Welcome to Day 2416 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Is My Bible Right? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2416

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2416 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today is the thirteenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church.

The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God’s redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it’s also a book that seems strange to us. While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. Today, our lesson is, Is My Bible Right?

After the great flood, everyone had one language. Humanity congregated in the region of Babylonia (“the land of Shinar”) and started building a tower that would reach into the heavens (Gen 11:1-9). God stopped the project by transforming the single language into many—dispersing humanity over the earth and creating the nations and regions listed in Genesis 10. Most people think it ends there, but there’s more. The story picks up again in Deuteronomy 32:8-9. And the story changes, depending on what Bible version you use.

When the Most High apportioned the nations as an inheritance, when he divided up humankind, he established the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.-

Some Bibles may read “sons of Israel” instead of “sons of God.” The difference is due to an ancient manuscript disagreement with major theological ramifications.

Deuteronomy 32:8

Masoretic Text Dead Sea Scrolls

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance

When he divided humanity When he divided humanity

He fixed the borders of the peoples He fixed the borders of the peoples

according to the number of the sons of Israel according to the number of the sons of God

Deuteronomy: 32:43

Masoretic Text Dead Sea Scrolls

[la] 0 nations, acclaim His people! [la] Rejoice, O heavenly ones with Him!

[lb] MISSING [lb] Bow down, all you gods, before Him!

[2a] For he will avenge the blood of his servants; [2a] For he will avenge the blood of his sons;

[2b] He will exact vengeance on his adversaries, [2b] He will exact vengeance on his adversaries

[3 a] MISSING [3 a] He will repay those who hate him,

[3b] And make atonement for his land [and] his people. [3b] And make atonement for his people’s land.

Is It Accurate?

Many English Bibles have “Sons of Israel” or something similar because the translation is based on the traditional Hebrew text of the Old Testament, known to us as the Masoretic Text. But how does God dividing humankind and fixing the boundaries of the peoples “according to the number of the sons of Israel” make any sense? Deuteronomy 32:8 hearkens back to what happened at Babel—and Israel did not exist at that time! If you read through the “Table of Nations” in Genesis 10, Israel does not even appear.

“Sons of God” is the reading in two other older manuscripts: the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, a set of manuscripts discovered in the desert not too far from Jerusalem. Bible translators agree that “Sons of God” is the more original reading, but they usually place it in a footnote at Deuteronomy 32:8, not in the actual text. The English Standard Version (ESV), though, and others, place “sons of God” into their translation.

Why Is There a Difference?

Deuteronomy 32:8 is a textbook example of how later scribes sometimes changed the biblical text in a misguided attempt to “protect” God’s reputation.- Other parts of Deuteronomy were also changed by scribes (e.g., 32:43). When you line up the Dead Sea Scroll reading with the Masoretic Text —the traditional Hebrew text upon which most English translations are based—you can see that the original was altered.

Notice that Deuteronomy 32:43 in the Dead Sea Scrolls has three poetic pairings. Since it’s a poetic section, the symmetry is not only important, it’s expected. The Masoretic Text reading has removed or altered parts of two of the pairings. The first, as in Deuteronomy 32:8, eliminates references to other divine beings (“sons of God” in 32:8: “heavenly ones” and “gods” in 32:43). At some point, a scribe thought this reference to other gods was theologically offensive.- The first line of the final pairing was removed because someone hating God was also offensive.

God, of course, doesn’t need to be protected by a zealous scribe or anyone else. Israel’s doctrine was that Yahweh was unique and above all other divine beings (Pss 29:1: 89:5-7). In a severe judgment, the nations at Babel were disinherited by Yahweh and given over to the administration of other gods (Peut 4:19-20; 32:8), whose actions would be judged by the God of Israel (Psa 82:1, 6). This paved the way for God to create a new people, Israel, in the very next chapter of Genesis. And ironically, it was through Abraham’s seed that the disinherited nations would be reclaimed (Gen 12:1-3).

QUICKBIT: Does your Bible have the reading from the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Include “Sons of God”: ESV, RSV, NRSV, NLT, NET, Message, Good News

Include “Sons of Israel “: NIV, ASB, NASB, HCSB, KJV, NKJV, NCV, Tanakh, 1890 Darby, Young’s Literal, God’s Word Translation, AV (1873)

The lessons that make up Theology Thursday on the Wisdom-Trek Podcast for the next couple of years will satisfy the statement, “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.” I trust you’ll enjoy them—and, of course, not be bored.

Reflect…

If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!