Introduction:
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible contains many changes to the King James Version (KJV) text due to the discovery of many additional and earlier manuscripts of the Bible since the KJV's publication in 1611. An examination of whether these changes are also reflected the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the KJV reveal that they are not. This indicates that the JST does not in fact correct scribal additions, alterations, and mistranslations as Joseph Smith and the Mormon church have claimed.
The analysis here is limited only to the New Testament (NT).
Quick and Dirty Facts:
Brief Background on the KJV and NRSV:
Joseph’s process in producing the JST Involved reading through the KJV and making alterations. The KJV was published in 1611 and was compiled primarily from the Byzantine family of manuscripts which were written about 500 AD - 1000 AD. In the last 400 years since 1611, many additional and earlier manuscripts have been found, including the Alexandrian Family of manuscripts which date to about 200 AD – 400 AD. Newer versions of the Bible, like the NRSV (published in 1989) and New International Version (NIV, published in 1978) incorporate a greater number of manuscripts and earlier manuscripts than were used in the creation of the KJV. Newer translations of the Bible, like the NRSV, are viewed by scholars as more accurate than the KJV for these reasons. The NRSV takes out and/or notes specific verses in the KJV that have been discovered to have been later additions or alterations or mistranslations by scribes.
The Accuracy of the JST Can Be Examined by Comparing it to the Differences Between the KJV and NRSV:
We can determine the accuracy of the JST by examining the differences between the KJV and NRSV and whether the JST reflects those changes. If the JST corrects the scribal additions, alterations, and mistranslations that existed in the KJV and were removed from/noted in the NRSV then this is good evidence that Joseph Smith’s translation was indeed inspired as he claimed. If the JST fails to correct the scribal additions, alterations, and mistranslations then this is good evidence that Joseph Smith’s translation was not in fact inspired.
I undertook this comparison by referencing a copy of the NRSV, a copy of the NIV, a copy of the KJV, Thomas Wayment's "The Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament" (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joseph-Smith-Translation-Testament/dp/1590384393) and several websites which list the changes between the KJV and NIV, including http://www.bloomingdalebiblechurch.net/lists/List%20of%20Bible%20verses%20totally%20omitted.html, and http://www.av1611.org/biblecom.htm.
Spreadsheets showing my analysis can be accessed here:
Comparison to Changes in NRSV:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cYqpW1h3WrMQ0TtAZst2wIa-rWnqY4Hu_yv_ybl-JK4/edit?usp=sharing
Comparison to Changes in NIV:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KwJx6RR-a8eS96e2TNY6pbRbi1FMoElIqRR2GVv1wMQ/edit?usp=sharing
How Accurate is the JST?:
A total of 48 complete verses in the KJV NT have been determined to be scribal additions. These verse are either omitted in the NRSV or noted in the NRSV as not appearing in some manuscripts. Of these 48 verses, the JST only removes 1 – Mark 9:46. But even in this one instance, the JST errs by replacing the removed Mark 9:46 verse with other text that does not appear in biblical manuscripts. Therefore the accuracy of the JST with regards to the removal of verses that were later added by scribes is 0%.
Importantly, the JST not only leaves in 47 of the 48 scribal additions, but it also alters 19 of them (it leaves the other 29 verses untouched). Therefore, we know that Joseph Smith specifically reviewed 19 of the 48 scribal additions but failed to remove them.
An additional 350 verses in the KJV NT have been determined to include scribal alterations or mistranslations. These verses contain phrases or words that are omitted in the NRSV or noted in the NRSV as not appearing in some manuscripts. Of these 350 instances of scribal alterations and mistranslations, the JST removes only 11 of them. Of these 11 removals, 4 are instances of removal of the entire verse rather than just the altered portion, and another 6 are instances of correct removals of the altered portions but then incorrect replacement with text that is not found in biblical manuscripts. The 11th instance is Matthew 5:22 where the JST correctly removes and replaces the error but then adds an additional incorrect and fictitious word to the verse (discussed further below). Therefore the accuracy of the JST with regards to the removal of scribal alterations and mistranslations is again 0%.
The JST not only fails to omit 339 of the 350 scribal alterations and mistranslations, but it also alters 126 of the verses containing scribal alterations and mistranslations (it leaves the other 224 verses untouched). Therefore, we know that Joseph Smith specifically reviewed 126 of the scribal alterations and mistranslations but failed to correct them.
A comparison of the JST to the changes made in the NIV reveal very similar findings. The NIV contains 44 verses added by scribes and the JST removes only 1 (which it replaces with incorrect text). The JST alters 17 of the 44 verses added by scribes. A total of 356 verses are altered in the NIV to correct for scribal alterations and mistranslations in the KJV. As explained previously, only 11 are removed in the JST. The JST alters 130 of the 356 verses containing scribal alterations and mistranslations.
Perhaps most egregious are the JST errors involving two of the most widely recognized scribal additions – the story of the woman taken in adultery and the ending of the book of Mark.
The story of the woman taken in adultery is found in John 7:53-8:11. These verses are widely understood by scholars to be later scribal additions. The JST, however, leaves these verses in and actually alters 6 of the 12 verses, including adding a new ending to the story which explains that the woman became a believer and glorified God’s name. Thus, the JST alters and adds to these scribal additions rather than removing them.
The end of the book of Mark in Mark 16:9-20 is also widely understood by scholars to be a later scribal addition. The JST, however, leaves these 12 verses in and actually alters 3 of them.
The JST adds the word "Rabcha" to Matthew 5:22 so that it reads, in part, "and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, or Rabcha, shall be in danger of the council: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." The word "Rabcha," however, is not a real word. It is neither Aramaic nor Hebrew nor Greek, nor a word in any other language.
In three instances in the New Testament (Matt. 27:33, Mark 15:22, and John 19:17), "Golgotha" is discussed and the Greek word "Κρανίου" is used in the ancient Greek manuscripts, which means "skull." (These three verses explain that "Golgotha" is a location and means "place of a skull.") The KJV correctly translates "Κρανίου" as "skull" in each of these three verses. The JST, however, incorrectly replaces "skull" with "burial." "Κρανίου" does not mean "burial."
Furthermore, the Greek word "Κρανίου" appears a fourth time in Luke 23:33 where it is incorrectly translated in the KJV as "Calvary" instead of "skull." The JST fails to correct this mistranslation.
Finally, John 1:42 reads, "And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone." The word Cephas is Aramaic and correctly translated in the KJV to mean "stone." The JST, however, alters this verse to read "...Cephas, which is by interpretation, a seer, or a stone." (emphasis added) This additional translation of "Cephas" to also mean "a seer" is incorrect.
These instances of Joseph Smith changing translations of "Κρανίου" from "skull" to "burial" and "Cephus" from "stone" to "a seer, or a stone" and adding the word "Rabcha" are all evidence from the JST text itself that Joseph was attempting a correction and restoration of the bible to its original form.
In summary, the JST fails to correct all 350 of the scribal alterations and mistranslations, fails to correct all 48 of the verses added by scribes, and actually alters and adds to many of these scribal alterations and additions. Additionally, the JST includes a made up word, mistranslates several Greek and Aramaic words, and fails to correct a mistranslated Greek word.
Joseph Smith Claimed that the JST Was Revealed by God For the Purpose of Correcting Scribal Additions and Alterations:
Apologists have recognized the inaccuracy of the JST. The common defenses that they put forward are that the changes to the KJV in the JST are merely Joseph's musings, or are revealed doctrines being added to the text rather than a restoration of the text to its original form, and/or that the JST was never finished and so it can't be examined for accuracy. These arguments are without merit.
The following quotes are taken from the “Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST)” entry in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism (http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Joseph_Smith_Translation_of_the_Bible_(JST)). It is included here because of the many quotes and scriptures it contains which indicate that Joseph Smith taught that the JST was commissioned by God for the purpose of correcting scribal additions and alterations to the Bible:
“The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors" (TPJS, p. 327). And again, "From sundry revelations which had been received, it was apparent that many points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled" (TPJS, pp. 9-10)....
“After laboring off and on for ten months on the early chapters of Genesis, Joseph Smith received a revelation from the Lord on March 7, 1831, directing him to begin work on the New Testament: "It shall not be given unto you to know any further concerning this chapter, until the New Testament be translated, and in it all these things shall be made known; wherefore I give unto you that ye may now translate it" (D&C 45:60-61). The manuscript of the JST shows that Joseph Smith began the translation of Matthew the next day. On December 1, 1831, the Prophet entered the following in his journal: "I resumed the translation of the Scriptures, and continued to labor in this branch of my calling with Elder Sidney Rigdon as my scribe" (HC 1:238-39). On February 16, 1832, he reported a revelation concerning the resurrection of the dead that includes the following reference to his divine commission to translate: "For while we [Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon] were doing the work of translation, which the Lord had appointed unto us, we came to the twenty-ninth verse of the fifth chapter of John" (D&C 76:15). On March 8, 1833, he reported the word of the Lord to him as follows: "And when you have finished the translation of the [Old Testament] prophets, you shall from thenceforth preside over the affairs of the church" (D&C 90:13). On May 6, 1833, Joseph Smith reported the following revelation: "It is my will that you should hasten to translate my scriptures" (D&C 93:53). Although not a complete list, the foregoing items illustrate Joseph Smith's claim to a divine appointment to translate the Old and New Testaments.”
Joseph finished his translation of the New Testament and attempted to publish it before he was killed. The following quotes taken from a 1983 Ensign article (https://www.lds.org/ensign/1983/01/joseph-smiths-efforts-to-publish-his-bible-translation?lang=eng) discuss these facts. These quotes also include revelations wherein God refers to the JST as “my words” and “the fulness of the scriptures” and “my holy word,” indicating that God was the author of the JST and that the JST restored the scriptures to their “fulness.”
“Although there were many interruptions, the work progressed, and on 2 February 1833, in Kirtland, Ohio, the Prophet recorded in his journal: “I completed the translation and review of the New Testament on the 2nd of February, 1833, and sealed it up, no more to be opened till it arrived in Zion.” (History of the Church,1:324.)… Having completed the New Testament, the Brethren then returned to the book of Genesis and continued with the translation of the Old Testament….
“[O]n 2 July 1833, in a letter to the brethren in Zion, the Prophet wrote that “we are exceedingly fatigued, owing to a great press of business. We this day finished the translating of the Scriptures, for which we returned gratitude to our Heavenly Father.” (History of the Church, 1:368.) The words “Finished on the 2nd day of July 1833” also occur in bold handwriting on the JST manuscript at the conclusion of the book of Malachi….
“On 23 April 1834, the Lord again spoke to the Prophet about printing the new translation: “And for this purpose I have commanded you to organize yourselves, even to print my words, the fulness of my scriptures, the revelations which I have given unto you.” (D&C 104:58.)… Then, in July 1833, the Star announced: “At no very distant period, we shall print the book of Mormon and the [New] Testament, and bind them in one volume.” However, hopes for this were postponed when the printing press in Independence was destroyed the same month….On 19 January 1841, in counsel to William Law, the Lord spoke again about publishing the JST: “If he will do my will let him from henceforth hearken to the counsel of my servant Joseph, … and publish the new translation of my holy word unto the inhabitants of the earth.” (D&C 124:89.)”
Finally, what follows are several quotes from church teaching materials, church leaders, and church magazine articles:
Statement of Apostle Joseph F. Smith, Jr. in the April 1914 Improvement Era (https://archive.org/stream/improvementera176unse#page/590/mode/2up): “It will be generally conceded that the Bible has not been correctly translated in all instances; for we are informed by many of the early writers, that in the various translations, the translators "have taken liberty to add thereunto, to retrench and correct divers things," which in their opinions needed correction, amplification or elimination. We learn from the Book of Mormon that many plain and precious parts have been taken away from the Hebrew Scriptures.
We read in the Pearl of Great Price (Book of Moses ch. 1, v. 23): "And now of this thing [the vision of Moses] Moses bore record; but because of wickedness it is not had among the children of men." And in verses 40, 41 : "And now, Moses, my son, I speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak. And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men — among as many as shall believe."
The fulfilment of this was seen when, in 1850, the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham were published by the Church in the Pearl of Great Price, and were circulated among those who believed. Because of the eliminations of things which were "plain and most precious," the improper additions and mistranslations in the Bible, and in fulfilment, in part, at least, of the predictions and promises of old, Joseph Smith was directed by the Lord to revise many parts of the Bible. He commenced this work shortly after the organization of the Church, and revised from time to time as opportunity permitted, completing the New Testament, February 2, 1833, and the Old Testament, July 2 of that same year, as far as he was directed and permitted by the Lord at that time, to revise the Scriptures….
It was not a change from one language into another, but a correction of the reading of the English text as that text was found in the King James translation.
May 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4305unse#page/n15/mode/2up): The books which are now found in the Bible, if they had been collected into one volume soon after they were written and while still in their original completeness, would have formed a somewhat larger book than the present King James version. The changes made by the Prophet Joseph are primarily additions. He removed only an extremely small number of words from the text. This is evidence contrary to the accepted axiom of textual criticism which holds that the shortest manuscript, other things being equal, is the most nearly correct and least corrupt and that copyists have a tendency to insert a large amount of new material. The restorations by the Prophet are strong evidence, however, that the Bible, in its long process of copying and translating, suffered reduction in word content and hence in meaning to an immeasurably greater degree than it suffered from spurious insertions by copyists or editors…
This is further evidence that through inspiration the Prophet Joseph Smith made his changes on the authority of the original, now lost, manuscripts and that these interpolations are not products of his own imagination…
The restorations made by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Inspired Revision show that two major types of change took place in the Bible from the time of its origin to the present. We may call them unplanned and planned changes. The unplanned changes occur most frequently but it is the planned changes which are of prime importance…
It is not known who made these sweeping changes of text and doctrine or when they were made. The original manuscripts have all disappeared. The earliest Hebrew manuscript of any considerable part of the Bible does not go beyond the tenth century A. D. Hence, there is a gap of over a thousand years between the oldest important extant Hebrew manuscripts and the latest of the books contained in it. A few fragments of the New Testament go back as early as the third century A. D., but it is estimated that at least ninety-six per cent of the extant manuscripts of the Greek New Testament are later than the eighth century A.D.
June 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4306unse#page/n17/mode/2up): How could the text possibly have remained correct and uncorrupted under such circumstances! The marvel is that it remained as whole as it did. The extent of its corruption and wealth of error is indicated by the fact that the Prophet Joseph did most of his work of correcting in the New rather than in the Old Testament…
The planned changes are apparent from the regularity with which certain items were restored by the Prophet Joseph to the Bible text. A systematic campaign seems to have been successfully waged to remove various doctrines from the Old Testament. These removals and changes appear to have been made so cleverly and cleanly that their existence would scarcely have been imagined…
The completeness with which mention of the Priesthood was removed from the Bible shows further the attempt to corrupt the original truths it contained…
The above passages are not found in the King James version. However, they were extant in the manuscripts known to the early Church, for they were quoted in the epistle to the Hebrews. The Prophet Joseph's restoration of Hebrews 7:1-3 reads: [JST verse] The reduced text which came down to the translators of the King James version was rendered by them: [KJV verse]…
Again, the removal was so carefully done that the break would pass unnoticed…
To summarize, many changes which were indicated by the Prophet's inspired corrections are of such great regularity and of such vital nature that they appear to have been made deliberately to keep the truth from man. Some of the most important of these changes include the first statements of the Gospel plan and its ordinances, statements about the work of the Messiah who was to come, and statements of the higher Priesthood, all of which show that these facts were made known to man as soon as he was placed on the earth. "Who brought about these changes?" we ask again. And again the answer is, "We do not know." In this connection we are certain of only two things: First, that when the books of the Bible were first written, they were correct; moreover, they were understandable. Second, that as they are today, there are many important items missing, and too many passages border on incomprehensibility. It is difficult to imagine any one individual, group, or organization having had sufficient power and influence to cause the changes to be made in both the Greek and Hebrew texts as well as in the many versions. We must lay many of those changes which we label planned to the workings of the Spirit of Darkness, influencing various individuals in different ages in order to thwart the purposes of the Lord.
July 1982 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/07/plain-and-precious-things-restored?lang=eng): “The message of 1 Nephi 13:20–39 [1 Ne. 13:20–39] and Moses 1:40–41 is that vital material was taken from the Bible before the manuscripts available to us today were written. The JST was to be a divinely appointed revelatory process restoring information that had been lost from all biblical texts….As indicated earlier, the Prophet Joseph Smith corrected many passages as they currently stand in the King James Version and other versions of the Bible; he also introduced into the biblical record many doctrinal and historical concepts that are not in any of the versions of the Bible known to mankind. Joseph Smith explained that he believed the Bible as it “came from the pen of the original writers,” but that “ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938, p. 327.) He also stated that “many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled.” (Teachings of the Prophet, p. 10.) This is the same position presented in 1 Nephi 13:20–40, Moses 1:40–41, and the eighth article of faith. [1 Ne. 13:20–40;Moses 1:40–41; A of F 1:8] In view of these premises, we may view the JST as being, at least in part, a restoration of lost material—material once known to the ancient prophets but then lost, material now made known again in these last days through the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
February 1965 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera6802unse#page/n25/mode/2up/search/pen+of+the+original+writers): Why Joseph Smith made the revision. The Prophet learned from Moroni's first visit (Joseph Smith 2:36-39) and from the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 13:21-32; Mormon 8:33) that there were errors and omissions in the Bible. As early as 1829 he knew that at least part of the missing scripture would be restored and errors corrected. (1 Nephi 13:32-40; D&C 6:26-27; 8:11; 9:1-2.) In June 1830 the "Visions of Moses" were revealed to Joseph Smith. From this revelation he learned that, although some of Moses' writings— as found in the Bible— had been altered, they would be restored to their original sense. (See Moses 1:40-41.)
March 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4303unse#page/n33/mode/2up): The eighth Article of Faith declares that "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly." This implies that there are mistranslations in the Bible. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith, from the beginning of his ministry, gave some time to revising passages in the Bible which had been translated incorrectly or so rendered as to make the meaning obscure….
Errors in the translation of the Bible are due primarily to the fact that the original documents are lost. The manuscripts from which our Bible translations have been made are copies, perhaps copies of copies, of the originals. Even in our day, with our many modern helps, it is practically impossible to secure a letter-perfect copy of a book, if done by hand. It is not a matter of dishonesty, but of human limitations. The wrong word may be written, or a word so written as to convey a false meaning….
More serious are the evident attempts by ancient copyists to clarify or correct the text of the manuscripts by inserting personal comments, which in course of time, have become parts of the sacred record…
Earnest efforts employing every available device have been made by lovers of the Bible to discover such errors, and thus to purify the text of the Bible. The various existing manuscripts have been compared with minute care to detect differences. Quotations from the Bible by ancient writers, when perhaps earlier copies were extant, have been assembled and compared. The human toil given to such labor, is a noble example of the esteem in which the sacred scriptures are held. It is another evidence of his greatness that Joseph Smith was one of the early workers in the so-called textual criticism of the Bible.
Primary Manual: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History (1997)
(https://www.lds.org/manual/primary-5-doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history/lesson-20-joseph-smith-translates-the-bible-and-other-scriptures?lang=eng): [O]ver many years some of the scriptures in the Bible had been changed as people translated the Bible and made copies of it by hand. Mistakes were made: some incorrect teachings had been added to the Bible, and some important teachings had been left out. The Lord commanded Joseph Smith to prepare a translation of the Bible that would restore the correct teachings (see Articles of Faith 1:8)… During the apostasy following Jesus Christ’s death, there were no prophets or apostles to make sure the scriptures were copied and translated correctly. Joseph Smith was instructed to prepare a new translation of the Bible that would restore and correct these plain and precious parts… In preparing this translation of the Bible, Joseph was not translating from an ancient language, as he did with the Book of Mormon, but was restoring the Bible to its original meaning. As Joseph studied and pondered the Bible, he was inspired through the power of the Holy Ghost to correct errors in it.
December 1972 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1972/12/joseph-smiths-inspired-translation-of-the-bible?lang=eng): [B]ecause of faulty transmission and missing parts, that which remains is often unclear and devoid of its full meaning. Joseph Smith’s work with the Bible restores some of the missing parts and causes what we have to be more meaningful… [I]n the new translation of the Bible, the Prophet Joseph has given us a clearer and a plainer record of the Old and the New Testaments.
August 1997 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1997/08/the-joseph-smith-translation-plain-and-precious-things-restored?lang=eng): Yet the Prophet’s reverence for the Bible was accompanied by his awareness of its incompleteness and of problems with the transmission of its texts. On one occasion he said, “I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors.” As early as June 1830, the Prophet responded to divine direction by beginning an inspired revision of the book of Genesis… [H]e went through the biblical text of the King James Version and made inspired corrections, revisions, and additions to the biblical text.
Teachings of the Presidents of the Church (manual): Joseph Smith (2011)
(https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-17?lang=eng): As guided by the Spirit, Joseph spent about three years going through the Bible, making thousands of corrections to the text and restoring information that had been lost. This restored information sheds marvelous light on many doctrines that are not clearly presented in the Bible as it exists today.
March 1983 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1983/03/a-greater-portrayal-of-the-master?lang=eng): The Book of Mormon prophets foresaw that many plain and precious parts would be taken away from the Bible (see 1 Ne. 13:26–29) and could only be had again through “other books” and by new revelation (see 1 Ne. 13:38–42). The situation could not be completely remedied by scholars, for it was not a problem of language but a lack of adequate manuscripts. Revelation was needed to restore the lost material so that it could be “had again among the children of men—among as many as shall believe.” (Moses 1:40–41.) The Lord assigned the Prophet Joseph Smith to begin his translation of the Bible in June 1830.
The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual (2000)
(https://www.lds.org/manual/the-pearl-of-great-price-student-manual/the-book-of-moses?lang=eng): Today this inspired revision, which the Prophet worked on until the time of his death, is known as the Joseph Smith Translation. The Prophet Joseph Smith restored to the Bible “many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord [which were] taken away” (1 Nephi 13:26; see also1 Nephi 13:39–40).
April 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4304unse#page/n61/mode/2up): Through inspiration and revelation the Prophet was led to render differently various passages and also to restore missing parts.
August 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4308unse#page/n25/mode/2up/search/%22inspired+revision%22): [I]n some books such as Hosea, which modern scholarship declares to have a highly corrupt text, the Prophet has made little or no change. Certain errors and peculiarities of the King James version have been retained verbatim…Instance upon instance could be cited of mistranslations being carried over from the King James to the Inspired Revision and of errors going uncorrected. This in itself is indisputable evidence that the Prophet did not completely revise the Bible.
November 1948 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera5111unse#page/n53/mode/2up): Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and those associated with him, had been brought up on the teachings of the Holy Bible. It was assumed that the English Bible had been translated correctly and completely from the original manuscripts. The teachings of the Book of Mormon with other new revelations from the Lord, convinced the Prophet that there were errors, unauthorized additions, and incomplete statements in the sacred volume of the Old and New Testaments.
This did not really seem so surprising, since the original manuscripts had not been available to the many translators of varying ability. Moreover, there would be a natural tendency to inject into the text personal explanations of passages obscure to the translators. Such errors seemed to the Prophet, a devoted lover of truth, out of keeping with the sacred nature of the Bible. Therefore, very soon after the organization of the Church, after placing the matter before the Lord, he began the "inspired translation" of the holy scriptures…
Certainly the Prophet used great effort to restore the original meaning of the Bible… Such comparisons might be multiplied. All would show the great service the Prophet Joseph Smith rendered in correcting Biblical errors, and to make the statements of the Holy Scriptures more understandable to the human mind. The "inspired translation" is one of the mighty evidences of the prophetic power of Joseph Smith.
October 1954 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera5710unse#page/n79/mode/2up/search/%22inspired+version%22): The Prophet Joseph Smith, however, in the Inspired Version of the Bible, gives a beautiful and clear interpretation of what Apostle Paul had originally written.
December 1905 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera0902unse#page/140/mode/2up/search/%22inspired+translation%22): He had learned from the Book of Mormon that “many plain and precious truths,” properly belonging to the Bible, had been lost or taken away by uninspired translators, thus rendering vague and uncertain the teachings of that sacred record. These missing parts he purposed to restore, as directed and empowered by the spirit of revelation. What is sometimes called the "Inspired Translation" was the result.
Therefore, any argument that the JST is merely Joseph’s musings or is revelation of additional doctrines rather than a restoration of the original writings of the Bible is without merit. These arguments are undermined by the statements of Mormon leaders, official church publications, current church teaching materials, and by textual evidence in the JST itself. The JST unfortunately fails to live up to Joseph’s claims, the church’s claims, and the claims in many supposed revelations from God by failing to correct the scribal additions and alterations that have been discovered in the KJV.
You can contact me at [email protected].
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible contains many changes to the King James Version (KJV) text due to the discovery of many additional and earlier manuscripts of the Bible since the KJV's publication in 1611. An examination of whether these changes are also reflected the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the KJV reveal that they are not. This indicates that the JST does not in fact correct scribal additions, alterations, and mistranslations as Joseph Smith and the Mormon church have claimed.
The analysis here is limited only to the New Testament (NT).
Quick and Dirty Facts:
- A total of 48 complete verses in the KJV NT have been determined to be scribal additions. The JST fails to correct a single one.
- An additional 350 verses in the KJV NT have been determined to include scribal alterations and mistranslations. The JST again fails to correct a single one.
- Joseph Smith altered over 100 of the verses containing scribal additions, alterations, or mistranslations, indicating that he specifically reviewed many of the erroneous verses and failed to correct them.
- Perhaps most egregious are the JST's failure to omit the widely understood scribal additions of the story of the woman taken in adultery and the ending of the book of Mark. In fact, the JST adds to the story of the woman taken in adultery.
- The JST adds the word "Rabcha" to Matthew 5:22 which is a made up word.
- In three places, the JST changes the definition of "Golgotha" from "skull" to "burial" which is incorrect.
- The JST misses the KJV's "Calvary" mistranslation in Luke 23:33.
- The JST mistranslates "Cephus" to mean "seer."
Brief Background on the KJV and NRSV:
Joseph’s process in producing the JST Involved reading through the KJV and making alterations. The KJV was published in 1611 and was compiled primarily from the Byzantine family of manuscripts which were written about 500 AD - 1000 AD. In the last 400 years since 1611, many additional and earlier manuscripts have been found, including the Alexandrian Family of manuscripts which date to about 200 AD – 400 AD. Newer versions of the Bible, like the NRSV (published in 1989) and New International Version (NIV, published in 1978) incorporate a greater number of manuscripts and earlier manuscripts than were used in the creation of the KJV. Newer translations of the Bible, like the NRSV, are viewed by scholars as more accurate than the KJV for these reasons. The NRSV takes out and/or notes specific verses in the KJV that have been discovered to have been later additions or alterations or mistranslations by scribes.
The Accuracy of the JST Can Be Examined by Comparing it to the Differences Between the KJV and NRSV:
We can determine the accuracy of the JST by examining the differences between the KJV and NRSV and whether the JST reflects those changes. If the JST corrects the scribal additions, alterations, and mistranslations that existed in the KJV and were removed from/noted in the NRSV then this is good evidence that Joseph Smith’s translation was indeed inspired as he claimed. If the JST fails to correct the scribal additions, alterations, and mistranslations then this is good evidence that Joseph Smith’s translation was not in fact inspired.
I undertook this comparison by referencing a copy of the NRSV, a copy of the NIV, a copy of the KJV, Thomas Wayment's "The Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament" (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joseph-Smith-Translation-Testament/dp/1590384393) and several websites which list the changes between the KJV and NIV, including http://www.bloomingdalebiblechurch.net/lists/List%20of%20Bible%20verses%20totally%20omitted.html, and http://www.av1611.org/biblecom.htm.
Spreadsheets showing my analysis can be accessed here:
Comparison to Changes in NRSV:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cYqpW1h3WrMQ0TtAZst2wIa-rWnqY4Hu_yv_ybl-JK4/edit?usp=sharing
Comparison to Changes in NIV:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KwJx6RR-a8eS96e2TNY6pbRbi1FMoElIqRR2GVv1wMQ/edit?usp=sharing
How Accurate is the JST?:
A total of 48 complete verses in the KJV NT have been determined to be scribal additions. These verse are either omitted in the NRSV or noted in the NRSV as not appearing in some manuscripts. Of these 48 verses, the JST only removes 1 – Mark 9:46. But even in this one instance, the JST errs by replacing the removed Mark 9:46 verse with other text that does not appear in biblical manuscripts. Therefore the accuracy of the JST with regards to the removal of verses that were later added by scribes is 0%.
Importantly, the JST not only leaves in 47 of the 48 scribal additions, but it also alters 19 of them (it leaves the other 29 verses untouched). Therefore, we know that Joseph Smith specifically reviewed 19 of the 48 scribal additions but failed to remove them.
An additional 350 verses in the KJV NT have been determined to include scribal alterations or mistranslations. These verses contain phrases or words that are omitted in the NRSV or noted in the NRSV as not appearing in some manuscripts. Of these 350 instances of scribal alterations and mistranslations, the JST removes only 11 of them. Of these 11 removals, 4 are instances of removal of the entire verse rather than just the altered portion, and another 6 are instances of correct removals of the altered portions but then incorrect replacement with text that is not found in biblical manuscripts. The 11th instance is Matthew 5:22 where the JST correctly removes and replaces the error but then adds an additional incorrect and fictitious word to the verse (discussed further below). Therefore the accuracy of the JST with regards to the removal of scribal alterations and mistranslations is again 0%.
The JST not only fails to omit 339 of the 350 scribal alterations and mistranslations, but it also alters 126 of the verses containing scribal alterations and mistranslations (it leaves the other 224 verses untouched). Therefore, we know that Joseph Smith specifically reviewed 126 of the scribal alterations and mistranslations but failed to correct them.
A comparison of the JST to the changes made in the NIV reveal very similar findings. The NIV contains 44 verses added by scribes and the JST removes only 1 (which it replaces with incorrect text). The JST alters 17 of the 44 verses added by scribes. A total of 356 verses are altered in the NIV to correct for scribal alterations and mistranslations in the KJV. As explained previously, only 11 are removed in the JST. The JST alters 130 of the 356 verses containing scribal alterations and mistranslations.
Perhaps most egregious are the JST errors involving two of the most widely recognized scribal additions – the story of the woman taken in adultery and the ending of the book of Mark.
The story of the woman taken in adultery is found in John 7:53-8:11. These verses are widely understood by scholars to be later scribal additions. The JST, however, leaves these verses in and actually alters 6 of the 12 verses, including adding a new ending to the story which explains that the woman became a believer and glorified God’s name. Thus, the JST alters and adds to these scribal additions rather than removing them.
The end of the book of Mark in Mark 16:9-20 is also widely understood by scholars to be a later scribal addition. The JST, however, leaves these 12 verses in and actually alters 3 of them.
The JST adds the word "Rabcha" to Matthew 5:22 so that it reads, in part, "and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, or Rabcha, shall be in danger of the council: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." The word "Rabcha," however, is not a real word. It is neither Aramaic nor Hebrew nor Greek, nor a word in any other language.
In three instances in the New Testament (Matt. 27:33, Mark 15:22, and John 19:17), "Golgotha" is discussed and the Greek word "Κρανίου" is used in the ancient Greek manuscripts, which means "skull." (These three verses explain that "Golgotha" is a location and means "place of a skull.") The KJV correctly translates "Κρανίου" as "skull" in each of these three verses. The JST, however, incorrectly replaces "skull" with "burial." "Κρανίου" does not mean "burial."
Furthermore, the Greek word "Κρανίου" appears a fourth time in Luke 23:33 where it is incorrectly translated in the KJV as "Calvary" instead of "skull." The JST fails to correct this mistranslation.
Finally, John 1:42 reads, "And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone." The word Cephas is Aramaic and correctly translated in the KJV to mean "stone." The JST, however, alters this verse to read "...Cephas, which is by interpretation, a seer, or a stone." (emphasis added) This additional translation of "Cephas" to also mean "a seer" is incorrect.
These instances of Joseph Smith changing translations of "Κρανίου" from "skull" to "burial" and "Cephus" from "stone" to "a seer, or a stone" and adding the word "Rabcha" are all evidence from the JST text itself that Joseph was attempting a correction and restoration of the bible to its original form.
In summary, the JST fails to correct all 350 of the scribal alterations and mistranslations, fails to correct all 48 of the verses added by scribes, and actually alters and adds to many of these scribal alterations and additions. Additionally, the JST includes a made up word, mistranslates several Greek and Aramaic words, and fails to correct a mistranslated Greek word.
Joseph Smith Claimed that the JST Was Revealed by God For the Purpose of Correcting Scribal Additions and Alterations:
Apologists have recognized the inaccuracy of the JST. The common defenses that they put forward are that the changes to the KJV in the JST are merely Joseph's musings, or are revealed doctrines being added to the text rather than a restoration of the text to its original form, and/or that the JST was never finished and so it can't be examined for accuracy. These arguments are without merit.
The following quotes are taken from the “Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST)” entry in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism (http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Joseph_Smith_Translation_of_the_Bible_(JST)). It is included here because of the many quotes and scriptures it contains which indicate that Joseph Smith taught that the JST was commissioned by God for the purpose of correcting scribal additions and alterations to the Bible:
“The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors" (TPJS, p. 327). And again, "From sundry revelations which had been received, it was apparent that many points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled" (TPJS, pp. 9-10)....
“After laboring off and on for ten months on the early chapters of Genesis, Joseph Smith received a revelation from the Lord on March 7, 1831, directing him to begin work on the New Testament: "It shall not be given unto you to know any further concerning this chapter, until the New Testament be translated, and in it all these things shall be made known; wherefore I give unto you that ye may now translate it" (D&C 45:60-61). The manuscript of the JST shows that Joseph Smith began the translation of Matthew the next day. On December 1, 1831, the Prophet entered the following in his journal: "I resumed the translation of the Scriptures, and continued to labor in this branch of my calling with Elder Sidney Rigdon as my scribe" (HC 1:238-39). On February 16, 1832, he reported a revelation concerning the resurrection of the dead that includes the following reference to his divine commission to translate: "For while we [Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon] were doing the work of translation, which the Lord had appointed unto us, we came to the twenty-ninth verse of the fifth chapter of John" (D&C 76:15). On March 8, 1833, he reported the word of the Lord to him as follows: "And when you have finished the translation of the [Old Testament] prophets, you shall from thenceforth preside over the affairs of the church" (D&C 90:13). On May 6, 1833, Joseph Smith reported the following revelation: "It is my will that you should hasten to translate my scriptures" (D&C 93:53). Although not a complete list, the foregoing items illustrate Joseph Smith's claim to a divine appointment to translate the Old and New Testaments.”
Joseph finished his translation of the New Testament and attempted to publish it before he was killed. The following quotes taken from a 1983 Ensign article (https://www.lds.org/ensign/1983/01/joseph-smiths-efforts-to-publish-his-bible-translation?lang=eng) discuss these facts. These quotes also include revelations wherein God refers to the JST as “my words” and “the fulness of the scriptures” and “my holy word,” indicating that God was the author of the JST and that the JST restored the scriptures to their “fulness.”
“Although there were many interruptions, the work progressed, and on 2 February 1833, in Kirtland, Ohio, the Prophet recorded in his journal: “I completed the translation and review of the New Testament on the 2nd of February, 1833, and sealed it up, no more to be opened till it arrived in Zion.” (History of the Church,1:324.)… Having completed the New Testament, the Brethren then returned to the book of Genesis and continued with the translation of the Old Testament….
“[O]n 2 July 1833, in a letter to the brethren in Zion, the Prophet wrote that “we are exceedingly fatigued, owing to a great press of business. We this day finished the translating of the Scriptures, for which we returned gratitude to our Heavenly Father.” (History of the Church, 1:368.) The words “Finished on the 2nd day of July 1833” also occur in bold handwriting on the JST manuscript at the conclusion of the book of Malachi….
“On 23 April 1834, the Lord again spoke to the Prophet about printing the new translation: “And for this purpose I have commanded you to organize yourselves, even to print my words, the fulness of my scriptures, the revelations which I have given unto you.” (D&C 104:58.)… Then, in July 1833, the Star announced: “At no very distant period, we shall print the book of Mormon and the [New] Testament, and bind them in one volume.” However, hopes for this were postponed when the printing press in Independence was destroyed the same month….On 19 January 1841, in counsel to William Law, the Lord spoke again about publishing the JST: “If he will do my will let him from henceforth hearken to the counsel of my servant Joseph, … and publish the new translation of my holy word unto the inhabitants of the earth.” (D&C 124:89.)”
Finally, what follows are several quotes from church teaching materials, church leaders, and church magazine articles:
Statement of Apostle Joseph F. Smith, Jr. in the April 1914 Improvement Era (https://archive.org/stream/improvementera176unse#page/590/mode/2up): “It will be generally conceded that the Bible has not been correctly translated in all instances; for we are informed by many of the early writers, that in the various translations, the translators "have taken liberty to add thereunto, to retrench and correct divers things," which in their opinions needed correction, amplification or elimination. We learn from the Book of Mormon that many plain and precious parts have been taken away from the Hebrew Scriptures.
We read in the Pearl of Great Price (Book of Moses ch. 1, v. 23): "And now of this thing [the vision of Moses] Moses bore record; but because of wickedness it is not had among the children of men." And in verses 40, 41 : "And now, Moses, my son, I speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak. And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men — among as many as shall believe."
The fulfilment of this was seen when, in 1850, the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham were published by the Church in the Pearl of Great Price, and were circulated among those who believed. Because of the eliminations of things which were "plain and most precious," the improper additions and mistranslations in the Bible, and in fulfilment, in part, at least, of the predictions and promises of old, Joseph Smith was directed by the Lord to revise many parts of the Bible. He commenced this work shortly after the organization of the Church, and revised from time to time as opportunity permitted, completing the New Testament, February 2, 1833, and the Old Testament, July 2 of that same year, as far as he was directed and permitted by the Lord at that time, to revise the Scriptures….
It was not a change from one language into another, but a correction of the reading of the English text as that text was found in the King James translation.
May 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4305unse#page/n15/mode/2up): The books which are now found in the Bible, if they had been collected into one volume soon after they were written and while still in their original completeness, would have formed a somewhat larger book than the present King James version. The changes made by the Prophet Joseph are primarily additions. He removed only an extremely small number of words from the text. This is evidence contrary to the accepted axiom of textual criticism which holds that the shortest manuscript, other things being equal, is the most nearly correct and least corrupt and that copyists have a tendency to insert a large amount of new material. The restorations by the Prophet are strong evidence, however, that the Bible, in its long process of copying and translating, suffered reduction in word content and hence in meaning to an immeasurably greater degree than it suffered from spurious insertions by copyists or editors…
This is further evidence that through inspiration the Prophet Joseph Smith made his changes on the authority of the original, now lost, manuscripts and that these interpolations are not products of his own imagination…
The restorations made by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Inspired Revision show that two major types of change took place in the Bible from the time of its origin to the present. We may call them unplanned and planned changes. The unplanned changes occur most frequently but it is the planned changes which are of prime importance…
It is not known who made these sweeping changes of text and doctrine or when they were made. The original manuscripts have all disappeared. The earliest Hebrew manuscript of any considerable part of the Bible does not go beyond the tenth century A. D. Hence, there is a gap of over a thousand years between the oldest important extant Hebrew manuscripts and the latest of the books contained in it. A few fragments of the New Testament go back as early as the third century A. D., but it is estimated that at least ninety-six per cent of the extant manuscripts of the Greek New Testament are later than the eighth century A.D.
June 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4306unse#page/n17/mode/2up): How could the text possibly have remained correct and uncorrupted under such circumstances! The marvel is that it remained as whole as it did. The extent of its corruption and wealth of error is indicated by the fact that the Prophet Joseph did most of his work of correcting in the New rather than in the Old Testament…
The planned changes are apparent from the regularity with which certain items were restored by the Prophet Joseph to the Bible text. A systematic campaign seems to have been successfully waged to remove various doctrines from the Old Testament. These removals and changes appear to have been made so cleverly and cleanly that their existence would scarcely have been imagined…
The completeness with which mention of the Priesthood was removed from the Bible shows further the attempt to corrupt the original truths it contained…
The above passages are not found in the King James version. However, they were extant in the manuscripts known to the early Church, for they were quoted in the epistle to the Hebrews. The Prophet Joseph's restoration of Hebrews 7:1-3 reads: [JST verse] The reduced text which came down to the translators of the King James version was rendered by them: [KJV verse]…
Again, the removal was so carefully done that the break would pass unnoticed…
To summarize, many changes which were indicated by the Prophet's inspired corrections are of such great regularity and of such vital nature that they appear to have been made deliberately to keep the truth from man. Some of the most important of these changes include the first statements of the Gospel plan and its ordinances, statements about the work of the Messiah who was to come, and statements of the higher Priesthood, all of which show that these facts were made known to man as soon as he was placed on the earth. "Who brought about these changes?" we ask again. And again the answer is, "We do not know." In this connection we are certain of only two things: First, that when the books of the Bible were first written, they were correct; moreover, they were understandable. Second, that as they are today, there are many important items missing, and too many passages border on incomprehensibility. It is difficult to imagine any one individual, group, or organization having had sufficient power and influence to cause the changes to be made in both the Greek and Hebrew texts as well as in the many versions. We must lay many of those changes which we label planned to the workings of the Spirit of Darkness, influencing various individuals in different ages in order to thwart the purposes of the Lord.
July 1982 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/07/plain-and-precious-things-restored?lang=eng): “The message of 1 Nephi 13:20–39 [1 Ne. 13:20–39] and Moses 1:40–41 is that vital material was taken from the Bible before the manuscripts available to us today were written. The JST was to be a divinely appointed revelatory process restoring information that had been lost from all biblical texts….As indicated earlier, the Prophet Joseph Smith corrected many passages as they currently stand in the King James Version and other versions of the Bible; he also introduced into the biblical record many doctrinal and historical concepts that are not in any of the versions of the Bible known to mankind. Joseph Smith explained that he believed the Bible as it “came from the pen of the original writers,” but that “ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938, p. 327.) He also stated that “many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled.” (Teachings of the Prophet, p. 10.) This is the same position presented in 1 Nephi 13:20–40, Moses 1:40–41, and the eighth article of faith. [1 Ne. 13:20–40;Moses 1:40–41; A of F 1:8] In view of these premises, we may view the JST as being, at least in part, a restoration of lost material—material once known to the ancient prophets but then lost, material now made known again in these last days through the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
February 1965 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera6802unse#page/n25/mode/2up/search/pen+of+the+original+writers): Why Joseph Smith made the revision. The Prophet learned from Moroni's first visit (Joseph Smith 2:36-39) and from the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 13:21-32; Mormon 8:33) that there were errors and omissions in the Bible. As early as 1829 he knew that at least part of the missing scripture would be restored and errors corrected. (1 Nephi 13:32-40; D&C 6:26-27; 8:11; 9:1-2.) In June 1830 the "Visions of Moses" were revealed to Joseph Smith. From this revelation he learned that, although some of Moses' writings— as found in the Bible— had been altered, they would be restored to their original sense. (See Moses 1:40-41.)
March 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4303unse#page/n33/mode/2up): The eighth Article of Faith declares that "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly." This implies that there are mistranslations in the Bible. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith, from the beginning of his ministry, gave some time to revising passages in the Bible which had been translated incorrectly or so rendered as to make the meaning obscure….
Errors in the translation of the Bible are due primarily to the fact that the original documents are lost. The manuscripts from which our Bible translations have been made are copies, perhaps copies of copies, of the originals. Even in our day, with our many modern helps, it is practically impossible to secure a letter-perfect copy of a book, if done by hand. It is not a matter of dishonesty, but of human limitations. The wrong word may be written, or a word so written as to convey a false meaning….
More serious are the evident attempts by ancient copyists to clarify or correct the text of the manuscripts by inserting personal comments, which in course of time, have become parts of the sacred record…
Earnest efforts employing every available device have been made by lovers of the Bible to discover such errors, and thus to purify the text of the Bible. The various existing manuscripts have been compared with minute care to detect differences. Quotations from the Bible by ancient writers, when perhaps earlier copies were extant, have been assembled and compared. The human toil given to such labor, is a noble example of the esteem in which the sacred scriptures are held. It is another evidence of his greatness that Joseph Smith was one of the early workers in the so-called textual criticism of the Bible.
Primary Manual: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History (1997)
(https://www.lds.org/manual/primary-5-doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history/lesson-20-joseph-smith-translates-the-bible-and-other-scriptures?lang=eng): [O]ver many years some of the scriptures in the Bible had been changed as people translated the Bible and made copies of it by hand. Mistakes were made: some incorrect teachings had been added to the Bible, and some important teachings had been left out. The Lord commanded Joseph Smith to prepare a translation of the Bible that would restore the correct teachings (see Articles of Faith 1:8)… During the apostasy following Jesus Christ’s death, there were no prophets or apostles to make sure the scriptures were copied and translated correctly. Joseph Smith was instructed to prepare a new translation of the Bible that would restore and correct these plain and precious parts… In preparing this translation of the Bible, Joseph was not translating from an ancient language, as he did with the Book of Mormon, but was restoring the Bible to its original meaning. As Joseph studied and pondered the Bible, he was inspired through the power of the Holy Ghost to correct errors in it.
December 1972 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1972/12/joseph-smiths-inspired-translation-of-the-bible?lang=eng): [B]ecause of faulty transmission and missing parts, that which remains is often unclear and devoid of its full meaning. Joseph Smith’s work with the Bible restores some of the missing parts and causes what we have to be more meaningful… [I]n the new translation of the Bible, the Prophet Joseph has given us a clearer and a plainer record of the Old and the New Testaments.
August 1997 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1997/08/the-joseph-smith-translation-plain-and-precious-things-restored?lang=eng): Yet the Prophet’s reverence for the Bible was accompanied by his awareness of its incompleteness and of problems with the transmission of its texts. On one occasion he said, “I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors.” As early as June 1830, the Prophet responded to divine direction by beginning an inspired revision of the book of Genesis… [H]e went through the biblical text of the King James Version and made inspired corrections, revisions, and additions to the biblical text.
Teachings of the Presidents of the Church (manual): Joseph Smith (2011)
(https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-17?lang=eng): As guided by the Spirit, Joseph spent about three years going through the Bible, making thousands of corrections to the text and restoring information that had been lost. This restored information sheds marvelous light on many doctrines that are not clearly presented in the Bible as it exists today.
March 1983 Ensign
(https://www.lds.org/ensign/1983/03/a-greater-portrayal-of-the-master?lang=eng): The Book of Mormon prophets foresaw that many plain and precious parts would be taken away from the Bible (see 1 Ne. 13:26–29) and could only be had again through “other books” and by new revelation (see 1 Ne. 13:38–42). The situation could not be completely remedied by scholars, for it was not a problem of language but a lack of adequate manuscripts. Revelation was needed to restore the lost material so that it could be “had again among the children of men—among as many as shall believe.” (Moses 1:40–41.) The Lord assigned the Prophet Joseph Smith to begin his translation of the Bible in June 1830.
The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual (2000)
(https://www.lds.org/manual/the-pearl-of-great-price-student-manual/the-book-of-moses?lang=eng): Today this inspired revision, which the Prophet worked on until the time of his death, is known as the Joseph Smith Translation. The Prophet Joseph Smith restored to the Bible “many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord [which were] taken away” (1 Nephi 13:26; see also1 Nephi 13:39–40).
April 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4304unse#page/n61/mode/2up): Through inspiration and revelation the Prophet was led to render differently various passages and also to restore missing parts.
August 1940 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4308unse#page/n25/mode/2up/search/%22inspired+revision%22): [I]n some books such as Hosea, which modern scholarship declares to have a highly corrupt text, the Prophet has made little or no change. Certain errors and peculiarities of the King James version have been retained verbatim…Instance upon instance could be cited of mistranslations being carried over from the King James to the Inspired Revision and of errors going uncorrected. This in itself is indisputable evidence that the Prophet did not completely revise the Bible.
November 1948 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera5111unse#page/n53/mode/2up): Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and those associated with him, had been brought up on the teachings of the Holy Bible. It was assumed that the English Bible had been translated correctly and completely from the original manuscripts. The teachings of the Book of Mormon with other new revelations from the Lord, convinced the Prophet that there were errors, unauthorized additions, and incomplete statements in the sacred volume of the Old and New Testaments.
This did not really seem so surprising, since the original manuscripts had not been available to the many translators of varying ability. Moreover, there would be a natural tendency to inject into the text personal explanations of passages obscure to the translators. Such errors seemed to the Prophet, a devoted lover of truth, out of keeping with the sacred nature of the Bible. Therefore, very soon after the organization of the Church, after placing the matter before the Lord, he began the "inspired translation" of the holy scriptures…
Certainly the Prophet used great effort to restore the original meaning of the Bible… Such comparisons might be multiplied. All would show the great service the Prophet Joseph Smith rendered in correcting Biblical errors, and to make the statements of the Holy Scriptures more understandable to the human mind. The "inspired translation" is one of the mighty evidences of the prophetic power of Joseph Smith.
October 1954 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera5710unse#page/n79/mode/2up/search/%22inspired+version%22): The Prophet Joseph Smith, however, in the Inspired Version of the Bible, gives a beautiful and clear interpretation of what Apostle Paul had originally written.
December 1905 Improvement Era
(https://archive.org/stream/improvementera0902unse#page/140/mode/2up/search/%22inspired+translation%22): He had learned from the Book of Mormon that “many plain and precious truths,” properly belonging to the Bible, had been lost or taken away by uninspired translators, thus rendering vague and uncertain the teachings of that sacred record. These missing parts he purposed to restore, as directed and empowered by the spirit of revelation. What is sometimes called the "Inspired Translation" was the result.
Therefore, any argument that the JST is merely Joseph’s musings or is revelation of additional doctrines rather than a restoration of the original writings of the Bible is without merit. These arguments are undermined by the statements of Mormon leaders, official church publications, current church teaching materials, and by textual evidence in the JST itself. The JST unfortunately fails to live up to Joseph’s claims, the church’s claims, and the claims in many supposed revelations from God by failing to correct the scribal additions and alterations that have been discovered in the KJV.
You can contact me at [email protected].
- Last updated on August 5, 2015 -