Page 48 - Foundations

I checked every Bible verse that Watchman Nee cited, following the pattern of the faithful Bereans
who looked to the Scriptures to see if what they were being told was true. I looked at the second
chapter of Genesis to see if in fact the KJV translators had rendered the Hebrew word hayah as
“became.” I found that they had done so.

Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became [hayah] a living soul.
KJV

I also looked up this Hebrew word’s definition in Strong’s Concordance.

hayah (haw-yaw); a primitive root; to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and
not a mere copula or auxiliary):

Why did the KJV translators render this word as “was” in Genesis 1:2 when they knew it could bear
the meaning of “become,” or “come to pass”? That is not a difficult question to answer. I explored
the subject of translation inconsistencies in depth in the writing titled Yahweh’s Book. Men translate
according to their understanding. If they believe the earth was originally created by God in a formless
and void state, then their belief will influence their translation decisions. The KJV translators,
however, had an even greater obstacle with which to contend. King James had given them a list of
fifteen rules to follow in producing their Bible translation. One of the rules stated that they could not
render any words into English in a way that would contradict the orthodox teaching of the Church
of England. They were therefore constrained by the doctrine of the church, whether that doctrine was
true or false.

Doctrinal beliefs within the church tend to ebb and flow. What is considered orthodox to one
generation is often abandoned by the next. Most present day Christians are unfamiliar with the
ruin/reconstruction doctrine, having never been taught that there is a gap of indeterminate length
indicated between the first two verses of Genesis. Upon hearing it, many view the doctrine with
suspicion. They assume that this must be some new and heretical doctrine.