I’ve known folks who will defend to their death that an English translation per se is the inspired Word of God. Well, I’ve got news for those folks. An English translation is merely that, a translation. A translation is not an autograph. Let’s face it, English translations differ, and sometimes those differences have consequences.
Let’s look at one example by Dr. Bill Mounce.
ROMANS 2:28-29 – DR. MOUNCE’S OBSERVATIONS ABOUT JEWS AND CIRCUMCISION
In an article entitled “’ Real’ Circumcision (Rom 2:28-19 (sic: 29)” [link: “Real” Circumcision (Rom 2:28–19) | billmounce.com], Dr. Mounce observes that sometimes translations add some significant words that are absent from the Greek text. As we will see, these words have ramifications. Referring to Romans 2:28-29[i], he writes (boldfacing added):
There is no Greek word behind “real” or “true,” neither as an actual word or one implied by the grammar. It just isn’t there. I’m not sure why the RSV inserted them into their translation. Perhaps it was out of deference to Jewish readers. Perhaps they felt a conflict between what Paul was saying and the reality that there are physical descendants of Abraham called “Jews” and there is a physical act called “circumcision.” But Paul didn’t feel the conflict; he was radically re-defining what “Jew” and “circumcision” mean.
To gain a better understanding of the issue, I looked at a Greek-English interlinear Bible.[ii] A PDF of the interlinear Bible is at the link https://stevebelsheim.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Romans-2-28-29-Scan-Interlinear-Bible-283.pdf . A careful look at the text does not reveal any words that justify adding the words “real” and “true” consistent with Dr. Mounce’s comments.
For the sake of completeness, the first English translation referred to by Dr. Mounce was the Revised Standard Version (RSV), and it reads (italics and boldface added):
Romans 2:28-29 (RSV) – 28 For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. 29 He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God.
You will notice that “real” modifies the first occurrence of “Jew” and the second occurrence of “circumcision.” The word “real” modifies the first occurrence of the word “circumcision.”
Dr. Mounce’s conclusion establishes that adding words can make a difference (boldface added):
Paul is radically redefining what circumcision is, and most of the translations, most of the time, soften what he says. Paul knows there are physical descendants of Abraham, and he knows there is a physical act called “circumcision,” but he is not concerned with that. He wants to make the point as clearly as possible that being a “Jew” and being “circumcised” are issues of faith.
As Paul clearly states elsewhere, I (Bill Mounce, a Gentile) am as much a child of Abraham and an inheritor of God’s promises as is anyone, regardless of their ethnic heritage. As Paul told the Galatians, “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham…. So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Gal 3:7, 9).
ROMANS 2:28-29 – DIGGING JUST A LITTLE DEEPER ON MY OWN
I dug a little bit deeper by looking at the NASB95, THE ESV, and THE HCSB translations.
The NASB95 Translation
As Dr. Mounce points out, the NASB95 presents a more accurate translation because it does not insert any words in these verses. Romans 2:28–29 (NASB95) reads:
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
The ESV Translation
I often use the English Standard Version (ESV) translation. The ESV imports “merely” into v. 28, and it reads:
Romans 2:28–29 (ESV) [emphasis added] – 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
With the interlinear in mind, there does not appear to be a compelling reason to import “merely.” But, it does not change the message in Dr. Mounce’s words that Steve is “as much a child of Abraham and an inheritor of God’s promises as is anyone, regardless of their ethnic heritage.”
The HCSB Translation
The HCSB translation of Romans 2:28–29 reads [emphasis added]:
28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.
The HCSB adds the word “true” before the Greek noun peritomē [circumcision] even though there is no corresponding word in Greek. The HCSB does not employ any words that modify the second occurrence of the word “circumcision.” Like with the ESV, including the word “true” does not seem to change the message that Steve is “as much a child of Abraham and an inheritor of God’s promises as is anyone, regardless of their ethnic heritage.”
Input from Commentaries
One commentator[iii] appears to support the position that :real” and “true” are not necessary:
2:28–29 In the last paragraph of chap. 2 Paul summarized what it meant to be a real Jew and what kind of circumcision was considered authentic. People were not Jews if their Jewishness was no more than outward appearance. Going through the ceremonial activities of Judaism did not make a person a Jew. And real circumcision was not that which was merely external and physical. A person was a Jew only if he or she was one inwardly. The circumcision that counted was a circumcision of the heart (cf. Deut 30:6). Real circumcision was the work of the Spirit. It did not come through the mechanical observance of the written code. Authentic Jewishness was inward and spiritual. Authentic circumcision was the cutting away of the old sinful nature. It could be accomplished only by the sanctifying Spirit of God. Those who had experienced it received their praise from God, not from others.
Another commentator[iv] presents the following translation of vv. 28-29:
Translation. For, not he who is so in outward fashion is a Jew, nor even that which is in an outward fashion in flesh is circumcision. But he who is so in the sphere of the inner man is a Jew, and circumcision is of the heart in the sphere of the spirit, not in the sphere of the letter, concerning whom the praise is not from man but from God.
Nothing in this translation justifies the importation of “real” and “rue” into Romans 2:28-29.
CONCLUSION
The translation you read and study can make a difference. Therefore, in New Testament study, it is beneficial to look behind the English to the Greek.
By the way, like me, you don’t have to know Greek to try to examine the original language because there are so many Greek language helps available. But, one huge caution is unless you know koine Greek, please be aware that you really do not know koine Greek and so make certain to verify any of your findings with resources by experts (like Dr. Mounce) who know the language.
If you are reading this post and are not a Christian, unless God intervenes, your eternal destination is hell. But, your destiny can change.
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[i] After pointing out the RSV, Dr. Mounce then refers to the revised RSV (NRSV), which imports words when it reads:
Romans 2:28–29 (NRSV) – 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. 29 Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.
Dr. Mounce congratulates the NASB95, KVJ and NET translations for an accurate translation. As an example, Romans 2:28–29 (NASB95) reads:
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
[ii] Harris, W. H., III. (2010). The Lexham Greek-English Interlinear New Testament: SBL Edition (Ro 2:28–29). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[iii] Mounce, R. H. (1995). Romans (Vol. 27, pp. 102–103). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers
[iv] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 2, p. 51). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.