Expert: Brenton Hepburn - 3/19/2007

Question
QUESTION: Why are there missing verses from the NWT?

ACTS 8:37
ANSWER: Hello Luis,

I must humbly apologize for the delay as i am not receiving any notification from allexperts that i have questions pending.

There are many Bible versions that miss some verses from their texts when compared with the King James Version.  These are called  spurious Bible verses because they do not appear in the oldest known manuscripts.

It is generally believed by most Bible scholars today that since the KJV was produced, older more accurate manuscripts have been found.

Bellow is a link to a page that lists a number of verses missing from Bibles such as New American Standard or the New International Version

http://www.bibletoday.com/htstb/spurious.htm

There are many web sites that argue for and against the verses mentioned on that page.  If you have the time do a google search with the words "spurious Bible verses".

You will find a strong debate between KJV only adherents who will reason very strongly that the KJV is the only correct English Bible against the translators of other Bibles that did not use the same base texts that the KJV translators used.

When one reads the arguments for and against spurious verses it is hard to pick a winner so it comes down to which group of scholars one wants to side with.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The NWT uses the Wescott hort and the KJV uses the septuagint and textus receptus. I have noticed in many ways the NWT is not in keeping with the wording of the wescott hort. Why is that?

Answer
The Greek Text portion (New Testament) of the New World Translation is primarily based on Westcott and Hort Greek Text as well a host of other older texts.  A comparison is made of these texts and adjustments made where there seems to be a need.  This was not done lightly. You will notice that the NWT committee also used the texts that the King James translators used

Sources for the Text of the New World Translation—Christian Greek Scriptures
Original Greek Writings and Early Copies
   Armenian Version
   Coptic Versions
   Syriac Versions—Curetonian, Philoxenian, Harclean,
    Palestinian, Sinaitic, Peshitta
   Old Latin
       Latin Vulgate
         Sixtine and Clementine Revised Latin Texts
   Greek Cursive MSS.
       Erasmus Text
       Stephanus Text
         Textus Receptus
         Griesbach Greek Text
         Emphatic Diaglott
   Papyri—(e.g., Chester Beatty P45, P46, P47; Bodmer P66, P74, P75)

   Early Greek Uncial MSS.—Vatican 1209 (B), Sinaitic (à),
    Alexandrine (A), Ephraemi Syri rescriptus (C), Bezae (D)
       Westcott and Hort Greek Text
       Bover Greek Text
       Merk Greek Text
       Nestle-Aland Greek Text
       United Bible Societies Greek Text
       23 Hebrew Versions (14th-20th centuries), translated
        either from the Greek or from the Latin Vulgate, using
        Tetragrammaton for divine name

If we are to compare all Bibles we will see variatoins in rendering and words used, based on the texts they have used, their understanding of the way original were used and the way the translators themselves understand the modern day use of words.