[This is not the last of the series; it’s just how far DVE aka Admin2 got when she started posting her findings on mistranslated verses in the Christian OT. Please check out the related articles:
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A TEXT OUT OF CONTEXT… IS JUST A PRETEXT
Why Jews Cannot Accept the New Testament
By Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz
For centuries, Christians have used yet another shocking contradiction. They claim that the Jews are blind to a proper understanding of their own scriptures, especially those that point to Jesus.
The New Testament book of Corinthians states that the Jews have a veil over their hearts that blocks their ability to read and understand the teachings of Moses. The Christian argument continues to assert that when the Jews turn to Jesus, their veil will be removed and they will be able to see the truth. This assertion is mind-boggling!
“But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” [2 Corinthians 3:12‑16]
As absurd as this Christian argument may be, it becomes even more outrageous by the intentional mistranslation of a passage from Exodus. In Chapter 34, we are told that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, his face was beaming with rays of light.[10] This light was so intense that the Jews could not look at him.
Therefore, when Moses stopped speaking to the Jews and finished teaching them the Torah, he would cover his face with a veil.
“When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.” [Exodus 34:34]
The Hebrew word for “had finished” is the same as the word used in Genesis 2:1 where we are told that God had finished (vayechulu – וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ) the creation . For centuries, traditional Jews have understood and recited this word every Friday night when they sanctified the Sabbath with wine.
The authors of these Christian translations, including the King James Bible, have contradicted the original Hebrew and intentionally mistranslated the verse in Exodus to make it consistent with the verse in Corinthians.
“And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.” [Christian translation]
Their incorrect version deliberately implies that until Moses was finished speaking to the Jews, he had a veil over his face. Therefore, he transmitted only a veiled understanding of the meaning of his words!
Furthermore, there are other major contradictions and inconsistencies within the New Testament itself! I present just two of many.
In the first example, the Synoptic Gospels state that the Last Supper was on Passover (Matthew 26:1-19, Mark 14:12-23 and Luke 22:7-20). However, the disciple John claims that Jesus was crucified before Passover started.
“Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover… and they crucified him.” [John 19:14-18]
In the second example, disciples Matthew and Luke present genealogical records to demonstrate that Jesus is a direct descendant of King David and therefore, a rightful heir to the Messianic throne.
Jewish Scriptures emphatically state that the messiah must meet several specific criteria and genealogy is definitely one of them. The messiah must be:
1. A Male, Son-After-Son, Descendant from the Biblical Tribe of Judah:
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh (Messiah) comes.” [Genesis 49:10]
Tribal affiliation is patrilineal, transmitted only from father to son.
“Then they registered their ancestry in their families by their fathers’ household.” [Numbers 1:18]
2. A Descendant of King David:
“I shall raise up for David a righteous branch and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.” [Jeremiah 23:5]
“David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. [Jeremiah 33:17]
“I will raise up your descendant after you (David), who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me.”
[2 Samuel 7:12‑16].
3. A Descendant of King Solomon:
“His name shall be Solomon… he shall build a house for My name and I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.” [1 Chronicles 22:9‑10]
However, a careful examination of the two New Testament genealogies presents serious problems. The first concerns the birth of Jesus.
By claiming that Jesus was born of a virgin birth, he would obviously not have a physical father and would be disqualified immediately as a member of the tribe of Judah or David.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” [Matthew 1:18]
Furthermore, the disciple Paul claims that Jesus is the messiah based on his physical genealogy.
“Concerning his Son, who was born a descendant of David according to the flesh.” [Romans 1:3]
“For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah.” [Hebrews 7:14]
By stating that Jesus was the physical descendant of Judah and David, Paul validates the biblical criteria of biological ancestry and at the same time, contradicts the mistaken genealogical claims found in the Gospels.
Additionally, the genealogy of Matthew is inconsistent with Luke’s! Matthew lists Joseph’s father as Jacob, and Luke lists Joseph’s father as Eli.
“And to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus.” [Matthew 1:16]
“Jesus was about thirty years of age, being supposedly the son of Joseph, the son of Eli.” [Luke 3:23]
Matthew also lists Jesus as being a descendant of King Jeconiah whose descendants were disqualified from ever being Kings of Israel.[11]
“To Josiah were born Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.” [Matthew 1:11]
This is problematic because it also says,
“Write this man (Jeconiah) down childless… for no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.” [Jeremiah 22:24]
Furthermore, Luke’s genealogy record lists 14 more generations than Matthew’s, and he lists Jesus as being a descendant of King David through his son Nathan and not his son Solomon, as required by biblical mandate.
“… the son of Nathan the son of David.” [Luke 3:31]
Some Christians try to resolve this discrepancy by claiming that Luke is actually listing Mary’s genealogy. This far-fetched and desperate theory is highly problematic for several reasons.
1. The Greek text does not substantiate this argument.
2. Mary’s affiliation to the tribe of Judah would not be transmitted to her children because tribal affiliation is patrilineal.
3. This genealogy does not include Solomon.
Possibly, these obvious contradictions compelled the disciple Paul to write the following dramatic statement to his disciple Timothy.
“… nor pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than further the administration of God which is by faith.” [1Timothy 1:4]
For those who seek to discover the truth, it is evident that all of these countless attempts by Christians to prove that Jesus is a divine Messiah are based on inaccurate quotes and distortions of the original Hebrew Bible.
To conclude, the examples that I have presented here represent only a fraction of the contradictions and inconsistencies we encounter whenever we make a careful examination of the New versus the Old Testament.
This article is written out of deep love for God and respect for the authority of the Jewish Scriptures. I hope you appreciate that this is why Jews can never accept Jesus as the Messiah, and why Jews must reject claims that the New Testament is infallible and divinely inspired.
Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz is the founder, Jews for Judaism, International.
© 2012 Jews for Judaism International.
[10] Michelangelo was most probably influenced by another mistranslation of this verse (horns of flesh rather than rays of light) to craft his famous statue of Moses (c. 1513–1515) with actual horns coming out of his head.
[11] Some Christian missionaries respond that the curse was removed and the kingship returned to Jeconiah’s son Zerubavel. Zerubavel’s name means “child of Babylon” and indicates his birth took place while Jeconiah was imprisoned there. Sometimes missionaries quote a rabbinic teaching that Jeconiah repented in the Babylonian prison and was rewarded by having the curse removed. However, this poses another problem for them because it demonstrates that a person is able to repent of a sin without the need to offer a blood sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple.
DVE@S6K
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