The Unknown Bible - Pastor Bevans Welder

What about the NASV? It is no good!

This is Part I in a two part answer.

We received an email from a listener who made the following comment:

“I agree that some of the new texts have gotten WAY out of hand but think that some such as the NAS are very accurate translations in today’s English language. I am interested in knowing your reasons for relying only on the KJV since the English is so old and many words are difficult for many to understand.”

Our listener’s comment prompted us to do a comparison of the NASV with the KJV to determine if in fact it would be a good substitute for readers who did not want to look up the words in a King James Bible that they did not understand. Our listener cited accuracy and today’s English as two good reasons to switch to the NASV.

Concerning accuracy, most people who say that a modern bible is accurate are simply repeating something that they read or that they heard someone else say. Frankly, there are few qualified scholars who could render a serious and honest opinion about the accuracy of any translation. They would have to do at least three things before they could authoritatively comment on a translation’s accuracy.

First, they would have to study Greek, Syriac, and Hebrew, at a minimum, until they were literate in these languages, and not just schooled in vocabulary and the use of a Strong’s concordance and Vine’s dictionary. Second, they would have to personally examine multitudes of manuscripts scattered around the world, comparing them diligently. Third, they would have to evaluate the Holy Spirit’s giving of scripture by inspiration (2 Tim 3:16) throughout history to isolate those copies that had been corrupted (2 Cor 2:17) from those that had not. Even in Paul’s day, many were corrupting the words of God.

The fact is that when people say a translation is accurate, they are relying solely upon the scholar who rendered that opinion. The trouble with scholars is that they are limited in their ability to determine the accuracy of a particular translation because none of the original manuscripts are in existence today. Often, scholars intentionally lie to their audiences when they refer to “the originals” as if they had seen them and compared a translation to them. No one alive today has ever seen an original autograph.

In our personal three-year study of the Greek language and the manuscript evidence cited in Nestle’s 26^th edition New Testament, we found repeated occurrences where highly recognized scholars like Kenneth Wuest purposely twisted evidence or mistranslated words to change a verse of scripture.

In addition, we found that they did the very same things in translation for which they criticized the KJV, knowing that few people would check them out. Trusting scholars’ opinions of modern bibles is bad business because they typically “wrest the scriptures,” (2 Pet 3:16). They cannot be trusted. Many of them stand to personally gain ($) from the recommendation of a particular translation.

Concerning “today’s” English, we have found over the years that there are more common expressions in use today found in a KJV than there are in modern Bibles. True, modern bibles get rid of the “thee’s” and “thou’s” and the “begat’s” and the “begot’s.” But who ever had a hard time understanding those words? In their attempt to modernize the language, translators have removed many words and expressions that are ingrained in our English language today. Here are just a few examples of this FACT.

Reference	Common Word or Expression
Ps 105:22	“Senators” as in the government
Ps 106:29	“Inventions” as in something made by man
Prov 4:25	“Right on” - expression
Eze 24:16	“Stroke” the way some people die
Jer 51:20	“Battle axe” - expression
Eze 23:17	“Alienated” as in alienation of affection
1 Cor 7:31	“fashion” as in fashions and fads
Lk 15:13, 14	“wasted” and “want” as in waste not, want not
Ecc 10:1	“ointment” as in a fly in the ointment
Deut 32:10	“apple” as in the apple of his eye
Eph 1:14	“earnest” as in earnest money
Job 4:15	“stood” as in it made my hair stand up
Gen 30:27	“learned by experience” – expression
Acts 21:3	“unlade” as in bills of lading
Gen 23:17	“made sure” as in title insurance or surety
1 Sam 25:10	“nowadays” – expression
Jud 8:16	“taught” as in he taught them a lesson
Lev 11:35	“range” - a kitchen appliance
Gen 23:16	“current money” as in currency
Gen 42:34	“traffick” as in drug traffic
Ex 14:8	“high hand” as in poker or the upper hand
Num 1:2	“polls” as in counting votes
1 Sam 20:40	“artillery” as in munitions for war
Num 1:18	“pedigree” as in the descendants of an individual
Acts 27:3	“liberty” as in shore leave
Acts 27:15	“bear” as in a ship’s bearing
Acts 21:15	“carriages” as in baby carriage
Acts 21:40	“licence” as in a license to preach
2 Ki 9:5	“errand” as in go on an errand (a verbal message)
2 Chr 30:6	“posts” as in postal carrier or post office
2 Ki 9:26	“plat” as in a survey plat

On and on this list goes into the hundreds and hundreds of common words and expressions that are in a KJV and that have been changed in the NASV. If the words were already in today’s English and completely understandable then why were they changed? These words are in common use today and there is nothing difficult about them. These are not old expressions that have gone out of ordinary use.

Isn’t it strange that teachers and preachers today who are so concerned with accuracy and modernity continue to refer to “the Greek” for a better word to use when they don’t like the one in the Bible they are using? Greek is harder to understand than English.

Today men would rather look up a Greek word used to translate an English word in a text and then look up the definition of the Greek word to find out what the English word should have been, rather than look up the handful of words in the KJV that they don’t understand. This is strange indeed.

In Part II, next week, we will actually examine changes that were made in the NASV that directly attack the deity of Jesus Christ and some other very important doctrines of the Bible. Hold on to your hat!

Hope this helps,
Pastor Welder