A CONFUSING VERSE

In regard to an article I wrote on The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, I mentioned that there were some confusing verses. I certainly didn't look all through the book to see what I could find but I ran across a verse that, to me, was confusing, so I thought it might be well to look at it with the idea in mind that the translations are the works of men therefore they might be influenced by their own ideas of by some theological philosophy. The same thing could possibly be said about all the other translations. Inconsistencies could be found in any of them. So, I'll just say as I have said on other occasions: as you study, take time to compare versions especially in your study of controversial passages.

The verse I have in mind for this article is Romans 4:25. Let's look at the passage in Romans 4:25 from the NKJV. "Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification."

What I am concerned about is the word "because." I am not too concerned about the first time the word is used although I think a better word could have been used. It is saying, we have sinned, we have offended God, so a sacrificial offering had to be made on our behalf so he was delivered up because we had sinned or offended. But the second because seems to be out of place. "He was raised because of our justification." He was raised because we were justified? Not so but this verse says he was raised because we are justified or because our sins have been remitted. Not so. He was raised in order that we might be justified, not because we were already justified. Let's look at some other translations.

Here's the way it is in the NKJV: "Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification."

Now look at the KJV: "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

It's this way in the New American Standard Version: "He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."

But here's the way it is in the old American Standard of 1901: "Who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification."

The New Revised Version puts it this way: "Who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification."

And the New International Version reads like this: "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised for our iniquities."

So, the consensus of the translations and the only sensible rendering is that the word should be "for," instead of "because."

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