Page 27 - Foundations

As an example of the wide divergence of meaning that men can derive from a single verse, let us
look at the following Scripture.

I Timothy 1:17
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
KJV

I Timothy 1:17
And to the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God, [is] honour and glory - to
the ages of the ages! Amen.
YLT

Comparing this verse in the King James Bible with the same verse in Young’s Literal Translation,
we find that very different information is conveyed. Is the King “eternal” or is He the “King of the
ages”? The KJV translation places the emphasis on the King Himself. The word “eternal” becomes
an adjective to describe the King. Young’s Literal Translation places the focus upon the duration of
the King’s reign. The words “eternal” and “ages” are widely divergent in meaning. Eternal means
without beginning or end, yet the word “ages” speaks of that which has a definite beginning and a
recognized end point.

There are other marked differences in information conveyed in these two translations. Who is right,
or are either of them correct? The problem we find here did not arise as much from a
misapprehension of the Greek language as it did from a difference of doctrinal views. The KJV
translators were charged to not derive any interpretation of the Scriptures that would upset the
orthodox teachings of the Anglican Church of which King James was the titular head. (This present
series cannot address the doctrine of the ages of creation at length. Those who are interested in
pursuing the subject further will find it set forth at some length in the book God’s Plan of the Ages.)

I chose the above verse as an example of contradictions that exist between Bible translations because
it bears directly on the subject of the attributes of the Son of God. Identifying the King as Yahshua,
we find one Bible attributing to the Son an eternal existence while the other does not. We have
already read in a number of Bible passages that the Son was “born,” He is the “beginning of the
creation of God.” Therefore, a contradiction arises when we read in the KJV Bible, and numerous
other translations, statements that ascribe to Yahshua an eternal character. We find this same
contradiction among Bible translations of the following Scripture:

Hebrews 1:8
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is
the sceptre of thy kingdom.
KJV