By Cris D. Putnam
There’s a new Bible “translation” with a pernicious agenda, it’s called the Queen James Bible. The editors named it the Queen James because of the “obvious gay link to King James, known amongst friends and courtiers as “Queen James” because of his many gay lovers.” While King James was known for moral weakness, this is not reflective of the biblical authors. Homosexuality is a sin because it is against the creation order.
First, I think it is important to point out the fallacious theory of interpretation/translation. A helpful guide to understanding theories of translation is How to Read the Bible for All it Worth (a book I reviewed here):
Functional equivalence: the attempt to keep the meaning of the Hebrew or Greek but to put their words and idioms into what would be the normal way of saying the same thing in English. The more one is willing to forego formal equivalence for functional equivalence, the closer one moves toward a theory of translation frequently described as “dynamic equivalent.” Such translations keep historical distance on all historical and factual matters but “update” matters of language, grammar, and style.
Free translation: the attempt to translate the ideas from one language to another, with less concern about using the exact words of the original. A free translation, sometimes also called a paraphrase, tries to eliminate as much of the historical distance as possible and still be faithful to the original text.
Theory of translation has basically to do with whether one puts primary emphasis on formal or on functional equivalency, that is, the degree to which one is willing to go in order to bridge the gap between the two languages, either in use of words and grammar or in bridging the historical distance by offering a modern equivalent. [1]
With the preliminaries out of the way, I think it is safe to say the Queen James Bible does not even qualify as a free translation. It’s not a translation at all. For instance, think about the overtly circular methodology of deciding a position like “homosexuality is not addressed in the Bible” and then imposing that idea on to the text. It’s really not a theory of translation at all rather it seeks to revise the text in accordance with a predetermined agenda. The Queen James Bible is not a Bible translation, it’s an outright forgery.
As an example let’s examine a representative passage from the Queen James:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor morally weak, nor promiscuous, (1 Cor 6:9, QJV)
I contend that the Greek text is actually much more explicitly addressing homosexuality than the English translations reveal. A functional equivalent translation like King James or New American Standard reads as such:
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,”(1 Co 6:9, KJV)
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,(1 Co 6:9. NASB)
A free translation like the New Living Translation or New International Version reads:
“Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,(1 Co 6:9, NLT)
“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men,”(1 Co 6:9, NIV)
But looking at the Greek text of 1 Cor 6:9:
“Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι θεοῦ βασιλείαν οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν; μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται”(1 Co 6:9, NA27)
These terms I underlined “μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται” are much more explicit than our English translations present. One of the most respected Greek lexicons based on semantic domains is very revealing:
88.281 μαλακόςb, οῦ m: the passive male partner in homosexual intercourse —‘homosexual.’ For a context of μαλακόςb, see 1 Cor 6:9–10 in 88.280. As in Greek, a number of other languages also have entirely distinct terms for the active and passive roles in homosexual intercourse.
88.280 ἀρσενοκοίτης, ου m: a male partner in homosexual intercourse—‘homosexual.’ It is possible that ἀρσενοκοίτης in certain contexts refers to the active male partner in homosexual intercourse in contrast with μαλακόςb, the passive male partner (88.281).[2]
Far from not speaking to the issue, Paul hit it head on. In fact, a woodenly literal translation might read:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Neither sexually immoral people, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive homosexual partners, nor dominant homosexual partners,
The Queen James Bible leads folks who struggle with sexual attraction disorders to forego repentance and invite the wrath of God:
“Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error.”(Ro 1:26–27)
See: Did Jesus Condemn Homosexuality?
Also See: The Same Sex Controversy
[1] Gordon D. Fee and Douglas K. Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993), 41
[2] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, vol. 1, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 771-72.
About Cris Putnam
One of the problems with logic is that you can not use it when “blind faith” enters the picture. You people claim the name of Christ but your hearts all full of hate. Why do you not preach about forgiveness and love. The just and the unjust will always be with us. A person’s life is their own to do with it what they want. After that person has heard, read, or seen the TRUE meaning of Christianity and they continue to live a life you do not agree with, then LET THEM BE! Does the Bible not say that? Your Authoritarian philosophy allows people like Hitler to take over a person’s common sense and become part of the mass-mind that can be guided by the Leaders will. Of course I should take my own advice and shut up; for you have forgotten the truth, if you ever knew it, and you people will always be with us.
Peace&Love
No, the Bible does not say, “Let them Be.” If one truly is a child of God, we are commanded to rebuke and exhort them to Godliness. The Bible says, “Ye are not your own, but ye are bought with a price.” “Therefore, glorify God in your members and do not yield them as members of unrighteousness.” That’s what the Bible really says. And for those who persist in sexual immorality, the Bible says that such shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. They do not belong to God and are destined for an eternity in the lake of fire with no chance of relief. That’s the kindest and most loving thing that can be done for a sodomite is to tell them the truth. But that also applies to those heterosexuals who are just sleeping around. The same fate awaits. The difference is that I haven’t seen any heterosexuals parading through the streets in an attempt to force acceptance of their promiscuity on the rest of society.
Amen!
The Gospel is watered down when it no longer calls for repentance.
This is a reality of the Time in which we are.
We must allow the fire to proceed from our mouths in order to save some from the eternal Fire. Jude23
RISE UP O MEN OF GOD, LIFT HIGH THE CROSS OF CHRIST! TREAD WHERE HIS FEET HAVE TROD…
Blessings
john B
David,
I don’t hate anyone and my faith is not at all blind. Where do you get that from? I challenge you to produce evidence of it. I think you are being disingenuous. My post is about the translation of the biblical text, I have not attacked anyone personally, only the dishonest scholarship of these so called translators. David I have personally struggled with horrible addictions in my past, I do not think I am better than anyone. I was as bad and I know I need a Savior! I was never able to maintain any meaningful change in my life until I surrendered it to Christ. I have confirmation that my faith is real because it has radically changed who I am. I do not think the same way, I am no longer controlled by my proclivities to sin. It’s a real miracle, so my faith is not blind. People struggling with attraction disorders need to do the same, they can and do change.The most loving thing I can possibly do it beg them to fall on their knees and ask God to help them. Think about this. The Bible does say that unrepentant homosexuals will not enter the kingdom of God, this means they will suffer eternal torment in hell. The most callous and cruel thing I could possibly do is TO LET THEM BE!
I think we can safely draw the line when they start perverting God’s word, which is the point of the blog post.
No the Bible does not say to leave the sinners alone in their sin. As a matter of fact it says quite the opposite. We are to speak to them and if they will not turn from their sin we are to kick them out from among us (the Believers and followers) It also says to kill them. Nowhere does it say to stay living around them and to accept and condone things that YHVH is clearly against. Nor are we to sit quietly while they push their agenda into our children in school.
The Roman Catholics held to this notion post New Testament but we believe it is a grave error. That portion of the OT law is part of the Mosaic covenant stipulations given at Mount Sinai for ancient Israelites. These laws were in place so God could set apart a people in the ancient world – the Jews – to deliver His word – prophecy – and eventually incarnate himself as Jesus to solve our sin problem, that’s why the OT contains hundreds of specific prophecies predicting Jesus, it all points to Him, even the sacrificial system of killing animals as a sin offering. Jesus came and died for the sins of the world and all of that is completed. The Levitical laws are completed and no longer in effect, the Mosaic covenant is finished. However, we do not need Leviticus to understand homosexuality as sinful. It’s prominently denounced in the New Testament. We are sent to live in this fallen world as Christ’s ambassadors’ calling people to repentance and reconciliation. We do not kill people for sins we preach repentance… (but the government does i.e. capital punishment for murder etc.)
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Co 5:18-21)
The biblical punishment for the abomination of homosexuality is death, read Leviticus 20:13.
So if you’re living under the law of the Torah, then by all means, capital punishment for the homosexuals caught in the act of ***. But that also means you don’t believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind. If you send that person to the gallows or the stone pit, then Jesus died for nothing.
Which way do you want to have it?
BillybonesIII, those capital punishment laws were Mosaic covenant stipulations for the ancient Israelites, that covenant is completed. God’s moral requirements like the 10 commandments are still in effect and the New testament denounces homosexuality but nobody gets stoned in Christianity. However, the state will institute capital punishment for certain crimes like murder. Christians realize that we cannot keep God’s law – we confess that we are sinners – God puts our punishment on Christ and we are imputed His righteousness. However, if one denies that a sinful behavior is in fact a sin, like adultery, then in denying it he will own it. If one is not grieved by their sin, its a sign they have never converted. It’s not that people struggle with sinful proclivities that is the issue – we all do- its the disingenuous effort to cast it as acceptable that merits God’s disfavor.
No Billybones, the Bible and the Torah are two different things although there are many similarities in terms of moral law because Christianity comes from Judaism. The New Testament says that the Old Testament is a schoolmaster. In other words there are many of the Old Testament laws that can be applied in the modern era. Jesus did not die so that we would have to live with every kind of crime imaginable with no means to punish and restrain it. That was not His purpose at all. Just because sin has been paid for on the cross to keep the soul of a repentant sinner from hell does not change the fact that there are consequences for sin in this life. We actually have very wide latitude Biblically when it comes to dealing with crime and punishment. But we will all find that the closer we are to Gods standard of justice, as revealed in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the better off all of us will be. And the further we get away from it, the more miserable we will all be. For instance, you can allow murderers to go free if you like, but when you do, you should not act surprised when that same murderer takes the life of someone you love. Likewise, you can allow homosexuals to go unrestrained if you like, but then don’t be surprised when the blood supply becomes polluted with the AIDS virus when you or a hemopheliac needs a blood transfusion. And don’t be surprised when families begin to break up due to a female bias against men in the legal system that destroys your marriage and leaves you without legal recourse as a newly divorced man.
Hi,hi; ‘Feminism and homosexuality’ since these Twins reared their ugly heads the divorce rate has doubled in western society..
The condition of the church is no better.. First came the Feminist in the pulpit soon followed by the homosexual.
The Queen James Bible has gone beyond the pulpit to challenge the very authority of God’s Word
I call for the Lord to vindicate His Word.. Arise thou O Lord and scatter thine enemies!
Jay,
Best illustration and argument I have heard in explaining the wisdom of both the Law of Moses vs the Law of Christ working together.
Moses lead a nation. Jesus leads us personally. Both lead with same intention –> To be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect, Jesus being the completion of the old and the only way to God for both.
I personally think that Australia is a country running closer than other countries toward the intention of God in the Old and New covenants for a nation.
AUSTRALIA:
Our taxes (tithes), heal our sick for free. (old covenant)
Our taxes (tithes), give social welfare for all that are homeless. (Old & New covenant)
We have a law that protects and punishes the wrong doer. (old covenant)
We have a law that does not put someone to death, but allows God’s timing to redeem a sinner before God decides when they die. (new covenant)
We have continued to block all legislation for gay marriages. (old and new covenant)
We in Australia are truly blessed. I look forward to the day Jesus becomes Prime Minister with his cabinet of rulers to see the world running at its best from the new Jerusalem. 🙂
Time to move to Australia Jay, same reason to leave the land of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Josh, your heart is in the right place, but yikes man, comparing taxes to tithes is crazy. Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this kingdom and we should render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, regarding taxes.
Taxes can be used for good, but the government does not take the place of a savior. In fact, it will be the governments of the world that will unite and become the empire of the Antichrist.
It’s very dangerous to exalt your government, because all governments are headed by people who are corruptible. It’s naive to believe that we can have a heavenly kingdom on earth before Jesus returns. Satan will always have a say in the institutions of men until he is thrown into the pit.
Hi Hopeful_watcher.
Yes your right, hahaha.
It was an illustration supporting what Jay was saying in that, while we get closer to the intention of God’s way in national living and a personal walk, things start working better for everyone.
It was by no means eschatological in its aim. Just observing working wisdom currently irrespective of what will happen.
Bless ya.
Josh, I appreciate your compliments, but I must say that the taxes we now pay are actually going to destructive and criminal uses beyond the imagination. And I don’t just mean that the government is using our money to kill innocent unborn babies and fund homosexual interests. Your tax dollars are actually being used to fund sniper rifles for Israels neighbors and various other under the radar weapons systems that are being used to attack Israel even as we speak. The military we fund are murdering people around the world to support America’s drug habit… ie. the opium fields of Afghanistan. And all of that is just the tip of the iceberg. These weapons will soon be turned on American citizens by their own government. I suppose it could be argued that America has sinned against God and thus deserves it, but I don’t want to be the one that makes that determination at this point.
Josh, I think your tithe is an entirely different matter than your taxes. But then again, many church leaders have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, just like the government.
Hopeful said; ‘In fact, it will be the governments of the world that will unite and become the empire of the Antichrist’.
Amen! and it will have the religious incorporated within; Catholicism, Zionism, Mohamedism. Three antichrist systems which are also political ( all linked to Abraham from which came the promised Seed, The Crhrist) unified against the Holy remnant of God Rev16:13,14
Blessings
john B
We have all sinned and need forgiveness. But where does this include justifying any sin and making room for it in future behavior? The homosexual agenda is blatant here, any born again believer would hardly be deceived by it.
for it says that anybody who willing changes the meaning of YAHWHS Words shall be tossed into the fiery lake of hell of all time another thing my ancestors financed the kings james bible before 1611 who were cousins of king james steward
for the jesuit priest of his time tried to make him into something he was not a sodomite there is a book in the library in london i heard about that was called how to defame a king by a jesuit priest who i assume had to been burned at the stake if he had been caught like the man known as guy fawks who was a member of that sect
i am not a lover of sodomites or the vatican pagan church of lucifer for a reason if you know the story of what happened to the scots under william the second and his wife mary steward queen of scotland they were given a edict to make or force every scot to become a catholic if they didnt they were exhilded or put to death then we have the other side queen anne steward the sister of mary queen of scotland who was not advocate of the catholic church either if this book or i mean rag had come out in england of that period the sodomites would be burned at the stake like witches for their perversions i assure you on that along with the koran who is nothing but toilet paper by lucifer is all
How ironic it is to see these erroneous translations molest the non-LDS Christian community, when they have CONSTANTLY accused the LDS Christians of heresy for suggesting that it’s a real danger.
The book of Mormon is heresy! There is no such thing as an “LDS Christian” Joseph Smith declared that Christianity was a false religion, you can’t have it both ways.
Chris,
The Book of Mormon is a sign unto his people that they may know that the work of the Father has already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he has made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.
Now, I know that you know what that covenant is, and you know that it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
But you are among those gentiles who will not believe it, although it has been declared unto you, and it is because of those who will not believe it that the servants of the Lord shall be marred, but their lives are in his hands and they shall be healed, and the Lord will show unto the children of men that his wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
Have you even read the book?
I have read enough to know the BoM is a crudely crafted piece of fiction. Do you know about the Book of Abraham your false prophet also translated from hieroglyphics? I suggest you study the link and leave the Mormon cult.