Article: Acts 9:5-7 hear the voice; 7:20 exceeding fair
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Acts 9:5-6
The King James Holy Bible says: "And he said, Who art thou, Lord? AND THE LORD SAID, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest; IT IS HARD FOR THEE TO KICK AGAINST THE PRICKS. AND HE TREMBLING AND ASTONISHED SAID, LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO? AND THE LORD SAID UNTO HIM, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."
The words in capital letters are disputed by the modern versionists. They tell us that these 33 English words do not belong in the New Testament, and are omitted in such versions as the NASB, NIV, RSV, ESV, and Holman Standard.
The first few words: "and the Lord said" are found in the majority of all Greek manuscripts and the Textus Receptus. However Sinaiticus and Vaticanus differ from each other here. Vaticanus omits the verb but it is included in Sinaiticus. The NASB includes the phrase: "and He said", while the NIV omits the phrase altogether, plus it adds "Saul" which is not in any text.
There is also another variant reading found in the manuscripts used to make up the modern versions like the NASB, NIV, RSV, ESV and Holman. Manuscripts A and C add additional words to "I am Jesus" which are not found in Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. These two manuscripts read: "I am Jesus THE NAZARENE", but versions like the NASB, NIV, RSV do not include "the Nazarene".
The NASB of 1972 and 1977 say "rise" while the NASB of 1995 says "get up". So far we see that both Sinaiticus differs from Vaticanus, and both differ from the Majority and the TR. The NIV does not faithfully follow any manuscript here, but omits even the Sinaiticus-Vaticanus reading, and adds the word Saul to the text.
Regarding the second longer part of this verse - IT IS HARD FOR THEE TO KICK AGAINST THE PRICKS. AND HE TREMBLING AND ASTONISHED SAID, LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO? AND THE LORD SAID UNTO HIM - according to Jack Moorman's book "When the KJV Departs from the "Majority" Text, all these words are found in the Textus Receptus of Erasmus, Stephanus, Beza, Elziever, Greek mss. 629, and the Modern Greek New Testament used throughout the Greek Orthodox churches today. The entire reading is also found in the Old Latin translation dating from150 AD ( ar, c, h, l, p, ph, t), the Clementine Vulgate, one Arabic version, the Ethiopic version, Armenian, Slavonic, and the ancient Georgian version of the 5th century. It is also quoted by the church Fathers of Hilary 367, Ambrose 397, Ephraem 373, and Lucifer in 370.
Manuscript D is missing the whole section from 8:29 through 10:14, so it is of no help at all in determining the reading. The Greek manuscripts of the uncial E and the cursive of 431 contain all these words as found in the KJB but they are placed at the end of verse 4 instead of in verse 6, and so read the Syriac Peshitta translations of Lamsa 1936 and James Murdock 1858.
The verses stand as they are in the King James Bible, Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible, Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, Wesley's N.T. 1755, Calvin's Latin translation, Young's, Green's Modern KJV, the NKJV 1982, the 21st Century KJV 1994, the Third Millenium Bible 1998, Websters's 1833 translation, Sagradas Escrituras 1569, the Spanish Reina Valera of 1602-1995, the Italian Diodati 1649, the Italian Riveduta 1927, the New Diodati 1991, the Amplified Bible 1987, the 1582 Douay Rheims (the 1841 English Hexapla cleary shows that all these words were in the Received text - http://bible.zoxt.net/hex/_0736.htm-, the Douay 1950 (though the more modern Catholic versions like St. Joseph NAB and the New Jerusalem now omit them), Luther's German Bible 1545, the German Schlecter 1951, the French Martin 1744, the French Louis Segond 1910, and Ostervald 1996, Afrikaans Bible 1953, the Albanian Bible, the Dutch Staten Vertaling version, Czech Bible Kralicka, Hungarian Kavoli, Finnish Bible 1776, Latvian N.T. (modern day Slavonic version), Romanian Cornilescu Version, Maori, Russian, Ukranian, Xhosa Bible 1996 (8 million people in Eastern Cape of Africa) and the Modern Greek version used today throughout the Greek Orthodox churches.
What we have here is a cluster of divergent readings found in the remaining Greek copies available to us today and neither the KJB, NIV or NASB all read exactly the same as each other.
The Greek texts of Erasmus 1516 (pre-Tyndale 1525) and of Stephanus in 1550 as well as the Spanish Sagradas Escrituras Versión Antigua of 1569 all read exactly as the text of the King James Bible. These men obviously had access in their day to underlying Greek texts which we no longer possess. Erasmus and Stephanus amassed a good number of manuscripts to compile their Greek editions. Stephanus makes reference to Greek manuscripts that we no longer possess today. Here are the readings of these three sources which existed many years before the KJB 1611.
Acts 9:5:eipen de tis ei kurie o de kurios eipen egw eimi ihsous on su diwkeis sklhron soi pros kentra laktizein
Acts 9:6:tremwn te kai qambwn eipen kurie ti me qeleis poihsai kai o kurios pros auton anasthqi kai eiselqe eis thn polin kai lalhqhsetai soi ti se dei poiein (Erasmus 1516, Stephanus - 1550)
Acts 9:5: Y él dijo: ¿Quién eres, Señor? Y él Señor dijo: Yo Soy Jesus el Nazareno a quien tú persigues; dura cosa te es dar coces contra el aguijón.
Acts 9:6: El, temblando y temeroso, dijo: ¿Señor, qué quieres que haga? Y el Señor le dice : Levántate y entra en la ciudad, y se te dirá lo que te conviene hacer. Las Sagradas Escrituras Versión Antigua 1569.
Acts 9:5-6 as they stand in the KJB is found in the following Greek texts.
Erasmus 1516 Stephanus 1550 Theodore Beza 1598 Elzevir 1633 Greek N.T. 1894 (available on the internet) Trinitarian Bible Society N.T. George Ricker Berry's Greek text 1981 J.P Green's Greek interlinear 1976 The Modern Greek N.T. 1954 Modern Greek (available on the internet)
It is false to make the assumption that the long phrase found in Acts 9:5-6 was brought directly over from Acts 26:14-16, or Acts 22:6-11, because the order of events and words recorded there differ from the account given in Acts 9. Three times Paul relates his conversion experience in the book of Acts, and all three are somewhat different - adding to one account what he leaves out in another. They are found in Acts 9:3-9; Acts 22:6-11, and Acts 26:13-18.
In both Acts 9 and Acts 26, the Alexandrian texts differ somewhat from the Textus Receptus, but even following the Greek texts of the TR we can see that the words found in Acts 9 were not taken directly from Acts 26 nor Acts 22.
In Acts 9:4-6 we have: "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And {the Lord said,} I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: {it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him.}..."
The portions in brackets are left out of the NASB, NIV, RSV.
But when we compare the account found in Acts 26:14-15 we see a different set and order of words employed. There we read: "And when we were all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice {speaking} unto me, {and} saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why prsecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And {he} said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise..."
The words in brackets are either omitted or changed in the texts underlying the NASB, NIV, RSV. Notice the changes from "he fell" to "we were all fallen", "he heard a voice" to "I heard a voice" and more importantly, in Acts 9 it is only after Paul asks Who is it?, and the Lord identifies Himself as Jesus, that we read "it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord what wilt thou have me to do?"
However in the Acts 26 account Jesus first tells Paul Who He is and that it is hard for Paul to kick against the pricks, and then Paul asks who it is that is speaking to him. Of great importance is the fact that none of these debated words which are omitted in the NASB, NIV, RSV - "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord what wilt thou have me to do?" - are found there in Acts 26. To assert that they were taken from Acts 26, or Acts 22 and placed in Acts 9 is obviously false, because they do not appear in any texts in Acts 26 nor 22.
In summary, the words in question by many modern versionists are found among a cluster of divergent readings (as if very often the case). They are found in a few remaining Greek manuscripts, many compiled Greek texts (Ten listed), several ancient versions (the Old Latin existed long before Sinaiticus and Vaticanus were penned), quoted by several early church fathers, and are found in many different Bible translations, both old and new, througout the entire world, including the Modern Greek version used in all Greek Orthodox churches today.
Will Kinney
Acts 9:7 with Acts 22:9
Heard the voice or didn't hear the voice?
Amazingly, some Christians bring up these two Scriptures and think there is an error. At a Bible club I belong to, one member says:
For those of you who think there are no errors or contradictions in the KJV please explain this one. This is a small matter but makes the point.
KJV Acts 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
KJV Acts 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
This most certainly appears to me to be a contradiction, did they "hear a voice" or did they "hear not a voice".
Then another Christian answers with this: "Your example is well known as a contradiction in the Scriptures, not only in the KJV, but in other translations as well. The question is whether or not Luke wrote down two different accounts of this same story. Luke is giving testimony to Saul's conversion in both accounts, one time as initial telling of this conversion from what Luke knows of it, and the next as an account or transcript of Paul's testimony before the Jews. Only two conclusions can be drawn. Either Luke made an error and the original Scriptures are incorrrect, or there has been a mistake by some scribe in the copying of Luke's book of Acts. I tend to say the latter."
In a similar manner, James White, in his book The KJV Only Controversy, brings up this same example on page 229. Mr White overstates his case by saying: "This alleged contradiction exists ONLY IN THE KJV, not in modern translations such as the NASB or NIV....Such ambiguity is, unfortunately, a common problem in the KJV."
Remember, James White recommends the NKJV in his book as being one of three "reliable versions".
Comments like these make me wonder if people are capable of thinking anymore. Instead of thinking about what it says and trying to work through it to solve the apparent contradiction, they would rather assume Luke made an error, or "some scribe" goofed in copying the book of Acts. How utterly silly.
The fact is, ALL Greek texts read the same in both accounts. Some modern versions paraphrase what is actually written, in an effort to reconcile the apparent contradiction. Remember, in both cases the verb is the same - akouo - to hear. We get the word acoustics from this Greek word.
Versions like the NASB, NIV and ESV tell us in Acts 9:7 that the men traveling with Paul stood speechless HEARING A VOICE, but seeing no man. But then in Acts 22:9 these three modern versions then tell us that the men did not UNDERSTAND the voice of the one who was speaking to Paul. The verb in both verses is akouo which means to hear. It does not literally mean "to understand". This would be the verb sunieemi which is found in Acts 7:25 and 28:26 - "but they understood not", "ye shall hear, and shall not understand".
Those Bible versions that have correctly translated both Acts 9:7 as "hearing a voice", and Acts 22:9 as "but they heard not the voice" are: Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, Geneva Bible 1599, Young's, Darby, Douay, the Revised Version 1881, American Standard Version 1901, RSV 1952, NRSV 1989, the NKJV 1982, Goodspeed, Weymouth, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible 1902, Lamsa's 1933 translation of the Syriac Peshitta, New English Bible 1970, Today's English Version 1992, Good News Translation 1992, The Message 2001, the New Living Bible 1998, and even the 2003 Holman Standard Version.
It is very simple to explain this apparent contradiction. We have all experienced being in an auditorium and the speaker will say: "Can you hear me back there?" And the people in the back reply: "No, we can't hear you. Speak up." They could "hear" his voice, but they couldn't make out what he was saying.
Even in Scriptue itself we have a clear example of "hearing a voice" but not "hearing" it. In John 12:28-30 we read: "Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glority it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and HEARD IT, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes."
The people "heard" the voice. They knew there was an audible sound, but some thought it had thundered, and others couldn't understand what was said, but they did hear something.
Matthew Henry briefly comments on Acts 22:9: "They heard not the voice of him that spoke to Paul, that is, they did not distinctly hear the words."
John Wesley likewise comments: " They did not hear the voice - Distinctly; but only a confused noise."
John Calvin remarks in his commentary on Acts 22:9 "I showed in the other place, that there is no such disagreement in the words of Luke as there seemeth to be. Luke said there, that though Paul’s companions stood amazed, yet heard they a voice. (Acts 9:7). But in this place he saith, they heard not the voice of him which spake to Paul though they saw the light. Surely it is no absurd thing to say that they heard some obscure voice; yet so that they did not discern it as Paul himself, whom alone Christ meant to stay and tame with the reprehension. Therefore, they hear a voice, because a sound doth enter into their ears, so that they know that some speaketh from heaven; they hear not the voice of him that spake to Paul, because they understand not what Christ saith."
There is no contradiction when the two texts are properly put together and understood. The men did hear a voice (Acts 9:7), but they didn't "hear" it well enough to distinguish what was being said (Acts 22:9). Luke did not make a mistake and there was no scribal error in ALL the manuscripts. The only error is assuming there is an error or contradiction, when none exists.
Will Kinney
Acts 7:20-- "In which time Moses was born, and was EXCEEDING FAIR, and nourished up in his father's house three months."
I am continually amazed at the barrage of silly arguments raised against the authority and accuracy of the King James Bible. As for those who raise objections to the text of the King James Bible, I have yet to find one of them who actually has any Bible version they defend as being the pure, preserved, infallible words of God. Instead, "every man doeth that which is right in his own eyes" and they become their own final authority with a mystical bible that exists only in their own minds.
Such an example of ignorantly trying to "correct" the KJB is found in Acts 7:20. Years ago I was invited to debate the Bible Version issue on the radio. I wish I knew then what I know now, but in any event, one young man called in to say that the King James Bible was wrong when it said Moses was EXCEEDING fair in Acts 7:20. He said it should read as do the NKJV, NASB: "At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing TO GOD, and he was brought up in his father's house for three months." - (the NKJV), or "was lovely in the sight OF GOD" - (NASB).
Other versions that read like the NKJV, and NASB are Tyndale, the Geneva Bible, the RSV, NRSV, ESV, ISV, Young's, and the Holman Christian Standard.
However there are also many bible translations that read like the King James Bible with "was exceeding fair". Among these are the Revised Version 1881, the American Standard Version 1901, Darby, New American Bible 1970, the Bible in Basic English 1960, Webster's 1833 translation, the KJV 21st Century version 1994, Third Millenium Bible 1998, John Wesley’s translation 1755, Mace’s New Testament 1729, Goodspeed 1943, Weymouth 1913, Rotherham's Emphasized bible 1902, the 20th Century New Testament, the Comtemporary English Version 1991, the Hebrew Names Bible, the World English Bible,The Jerusalem Bible 1968, St. Joseph New American Bible 1970, the New Jerusalem bible 1985, Today's English Version 1992, the New English Bible 1970, the New Century Version of 1988, God’s Word translation 1995, Worldwide English N.T., Easy to Read Version 2001, Portugese Ferreira de Almeda, Spanish Biblia en Lenguaje Sencillo 2000, Italian La Parola e Vita 1997, the French Martin 1744, the Updated Bible Version 2004 and The Message of 2003.
The NIV and the TNIV are a bit unusual in that they both say Moses "was no ordinary child", but like the KJB, they do not contain the words "of God" in their translation.
There is a simple and thoroughly biblical explanation as to why the KJB and many others translated this phrase as "exceeding fair" instead of "lovely to God". The Greek reads the same here in all texts (kai hn asteios tw thew) so it is not a textual but rather a translational issue.
Some of the meanings of the word "God" or Elohim in Hebrew and God or Theos in Greek are "mighty, very great, exceeding, or judges". ALL bible versions at times translate Elohim as "great, mighty, or exceeding". The NIV, for example, shows the word Elohim as translated in the following manner: "God, angels, godly, idols, majestic, sacred, MIGHTY, GREAT, and VERY." The NASB also lists "God, mighty, great, judges, and rulers."
Notice how the post-Christian Greek Septuagint version renders these verses from the Old Testament, and how they employ the word "God, or Theos".
Jonah 3:3 "Now Nineveh was and EXCEEDING great city of three days' journey" - h de nineuh hn polis megalh tw thew.
Genesis 23:6 "Hear us, my lord: thou art a MIGHTY prince among us" - basileus para theou ei su en hmin
Genesis 30:8 "And Rachel said, With GREAT wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed." - kai eipen rachl sunelabeto moi o theos
Exodus 9:28 "Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more MIGHTY thunderings and hail" -fwnas theou kai calazan
1 Samuel 14:15 "and the earth quaked: so it was a very GREAT trembling"- egenhqh ekstasis para kuriou
The King James Bible is NOT incorrect in Acts 7:20 by saying Moses was "exceeding fair". In fact, it makes more sense and is consistent with what we are told in Exodus 2:2. "And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months." That he was a goodly child simply means that Moses was a beautiful baby, and that is exactly what we are told again in Acts 7:20. To say, as the NKJV and NASB do, that this little baby boy of only a few weeks old was "well pleasing to God" when all he could do was cry, wiggle, eat and poop his diapers is to attribute a spiritual life to him that babies simply do not have.
Will Kinney
