Habakkuk 1:12

 . The question can simply be:

Is it possible for all the copies and manuscripts to agree on a wrong reading?

The answer is yes, which is what we have in the text of Habakkuk 1:12.

The subject of the attribution of infallibility, the safe transmission of the text, and the reliance on manuscripts, their abundance, and their presence in more than one place has no place in reality. When put to the tests through which this matter can be evaluated, these matters that Christians believe to be facts fall one after the other.

In this example, we will show how all the available manuscripts can convey an incorrect reading and agree on this error... that is, in other words, a false consensus. The

text says:

קְדֹשִׁי-- לֹא נָמוּת ; It's too late.

Direct translation into Arabic:

Are you not from of old, Jehovah is my God, my Holy One, we shall not die , Jehovah for the judgment of his class, and a rock for punishment you have founded.

The part highlighted in red, “we shall not die” / לֹא נָמוּת / if we die is the meaning of this part and it will be the subject of the discussion.

We will begin first with an analysis of the internal evidence and the external evidence.

External evidence :

1- The Hebrew readings represented in all Hebrew texts and the Masoretic manuscripts read it as לֹא נָמוּת we shall not die.

2- The Qumran manuscript 1QpHab did not give a reading of the text, as the part containing the text was damaged, and even most of paragraph 12.

3- Also in the ancient Jewish heritage books, the reading “And we will not die ” appears in the Midrash Rabbah מדרש רבה of the Book of Exodus as a quotation from the Book of Habakkuk: הלא אתה מקדם ה' אלהי There is no need to worry about this [1]

Translation:

Are you not from of old, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We will not die until Adam is satisfied with the tree.

4- The Septuagint also chose the same reading: “shall we not die”:

Art not Thou from everlasting, O Lord God, my Holy One? and so we shall not die . O Lord, Thou hast ordained him for judgment, and He hath fashioned me to chasten with His correction
[2]

5- The reading of the Targum of Jonathan was different from the Masoretic text - and this in itself gives an indication - and from the Septuagint translation and the rest of the evidence later, as he said, “Do not die”:

New Year's Day New Year's Day קְשֹוט עַל כָל בִריָתָך קַדִיש בְעָבְדֵי הֵימָנוּתָא מֵימְרָך קַיָים לְעָלְמִין Read more More information [3]

He said: “He is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who knows best.”

And Memerach here refers to the Lord, so I have taken care of the Lord, he lives forever.

6- The Latin translation known as the Vulgate chose the same previous reading of the Masoretic and Septuagint texts: “We shall not die”:

Wast thou not from the beginning, O Lord my God, my holy one, and we shall not die ? Lord, you have appointed him for judgment: and made him strong for correction.
[4]

7- The Syriac Peshitta translation omitted this part and did not include :

Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my holy one art thou without a law, O LORD? for thou hast ordained them for judgment, and thou hast created us for chastisement
[5]

Internal analysis :

After these ancient versions agreed - with the exception of the Peshitta, which dropped the part from the foundation - that the reading is “we do not die” by transforming its wording to the human element, we find that this wording is completely contrary to the context of the text itself, which is in the first part of the paragraph, as well as what follows it. The text says, according to the translation of the Christians, “the Vandyke”:

Habakkuk Chapter 1:

12 Are you not from everlasting , O LORD my God, my Holy One ? We shall not die. O LORD , you have ordained them for judgment, and have founded them, O Rock of correction. 13 Your eyes are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity . Why then do you look on the plunderers, and keep silent while the wicked swallows up the one who is more righteous than he?

The text, in its context and in its entirety, speaks about the Lord and attributes all matters to Him, whether in the first part of paragraph 12 or even the rest of the context in the following.

Changing the course of the matter from talking about the divine self to humanity, and then returning after that to talking about God in this way and in this context, is something illogical and unconvincing.

This is what scholars and skilled critics have said. They have acknowledged that this reading, “We will not die,” is not the correct and original reading, but rather it is something that the scribes wrote with their own hands and was included within the divine revelation – according to their belief – in what falls under the category of “the scribes’ amendments” or Tikkun HaSophrim .

This type of modification is found in 18 places in the Old Testament in Genesis 18:22, Numbers 11:15 and 12:12, 1 Samuel 3:13, 2 Samuel 16:12 and 20:1, 1 Kings 12:16, 2 Chronicles 10:16, Jeremiah 2:11, Ezekiel 8:17, Hosea 4:7, Habakkuk 1:12, Zechariah 2:8, Malachi 1:12, Psalm 116:20, Job 7:20 and 32:3, and Vial 3:20.

The eighteen emendations are: Gen 18:22, Num 11:15, 12:12, 1Sam 3:13, 2Sam 16:12, 20:1, 1Kings 12:16, 2Chr 10:16, Jer 2:11, Ezek 8 :17, Hos 4:7, Hab 1:12, Zech 2:8, Mal 1:12, Psa 116:20, Job 7:20, 32:3, Lam 3:20.
[6]

The reason that scholars attributed this correction is that the copyists saw that linking the idea of ​​death to God in the text was a sign of disrespect towards God, so they changed it from “you do not die” to “we do not die.” This is a strong response from the Jews to those who believe in the idea of ​​the death of God.

Below is a collection of opinions of scholars and critics, some of which I will quote:

BHS Margin Comment:

b–blc Tiq soph לא תמות [7]

It means that the second part of the paragraph is an amendment by the copyist Tiq soph, meaning that it is not the original correct reading.

A Critical and Exegetical Commentary says:

noted by Mas. as tikkun sopherim M נמות [8]

Translation:

We do not die: This reading was written by the Masoretes as a scribal amendment.

Fausset quotes the Jewish rabbis as saying that this change and alteration in the text occurred at the hands of Ezra the priest and his disciples at the time of the loss of the Torah.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown's interpretation states:

This reading is one of the eighteen called by the Hebrews "the appointment of the scribes"; t he Rabbis think that Ezra and his colleagues corrected the old reading, “You shalt not die .
[9]

Translation:

This reading is one of 18 cases called in Hebrew by scribal inflections - corrections - and the Rabbanim believe that Ezra and his group modified the old reading "shall not die . "

Ginsburg says:

All the ancient records emphatically state that this exhibits the corrected te xt by the Sopherim and that the original reading was: 'Art thou not from everlasting? O Lord my God, mine Holy
One, you die not.' The parallelism plainly shows that this is the correct reading. The address in both clauses is to the Lord who is described in the first clause as being from everlasting and in the second clause as never dying or enduring for ever. The introduction, therefore, of a new subject in the plural with the predicate 'we shall not die' thus describing immortality to the
people is contrary to the scope of the passage . . . The reason for the alteration is not far to seek.
It was considered offensive to predicate of the Lord 'thou diest not.' Hence 'we shall not die' was substituted

[10]

Translation:

All the ancient manuscripts confirm conclusively that this was a method of correcting the text by the copyists and that the ancient reading was "immortal", the correspondence clearly shows that it is the correct reading. The title in both parts of the paragraph is specific to God, as in the first part he is described as eternal, and in the second part he is described as immortal or lasting forever.

Therefore, with the introduction of the paragraph and the new command represented by the collective referred to in “we do not die,” he here confers immortality on people, which is contrary to the context of the paragraph .... The reason for this change is not far-fetched, for I considered directing this formula to God, “You do not die,” an insult, so I changed it to, “We do not die.”

In the commentary of the Jewish Rabbi Rashi on the text, he said:

Who shall not die. Now, the reason it is written לֹא נָמוּת we shall not die, is that it is one of the emendations of the scribes in Scr ipture euphemizes . Likewise, (Mal. 1:13) “And you were saddened by it.” And so are many of them [these euphemisms] explained in Sifre (Num. 10:35). According to the emendation of the scripts, this is its explanation: Are you not my God from everlasting, my Holy One? Do not deliver us into their hands to die

[11]

Translation:

"We shall not die" and the reason for writing it is that it is one of the modifications made by the scribes in the manuscripts as euphemisms , so also Malachi 1:13, and many of these euphemisms are explained in the Sephirs. According to the modifications of the scribes this is its interpretation: Are you not my God from of old, my Holy One, do not deliver us into their hands to die.

In the commentary of the NET Bible version, it also spoke about this matter, and even issued a critical judgment on the superiority of the reading “do not die” over the existing reading “we do not die” because it is the more difficult reading :

The MT reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [ie, God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscr ipts did not want to associate the idea of ​​death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity
[12]

Translation:

The Masoretic text reads "We will not die" but the old scribal tradition says "You - the Lord - will not die" and this reading is preferred because it is the more difficult reading and may explain why the new reading appeared.

Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of ​​death with God in any way, so they adapted the passage to refer to the human element.

Also in International Critical Commentary

Translation:

Again in Habakkuk 1:12, our version and the current Hebrew text gives the reading: “Are you not from everlasting, Jehovah my God, my Holy One, I cannot die?” Tradition tells us that the original reading was “You cannot die,” which was changed because the idea of ​​ascribing death to God was irreverent, even to present it as a rejection of this idea .

After reviewing the topic and analyzing it internally and externally, and the comments of critics and scholars on the texts.

The copies and manuscripts were all collected together as a lie, and despite the claimants’ claim of the large number of manuscripts and their dispersion, this did not prevent the preservation of the original readings, and all of them, without any exception, were subject to modifications and distortions by the copyists .

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[1] English translation: Hebrews [2] English Orthodox Church Translation: Hab 1: 12 [3] Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon: Targum Jonathan to the Prophets. Hebrew Union College, 2005; 2005, S. Hab 1:12 [4] http://www.latinvulgate.com/verse.aspx?t=0&b=40 [5] Lamsa Translation: Hab 1:12 [6] J Fitzmeyer, SJ, Raymond E Brown.: The Jerome Biblical Commentary, Vol.1, SS, 1968, pp. 297 [7] Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Apparatus Criticus. electronic ed. Stuttgart: German Bible Society, 2003, c1969/77, S. 1050 [8] Smith, J.M. Powis ; Ward, William Hayes ; Bewer, Julius August: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Obadiah and Joel. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1911, S. 12 [9] A. R. Fausset.: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible: Hab 1: 12 [10] D. Ginsburg, Christian. : Introduction To The Massoretico-Critical Edition Of The Hebrew Bible : Trinitarian Bible Society 1897 [11] Rashi on Hab 1:12 [12] Biblical Studies Press: The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006; 2006