Wednesday Bible Study: to the 9s

So this week we have one of those verses whose meaning turns on something rather funny.  I'm first going to show you the verse, plus the ones before and after from the ESV to get context- and then show you another translation of our verse.


ESV: Heb 3:15  As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." 
Heb 3:16  For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 
Heb 3:17  And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 
Heb 3:18  And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 
Heb 3:19  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. 


But now, let's look at the Modern KJV:

Heb 3:16  For some, when they had heard, did provoke; however, not all who came out of Egypt by Moses. 
Heb 3:17  But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with those who had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 

"OMG, it's one of those contradictions in the Bible!"  No, gentle reader, there isn't a REAL conflict here.  First, let me examine HOW we got to this point; then, the WHY of God letting it come about this way.

From the Adam Clarke commentary, here's why we have the battle between 'some' and 'all':

There is a various reading here, which consists merely in the different placing of an accent, and yet gives the whole passage a different turn: - τινες, from τις, who, if read with the accent on the epsilon, τινὲς, is the plural indefinite, and signifies some, as in our translation; if read with the accent on the iota, τίνες, it has an interrogative meaning; and, according to this, the whole clause, τίνες γαρ ακουσαντες παρεπικραναν ; But who were those hearers who did bitterly provoke? αλλ 'ου παντες οἱ εξελθοντες εξ Αιγυπτου δια Μωσεως ; Were they not all they who came out of the land of Egypt by Moses? Or, the whole clause may be read with one interrogation: But who were those hearers that did bitterly provoke, but all those who came out of Egypt by Moses? This mode of reading is followed by some editions, and by Chrysostom and Theodoret, and by several learned moderns. It is more likely that this is the true reading, as all that follows to the end of the 18th verse is a series of interrogations.

So for those of you that glazed over, it all depends upon where you put a simple accent mark.  It brings me to mind of this passage:

Mat 5:17  Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. 

Mat 5:18  For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. 

So then, what can we gather here?  One thing we know: 99.9999985% of those who left Egypt with Moses died in the desert, because they had SEEN the miracles wrought in Egypt, they had SEEN the Red Sea split in two, and even WHILE they heard God thundering to Moses on the mountain, they said, "Screw it, Moses is cooked, let's build a golden cow and go back to Egypt."

Anyone who wants to know why God picked the Jews to be His special people, look no further.  If He could do it with THESE guys, He could do it with anyone.  But the ones who turned on Him DIRECTLY by their unbelief weren't going to benefit by His choice.

Anyway, I mentioned a number: 99.9999985 %.  By any statistical reference, you can mark that as "essentially all".  How I came up with it was an estimate by Chuck Swindoll (who said that by the time you worked out women and kids might STILL be low-balling) for how many followed Moses out of Egypt- and the 3 people we KNOW for sure made the entire trip: Joshua, Caleb, and Aaron's son Eliezar.

So, in God's eyes, all the generation that defied Him perished in the desert, so you can 'put the accent on the iota'.  But for the nitpicky who say, 'Not so!', you can move it to the epsilon.  To me, this is not the Bible having an error; this is God covering ALL the bases.  So that no jot or tittle is overturned.  And in case you think I'm being foolish, consider how MINUTE, yet perfectly placed, an issue it is that gave us BOTH translations!  For me, considering this a grammatical accident is right up there with evolution and creation without God.  The chances against it would need me to use a LOT more 9s.