Do WT Bible NWT pick and choose word meanings to suit their agenda?

by *lost* 24 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Bobcat

  Darth Frosty:

  My favorite example to point out is Eph 4:8 Every translation reads he gave gifts TO the men but for some reason (guess) the NWT reads he gave GIFTS IN MEN?!?

  This is one of the NWT verses that irks me too (more so than others), since they use it to support their power structure. They say in the footnote that "gifts to men" or "consisting of men" is a rendering made to harmonize with Ps 68:18 in the MT and LXX. What they don't say is how they ignored other parts of Eph 4:8 that are also not in harmony with Ps 68:18.

  Literal rendering of Ps 68:18 -

  MT You ascended to the height; you captured captivity; you received gifts among humanity

  LXX You ascended to the height; you captured captivity; you received gifts among humanity

  (Note how the LXX is a virtual word for word rendering of the MT.)

  Eph 4:8

  Lit. Ascending to the height, he captured captivity; he gave gifts to men

  NWT When he ascended on high he carried away captives; he gave gifts in men

  ESV When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. (Here are other renderings)

  Here is a list of Paul's changes in Eph 4:8 from Ps 68:18 (from the BECNT-Ephesians commentary, p.265):

  1. Paul changes the subject of the statement so that it no longer tells God what he has done in the second person but narrates what Christ has done in the third person.

  2. He changes the collective singular noun "humanity" ("men" NWT) to the plural noun, "human beings" ("men" NWT).

  3. He changes the verb "received" to its antonym "gave" and modifies the end of the statement so that instead of God receiving gifts among humanity (singular), Christ gives gifts to human beings (plural).

  Paul knew both Hebrew (of the MT) and Greek (of the LXX). So it is reasonable to assume that he understood what he was doing by making the changes that he did. But the NWT sees fit to revise the last phrase from, "gifts to men" (humans - not males) to "gifts in men" (with the WT intending you to understand the meaning of "males"). And they do this under the guise that they are correcting Paul's last phrase to agree with Ps 68:18. But they never mention that they did not bother to correct the rest of the verse to agree with Ps 68:18.

  As it is, the last phrase suits their purpose and power structure.
• 

  Bobcat

  sorry - double post
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  kurtbethel

  They claim they have a "Pure language".

  They don't. They have a very corrupt language.

  Examine their use of the word "generation" and you will see this corruption.
• 

  mP

  *LOST*

  THe problem is there are many other scrpitures that hide the bible is full of astrology. Lucifer is Venus in Latin. Latin is a false sun in that it rises before the true god our glorious SUn. DOnt believe me check Job 38:32 in mlutiple bibles.
• 

  humbled

  I love this conversation.

  I was racked over the coals for seeking the allowance to read a problematic chapter of the bible without the WT interpretation laid over the account. For conscience sake I refused to do it for myself and would no longer repeat their version to others. That drew the fire. I knew I had the scholarly grounds for it even as Bethel eventually, grudgingly allowed --but nevertheless they refused me the moral grounds to diverge from their version.

  As I thought about the creepy way they dealt with me and the fear my local elders had of discussing the bible freely, I realized that faith cannot be gained or sustained by the parsing out of bible texts. But that goes farther afield than this thread....

  Anyhow

  Here's my vote for a super-rotten corruption of translation the NWT uses to it own selfish ends:

  "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you the only true God, and the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." NWT,

  Virtually all other translations( including the DIAGLOTT that the WTS allowed us to read) translates it differently. From Benjamin Wilson's DIAGLOTT:

  "And this is the aionian life, that they may know thee,the only true God, and him who thou didst send, Jesus Christ."

  In my view the NWT gives John 17:3 the most egregious and self-serving distortion of Jesus' teachings. An utter betrayal of his way of knowing the Father. But how wonderfully it tied in --their version did--with the idea of "accurate knowledge"-epi-knosis that they always flogged us with.

  Just think! If we studied with the WT publications, we would have the accurate knowledge of God that no one else had. The implication was powerfully tied to their campaign for us to always be "taking in of knowledge" for salvation via the agency of the FDS.

  At John 5:38-40 Jesus refutes the NWT distortion of John 17:3:

  "And his word(logos) you have not remaining in you; because you believe not him whom he sent. You search the scriptures(graphicos), because you think by them to obtain aionian life and they are those testifying of me; and yet you are not willing to come to me that you may obtain life."

  Anyhow--that's my 2cent's worth.

  maeve

  v
• 

  mP

  humbled:

  "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you the only true God, and the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." NWT,

  mP:

  THis scripture makes best sense if we understand Jesus is about astrology. He is saying if you understand astrology and the seasons your farming will be more successful as you will plant and harvest at the optimal times. The knowledge of God mentioned here is knowabout God aka the zodiac.
• 

  *lost*

  Thanks everyone for your comments.

  I am learning so much 'TRUTH'
• 

  Rattigan350

  The NWT is the most accurate translation and the translators did not have an agenda other than that.

  The critics only don't like how their precious trinity is not being promoted by it. Well, too bad.

  It is not promoted by the NWT because it is not true.

  Lucifer is not the proper translation of that and you should do research into that.
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  Brother of the Hawk

  Hey Lost, sorry to read about your traumatic incident.

  I have another scripture you can refer to. Rom 10:13 " every one calling on the name of Jehovah will be saved."

  The Greek Diaglott reads. " For every one who may invoke the name of the Lord shall be saved" the Greek work for Lord is "κ?ριος", (which is Jesus) If you look at verse 9 of Rom 10 it says, "for if you publicly declare that word in your own mouth, that Jesus is Lord and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved." In the Greek Diaglott, in this verse the word Lord is spelled the same. At the very least, this rendering contradicts vs 13. according to the NWT. The Diaglott I have is also published by the WTB$ Putting this into proper context vs 9 - 12 all refer to calling and believing upon Jesus. Then out of the blue vs 13 says calling upon the name of Jehovah, way out of context. As for the reason for this, I can only a guess, since it was Fred Franz that oversaw the translating of the NWT. But the importance of Jesus seems to be downplayed. Since they are called Jehovah's Witnesses and not Jesus Witnesses.

  Another scripture that is also mistranslated is Jude 9. Again they took the Greek word for Lord and translated it to Jehovah. If you look at the account in John 20:28 Thomas said "My Lord my God" the same Greek spelling is employed in both renderings of Lord.

  Just some food for thought.

  Affectionately Brother of the Hawk [ I will surrender my mind no more, forever]
• 

  Crazyguy

  Luke 28:29 is a blatent mistranslation to support thier idea that only the Anoited get the new covenant and christ as mediator. Here in this verse they use the word covenant to imply that it connected to or the same as the New Covenant, but in all reality the words here mean to Appiont, Promise or to Bestow, the closes the greek words can come to mean any thing close to covenant is the word Convey. The New Covenant is a contract between two parties and Jesus is Mediator between the two. The Org changed the words here to imply that we as christians are not the adopted Sons of God for only the sons of God are the anointed and are also the ones promised to sit on throne in the heavenly kingdom.