimchi and Jarchi (both Jewish commentators) got it right. John Gill explains: Not on the seventh day of the feast...but on the Sabbath day, as Kimchi, and Jarchi say, on the seventh day of the week, not on the seventh day of the feast...the Septuagint, Syriac and Arabic instead of the seventh read the fourth day. A reasonable and obvious explanation is that Samson proposed the riddle to the Philistine companions three days BEFORE the first Sabbath. As a Jewish believer, he rested on the Sabbath day, and then began the wedding feast which lasted seven days. Three days after Samson proposed the riddle the men knew they couldnt solve the riddle, so they approached Samsons wife with their threats on that first Sabbath day BEFORE the feast began. She then wept before him the whole 7 days of the feast, as we are clearly told in verse 17, and right before the feast ended, Samson told her the answer to the riddle. In this way the riddle is solved without contradicting any of the information provided in the Biblical text. The inspired Hebrew text and the King James Bible reading of on the seventh day are shown to be correct. Modern versions like the NASB, NIV, Holman, ESV, NET, modern Catholic versions and the Jehovah Witness New World Translation are false witnesses and have changed Gods inerrant word. Their bogus reading in Judges 14:15 of ON THE FOURTH DAY doesnt solve the apparent contradiction but instead creates a new one. The King James Bible is ALWAYS RIGHT. I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word. Psalm 119:158 Will Kinney Return to Articles - brandplucked.webs/kjbarticles.htm
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 03:24:18 +0000
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