Q. Were seven (7) books from
the original Hebrew version of the Bible left OUT of King James Version Bible?
(Submitted by: Paul) A. I do not think
that books were left out from the Hebrew version but rather books were split and used in King James. For
instance in the Hebrew versions the book of Kings is one book as is the book of Chronicles eliminating two books that
are in the King James Version. The book of Samuel has also been split out into First and Second books in the King James Version. Some of the prophets
were combined into one book which would include all the minor prophets from Amos to Malachi in the King James Version. Rest assured
though all of the characters have been accounted for and that is what is most important. Mordakhai Joseph, who does an excellent study of the Old Testament (
www.teachingthelaw.org), reads from a Hebrew to English
Bible. I've noticed in his audio lessons that his Bible does not always follow the same chapter or verse patterns as my
King James Version. He has to keep giving us updated references so we can read along and not get confused. So I suspect that the
language syntax of the Hebrews has something to do with it as well. Hebrew is written from right to left and in all
capital characters which might make an exact match impossible as English takes up several words or sentences to explain
the same meaning. It was not in the original manuscript to even have chapter and verses
designated. That came much later when men copied them and added it for clarity and to know which lines they were on. In
the original Masoretic manuscript each Hebrew character has a number designation and each word and line must add up to
a certain original sum or the whole copy was thrown out. This is how we know that the original Hebrew has been copied
correctly for thousands of years. |