Jeremiah 8:8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?’

The passage as a whole is describing a refusal to repent, but this verse is a bombshell. Jeremiah is saying outright that some of the scribes, who were responsible for hand-copying the Torah, deliberately changed things to fit their own ideas. We have no idea how many generations of such copying had already occurred by this time, but the very idea is scary. They had no other method of transmission, so the job of Scribe was a very important one. It seems unthinkable that some of those scribes would deliberately change the words of the Law of God, but that is what Jeremiah is accusing them of. Actually, that sort of thing happens today, and probably with much greater frequency. We aren’t limited to hand-copying the Bible, but we read it in translation, and that gives many opportunities for error. Different languages have different strengths, and sometimes there is no direct equivalent for something in the original, but an honest translator will concede that and probably give footnotes about it. When it gets bad is in deliberate distortions of the text to fit a particular viewpoint, such as the New World translation used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, that tries to hide the deity of Jesus, and a translation that came out a few years ago that changed all the pronouns to make God female. Those who do such things have no real fear of God, and no real grasp of the fact that they are handling His Word. When we read the Bible in any translation, or even in the Hebrew or Greek, we need to seek the help of Holy Spirit to straighten out our understanding. After all, He is the Author! Reading multiple translations is often very helpful, but we don’t always have that luxury, because of time or other factors. However, Holy Spirit is always available, if we don’t quench Him or grieve Him. Human factors are present in any Bible we read, but God is able to protect His Word, if we treat it as that and not just as literature or philosophy.

As I have written before, I am probably as aware of the difficulties of Bible translation as anyone. I don’t know either Hebrew or Greek, but I’m bilingual in English and Japanese, which are two totally unrelated languages. Going between the two is sometimes a real challenge! My father taught both Hebrew and Greek to Japanese seminary students, in Japanese, and I never felt I could approach his level of linguistic prowess. That, however, was not the issue. The point was and is to transmit what God has said, without distortion. I currently preach in both languages, alternating between Japanese and English as I speak. Sometimes I forget what I’ve said in Japanese and fail to say it in English! (My wife generally calls me to account for that.) Often, an idea is expressed very simply in one language but requires a lot more explanation in the other. That’s why going between languages verbally is called interpreting, whereas in written form it is called translation. I have interpreted for numerous speakers over the years, even including a member of the Japanese imperial family, and frankly, interpreting for myself is easiest, because I always know what I mean! That’s why I seek the guidance of the Author when I read the Bible, whichever language I’m using. As I transmit God’s words in various ways to others I must always be careful to let it be His Word, and not interject my own ideas. He alone is worthy of total acceptance.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for causing me to be bilingual, so that I understand this issue. Help me be a faithful “scribe,” a transmitter of Your Word, so that more and more people may know Your truth and be set free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!