In part one of this series of messages we introduced a quick litmus test we hope will help you gauge the reliability of the particular translation using only Genesis 1:1. We are going to continue on in Genesis and add more evidence of the superiority of the King James translation over other Catholic and Protestant Bibles we happen to have available. Some of this may seem tedious because the points of contention sometimes hinge on single letters within a verse, but over time it will become clear why these apparently small editorial decisions will have huge ramifications later on in the Bible. If you just spot them early on right on the first page of the Bible you can save yourself so much grief later on.
So, moving on from Genesis 1:1 to the following verse, the KJV reads:
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2 KJV
This verse matters a lot because it is our first introduction to the trinity. Even without ever hearing the name Jesus or having the prior knowledge of Jesus’ role in creation explained in John chapter 1, right here in the very beginning of Genesis we are introduced to God and the Spirit of God which are both God but also clearly distinct entities.
The NKJV says the following:
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2 NKJV
These two versions are very close, almost identical except for one detail. Was the Holy Spirit moving upon the face of the waters or hovering in one place? It certainly can’t be both, these are mutually exclusive concepts. One is either moving or staying in one place. So, who’s right?
Without going all the way back to the Hebrew let us reason together: Did Jesus walk on water, or did he hover over it?
Knowing other parts of scripture as the translators of the NKJV surely did, it is easy to see why they would want to depict the Holy Spirit as being separated from the darkness over the deep. Darkness and light are mutually exclusive in Biblical cosmology. Here are just a few examples as evidence:
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1st John 1:5, KJV
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” 2nd Corinthians 6:14, KJV
“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.” 1st Samuel 16:14, KJV
So we see that darkness and light are mutually exclusive concepts in the Bible, they cannot coexist with one another. One will always banish the other. Regarding the verse from 1st Samuel, it is crucial to note that being of the Lord is quite different from being from the Lord. We are all from the Lord in the sense that the Lord made all of us, but we are not all of the Lord. More on that in a moment.
Going back to Genesis, we understand the inclination of the translators to make this separation between the Holy Spirit and the primordial darkness, but actually in this instance the King James translators once again made the right decision, even if it seems somewhat counterintuitive. Watch:
2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
-Genesis 1:2-4 KJV
The separation of light from darkness that we understand implicitly as part of our reality, occurred in verse 4. In verse 2 this separation has not yet occurred; therefore it is safe for the KJV translators to report the Holy Spirit which is Light itself moving upon the darkness. And because the KJV translators have been so careful and faithful with the word of God, when we arrive on verses like this one in Isaiah we can be confident that there is no error or contradiction because it has been plainly spelled out consistently from the beginning:
“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” -Isaiah 45:7
In last place comes the Catholic NAB version which just says: “the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.” Genesis 1:2
Current scorecard:
KJV: 2
NKJV: 0
NAB: -666
Now to be fair, the Holy Spirit is likened to a wind elsewhere in scripture, but the translators do not care to give him the credit and respect entitled to him in their sloppy translation. The editors of the NAB fully admit in their introduction to the Book of Genesis that they don’t even believe Genesis unless it can be verified by an “non-biblical” source, saying:
“While we do not view the account of the patriarchs as history in the strict sense, nevertheless certain of the matters recounted from the time of Abraham onward can be placed in the actual historical and social framework of the Near East in the early part of the second millennium B.C. (2000-1500), and documented by non-biblical sources.” NAB pg. 2
Since they don’t believe the book of Genesis in the first place it is no wonder that they don’t care that their translation blasphemes the Holy Ghost or blatantly contradicts other parts of scripture as we will see later.
We will end with this word of warning that Jesus gave to the Pharisees:
"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"
John 5:45-47, KJV
Selah!
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