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Old 05-22-2008, 07:08 PM
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Will Kinney Will Kinney is offline
 
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Location: Colorado, a beautiful state with four distinct seasons; sometimes in the same day!
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Default Psalms 12 - God's words preserved

Hi Brandon. Good stuff. I love your posts.

Here is a bit more on this precious Psalm.

Psalm 12:6-7 - God’s promise to preserve His words


Has God promised to preserve His words here on this earth till heaven and earth pass away? Well, a lot depends on which particular bible version you are using.

The Book which I and thousands of other Christians all over the world believe to be the complete, inerrant, infallible and 100% true words of God tell us that He did promise to preserve His words.

Here is a simple Bible version comparison regarding the promise found in Psalm 12 of the King James Bible.

KJB - “Thou shalt keep THEM, O LORD, thou shalt preserve THEM from this generation for ever.”

Webster’s 1833 translation - “Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”


English Revised Version - 1881 “Thou shalt keep THEM, O LORD, thou shalt preserve THEM from this generation for ever.”

ASV 1901 - “Thou wilt keep THEM, O Jehovah, Thou wilt preserve THEM from this generation for ever.”

World English Bible - “You will keep THEM, Yahweh. You will preserve THEM from this generation forever.”

Darby - “Thou, Jehovah, wilt keep THEM, thou wilt preserve THEM from this generation for ever.

Hebrew Names Version = KJB -”You will keep THEM LORD, You will preserve THEM from this generation forever. “

NKJV 1982 - “You shall keep THEM, O LORD, You shall preserve THEM from this generation forever.”
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NASB - “You, O LORD, will keep THEM; You will preserve HIM from this generation forever.”

NIV - The NIV is very different, not only from the KJB but also from the NASB. It says: “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. O LORD, you will keep US SAFE AND PROTECT US FROM SUCH PEOPLE forever.”

Douay-Rheims - “Thou, O Lord, wilt preserve US: and keep US from this generation for ever.”

Jewish Pub. Society 1917 - “Thou wilt keep THEM, O LORD; Thou wilt preserve US from this generation for ever.

The 1936 Hebrew Publishing Company version agrees exactly with the King James Bible reading: “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep THEM, O Lord, thou shalt preserve THEM from this generation for ever.”


RSV 1954- “Do thou, O LORD, protect US, guard US ever from this generation.
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ESV 2001 - “You, O LORD, will keep THEM; you will guard US from this generation forever.”

Young’s - “Thou, O Jehovah, dost preserve THEM, Thou keepest US from this generation to the age.”

The Spanish La Biblia de las Américas 1997 agrees with the KJB saying : “Tú, SEÑOR, LOS guardarás; de esta generación LOS preservarás para siempre.” So too do the Spanish Reina Valera 1909, 1960, 1995 and Las Sagradas Escrituras of 1569.

The French Louis Segond 1910 also agree with the KJB - “Toi, Eternel! tu LES garderas, Tu LES préserveras de cette race à jamais.”

Dutch Staten Vertaling agrees with the KJB _ “Gij, HEERE, zult HEN bewaren; Gij zult HEN behoeden voor dit geslacht, tot in eeuwigheid.”

The Italian Rivudeta 1927 = KJB “Tu, o Eterno, LI proteggerai, LI preserverai da questa generazione in perpetuo.” So too does the 1991 La Nuova Diodati.



Bible commentators disagree among themselves as well as to what these words mean. John Wesley commented: 12:7 Thou shalt keep them - Thy words or promises: these thou wilt observe and keep, both now, and from this generation for ever.”

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan agreed with the rendering. He writes, "The psalmist breaks out into praise of the purity of His words, and declares that Jehovah will 'keep them' and 'preserve them.' The 'them' here refers to the words. There is no promise made of widespread revival or renewal. It is the salvation of a remnant and the preservation of His own words which Jehovah promises." (Notes on the Psalm, Revell Comp., p.32).


Adam Clarke says: “Instead of the pronoun THEM in these clauses, several MSS., with the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Arabic, have US.”

Jewish commentaror Aben Ezra believes the promise concerns the preserving of the words of God from generation to generation.

And others are of the opinion that God is promising to preserve His people. The bible versions are in wide disagreement as are the commentators regarding both how the text should read and what the meaning is. I, of course, side with the King James Bible in that God has promised to preserve every one of His inspired words. All modern versionists deny that He did so and they all believe that the Hebrew texts have been corrupted in numerous places, though none of them agrees with any of the others as to where or how.


Will Kinney