1 Corinthians 4:4 "For I know nothing BY myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord."
This verse is fiercely attacked by many "noted scholars" as being a blunder and a defect in our beloved King James Bible. Most modern versions, like the NKJV, NASB, NIV, RSV, ESV, have altered the translation to mean something else. Here is a site that lists several "defects" in the King James Bible. http://www.bible-researcher.com/kjvdefects.html
Notice how these learned men exalt themselves and heap praise on one another, all the while "correcting" the Book of books with degrading insults. They suggest that "volumes, instead of a few pages, may easily be written to illustrate the defects of the A.V.", while they refer to themselves as "this honored body". I have read through the entire list and every one of their criticisms can be refutted by showing parallel examples, other versions and commentators who agree with the KJB readings, or instances of where the modern versions have done the exact same thing they criticize in the KJB.
Here is what this "honored body" of scholars has to say regarding 1 Corinthians 4:4.
"Volumes, instead of a few pages, might easily be written to illustrate the existing defects of the Authorized Version. From a few of the many existing compilations on this subject, some specimens will be drawn. Members of the Revision Committees have a special right to be heard on these points, and Professor Hare of this honored body gives the following illustrations:
"St. Paul says, in the Authorized Version (1 Cor. iv., 4), 'I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified.' This seems incongruous, because 'to know nothing by one's self' means 'to know nothing originally or independently.' In the older English, 'to know nothing by one's self' meant 'to know nothing lying at one's door,' and this is the only sense of which the Greek words in the passage which seems so incongruous are susceptible."
Notice the reasons given for correcting the KJB, and how sure they are of themselves. First, they say the reading of "I know nothing BY myself" SEEMS incongruous, and they then conclude "this is THE ONLY SENSE of which the Greek words...are susceptible".
Secondly, they redefine the simple term "I know nothing by myself" with some very dubious and obscure definition, and tell us the simple sense cannot possibly be right because it doesn't make sense to know nothing independently.
Well, it may come as a shock to some, but there are a whole lot of things about God and how things are being worked out in His plan that we do not know independently. Only God knows them and the context of First Corinthians clearly shows this.
The apostle says: "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."
Most modern versions actually create a contradiction while supposedly correcting the "defects" of the King James Bible. The NKJV (NASB, RSV, ESV, Green's interlinear, etc.) say: "For I know nothing AGAINST MYSELF, yet I am not justified by this."
Which of us can truthfully say "I know nothing against myself"? All of us recognize that we have failed miserably in the past and still continue to fall way short of the character and image of Christ. Paul himself certainly knew of many things "against" himself. He says of himself in 1 Timothy 1:13-15 "who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief...Christ came into the world to save sinners: OF WHOM I AM CHIEF." Notice he does not says I WAS chief, but I AM chief."
The whole of Romans chapter 7 deals with many things Paul and all real Christians know against themselves. "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin, for that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not: but what I hate, that I do...For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not...the evil which I would not, that I do...O wretched man that I am."
Can any of us honestly say that we know nothing AGAINST ourselves? Apparently the apostle Paul could not; unless of course you use a modern version.
The context of 1 Corinthians 4 is speaking about stewards. The Lord Jesus Christ gave many parables about stewards who were entrusted with certain duties. It was not until they finally reported to their Lord that they heard from his mouth either a rebuke or a praise regarding how they had done.
The apostle tells the Corinthians that it was a small thing of no importance how they judged him or any man. Paul obviously was also a man. Yea, he says, I judge not mine own self. According to the modern versions, Paul had already judged himself. The modern versions have him concluding that he knew of nothing against himself, and this creates two contradictions. One - he certainly knew of things against himself as he testifies in other places of the New Testament. And Two - How can he say he does not judge himself, and then say he didn't know of anything against him and that his conscience was clear? This would imply that he already was judging his faithfullness as a steward.
Rather, the King James reading of "I know nothing BY myself" is the only one that correctly fits the context. Paul concludes in the next verse: "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts."
We do not know by ourselves how well we are doing in our Christian walk. We may think we are doing better than we really are, or we may criticize ourselves more harshly than we deserve. God alone knows how we are doing and it is only when He appears that each of us will learn the truth of how faithful we have been with what He has given us.
My understanding of the passage is that he is saying we cannot really know how well or poorly we are doing in our stewardship. We may think we are doing well, when we are not, and vice versa. I don't know whether I am doing everything right, but my ignorance does not make me right before God (justified). God won't say, in effect, Oh you didn't know you were teaching false doctrine, so it is OK. Or You didn't know that was not what I wanted you to do, so it is OK too. If I do or teach something out of ignorance, I still will be held accountable before God, and He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and the counsels of the heart.
Not only does the King James Bible read: "For I know nothing BY myself...but he that judgeth me is the Lord." but so also do Tyndale 1525, Miles Coverdale 1535, Bishop's Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, John Wesley's translation 1755, the 21st Century KJV, and the Third Millenium Bible. The King James Bible is right, as always, and the modern versions that try to "correct" it have actually ruined the true sense of the passage.
Will Kinney
Psalm 138:2 Magnified thy word ABOVE all thy name
Psalm 138:2 "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for the lovingkindness and for thy TRUTH: for thou hast magnified thy word ABOVE all thy name."
Gary Hudson is a typical Bible corrector. He generally "prefers" the New KJV, but like all other Bible correctors who have placed their own minds as the final written authority, and do not believe that any Bible on this earth is the inerrant words of God, he is free to correct even his own preferred version whenever he chooses to do so.
Mr. Hudson says: "Psalm 138:2 is accurately translated in the NASB as "according to thy name." God's Word and God's name are equally holy, and both equally reveal His character and attributes. His Word is NOT "above" His own name, and never could be because HE IS GOD."
Here is a case of pure human reasoning placing itself above the very words of God, and thus in the place of God Himself who has given us His infallible words. What supreme irony!
Another typical King James critic recently posted at one of the Bible clubs: Psalm 138:2: "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."
Then he says: "This is an example of a very poor rendering, given all the other verses where God says HIS NAME is supreme, & that He's given JESUS a name above all other names. It SHOULD read, "magnified Your word ALONG WITH all Your name." Call me a Bible-corrector if you wish, but when the TRANSLATION doesn't exactly follow its SOURCE BEING TRANSLATED, it calls for correction." (Caps are his, not mine)
The phrase in Psalm 138:2 "thou hast magnified thy word ABOVE all thy name" is found in the 1917 and 1936 Hebrew - English versions put out by the Jewish Publication Society, and the Hebrew Publication Company, New Youk, the Complete Jewish Bible 1998, the Revised Version of 1881, Darby's 1870 translation, the American Standard Version of 1901, Webster's 1833 translation, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible 1902, Youngs translation, the Italian Diodati, the Bible in Basic English 1961, J.P. Green's Modern KJV 1998, the KJV 21st Century, the Third Millenium Bible, The Updated Bible Version of 2004, and the NKJV of 1982. All these Bible versions tell us what the Hebrew text literally says.
The previous English versions like Coverdale, Bishops' and Geneva each gave a different meaning from each other and none of them got it right. The first English Bible to get this verse right was the King James Bible.
Most of the English Bible versions followed the King James reading until we get to the liberal RSV of 1952. The RSV is interesting in that it reads: "Thou hast exalted ABOVE everything thing THY NAME AND THY WORD." It reads basically like the NIV and the ESV do now, but the RSV tells us in their footnotes: - 'Hebrew "exalted Thy word ABOVE all thy name." The NRSV reads like the RSV, and its footnote tells us they have "corrected" the text (Cn), and that the Hebrew literally says what is found in the King James Bible. A similar footnote is found in the ESV.
Then the NASB came out and it changed even the liberal RSV meaning and now says: "For Thou hast magnified Thy word ACCORDING TO all Thy name". The Hebrew word is # 5921 - (al) - and it means "above" as in Genesis 1:7 "the waters were ABOVE the firmament" and Gen.27:39 "the dew from heaven ABOVE."
The NIV, and the 2001 ESV read: "You have exalted ABOVE ALL THINGS YOUR NAME AND YOUR WORD." Just by switching a few words around they have changed the meaning of the whole sentence. But at least they correctly translated "above" whereas the NASB did not.
It is of interest that the NASB has passages where the exact same verb (to magnify) and the preposition (above) are used in comparing two nouns in the same Hebrew construction as found in Psalm 138:2, and the NASB has translated them exactly as they stand in the King James Bible.
“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and MAGNIFY himself ABOVE every god…”(Daniel 11:36:a AV)
“Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and MAGNIFY himself ABOVE every god…” (Daniel 11:36a NASV)
“Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any gods: for he shall MAGNIFY himself ABOVE all.” (Daniel 11:37 AV)
“And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will MAGNIFY himself ABOVE them all.” (Daniel 11:37 NASV)
Please notice neither the NKJV, the NASB, or the NIV agree with each other as to the meaning of this verse.
If you don't like them, then maybe you could try another modern version like the New English Bible, the Holman Standard, or the Message, all three of which give yet different meanings still. The New English Bible of 1970 says: "I will bow down towards thy holy temple, for thy love and faithfulness I will praise thy name; for THOU HAST MADE THY PROMISE WIDE AS THE HEAVENS." - It matches neither the KJB (NKJV), the NASB, or the NIV's meaning.
The Holman Standard of 2003 says: "You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else."
The Message says: " "Thank you!" Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word."
Or how about the NET bible by Dr. Daniel Wallace of Dallas Theological Seminary? It says: "I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your name, because of your loyal love and faithfulness, for you have EXALTED YOUR PROMISE ABOVE THE ENTIRE SKY."
Then in a footnote, Mr. Wallace says: "The Hebrew Masoretic Text reads, “for you have made great over all your name your word”... However, the statement is odd and several emendations have been proposed. Some read, “for you have exalted over everything your name and your word,” while others suggest, “for you have exalted over all the heavens your name and your word.” The translation assumes an emendation of “your name” to “your heavens”.
In other words, Dr. Wallace admits that the Hebrew text actually reads the way it is found in the King James Bible, but he doesn't understand it, so he suggests the "emendations" (changes of text) as found in such versions as the NASB and the NIV!!!
The so called Greek Septuagint (or the LXX) is of no help here because it differs from ALL other versions and the Hebrew text. The LXX says: "for thou hast magnified THY HOLY NAME ABOVE EVERYTHING." - thus omitting the Hebrew "word" and adding "holy", which is not found in the true text.
The Syriac Peshitta, translated in 1933 by Lamsa, gives us yet another meaning for the verse. It says: "for thou hast magnified THY WORD ABOVE EVERY NAME." Is God really this confused or unable to give us His sure words?
The fact is, both the Hebrew texts and the King James Bible are correct when they read; "Thou hast magnified THY WORD ABOVE ALL THY NAME", but the new version editors have a much lower view of God's word, and this is but one example of hundreds where they have changed what God really said.
In what sense then can God magnify His word above His name? My understanding of this verse is that God Himself is subject to His spoken word and compelled by His very nature to fulfill what He has sworn to do. Let's look at some examples of this.
Hebrews 6:13-18 "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multplying I will multiply thee...For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which is was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us."
We see God's spoken words promising a seed to Abraham and making a mighty nation from his loins. See Genesis 15:5; 21:13. Yet later in Israel's history when they had grievously sinned, and God threatened to destroy them, Moses pleads with God in Exodus 32:7-14 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom THOU SWAREST BY THINE OWN SELF, and SAIDST unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever." Then we read "And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."
Christ Himself was God manifest in the flesh, and when it came time for Him to go to the cross and become sin for His people, His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. He prayed that if it were possible this cup of suffering might pass from Him. Yet He knew the Scriptures promised that these things must be so and He yielded to the Father's will and word. "The scriptures must be fulfilled"; and "Thus it is written, and thus IT BEHOOVED Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day." See Mark 14:49, Luke 24:46.
If God has sworn in His word to do something, then He is subject to this oath and bound by His word to fulfill it, no matter what the cost to Himself nor to His Son, and without regard to the sins and unfaithfulness of His people.
Spurgeon's commentary on the Psalms contains these remarks: "For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." This is one of those expressions of Scripture that seem so comprehensive, and yet so amazing. To my mind it is one of the most remarkable expressions in the whole book of God. "Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." The name of God includes all the perfections of God; everything that God is, and which God has revealed himself as having—his justice, majesty, holiness, greatness, and glory, and whatever he is in himself, that is God's name. And yet he has "magnified" something "above his name" —his word — his truth... He has magnified it above all his name in the fulfilment of it: God's faithfulness being so dear to him, he has exalted his faithfulness above all his other perfections. We see this in nature. Here is a man so to be depended upon, so faithful to his word, that he will sacrifice anything sooner than depart from it: that man will give up his property, or life itself, rather than forfeit his word. So God has spoken of magnifying his word above all his name. He would sooner allow all his other perfections to come to naught, than for his faithfulness to fail. He has so magnified his faithfulness, that his love, his mercy, his grace, would all sooner fail than his faithfulness—the word of his mouth and what he has revealed in the Scripture. What a firm salvation, then, is ours, which rests upon his word, when God has magnified that word above all his name! What volumes of blessedness and truth are contained therein! so that, if God has revealed his truth to your soul, and given you faith to anchor in the world of promise, sooner than that should fail, he would suffer the loss of all; for he has magnified his word above all his name. —Joseph C. Philpot.
"I will worship toward thy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Psalm 138:2
Will Kinney