Page 81 - Yahwehs Book

another example of this type of translation error that is found in the New American Standard Bible.

Revelation 21:16-17
And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city
with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its
wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
NAS

Are we to believe that angels measure things in miles and yards? This is what this English Bible
version would lead one to believe. To be quite accurate, there is no mention of miles or yards in the
Greek text from which these words were translated. Neither will you find the numbers “fifteen
hundred” or seventy-two” in these verses. The literal measurements given are “12,000 stadia” for
the length, width, and height of the city, and “144 cubits” for the wall. Without question the numbers
12,000 and 144 were chosen by Yahweh for the design of the New Jerusalem because of their divine
significance.

Consider now, how The Amplified Bible conveys this matter. It both preserves the literalness of the
translation, as well as including parenthetical explanations.

Revelation 21:16-17
The city lies in a square, its length being the same as its width. And he measured the city with his
reed--12,000 stadia (about 1,500 miles); its length and width and height are the same. He measured
its wall also--144 cubits (about 72 yards) by a man's measure [of a cubit from his elbow to his third
fingertip], which is [the measure] of the angel.
AMP

(I will insert what I intend to be a helpful note here. As I have been writing this series, some have
noted that I have made mention of particular Bible translations as being above average in some
aspect of their translation policy. For example, I have mentioned that The Scriptures published by
the Institute for Scripture Research does an admirable job with its naming conventions. This is not
a minor point, and it provides some reason to give attention to this Bible translation. At the same
time, I commented that there are other translation policies adopted by The Scriptures’ editors that
I find to detract from its overall usefulness. The bias against certain words such as “holy,” and
“Lord,” and the editorial explanations that state that Christians continue to be subject to the Law of
Moses, are but a few examples of that which detracts from the overall value of this Bible translation.

Some may take my favorable mention of various translation policies of The Amplified Bible as
another endorsement, and be inclined to run out and purchase this Bible version. You will no doubt
find much benefit in adding this translation to your study resources, but it too has shortcomings. Not
all parenthetical explanations are as objective as the ones found in the passage from Revelations
above. It is no more than a statement of fact to say that 12,000 stadia equates to “(about 1,500
miles).” Nevertheless, a great many of the parenthetical explanations found in The Amplified Bible
are subjective. Such is the case in the following Scripture.