Typos

July 8

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14



God’s Inerrant Word?

Thank God that today we have the technical capability to produce countless versions of numerous, near-perfect translations of God's Word! But during the early years after the Bible began to be printed, some typographical mistakes slipped in. Fortunately, they were caught and corrected. Had they not been, the integrity of the Truth of the Lord may have been compromised. Here are a few of what are perhaps the most amusing of them:

Wicked Bible: This printing reported the Seventh Commandment as "Thou shalt commit adultery," a mistake that understandably infuriated England's King Charles. He ordered all copies destroyed and fined all printers whose hands had touched the edition.

Place maker Bible: A 16th century printer had Jesus blessing the "place-makers" instead of "peacemakers." An American printer later substituted the "Parable of the Vineyard" with the "Parable of the Vinegar.”

Printers Bible: Perhaps King David was on target in a 1702 edition, which quoted him as saying "Printers [instead of "princes"] have persecuted me without cause."

"Sin-On" Bible: The first English-language Bible to be printed in Ireland in 1716 encouraged its readers to "sin on more" rather than "sin no more." A similar error in 1653 had declared: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God?"

Murderer's Bible: This 19th-century faux pas had Mark 7:27 saying "Let the children be killed" instead of "filled."

Wife-Hater Bible: An 1810 version read, "If any man come to Me, and hate not his own wife (instead of "life"), he cannot be My disciple."

Camels Bible: In 1832 an edition had Rebekah leaving her tent to meet Isaac with a group of, not damsels, but camels.



These typos are amusing to contemplate; however, the importance of maintaining the inerrancy of God’s Immutable Word cannot be over-stated. We know that sometimes people purposely misinterpret what they read in scripture and thereby distort the Lord's intended meaning to the point of great error. We know that sometimes they simply misunderstand and thereby miss-convey its intent.

It is important that we read with understanding and walk within the Truth that the Holy One intends to impart through His immutable Word. To do anything else is to invest ourselves in error. From error comes transgression. Certainly these little 'goof-ups' prove those errors can place us on a wrong course.

Besides giving us His infallible Word, Jesus has also sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within those who believe, John 14:26. His presence with us helps us to interpret the Word accurately and to understand it correctly because He was sent to “teach us all things and bring all truth to your remembrance.” Because we have the Word "hidden in our hearts," and because the Lord Himself abides there, our ability to discern His will is greatly enhanced.

We thank and praise Him that we need not forge our way through life with only our own frail understanding to guide us but that we have the assurance of the help of the Comforter He promised, to "lead us into all truth," John 16:13. Jesus is faithful to wrap us in His love and His power as we overcome all hindrances in order to reach the place of acceptance of and obedience to the immutable Word of God.