Rick Norris
In his 2023 to 2025 book, Kenneth Willis declared that “only the KJV relies solely upon the Masoretic Text” (Every Jot and Tittle, p. 96). Kenneth Willis asserted: “The Masoretic Text is the supreme, unchallenged Hebrew Text” (p. 95). Do you disagree?
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James VanderKam and Peter Flint wrote: “In 1 Kings 8:16, however, [Dead Sea scroll] 4QKings preserves a passage that was lost from the Masoretic Text when a scribe’s eye skipped from one phrase to a similar phrase below” (
Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls, p. 116). About this example at 1 Kings 8:16, Christian Ginsburg wrote: “From the simple exhibition of these two passages it will be seen that the Septuagint has preserved the original reading and that the Scribe’s eyes, in copying the Massoretic text, has wondered from one
and I have chosen to the other
and I have chosen. Hence the omission of the clause
and I have chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there. In this case, however, we are not left to the Septuagint alone to establish the fact. In the parallel narrative 2 Chronicles 6:6, where the same incident is narrated, the omission is literally given” (
Introduction, pp. 174-175). Christian Ginsburg asserted: “This omission is incidentally confirmed by the parallel passage” (p. 175).
AI
In 1 Kings 8:16, a textual error known as homoioteleuton (skipping from one phrase to a similar one later) exists in the Masoretic Text (MT). A significant portion, "neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel," was lost, but is preserved in the parallel text of 2 Chronicles 6:5b-6a
.
- The Error: The scribe skipped from the phrase "I chose no city...to build a house" to the ending of a similar phrase, causing the omission of the clause regarding the choice of a ruler.
- The Evidence: The Qumran fragments (4Q54, 5Q2, 6Q4) and the Old Greek (OG) translation indicate the text in 1 Kings 8:16 should be longer, incorporating the text found in 2 Chronicles 6:5-6.
- Context: The verse is part of Solomon's speech during the dedication of the temple, highlighting that God chose both a place (Jerusalem) and a leader (David).
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In textual criticism,
1 Kings 8:16
is a classic example of
homoioteleuton (a scribal error caused by "similar endings"). This error resulted in the omission of a significant phrase in the
Masoretic Text (MT), which is preserved in the parallel passage of
2 Chronicles 6:5–6 and the
Septuagint (LXX).
The Nature of the Error
The scribe's eye likely jumped from the first instance of a phrase to a similar one later in the text, skipping the intervening words.
- Masoretic Text (Shortened): "...I did not choose a city... to build a house that my name might be there, but I chose David to be over my people Israel".
- Restored Text (based on 2 Chronicles 6:5-6): "...I did not choose a city... to build a house that my name might be there, neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel".
Significance
- Missing Content: The omission removes the explicit mention of Jerusalem being chosen as the city for the Temple.
- Textual Evidence: The longer version is supported by Qumran fragments (4Q54), confirming that the text was originally more extensive before the scribal slip.
- Theological Impact: The full text creates a balanced parallel: God chose a specific city (Jerusalem) and a specific person (David).
Would you like to see a
comparison of the Hebrew text for these two versions to identify the exact words that caused the eye-skip?
Thinking
Searching
In Hebrew, the homoioteleuton in
1 Kings 8:16 was likely triggered by the repetition of the phrase
"לִֽהְי֥וֹת שְׁמִ֖י שָׁ֑ם" ("that my name might be there") or the phrase
"עַל־עַמִּ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל" ("over my people Israel").
The Hebrew Comparison
Compare the
Masoretic Text of 1 Kings 8:16 with the parallel in 2 Chronicles 6:5–6. The bolded text below shows the words that the scribe's eye likely skipped in the Kings manuscript.
| Version | Hebrew Text (Simplified) | Translation |
|---|
| MT 1 Kings 8:16 | ...לִבְנ֣וֹת בַּ֔יִת לִהְי֥וֹת שְׁמִ֖י שָׁ֑ם וָאֶבְחַ֣ר בְּדָוִ֔ד לִֽהְיֺ֖ות עַל־עַמִּ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | ...to build a house that my name might be there, but I chose David to be over my people Israel. |
