Is our God, GOD ENOUGH TO KEEP HIS WORD intact throughout the ages? No one can really give an exact number of the English translations and paraphrases of the Bible printed since Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526. In part this is due to the difficulty of determining what should be defined as a NEW TRANSLATION as opposed to a CORRECTION or a REVISION of an existing translation. With these requirements in mind, the number of printed English translations and paraphrases of the Bible, whether complete or not, is about 900. According to Wikipedia, there are over 450 English translations of at least some portion of the Bible. While many of them are old and no longer in print, there are still at least 20 MAJOR ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS available.
There is a great mystery here. How is it possible that the MASORETIC HEBREW OLD TESTAMENT and the RECEIVED TEXT OF THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, and so very many of the faithful translations of the Bible HAVE SURVIVED so, do we have the VERY WORD OF GOD in our possession today? The Scriptures give us the answer, GOD HAS PRESERVED HIS WORD FOR US. He told us in His Word He would do so, “The words of the LORD ARE PURE WORDS: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You will KEEP (shâmar: guard or protect) THEM, O LORD, YOU will PRESERVE THEM (nâtsar: conceal from danger) from this generation FOREVER (ʿôlām: continuous existence).” (Psalm 12:6,7) “EVERY WORD OF GOD IS FLAWLESS (tsâraph: smelt, refine, test); He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and PROVE YOU A LIAR.” (Proverbs 30:5-6)
This is why the Lord said to us, “Trust in the LORD with ALL your heart, And LEAN NOT ON (shâ‛an: do not trust) your own understanding; In ALL YOUR WAYS acknowledge Him, And He shall DIRECT your paths. Do not be WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES; Fear the LORD and depart from evil (the evil of trusting yourself rather than trusting God).” (Proverbs 3:5-7)
TRUST IN THE LORD, TRUST IN HIS INFALLIBLE WORD…
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham