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"...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Timothy 3:15
Who Killed Goliath in Your Bible?
Pastor Jonathan R. Crosby
There are now over 100 different Bibles in the English language. Choosing a Bible from this large number raises several questions in the minds of many God-fearing Christians. Are all these Bibles the inspired Word of God? If they are, why are they all different? If all of them are not God's Word, which one is? How can I identify God's Word?
If we fear God, then it makes good sense to see what God has to say about His Word. The first thing we observe is that God promised to preserve both His WORD and WORDS.
God's Word "endureth for ever" I Pet. 1:25.
"My words shall not pass away" Luke 21:33.
"Thou shalt preserve them" Ps. 12:6-7.
(See also Ps. 119:152,160; and Isa. 30:8; 59:21).
Did God keep His promises? We should, like Abraham when God promised that Sarah would have a son, ignore natural concerns and believe that God is able to perform His promises (Rom. 4:19-21). Believing God's promises by faith, we can be fully persuaded, with evidence, that God has surely preserved His Word and words (Heb. 11:1).
Jesus believed the promises of God. He said, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law" (Matt. 5:18). And He further taught the scriptures were word perfect when He said, "The scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).
God further promised His preserved words would have certain characteristics. These God-given features were to provide the criteria by which all Bibles could be judged.
"Every word of God is pure" Prov. 30:5.
They are not "froward or perverse" Prov. 8:8.
"No lie is of the truth" I John 2:21.
(See also Ps. 19:7-9; Luke 4:4; 16:17; John 10:35).
When tried by these criteria, modern Bibles condemn themselves. Thank God for giving us wisdom and light to determine His infallible words from the words of men.
We come now to the issue of this pamphlet. Since God promised His preserved words are pure, with nothing froward or perverse in them, and cannot be broken; it is our duty to judge each Bible by these standards. The first question to ask is the title of this pamphlet, "Who Killed Goliath in Your Bible?" The answer may surprise you.
The verse to be tried is II Sam. 21:19. In our brief review the following abbreviations are used: RV for the Revised Version (1881), ASV for the American Standard Version (1901), NWT for the New World Translation (1961), NASV for the New American Standard Version (1970), NEB for the New English Bible (1970), LB for the Living Bible (1971), GNB for the Good News Bible (1976), and NIV for the New International Version (1978). Read II Samuel 21:19.
RV: "Elhanan...slew Goliath the Gittite."
ASV: "Elhanan...slew Goliath the Gittite."
RSV: "Elhanan...slew Goliath the Gittite."
NWT: "Elhanan...got to strike down Goliath."
NASV: "Elhanan...killed Goliath of Gath."
NEB: "Elhanan...killed Goliath of Gath."
LB: "Elhanan...killed the brother of Goliath."
GNB: "Elhanan...killed Goliath from Gath."
NIV: "Elhanan...killed Goliath the Gittite."
KJV: "Elhanan...slew the brother of Goliath."
As you see from this simple test, only two Bibles tell the truth about Goliath and Elhanan. David killed Goliath as we all know (I Sam. 17). The Holy Spirit tells us plainly that Elhanan, one of David's chosen men, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath (I Chron. 20:5).
Is it not interesting that the King James Version had this figured out way back in 1611? Why do the modern Bibles lie when they record this well-known Bible fact? Why do the "scholars" mess up there? We will answer this question at the end of our review.
It is our duty to determine which of these versions have condemned themselves as not being the Word of God by having impure, froward, perverse, and lying words in them. While such language certainly sounds strong, remember that this is simply restating the criteria God gave us.
Let us review Mark 1:2, where Mark quotes from Mal. 3:1 about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Does you Bible know where this quotation came from?
RV: "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet."
ASV: "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet."
NWT: "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet."
NASV: "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet."
NAB: "In Isaiah the prophet it is written."
NEB: "In the prophet Isaiah it stands written."
LB: "In the book written by the prophet Isaiah."
GNB: "As the prophet Isaiah had written."
NIV: "It is written in Isaiah the prophet."
KJV: "As it is written in the prophets."
This time every modern Bible contradicts the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the King James Version. The KJV uses the plural noun prophets to allow Mark 1:2 to be quoted from Mal. 1:3 and Mark 1:3 to be quoted from Isa. 40:3. There are two quotations from two different prophets. The modern versions simply lie about Isaiah and Malachi.
Let us also review Matt. 5:22, where Jesus teaches against ungodly anger. Godly anger is good. God was angry with Moses (Ex. 4:14), Aaron (Deut. 9:20), David (Ps. 38:3), and Solomon (I Kings 11:9). Jesus Himself got angry (Mark 3:5). However, because he does not understand or fear God (Rom. 3:11,18), natural man will change scripture to present a God he likes (Rom. 1:22-23).
RV: Anger against a brother is wrong.
ASV: Anger against a brother is wrong.
RSV: Anger against a brother is wrong.
NWT: Anger against a brother is wrong.
NASV: Anger against a brother is wrong.
NAB: Anger against a brother is wrong.
NEB: Anger against a brother is wrong.
LB: Anger against anything is wrong.
NIV: Anger against a brother is wrong.
Only the King James Version keeps God from being a sinner. When there is a cause, anger is good and right. As you can see, the modern Bibles stand opposed to the pure words and nature of Almighty God. Serious Bible students will also want to study these additional passages in the modern versions: I Sam. 13:1 compared to Acts 13:21; Luke 2:22 compared to Lev. 12; Acts 13:19-20 compared to Joshua 14; and Gal. 3:16 compared to Gen. 17:8.
These simple comparisons were prepared to show the internal contradictions of the modern Bibles. These false Bibles condemn themselves by their own internal testimony in these passages. For a brief sample of other changes in these Bibles check the following verses: Matt. 17:21; 18:11; 23:14; Mk. 7:16; 11:26; Lk. 4:4; 4:8; Jn. 5:4; Acts 8:37; Eph. 3:9; I Tim. 6:5; and I John 5:7.
Now we must answer a question raised earlier, "Why do these versions make such obvious errors?" Scripture answers it this way: "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness" (Job 5:12-14).
Our God is supremely jealous for His Word, which He has magnified above His name (Ps. 138:2), and will confound man's efforts to corrupt it. "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.... Where is the wise? where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"
This review shows clearly the flagrant changes made to the words of God by modern "scribes" and "disputers." Historical events are denied, cross-references are destroyed, doctrine is perverted, and God's promises of preservation are rejected.
As a result, in spite of 100 different Bibles being available today, many do not have the words of God. Peter considered his scriptures more sure than the voice of God from heaven (II Pet. 1:16-21). We have this more sure Word in the English language in the God-approved, fruit-bearing, and enduring King James Version.