Deuteronomy 32:8 "the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL", "THE GODS" or "ANGELS" or "SONS OF GOD"?
Deuteronomy 32:8 KJB (NIV!, NKJV, NASB) - "When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
Deuteronomy 32:8 ESV - "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the SONS OF GOD."
Footnote: Compare Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text - sons of Israel."
NRSV 1989 - " he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number OF THE GODS."
Dan Wallace and company's NET version actually says: "he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of THE HEAVENLY ASSEMBLY."
The New Brenton Translation 2012 (based on the so called Greek Septuagint) reads - "he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of THE ANGELS OF GOD."
But wait! There's more scholarly shenanigans afoot. Now the NEW English Septuagint Version of 2014 has come out and it reads: "according to the number of DIVINE SONS." It doesn't even read like the OLD Septuagints!
Other modern bible versions that reject the Hebrew Masoretic text here and say "the sons OF GOD" rather than "the children OF ISRAEL" are the liberal RSV (which was the first bible version to follow this erroneous reading), while the later NRSV of 1989 said "according to the number of THE GODS". Dan Wallace's NET version (sort of), the critical text Common English bible 2011 "based on the number of THE GODS", The Voice 2012 and the ISV 2014 - "the number of THE CHILDREN OF GOD."
Likewise the Comic Book New Living Translation 2013 says: “according to the number of HIS HEAVENLY COURT.”
And then it footnotes: “Dead Sea Scrolls, which read the number of the sons of God, and Greek version, which reads the number of the angels of God; Masoretic Text reads the number of the sons of Israel.”
So, in other words, they rejected what is the clear reading of the Hebrew text and badly paraphrased a wrong text. And then they pass this stuff off as “the latest in scholarship.”
The Catholic Versions
Among the Catholic versions we see the usual confusion. The older Douay-Rheims of 1610 and the Douay of 1950 both followed the Hebrew Masoretic texts and said "the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL." but then the modern Catholic versions like the St. Joseph New American Bible of 1970 and the 1985 New Jerusalem bible both read - "the CHILDREN OF GOD".
Oh, but wait! Now the 2009 Catholic Public Domain Version AND The Revised Douay-Rheims Bible 2012 and both of them have gone back to the Hebrew reading of "according to the number of the children OF ISRAEL."!
Dan Wallace and company's goofy NET version actually says: "he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of THE HEAVENLY ASSEMBLY."
This is similar to the equally ridiculous The Message of 2002 that says: "within boundaries under the care of DIVINE GUARDIANS." And the New Living Translation says: "according to the number in HIS HEAVENLY COURT."
The good Doktor Wallace then footnotes that the Masoretic text reads "sons of ISRAEL", and the Greek LXX reads "ANGELS of God" but that the DSS "fragment" reads "sons of GOD"; but being the Every Man For Himself Bible Critic that he is, he decided to translate it as "the HEAVENLY ASSEMBLY". This is how these guys operate, folks.
What was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at this point is a very chopped up text with numerous missing words in just this verse alone. Even Dan Wallace refers to it as "a Qumran fragment".
The copy of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Abegg, Flint & Ulrich shows in brackets what is missing. The only parts found here would read: "When...their inherit...he separated...the children of GOD." That's it! And from this scrap of manuscript alone some modern versions have now rejected the time tested Hebrew Masoretic text and changed it.
The reading of "according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL" is the reading found in all Hebrew Masoretic texts as well as the Syriac Peshitta -"according to the number of the children OF ISRAEL", ALL Jewish translations like The Jewish Family Bible 1864, The Ancient Hebrew Bible 1907, the JPS 1917 (Jewish Publication Society), the 1936 Hebrew Publishing Company translation, The New Jewish Version 1985, the Hebrew Names Version 2014, the Complete Jewish Bible 1998, The Hebrew Transliteration Bible 2010 - "he set the bounds of the people according to the number of benai Yisra'el.", the Orthodox Jewish Bible 2011, The Natural Israelite Bible 2012, and the Judaica Press Tanach 2004 - "according to the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
This Online Hebrew Interlinear Bible - "according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
Deuteronomy 32:8 בהנחל divided עליון When the most High גוים to the nations בהפרידו their inheritance, when he separated בני the sons אדם of Adam, יצב he set גבלת the bounds עמים of the people למספר according to the number בני of the children ישׂראל׃ of Israel.
And The Jewish Virtual Library Complete Tanach 1994 - "according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
D'varim (Deuteronomy): Chapter 32
Modern Greek Bible - “εστησε τα ορια των λαων κατα τον αριθμον των υιων Ισραηλ.” = “He set the boundaries of the people according to the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.”
The Modern Hebrew Bible - בהנחל עליון גוים בהפרידו בני אדם יצב גבלת עמים למספר בני ישראל׃ = according to the number of the children of Israel
"according to the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL"
Reading like the King James Bible are Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1534, the Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible 1549, the Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1587, Darby 1890, Young's 1898, the Revised Version 1885, ASV 1901, Amplified Bible 1987, God's Word Translation 1995, the NASB 1995, NIV 1984, 2011 editions!, The Koster Scriptures 1998, The Context Group Version 2007, the Holman Standard 2009, the Jubilee Bible 2010, The Ancient Roots Bible 2010, The New European Version 2010 - "the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL", The Hebraic Transliteration Scriptues 2010 - “according to the number of benai Yisrael.”, The Online Interlinear 2010 (André de Mol), the Names of God Bible 2011, the Orthodox Jewish Bible of 2011, The Work of God's Children Illustrated Bible 2011, the Lexham English Bible 2012, The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek Scriptures 2012 (Mebust), The World English Bible 2012, The Biblos Bible 2013 and The Modern English Version 2014 - "the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL".
The King James Bible is always right. Don't settle for a bogus "bible" version.
Will Kinney
Return to Articles - KJB Articles
Deuteronomy 32:8 KJB (NIV!, NKJV, NASB) - "When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
Deuteronomy 32:8 ESV - "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the SONS OF GOD."
Footnote: Compare Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text - sons of Israel."
NRSV 1989 - " he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number OF THE GODS."
Dan Wallace and company's NET version actually says: "he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of THE HEAVENLY ASSEMBLY."
The New Brenton Translation 2012 (based on the so called Greek Septuagint) reads - "he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of THE ANGELS OF GOD."
But wait! There's more scholarly shenanigans afoot. Now the NEW English Septuagint Version of 2014 has come out and it reads: "according to the number of DIVINE SONS." It doesn't even read like the OLD Septuagints!
Other modern bible versions that reject the Hebrew Masoretic text here and say "the sons OF GOD" rather than "the children OF ISRAEL" are the liberal RSV (which was the first bible version to follow this erroneous reading), while the later NRSV of 1989 said "according to the number of THE GODS". Dan Wallace's NET version (sort of), the critical text Common English bible 2011 "based on the number of THE GODS", The Voice 2012 and the ISV 2014 - "the number of THE CHILDREN OF GOD."
Likewise the Comic Book New Living Translation 2013 says: “according to the number of HIS HEAVENLY COURT.”
And then it footnotes: “Dead Sea Scrolls, which read the number of the sons of God, and Greek version, which reads the number of the angels of God; Masoretic Text reads the number of the sons of Israel.”
So, in other words, they rejected what is the clear reading of the Hebrew text and badly paraphrased a wrong text. And then they pass this stuff off as “the latest in scholarship.”
The Catholic Versions
Among the Catholic versions we see the usual confusion. The older Douay-Rheims of 1610 and the Douay of 1950 both followed the Hebrew Masoretic texts and said "the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL." but then the modern Catholic versions like the St. Joseph New American Bible of 1970 and the 1985 New Jerusalem bible both read - "the CHILDREN OF GOD".
Oh, but wait! Now the 2009 Catholic Public Domain Version AND The Revised Douay-Rheims Bible 2012 and both of them have gone back to the Hebrew reading of "according to the number of the children OF ISRAEL."!
Dan Wallace and company's goofy NET version actually says: "he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of THE HEAVENLY ASSEMBLY."
This is similar to the equally ridiculous The Message of 2002 that says: "within boundaries under the care of DIVINE GUARDIANS." And the New Living Translation says: "according to the number in HIS HEAVENLY COURT."
The good Doktor Wallace then footnotes that the Masoretic text reads "sons of ISRAEL", and the Greek LXX reads "ANGELS of God" but that the DSS "fragment" reads "sons of GOD"; but being the Every Man For Himself Bible Critic that he is, he decided to translate it as "the HEAVENLY ASSEMBLY". This is how these guys operate, folks.
What was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at this point is a very chopped up text with numerous missing words in just this verse alone. Even Dan Wallace refers to it as "a Qumran fragment".
The copy of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Abegg, Flint & Ulrich shows in brackets what is missing. The only parts found here would read: "When...their inherit...he separated...the children of GOD." That's it! And from this scrap of manuscript alone some modern versions have now rejected the time tested Hebrew Masoretic text and changed it.
The reading of "according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL" is the reading found in all Hebrew Masoretic texts as well as the Syriac Peshitta -"according to the number of the children OF ISRAEL", ALL Jewish translations like The Jewish Family Bible 1864, The Ancient Hebrew Bible 1907, the JPS 1917 (Jewish Publication Society), the 1936 Hebrew Publishing Company translation, The New Jewish Version 1985, the Hebrew Names Version 2014, the Complete Jewish Bible 1998, The Hebrew Transliteration Bible 2010 - "he set the bounds of the people according to the number of benai Yisra'el.", the Orthodox Jewish Bible 2011, The Natural Israelite Bible 2012, and the Judaica Press Tanach 2004 - "according to the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
This Online Hebrew Interlinear Bible - "according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
Deuteronomy 32:8 בהנחל divided עליון When the most High גוים to the nations בהפרידו their inheritance, when he separated בני the sons אדם of Adam, יצב he set גבלת the bounds עמים of the people למספר according to the number בני of the children ישׂראל׃ of Israel.
And The Jewish Virtual Library Complete Tanach 1994 - "according to the number of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL."
D'varim (Deuteronomy): Chapter 32
Modern Greek Bible - “εστησε τα ορια των λαων κατα τον αριθμον των υιων Ισραηλ.” = “He set the boundaries of the people according to the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.”
The Modern Hebrew Bible - בהנחל עליון גוים בהפרידו בני אדם יצב גבלת עמים למספר בני ישראל׃ = according to the number of the children of Israel
"according to the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL"
Reading like the King James Bible are Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1534, the Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible 1549, the Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1587, Darby 1890, Young's 1898, the Revised Version 1885, ASV 1901, Amplified Bible 1987, God's Word Translation 1995, the NASB 1995, NIV 1984, 2011 editions!, The Koster Scriptures 1998, The Context Group Version 2007, the Holman Standard 2009, the Jubilee Bible 2010, The Ancient Roots Bible 2010, The New European Version 2010 - "the number of THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL", The Hebraic Transliteration Scriptues 2010 - “according to the number of benai Yisrael.”, The Online Interlinear 2010 (André de Mol), the Names of God Bible 2011, the Orthodox Jewish Bible of 2011, The Work of God's Children Illustrated Bible 2011, the Lexham English Bible 2012, The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek Scriptures 2012 (Mebust), The World English Bible 2012, The Biblos Bible 2013 and The Modern English Version 2014 - "the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL".
The King James Bible is always right. Don't settle for a bogus "bible" version.
Will Kinney
Return to Articles - KJB Articles