Another King James Bible Believer

Singular Greek Nouns as Plural and Plural Nouns as Singular versus the self-appointed Bible Correctors

At our Facebook forum called The King James Bible Debate a certain Bible corrector, who is his own authority and does not believe that ANY Bible in any language he can show us IS now or ever was the complete and inerrant words of God writes:

“How many times did the KJV translators in Matthew write the phrase "Kingdom of heaven", when in the Greek it is plural? Matthew 3:2 4:17 5:3 5:10 5:19 (2 times) 5:20 7:21 8:11 10:7 11:11 11:12 13:11 13:24 13:31 13:33 13:44 13:45 13:47 13:52 16:19 18:1 18:3 18:4 18:23 19:12 19:14 19:23 20:1 22:2 23:13 25:1 Thirty-two times here the KJV translators wrote heaven in the singular erroneously. In the Greek each one of these verses is in the plural. My Holy Spirit does not make mistakes, neither in grammar nor in spelling. In every language there is a huge difference between singular (1) and plural (2 or more). Did the Holy Spirit make a mistake here, or did the translators? Obviously, the translators.”

End of comments by this version rummaging Bible agnostic who criticizes ALL Bible translations and maintains that only the long lost originals of “the Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic” Scriptures are or were inspired and inerrant, even though he has never seen them, never read them and couldn’t show them to anybody else if his life depended on it.

Is he right in his school boy criticism about the singulars and plurals?  Of course not.  And here is why.

Singular Greek nouns translated as Plural.

1 Peter 2:24 by his STRIPES we are healed - τω μωλωπι αυτου (Young's, Darby, NASB, NIV, ESV, NET, etc.)

Luke 11:43 love the UPPER SEATS in the synagogues - την πρωτοκαθεδριαν (Young's, NASB, NIV, NKJV, Geneva)

Mark 14:39 - and spake the same WORDS - τον αυτον λογον 

Acts 18:15 - but if it be a question of WORDS - περι λογου (Young's, ESV, NIV, NASB, NET, Holman, NKJV, etc.)

Luke 21:25 the WAVES roaring - σαλου 

1 Corinthians 6:5 - to judge between his BRETHREN - του αδελφου αυτου (Young's, NASB, NIV, ESV, NET, Holman, etc.)

Ephesians 2:7 - the exceeding RICHES of his grace - πλουτον (Young's, NASB, NIV, ESV, NKJV, etc.)

Plural Greek nouns as singular

Matthew 3:2 (and all the other examples our Bible critic gave us) - Repent ye: for the kingdom of HEAVEN is at hand.  - η βασιλεια των ουρανων

So also read Tyndale, Coverdale, the Great Bible, Matthew’s bible, the Bishops’ bible, the Geneva Bible, the Revised Version, ASV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NET, Holman, etc.

Matthew 3:7 - GENERATION of vipers - γεννηματα

Matthew 5:3 - for theirs is the kingdom of HEAVEN - των ουρανων

Matthew 12:1 - Jesus went on THE SABBATH DAY through the corn - τοις σαββασιν 

Matthew 14:28 - bid me come unto thee on the WATER - επι τα υδατα

Matthew 14:29 - he walked on the WATER to go to Jesus - τα υδατα

Matthew 14:6 - when Herod’s BIRTHDAY was kept -  γενεσιων (Young's, ESV, NIV, NET, NASB, etc._

Matthew 16:5 - they had forgotten to take BREAD - αρτους 

Matthew 16:7 - it is because we have taken no BREAD - αρτους

Matthew 22:2 - a certain king which made A MARRIAGE for his son - γαμους 

Matthew 28:1 - as it began to dawn toward the first day of THE WEEK - σαββατων

Luke 5:17 - it came to pass on a certain DAY - των ημερων

John 1:13 which were born not of BLOOD - εξ αιματων (Young's, ESV, NASB, NKJV, etc.)

Acts 13:22 - which shall fulfill all my WILL - παντα τα θεληματα μου (Young's, NASB, ESV, NKJV, NET, etc.)

Acts 16:13 - and on THE SABBATH we went out of the city - των σαββατων (Young's, NASB, NIV, ESV, NET, etc.)

Acts 19:19 - they counted THE PRICE of them - τας τιμας

Acts 24:26 - he hoped also that MONEY should have been given him - χρηματα (Young's, NASB, NIV, NET, ESV, NKJV, etc.)

Acts 28:8 Publius lay sick of A FEVER - πυρετοις 

Romans 3:8 let us do GOOD that EVIL may come - τα κακα ινα ελθη τα αγαθα

Romans 13:12 - let us put on the ARMOUR of light - τα οπλα (Young's, ESV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, etc.)

Romans 13:13 - not in RIOTING, DRUNKENNESS, CHAMBERING, WANTONNESS. - κωμοις και μεθαις μη κοιταις και ασελγειαις (All four are plural in Greek)

1 Corinthians 14:20 - be not children in UNDERSTANDING …but in UNDERSTANDING be men - ταις φρεσιν … ταις δε φρεσιν (Young's, ESV, NIV, NET, NASB, NKJV, etc.)

Colossians 1:5 the hope which is laid up for you in HEAVEN - εν τοις ουρανοις 

1 Thessalonians 3:10 -THAT WHICH IS LACKING - τα υστερηματα

1 Timothy 2:6 - to be testified in DUE TIME - καιροις ιδιοις

James 5:9 - the judge standeth before THE DOOR - προ των θυρων (Young's, ESV, NIV, NASB, NKJV, etc.)

1 Peter 4:7- and watch unto PRAYER - τας προσευχας

Revelation 8:3 - there was given unto him MUCH  INCENSE - θυμιαματα πολλα (Young's, NASB, NET, NIV, ESV, NKJV, Holman, etc."

 The same is true of the Hebrew.  Many times a plural noun is translated as a singular.

There are many Hebrew words that end in the letters im that can be either singular or plural, depending on the context.  For example, the word God is Eloyhim #430 and yet it is often translated in ALL Bible versions as either a singular God or as plural gods.  See the singular God in Genesis 1:1, 2 and 3.  And yet the same word is plural - gods - in Genesis 31:30 and 32 "wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?" and "thou findest thy gods".  In Psalm 82 we find the singular God in verses 1 and 8, and yet the plural gods in verses 1 and 6 - "he judgeth among the gods" and "I have said, Ye are gods".

The word  "heavens" itself (# 8064) is often translated as a singular "heaven" in the modern versions like the ESV, NIV, NASB etc.  Here are just a few of the MANY times they all do this: In Genesis 14:19 and 22 God is called the "possessor of HEAVEN and earth". In Genesis 1:8 "God called the firmament HEAVEN." Genesis 19:24 the Lord rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah "out of HEAVEN".  In Genesis 21:17 God called to Hagar "out of HEAVEN". In Genesis 22:11 and 15 the angel of the Lord calls to Abharam "out of HEAVEN".  In Genesis 24:3 and 7 God is referred to as "the LORD God of HEAVEN".  and in Genesis 26:4 God tells Isaac "I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars OF HEAVEN."  

In Psalms 11:4 "the LORD's throne is in the HEAVEN"; Psalm 14:2 "the LORD looked down from HEAVEN"; Psalm 20:6 "He will hear from his holy HEAVEN"; Psalm 33:13 "The Lord looks from HEAVEN" and Psalm 57:3 "He shall send from HEAVEN."  These are just a few of the many times they all do this.

The Hebrew word for face is #6440 pahneem and yet it is often translated in ALL Bible versions as either a singular or a plural.  We see the singular in such verses as Genesis 1:2, 29; 4:5, 6, 14 - "darkness was upon THE FACE of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon THE FACE of the waters" (Gen. 1:2), "and from THY FACE shall I be hid" (6:14) and yet as plural in such places as Genesis 9:23; 18:22 and 30:40 - "and their faces were backward" (Gen. 9:23).

The Hebrew word for "WATER" is # 4325 mayim. And yet all bible translations sometimes have it as the plural "waters" and just as many times as the singular "water".  We see in Genesis 1:2 "upon the face of THE WATERS", and yet this same Hebrew word is singular in places like Genesis 18:4 "Let a little WATER be fetched, and wash your feet".  In Genesis 21:14 and 15  Abraham "took bread, and a bottle of WATER" and gave it to Hagar, "and THE WATER was spent".  

The Hebrew word for "virginity" is # 1331 b'thoo-leem. It is a masculine plural noun in Hebrew. Yet all the translations correct have it as the singular "virginity" or "a maid".  Leviticus 21:13 "he shall take a wife in HER VIRGINITY."  Deuteronomy 22:14, 17-  "When I came to her, I found her not A MAID". Judges 11:37, 38 - "that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my VIRGINITY"

 

Don’t let the self appointed, version rummaging, variant shuffling, Bible critics who are their own authority rob you of your faith in the absolute truth of every word of our beloved King James Bible.

God himself worked through the earthen vessels of the King James Bible translators to give us the greatest Book ever printed and the only one honestly and consistently believed by thousands of God’s redeemed people to be the complete and inerrant words of the living God.

ALL of grace, believing the Book - the King James Holy Bible,

Will Kinney

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