[B-Greek] Question on NWT's footnote to Rev. 16:13

vasilis tsialas tsialas78 at hotmail.com
Fri Oct 3 08:19:08 EDT 2008


The verb "come", though not being in the text, is implied by the preposition εκ (out of).
Thus the Greek text gives enough evidence for this rendering. It seems that at the first edition of the NWT
the translators deemed it good to add the testimony of other, ancinet translations, as the Sahidic and the Ethiopic.
For the sahidic version, you can make your question also to this blog: http://nwtandcoptic.blogspot.com.

Allow me also to give you a clue for the rendering "inspired expessions", that is unusual. The footnote has the rendering "spirits",
but the translators seem to understand this word in the Johannine usage in 1Jo 4:1:

μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε͵ ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα εἰ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν


where it seems the word πνευμα is used metonymically, since it is not the spirit or the inspiration someone can believe or put to the test,
but the inspired message of the false prophets.


Vasileios Tsialas

Athens, Greece


----------------------------------------
> From: ABecker at nerdshack.com
> To: B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 01:21:51 -0700
> Subject: [B-Greek] Question on NWT's footnote to Rev. 16:13
>
> Here is the text in question with the New World Translation:
>
>
>
> καὶ εἶδον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ θηρίου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ ψευδοπροφήτου πνεύματα τρία ἀκάθαρτα ὡς βάτραχοι
>
>
>
> And I saw three unclean inspired expressions [that looked] like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the wild beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
>
> -New World Translation (1984 revision)
>
>
>
> The original translation reads the same without the brackets:
>
>
>
> And I saw three unclean inspired expressions that looked like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the wild beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
>
> -New World Translation (1950 edition)
>
>
>
> My question is not about the unusual translation “unclean inspired expressions” (πνεύματα τρία ἀκάθαρτα), but the verb “come” here. While supplying a verb here is not remarkable (see “issuing” (RSV), “they came out” (NIV), etc.), I thought it was interesting that the translators of the New World Translation felt that they needed to supply a footnote in support of the verb “come” in the 1950 edition (this footnote does not appear in the 1984 revision). The footnote is as follows:
>
>
>
> “Come,” MSS. Nos. 169, 189, 216, Arm 1, 2, Sahidic and Ethiopic; but omitted by א A Vg Sy(h)
>
>
>
> I am curious as to the reading they are referring to. I thought that they might be referring to the variant ἐδόθη for Westcott-Hort’s εἶδον. However, the fact that they specifically say that “come” is omitted by א (which reads ἐδόθη) and that their translation has “I saw” = εἶδον indicates that they must be referring to something else. Passing over the support of the versions for now, I am unsure of the Greek manuscripts cited (MSS. Nos. 169, 189, 216). I have been unable to find these manuscripts in the New Testament MSS lists I have. Is there anyone who would be able to help me identify what manuscripts they are referring to or the reading contained in them?
>
>
>
> Anthony Becker
>
> ---
> B-Greek home page: http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek
> B-Greek mailing list
> B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-greek

_________________________________________________________________
Κατεβάστε 30 ΔΩΡΕΑΝ Emoticons για τον Windows Live Messenger σας!
http://www.livemessenger-emoticons.com/funfamily/el-gr/


More information about the B-Greek mailing list