“…and the gold rats also corresponded to the number of all the cities of the P’lishtim that belonged to the five leaders — fortified cities and country villages. [The rock] is a witness to this day of the great mourning [which resulted from] putting the ark of Adonai on it in the field of Y’hoshua the Beit-Shimshi;”-1 Samuel 6:18
Remember how I told you earlier that because of many problems with the surviving manuscripts and scrolls of the books of Samuel and Kings that scholars have taken ridiculous liberties to change certain things from the original Hebrew?
In other words, based on their own presumptions and assumptions, they declared certain parts of the original Hebrew to be either misspelled or copyist errors.
And then they went ahead and replaced portions of the original verses with what they thought they should be.
Well, in verse 18, we encounter just such an example.
I’m talking about mention of the great “rock” in the field of Joshua the Beit-Shemishite.
This was a huge stone that became a monument to the amazing events connected to the Ark.
The King James renders the verse as follows:
“And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.”
And the NIV says the following:
“And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.”
Now I’d say both of these translations don’t quite get it right…
But the King James is closer to the original Hebrew…
Let’s take a look at the original Hebrew to show you what I mean.
The original Hebrew says:
AD ABEL HAGGEDOLAH
Notice how the proper name “Abel” is in the original Hebrew?
Now the King James Version did the right thing in keeping the name “Abel” intact.
But the Complete Jewish Bible and the NIV completely remove it.
Why?
Again simply because some scholars who were probably smoking too much marijuana when they were translating these verses willy-nilly decided the name “Abel” was a mistake.
So they changed the formal name ABEL to EBEN…which means a “stone” or “rock”.
Again, they had no good reason to do so mind you…
The only proof they had was their academic credentials which they flaunt mercilessly to make changes to Scripture that don’t quite jive with their personal sensitivities…
Kinda reminds me of certain government leaders and presidents of certain “pharmakeia” companies who wrongfully use their authority to pressure and force their ungodly agenda onto their unsuspecting victims.
Ya feel me here homies?
And that leads to our takeaway for today.
The change that was made in verse 18 doesn’t necessarily change anything theologically in the story…
But it might.
And that’s the point…
The Scripture warns us…
“Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”-Deuteronomy 4:1-2
And this same point is also reiterated in the Book of Revelations (verses copied below).
So to close, if we’re gonna stick to the original Hebrew as accurately as possible, I would render the verses in question as follows:
“As for the great platform of Abel
on which they laid the Ark of the Lord,
it is in the field of Joshua,
the Beit-Shemishite, until this day”.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
I warn everyone who hears the words
of the prophecy of this scroll:
If anyone adds anything to them,
God will add to that person the
plagues described in this scroll.
And if anyone takes words away
from this scroll of prophecy,
God will take away from that
person any share in the tree of life
and in the Holy City,
which are described in this scroll.”
-Revelation 22:18-19
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