Inspiration: "Is God’s revealing of eternal truth to specific ordained men through the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God, so that these men wrote God’s very words in their own vocabulary and background, as they were consciously or unconsciously being directed by God’s Spirit." Dr. Dennis McCain
IS ALL SCRIPTURE INSPIRED?
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3.16, 17).
Previous articles on the subject of modem translations have emphasized the prevalent tendency to question or deny the unique character and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. To those Biblical scholars who have encouraged their readers to regard the Bible as an interesting collection of folk-lore and legends, the Apostle's dogmatic affirmation of the divine inspiration of all Scripture must always been an annoying embarrassment. To the evangelical Christian knowing his respect and reverence or the Bible as the divine revelation, the same verse has always been a bulwark of his faith.
The Revised Version
It is therefore not surprising that this passage was completely robbed of its meaning and force in the Revised Version of 1881. The Revisers acknowledged in their preface the probability that there would be "blemishes and imperfections" in their revision. Their treatment of this vital text is one of the worst blemishes in a translation which fell lamentably short of the lofty standards of the Authorized Version which it was intended to displace. The Revised Version reads, "Every Scripture inspired of God is also profitable for doctrine", relegating the correct reading to the margin as a discredited alternative. The revised text now suggests that some Scriptures are inspired and therefore profitable, while other Scriptures are uninspired and therefore not profitable.
Principles of Revision violated
This diluted rendering has been circulated now for about one hundred years, but is entirely without warrant or authority. The Revisers mentioned five classes of alterations.
(1) Changes required by the adoption of a new reading in the Greek:
(2) Changes made in the Authorized Version were incorrect or had chosen the less probable renderings
(3) Alterations of obscure or ambiguous renderings; '(alterations of the Autborized Version in cases where it was inconsistent with itself in the rendering of similar or parallel passages
(4) Changes rendered necessary by consequence of changes already made.
None of these explanations is relevant to the verses in question. The Authorised Version was correct and had chosen the only admissible renderings. The passage is neither obscure nor ambiguous. The Authorised Version is entirely consistent with its rendering of many passages of almost identical construction. No other change in this passage could be pleaded to enforce the necessity of the complete alteration of the sense in the Revised Version.
The Translator's Problem
It will be noticed that in the Authorized Version the verb is twice supplied in italics, indicating that the Greek text did not contain this word. In Greek and in some other languages parts of the verb "to be" are commonly omitted, being clearly understood by speaker, hearer and reader alike. In one language it may be incorrect to include the verb in such a sentence. In another language it may be incorrect not to include it. To ensure that the English rendering is complete and grammatically correct, the words not required in the Greek must be supplied in the English, which would otherwise read, "All Scripture is inspired of God and profitable for doctrine..." An English sentence is not complete without a verb, and the Authorised Version translators correctly supplied the verb twice, understanding the passage to signify, "All Scriptures is inspired of God and is profitable." The same sense would be preserved if the verb were inserted once only, immediately after the subject.
Parallel Passages
There are eight similar passages, which the Authorized Version renders in the same manner, by supplying the verb immediately after the subject. Romans 7:12 "The commandment is holy and just." I Cor. 11:30 "Many are weak and sickly." 2 Cor. 10:10 "His letters are weighty and powerful." 1 Tim. 1:15 and 4:9 "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation." 1 Tim. 2:3 "This is good and acceptable." 1 Tim. 4:4 "Every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused." Hebrews 4:13 "All things are naked and opened."
In the translation of these verses the Authorized Version is entirely consistent with itself, faithful to the original, accurate and unambiguous.
The Revised Version Inconsistent with itself
In eight of these passages the Revised Version follows the Authorized Version in supplying the verb "is or are immediately after the subject, and translating the Greek "kai" into English "and' It did not occur to the translators of the Revised Version to alter the Authorized Version to read, "Many weak are also sickly"; "The holy commandment is also just"; "His weighty letters are also powerful"; "The faithful saying is also worthy"; "This good thing is also acceptable"; "Every good creature of God is also nothing to be refused"; "all naked things are also opened .
In all of these verses the Revised Version admits that the Authorized Version is correct, but in spite of these eight good reasons for following the Autborized Version in 2 Timothy 3:16, the Revisers forsook the path of accuracy and consistency and robbed the passage of its vital force, adding part of the predicate to the subject, changing "and" to "also", and making the verse entirely ambiguous.
The Old is better
Several modern translations return to the Authorized Version rendering of this text, or a similar rendering. Moffatt, Phillips, and the American Revised Standard Version all read, "Every Scripture is inspired of God", and the Jerusalem Bible and the New Berkeley Version both have, "All Scripture is inspired by God." For three quarters of a century scholars alleged that the old version was wrong in this place. Any who contended that it was correct were likely to be regarded as rabid fundamentalists whose opinion was unworthy of serious consideration by competent scholars. It is now admitted by many that the Authorized Version was correct in the first place. There was never any valid reason for the alteration, but the change was made and widely accepted, no doubt on the perilous assumption that so many exalted scholars could not possibly agree to be mistaken on the same point.
The rendering in the New English Bible, "Every inspired Scripture has its use for teaching" repeats the error of the Revised Version, and is open to the same criticisms.
It is significant that the Revisers of 1881, who were prepared to give great weight to the Codex Vaticanus, could find an English precedent for their altered text only in the Douay (Roman Catholic) Version. Even there, the punctuation is so arranged to give the Apostle's words greater force than is allowed by the Revised Version. No new manuscript evidence has come to light to affect this passage. No triumphant "gains of recent lexical research" affect the issue. The change was indefensible and inconsistent. The correct reading is now again acknowledged and the Authorized Version vindicated.
Originally printed in Quarterly Record July - September 1960