A new level of political correctness has reached Denmark. Why are the Danes omitting “Israel” from a translation of the New Testament? Is it fear, or pressure from authorities wanting to please a specific segment of the Danish population? Do the translators view their work as an option to promote an anti-Israel agenda?
“New Danish Bible translation purges Israel,” 24NYT, April 19, 2020:
A new official translation of the Bible into Danish arouses wonder among religious people. The Danish “Bible Society”, which is responsible for the translation, has cleansed the New Testament – which in the new edition is called “The New Agreement” of the word “Israel”.
According to Jan Frost, who has read the new edition, it applies both when the land of Israel and when the people of Israel are mentioned. Israel is otherwise mentioned in this way in the New Testament more than 60 times.
Mr. Frost states in a video posted on YouTube that the word ‘Israel’ is only used once in the “Bible 2020”, which is the name od the new edition. In all other passages, the word ‘Israel’ is either replaced with ‘Jews’, ‘the land of the Jews‘ or not replaced with an alternative term at all
The translators of the new edition, according to Jan Frost, offer the explanation, that the land of Israel in biblical times was not identical to present Israel.
But the same logic is not applied by the translators when the land of Egypt is mentioned. This land is also called ‘Egypt’ in the new edition of the Bible…
somehistory says
Then this ‘book’ is not the Bible nor a “translation” of the Bible. It’s just a book that is failing to tell the Truth.
satan the devil does not want humankind to know the Truth and he has many human agents, his “children,” working for him. Lies are abundant, and satan is the “father” of the original lie and all others are from him, through his “children.”
Jean Elizabeth Terry says
That is the truth. It is not the Bible.
Pedro says
The bible is not in the bible?
Whut?
mortimer says
Inaccurate.
‘Paraphrase’ is different from ‘translate’.
gravenimage says
Jean is saying that if the “translation” is this bowdlerized, then this cannot really be considered the Bible. I agree.
Ned Kelly says
Any Christian knows it says in the bible “NO word shall be changed”, which is why I read the oldest we have , the KING JAMES. God gave me understanding of this version when I was “Born Again”.
James Lincoln says
Yes, Ned.
First published in 1611, and still going strong.
It’s also pleasingly poetic. The 23rd Psalm is the best example.
Newer versions just don’t quite cut it …
mortimer says
The KJV was scrupulously as literal as possible while maintaining the high literary style of the Shakespearean era.
gravenimage says
Yes–I love the poetry of the King James Version.
Birdie Hutchinson says
As a direct descendant of John Rogers, Christian martyr who compiled the first Protestant Bible in English for King Henry VIII, The Matthews Bible, and was later burned at the stake by Queen Mary for refusing to recant, I find the whole pro-mystic KJV dogma absolutely insulting. Seriously. It is neither the oldest we have in English, nor the best translation out there; and about 70% of it is directly borrowed from the Geneva Bible, which was the first translation in English that enumerated chapters and verses.
mortimer says
While no translation can ever be perfect, because of the nature of translation itself, the KJV was created with its own center-of-the-road agenda, directed by the king himself in order to steer a course in between a strongly Protestant interpretation and a more Catholic one. There are many phrases in Shakespeare that come from the Geneva Bible, suggesting that the author of the plays owned his own copy of it. The Coverdale Psalms are an exquisite treasure of English, but they are not so literal. Most people would never have seen a Matthews Bible, so most will not know the felicities of that translation. Thanks you for sharing your very interesting comments.
kangi_yotaka says
The oldest one you have is 1611? Funny…mine’s from more than 2,200 years ago.
b wolofsky says
Uh, try again. Such a thing does not exist. And certainly not in English which is much younger than 2200 years. (ref: Caedmon’s hymn)
J D S says
If one takes Israel and the Jews out of the Holy Bible then it’s in no way the Bible just a book of nothing.
Satan is fully at work in the world and he don’t wear/a mask and gloves and may not be spreading the deadly corona virus, (WELL MAYBE HIS MINIONS ARE) but spreading something even worse
Victoria says
I guess Christian bibles will have to be sneaked into Denmark. I can’t decide whether this fear of the wrath of Muslims is real fear or a sickness.
johane says
Exactly!
Right now I’m reading 1984. It sounds like it. Right is wrong, left is right etc.
royfisher65 says
The Muslims have always said that the Jews and Christians “corrupted the scriptures” but they never say in what way or how. This too is a corruption of the “scriptures” likely due to not offending Muslims who follow Satan’s religion, Islam. What a shame. They are Christians in name only (CINO).
mortimer says
This is an ideology-driven paraphrase intended to deny there is a connection between Jewish people and Israel. Most of the Bible story takes place in Israel. The Bible is a very Zionist book, assuming that Israel is the homeland of the Israelites who are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Thanks to modern DNA technology, we can assess to what degree a person has this genetic heritage.
Naram-Sin says
Various other proposed translations:
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of THE PEOPLE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED, I anointed thee king over THAT WHICH MAY NOT BE NAMED…
(2 Samuel 12:7)
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of *#&!, I anointed thee king over *#&!…
(2 Samuel 12:7)
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of _______ (fill in the blank), I anointed thee king over _______ (fill in the blank)…
(2 Samuel 12:7)
Finally they decided to go with ‘Jews’, or ‘the land of the Jews.‘ Unfortunately, that will probably make the Muslims even madder than before.
keith says
Don’t worry, the next edition will correct that error.
They will be called the land of the Palestinians and David will be the king of the Palestinians.
That should make them happy,,,wait, no, forget that, you can never make a Muslim happy, no matter what you do.
Happiness is banned by Islam.
Boromir's Horn says
The left is engaged rewriting history to fit their own purpose the world over, particularly in academia. But this is a bridge too far. My guess, the pushback will likely be limited.
Benjamin Netanyahu should weigh in on this, perhaps he could inquire if the Danes have any plans on updating the Quran.
James Lincoln says
Boromir’s Horn says,
“Benjamin Netanyahu should weigh in on this, perhaps he could inquire if the Danes have any plans on updating the Quran.”
Brilliant!
Roland says
@Boromir’s Horn. Oh, where is today’s Reinhold Niebuhr to condemn this satanic New Testament translation! Next, they’ll fiddle with the Greek original.
James says
The question is why no defiance of the encroachment of a foreign ideology on Christian culture and society? Is it because few people believe in Christianity, but they do believe in “respecting other people’s religion and culture”? Did they change Jesus to Isus or the Islamic name for someone like Jesus but Muslim? Did they have illustrations showing Mary and Joseph dressed like Muslims with hijabs and Muslim beards? They could go even farther in expurgating the Bible. Perhaps they could also include intersectionality and avoid referring to God as “Father” Our Father who art in heaven… could be Our parent or Our progenitor…
Our creator .. or Our Creator who has no known gender…
Anyway, they can start on the classics of literature too, including German and Danish literature and rewrite them to be PC and non-offensive to minorities.
Shaman Chris Gaylord says
I just wonder why the Bible has no description of what heaven is like?
Leona Zions says
And will any in any Country of this undone World make note or remark on this travesty. Every Religion that has been based on Hebrew Monotheism can now be viewed as mockery. They are signing onto their own demise. When you destroy the Foundation, the edifice falls and Judaism is the Foundation.
Honest Ali says
I am an Atheist with no love for Christianity… and even I think that this deliberate mistranslation of the Bible is way out of line. If the bad guys can control language, they can control what we think. We must not allow this evil. Without freedom of thought, we have no freedom at all.
gravenimage says
Agree, Honest Ali.
Savvy Kafir says
I’m another non-believer who finds this totally reprehensible.
keith says
As a pagan I find it sickening, and the Christians have been trying to wipe us out for a millennium.
Your right. if you control/re write the past then you control the future.
Jean Elizabeth Terry says
I can’t believe I’m reading this. This is sacrilege. Israel is still the land God gave to the Jewish people and it still belongs to the Jewish people.
screw u says
Not according to the leftists and their masters the Muslims.
carpediadem says
These are Christians.Don’t try to sanitise this.
Luther hated the Jews and proposed extermination measures of the Jews that Nazis adopted.
His religious descendants are implementing a genocidal denial of Jewish history and Jews themselves.
Archange says
carpediem, don’t be an idiot. I’m not a Lutheran but I know for a fact that no Lutheran church today endorses anti-Semitism and most are on record as opposing it. That some hateful skin-heads here and there might happened to have been baptized as infants is seen as appalling moral and spiritual apostasy against the faith. Martin Luther was a child of his times, but mainstream Christianity has rejected anti-Semitism for over 7 decades now.
gravenimage says
Christianity does not, of course, teach the genocide of the Jews. Jesus was himself Jewish.
Arnold Jackson says
Revelation 22:19 (KJV)
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
spiro says
Maybe they took the whole book of Revelation out of the new bible
But you post is right on
gravenimage says
Denmark: New Bible translation purges all mention of Israel
…………………
Well, this is *just grotesque*. Are any Christians protesting this travesty?
jewdog says
And “Denmark” should be referred to only as “The Land of the Dhimmis”.
Simone says
Perfect!
mortimer says
Touché!
No Muzzies Here says
They wouldn’t want to offend their new overlords, now, would they?
wpm says
Someone should inform the Danes the Jesus was a Jew born into the house of David.That without Israel the Jewish faith ,the Jewish law there would be no Christianity .Would the Danes be happy to write a new Koran leaving out the violent,blood thirsty, sexual depraved parts it would be a very short book.
Kepha says
I’ve been reading the New Testament in Greek recently. I would simply say that this book being fobbed on the poor, gullible, Scandinavian public is not the book if it has no mention of Israel. It even goes so far to pander to Muslim sentiment by showing that Christians [?] do indeed corrupt the Scriptures. Farvel, Dhimmimark.
carpediadem says
It is not a book, it is a worldwide app that has been downloaded to 90 countries.
JMB says
I have 2 comments here. 1, The Official Church of Denmark is state sanctioned and as far as I can tell is partly funded by the taxpayer. From all accounts it is a very ‘liberal’ and PC institution. It is under constant attack from non-Christian groups in Denmark. It is very easy to see how the Danish state (and State sanctioned Church) would encourage a very liberal and politically correct translation that will not offend the huge Muslim population in Denmark.
2, The United Bible Societies, worldwide which translates and publishes Bibles in an amazing number of languages. This work requires amazing levels of scholarship and dedication. This work is funded by voluntary gifts, donations and legacies from Christian’s worldwide. Mis-translations will not go unnoticed.
Slightly off-topic. Both gay and feminist friendly Bibles have been published in recent years, they are gross mis-translations.(Not sure who put them out) My initial look at just one verse in this new official Danish bible would also suggest a serious mis-translation.
somehistory says
Didn’t one “mis-traslation” label God as “sophia” or some such nonsense and use “she” for He?
If only people realized just what they are doing with this kind of thing.
JMB says
What you have said would not surprise me. As I have said above, a lot of scholarship and painstaking work goes into providing accurate translations of the Holy Scriptures into modern languages. I wont even dare suggest which of the many versions in print today is the most accurate but the English Standard Version is possibly a very accurate up-to-date translation. Also, I would suggest that any serious student of the NT should learn basic Greek, it is not that difficult and gives a great insight to the NT scriptures. Now as for the Q’ran, is anyone planning a ‘gay friendly’, ‘feminised’ or any other PC version? Somehow I seriously doubt it!
somehistory says
I like to read several different translations; that way, I can compare and get a better understanding of the verses. Some “versions” are way out there, and I don’t read from them more than once or twice. But, many are the product of honest work as you say and the translators do a good job of giving the meaning of those ancient writings.
I have enjoyed reading about the work of men such as Tyndale, and what they endured to give us God’s Word in a language we can understand.
People who use their “knowledge” to corrupt the Holy Bible are evil.
Kepha says
@JMB and somehistory:
The fact that most Christian people don’t have the time to study the biblical languages makes it all the more important for the translators to be careful and honest about what they’re doing. If the biblical text offends our most hallowed traidtions, let it. If it offends the Zeitgeist, let it. Having worked as a translator (Chinese-English), but with technical and business documents rather than the BIble, I know that if I leave important things out, the client gets his money back. It should be the same when people translate the most important and sacred piece of writing there is.
While I agree with JMB that the ESV is a rather good translation (it’s the Revised Standard Version with some well-advised corrections), I still pretty much stick to the King James, American Standard Version (1901) or NKJV when I read the Bible in English; the Chinese Union or Chinese New Version when reading in Chinese; or the Reina-Valera when reading in Spanish. I have enough Hebrew and Greek to understand translators’ choices and to use them in study.
But, I think all these “translations” that pander to various advocacy groups or cut out important themes (how, for example, can you do without Israel when reading Romans 9-11, the Book of Acts, or the whole of the Old Testament is beyond me).
If you guys are interested, there are a number of FB pages that discuss these things.
Michael Zeffertt says
Could happen, but you will need to be very very patient.
Lydia Church says
Also beware of the message Bible, it has deliberate occultic terms.
But this is obviously anti-semitism at work. They did this during the nazi era too in a similar way.
JMB says
You are quite correct Lydia, the “Message” is a very questionable paraphrase of the Scriptures, it adds lots of thoughts that are certainly not in the Bible.
Jeffrey Solomon says
The irony is that the very word JEW means one from Judea. The Hebrew people had two kingdoms. One was Judea – hence Jews. The other was Israel – what do we call them? Palestinians perhaps? Frigging Idiots!
R Russell says
Most Christians in Denmark are Lutheran and we know what Luther thought of the Jews. Hitler used Luther’s sentiments to endorse what he did to them.
That I suspect will make the Lutheran church revisionist in belief. Thus they need to change the Bible to fit in with their beliefs. I’ll be surprised all of Romans ch9-11 is still in their ‘Bible’.
The end times apostate church.
FYI says
“the end times apostate church”
Yes indeed.Between the pro-globalist islam-friendly pontiff in Rome demolishing the Catholic faith and the ‘anything goes’ lefty liberalism of many protestant churches,warped modernist Bible re-interpretations and false Theology many people are lead astray.
Just go back to the Bible:there is prophetic advice there too.Any priest or pastor who teaches you contrary to what is in the Gospel should not be followed.
As a former atheist,i read the Gospel myself{and i also read the koran}:i am no fan of dhimmi,naive folk who say they are christians and yet happily surrender to islam.Two atheist friends of mine were appaled at the islamic call to “prayer” being said in a Catholic Church{as we saw recently happened in Ireland}
The Jesus of the Gospel is not a pushover:I choose to stay away from naive,dhimmi,kumbaya christians who live in fantasy land.
I am impressed by Apologetics folk like David Wood,ex-muslims who are now Christians and persecuted Christians.I understand how people who come from christian backgrounds might be fed up but it is imperative to STAY AWAY from islam.
Aton says
You should review the “Enlightenment Koran”, which purges all hatred and racism from the Koran.
Instead of sending unbelievers to burn in the fires of hell, it offers then a cup of hot Earl Grey tea instead.
It is on Amazon.
Aton
Simone says
Hilarious!
Jerry Morgan says
God says do not take away or add to the Bible for u will be cursed.
David Halterman says
Robert, as a Jew, I find it blasphemous. Who are they and by whose authority gave them the right to change the word of G-d? Rather presumptuous don’t you think?
Shalom says
Very upsetting to hear. All us Jews are allowed is the retaining wall of our beautiful 2nd Temple, not even allowed to pray on top. There was a plan in Jerusalem a few years ago to build a temple with a dome to completely overshadow the dome of the rock but there was outrage as usual from the Muslims.
R Russell says
Shalom, the time is coming, YHWH has not forgotten his promises.
FYI says
If you are Jewish you will find the Book of Joel Chapter 3 very informative in these times :YHWH’s plan for Israel and the Jews.
YHWH will also do Justice on behalf of the Jews.
Egypt and Edom became wastelands.. “because they attacked the land of Judah and killed its INNOCENT people” v 19
“I will avenge those who were killed:I will not spare the guilty”
Joel 3 v 20
Jews{like Christians}surely believe that YHWH is a Just God{and never must be confused with the muslim Arab god al lah , a god that curses Jews and Christians koran9:30}
Israel was promised and the Jews returned to their ancestral homeland.
This was clearly fulfilled in 1948.
Jews can trust that YHWH WILL do Justice on behalf of the Jews especially in regards to the Shoah.You must believe that.
Book of Joel chpt 3
{see also Daniel chpt 12:what Christians call the Apocalypse,the Book of Revelations is actually a detailed amplification of Daniel chapter 12}
Jim says
I recently taught a six-month study at my church on the Old Testament – from Genesis 1:1 till the death of Solomon. In it we learned that Abraham was a key person in the Bible story, and that the nation of Israel fulfilled the promise of God to Abraham.
Two specific Biblical mentions of Israel in the near and far future:
* Revelation 7 – the 12 tribes of Israel are sealed to protect them from the judgments of God which are being poured out on the earth.
* Ezekiel 48 – the land God promised to Abraham is divided among the 12 tribes of Israel – from the current southern border of Israel, going north, to the Euphrates River. (In other words, they currently have only half of what was promised to them.)
Israel is such a key part of the Bible story that there is absolutely no way you can exclude Israel from a Bible translation without fundamentally destroying the text. God does not take kindly to a Bible translator who eliminates such a fundamental part of the Biblical narrative when doing a translation. Such a translation will do nothing but deceive whoever reads it.
Jim says
I wonder how this new Danish “translation” of the Bible translates Revelation 7?
Here’s how the New King James Version translates part of it:
“…One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed…”
I would ask the Danish translators: Who are these 144,000 people? What nation are they part of? There’s no way you could leave the word “Israel” out of that without doing a dishonest translation.
I guess they are including “Abraham” in their translation. But if they include Abraham, how can they possibly not include the descendants of Abraham? After all, the descendants of Abraham in general, and Israel specifically, were the fulfillment of all of the hopes and dreams of Abraham, because they were the promise of God to Abraham.
By the way, who was it who went down to Egypt with his children in order to escape a famine? Why, it was a guy named “Israel”!
Jim says
By the way, Israel is not “the land of the Jews”; it is “the land of the Hebrews”. The Jews were the people of the kingdom of Judah, which consisted of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. There were 10 other tribes. So if these translators put “the land of the Jews” rather than “Israel”, they are doing a dishonest translation.
Fred Middleton says
Most modern translations of the Bible have been used to advance some heresy, some liberal ‘interpretation’, often said to be prompted by ‘the latest research’. This has got to the worst, not only a deliberate confusing God’s word but bowdlerising historical evidence. So, the official church of Denmark will shrink and true believers go elsewhere.
Kepha says
While I’m a King James-preferred Bible reader (I am an Angophone Protestant), I’ve always been open to the posibility of a better translation. But the sorts of things you mention, Mr. Middleton, is why I’m very wary of many of these “latest, most up-to-date”translations. The fact is that there have been no major breakthroughs in newly-discovered manuscripts or linguistic insights that justify the sorts of changes that are mentioned in the article above.
Kepha says
Anglophone
mortimer says
Absurd. JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL ARE MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE OVER 2,000 TIMES.
THE BIBLE IS A VERY, VERY ZIONIST BOOK.
The name “Jerusalem” occurs 806 times in the Bible, 660 times in the Old Testament and 146 times in the New Testament; alternate names like ‘Zion’ or ‘Salem’ appear 161 times.
In the Old Testament, the name ‘Israel’ is mentioned well over 2,000 times: 1489 times in I & II Chronicles;591 times in the books of the Prophets; 441 mentions of ‘Israel’ as the name that was given by God to Jacob. The New Testament mentions ‘Israel’ or ‘Israelite’ 77 times. Jerusalem is NEVER MENTIONED AT ALL in the Koran. ‘Israel’ appears 46 times in the Koran and ‘Children of Israel’ appears 20 times in the Koran. ‘Palestine’ does not appear in the Koran. The Koran refers to ‘The LAND’ of Israel as the land Allah assigned to Jews and where Allah commanded Jews to dwell. We must conclude from counting the frequency of these terms in the Bible and Koran that both books are very Zionist.
Daniel Pipes offered $1 million to anyone who can find “Jerusalem” in the Koran. Jerusalem is not mentioned a single time in the Koran.
How many times does Israel occur in the New Testament?
A: The words ‘Israel’ and ‘Israelite’ occur 77 times in the New Testament.
How many times does Jerusalem occur in the New Testament?
A:Jerusalem occurs 146 times in the New Testament and its synonym ‘Zion’ occurs 7 times.
How many times does Jerusalem occur in the Old Testament?
A: Jerusalem (and its alternative Hebrew names “Zion”, City of David, City of the Great King, Salem) appear 850 times in the Old Testament. This frequency reveals that Jerusalem is of supreme importance as the capital of the Israelites.
Moreover, the phrase ‘from Dan to Beersheba’… which refers to all the territory contained in Israel … occurs 9 times in the Old Testament.
Unknown guy says
What about the farther mosque is that jerusalem?
gravenimage says
There was no Mosque in Jerusalem at the time, nor was Jerusalem the farthest place that those in Arabia knew existed–so assuming that the “farthest Mosque” refers to Jerusalem makes no sense at all.
gravenimage says
Despite what Muslims now claim.
mortimer says
To translate ‘ISRAEL’ or ‘LAND OF ISRAEL’ as ‘Land of the Jews’ or something similar is an anachronism. The pre-Babylonian ISRAELITES did not think of themselves as ‘JEWISH’ of as JEWS, because they were members of different tribes OF ISRAEL.
In the New Testament, Jesus uses the word ‘ISRAELITE’ whenever someone deserved admiration and respect.
There is no way to avoid ‘Israel’ as the name of the Biblical Holy Land and still have a reliable translation.
That is not ‘translation’, but an AGENDA-DRIVEN INTERPRETATION of the text and one that is INACCURATE.
I am grateful to Nicolai Sennels for bringing this shameful aberration to our attention.
mortimer says
Jan Frost explains that the land of Israel in biblical times was not identical to present Israel.
Yes, and the Land of Denmark in the past was ‘NOT IDENTICAL’ to present-day Denmark either.
During the Kalmar Union from 1397 to 1520 CE, the Kingdom of Denmark included Denmark, Norway, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Sweden and thereby also Finland. Present-day southern Sweden was at one time an integral part of Denmark and the local dialect spoken is considered closer to Danish.
So are the Danes going to change the name of the country because Swedes will think it refers to Greater Denmark of the past.
A thousand years back, the common Old Norse language of the three countries and Iceland was called DONSK TUNGA. Will they change the name of the Danish language as well because it might imply Greater Imperial Denmark?
This paraphrase is inaccurate and absurd.
mortimer says
“Palestine” does not occur a single time in the New Testament.
The names ‘Palestine’ and ‘Palestina’ occur four times in the Old Testament portion of the King James Bible.
Neither ‘Palestina’ nor ‘Philistia’ or ‘Philestine’ occur in the Greek Old or New Testament. The LXX (Septuagint) translates ‘Philestine’ as ‘foreigner’.
JMB says
@ Mortimer Thank you for all of those insights.
Jacqueline Burns says
Well I can agree that ancient Israel is not like the current Israel:-
1. The ancient Kingdom of Israel & the Kingdom of Judea & Samaria covered a far greater area than the current State of Israel.
2. There were no so-called muslim palestinians in it…or anywhere else for that matter since neither Allah (muslim) or Yassir Arafat (so- called palestinian but really just plain old Egyptian) had been born yet.
Ahh the good old days!