Is Your Bible Translation Lying To You?
Your Bible translation isn’t intentionally deceiving you in some sinister way. But, for over 70 years, scholars have known that a word in Deuteronomy 32 has been interpreted incorrectly. This word takes the biblical story to a whole new place. It makes the story explode with supernatural significance. You have to ask, “why are Christians so afraid of the supernatural realm?”
One Word in Your Bible Translation Changes Everything
You can find this word in Deuteronomy 32:7-9. Read it first in the New English Translation:
Remember the ancient days;
bear in mind the years of past generations.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided up humankind,
he set the boundaries of the peoples,
according to the number of the heavenly assembly.
For the LORDs allotment is his people,
Jacob is his special possession. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9 NET)
But now, read what it says in New American Standard Bible:
Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of all generations.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
Your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When He separated the sons of mankind,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the sons of Israel.
For the LORD’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9 NASB)
The KJV, NKJV, NIV and the NASB all say “the sons of Israel.” But, the ESV, NET, NRSV and NLT intentionally use the phrase, “the sons of God” or “the heavenly assembly.” And it all depends on which ancient manuscript is being translated.
Why the Differences?
The versions of the Bible that say “sons of Israel” are all translating from what is called The Masoretic Text. These are the Hebrew Scriptures as traditionally received. The two oldest copies of it are the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex, which are both dated to around the 10th Century AD.
But the Bible versions that say “sons of God” or “heavenly assembly,” are using both the Dead Sea Scrolls, a set of over 100,000 fragments of text, comprising more than 800 biblical and non-biblical manuscripts written between 250 BC–AD 70), and the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The oldest copies are in Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, which were both copied in the 4th Century AD.
The Septuagint reading was rejected until the mid-20th Century, because it was unclear why it was translated from Hebrew to Greek in the way that it was. The Septuagint reads “angels of God.” It just didn’t make sense. But, the Dead Seas Scrolls were discovery in 1948 changed everything. The Hebrew is clear. It says “sons of God.” Many scholars were forced to change their positions on this, because it reinforced the supernatural worldview being presented in the Septuagint.
The Supernatural Worldview
So, what’s happening in these verses, anyway? Moses’ life is nearly over. He’s giving his final instructions to the nation of Israel, just before they enter into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For us today, Israel is an ancient nation formed thousands of years ago. But for the masses listening to Moses, the nation was only 40 years old. Their story was new. And Moses was reminding them how that story began.
Moses takes Israel back in time to the moment when the nations are divided. He takes them back to Babel, where a united humanity attempted to build a tower that could reach the heavens. He reveals that Israel’s God – YHWH – divided humanity and gave it over to the “sons of God,” fallen supernatural beings who now rule the nations of the earth. But the next story in Genesis, is the call of Abram. This is when God chose, for Himself, a man through whom He would build a nation, redeem mankind and reunite all of humanity.
The nations chose worship of these “gods,” over the worship of YHWH. Moses had already revealed this to Israel:
When you look up to the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—the whole heavenly creation—you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, for the LORD your God has assigned them to all the people of the world. You, however, the LORD has selected and brought from Egypt, that iron-smelting furnace, to be his special people as you are today. (Deuteronomy 4:19-20 NET)
The sun, moon, and stars are common symbols for heavenly beings. The nations worshiped them. These are the “gods” that Israel is forbidden to have anything to do with. But YHWH has chosen Israel to be His people.
A Fight For Humanity
Here’s what this means: we live in a reality that is both natural AND supernatural. What we know as “history” has been YHWH’s battle to free humanity from the chains of the gods we have chosen over Him. And the GOOD NEWS is this: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has defeated His enemies and is finally reuniting mankind, making them into A New Humanity. There are spiritual beings bent on rebellion against YHWH. These beings claim to be “gods” and have been worshipped as such throughout history. Their strategy is divide and conquer. And that is the Third Principle of Good Bible Study: The Bible is a Supernatural Book.
