1 After these words, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am shielding you. Your reward will be very abundant.” Genesis 15:1 (LES2)

1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Genesis 15:1 (NKJV) 

The MT changes “After these words (rhema)” to after these things. This many not seem significant, but any translator who feels free to substitute a different word, perhaps with good intentions, is not a trustworthy servant of God. God said it the way he meant for us to read it. Secondly, the LXX using a present tense verb to describe God’s active protection of Abram and a future tense verb to promise a great reward. This very different from identifying God as permanently being those two things.

It has become apparent to me that the MT translators, having been expelled from their ancient land and having no temple, used the MT to lay a theological groundwork for their still being God’s chosen people with a title to the land, something Zionist supported Dispensational Theology would later teach in contradiction to long accepted covenant theology, which gave rise to Christian Zionism and the fusion of US foreign policy with that of modern Israel.

2 Abram said, “Master and Lord, what will you give me? I am departing childless, except for the son of Masek, my house servant, this Eliezer of Damascus.” 3 And Abram said, “Since you have not given to me offspring, my house servant will be my heir.” 4 And at once the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, rather one who will come from you, he will be your heir. 5 He led him outside and said to him, “Look up now to the heavens and count the stars, if you can count them.” And he said, “Your offspring will be like this.” 6 And Abram trusted God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.  Genesis 15:2–6 (LES2)

2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:2–6 (NKJV)

The first thing we see is how Abram addressed God. The LXX says, “Master (despotes) and Lord (kurios).” The MT uses the Hebrew names Adonai and YHWH, which are never used in the LXX. Some think these names came to be emphasized when the Babylonian occult Kabbalah gained wide acceptance in Rabbinic Judaism, a position it still occupies today in modern Judaism. Jesus taught us to address God as Abba, Father. He gave us no other name. We should beware using MT names for God in my opinion.

Secondly, the MT replaces “depart” with “go.” Once again, this seemingly innocuous change reveals a looseness with God’s Word that is not good. Depart emphasizes Abraham’s coming death; whereas, go indicates merely his present status. Also, the MT leaves out Masek’s name for some reason.

Thirdly, the MT changes “come from you” to “come from your own body.” Another minor change that, when added together with countless others, makes me increasingly leery of the MT.

I am not sure why the MT leaves out the word “up” when God told Abraham to look toward heaven. The Up-Down aspect of theology is significant and is repeated all the way through the New Testament. Perhaps the MT thought it was obvious that “up” was implied, but why leave out a word inspired by the Holy Spirit? 

In both the LXX and MT, the singular “seed” is translated as descendants, which is translator’s bias in operation. Although, “seed” implies its multiplication into many, the singular aspect of the Word is emphasized by Paul when he wrote that the seed is Christ. (Galatians 3:16) By changing “seed” to “descendants,” it makes it more difficult to see this wonderful Christological truth.

Genesis 15:6 is directly quoted by Paul from the LXX in Romans 4:3. Thankfully the MT agrees with the LXX here.

7 And he said to him, “I am the God who brought you out of the territory of Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit.” 8 He said, “Master, Lord, how will I know that I will inherit it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer and a three-year-old goat and a three-year-old ram and a turtledove and a pigeon.” 10 He brought him all these and divided them down the middle and set them facing one another, but he did not divide the birds. 11 Birds came down on the carcasses, the halves, and Abram sat down with them. 12 About sunset, a trance fell on Abram, and look, a great dark fear fell upon him. 13 And it was said to Abram, “Knowing, you will know that your offspring will be foreign in a land not its own, and they will afflict it, and they will enslave them, and they will humble them for four hundred years. 14 I will judge the nation that they serve; after these things they will come out here with much baggage. 15 You will depart to your ancestors with peace, after growing to a good old age. 16 The fourth generation, they will be brought back here; for the sins of the Amorites have not yet become enough.” Genesis 15:7–16 (LES2)

7 Then He said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8 And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” 9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:7–16 (NKJV) 

The MT changes “territory” to “Ur.” Once again, as mentioned above, Abram uses “Master” and “Lord” to address God in the LXX, but Adonai and YHVH in the MT. According the New Testament, the approved way of addressing God, according to Christ, is “Abba” or “Father.” Any emphasis on using other Hebrew names for God is likely rooted in the Kabbalah.

The passage regarding dividing the animals is essentially the same.

In verse 11, the MT departs from the LXX by changing birds to vultures and replacing “Abram sat down with them” to “Abram drove them away.” Once again, we must ask ourselves if making the story sound better justifies changing divinely inspired words. As I get older, I have become more and more concerned with wanting to know exactly what it says.

In verse 12, the MT replaces “trance” or ekstasis in Greek with “deep sleep.” They seem like two very different things to me. Ekstasis is the same Greek word used in Acts 10:10 when Peter had the vision of a sheet lowered from heaven. He certainly was not in a “deep sleep.”

In verse 13, the MT leaves out “humble them.”

Verse 15 changes “growing to a good old age” to “buried at a good old age.” 

Verse 16 changes “enough” to “complete.” The meaning is very close but not exact.

17 When the sun approached the west, there was a flame and look, a smoking oven and torches of fire that went through between their divided parts. 18 God established a covenant with Abram in that place, saying, “I will give your offspring this land from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates; 19 the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites 20 and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Euaians and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:17–20 (LES2) 

17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:17–21 (NKJV) 

“The sun approached the west” is different from “the sun went down.” The LXX wording is consistent with biblical cosmology. According to Psalm 19:6, the sun makes a circuit over the earth. 

The MT leaves out “there was a flame.” Why leave out this mysterious sentence? Just to make the text flow? The MT also changes “torches of fire” to the singular. Why? Preachers have made much over there being a single torch, but according to the LXX there were several.

In verse 18, the LXX says that God established a covenant “in that place,” but the MT says “on that day.” Why? The LXX says that God “will give your seed this land,” meaning it will eventually belong to Jesus, the promised one. The MT changes that to “have given,” which promotes the idea of a permanent possession, a dear claim for Zionists who want us to believe that Palestine still belongs to biological descendants of Abraham rather than to the seed, Christ. 

(Read “Five Ways Dispensationalism Opposes the New Covenant.”)

1 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. Psalm 138:1–2 (NKJV)

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart, because you heard the words of my mouth; and before angels I will sing psalms to you. 2 I will worship at your holy temple, and I will give thanks to your name, for your mercy and your truthfulness, because you magnified your holy one above every name. Psalm 137:1–2 (LES2) 

A case can be made that the MT introduces Kabbalistic names of God into the text; whereas, the LXX sticks to Lord and God. This is significant in that it agrees with what Jesus taught us. He told us to address our God as Abba – Father or Daddy. Never once in the New Testament are we taught to use any of the MT names of God.

Secondly, David sings before angels rather than “gods” or “elohim.” 

Thirdly, and directly to the point of this article, verse two in the LXX is a Christological verse quoted by Paul in Philippians 2:9.

9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV) 

By changing the MT text of Psalm 138:2, the rabbis removed this obvious reference to the risen and glorified Christ. Instead they gave us a confusing verse that makes no sense whatsoever and has been used by “name it and claim it” preachers to promote that false doctrine. God would never magnify his word above his name. Jesus is the Word made flesh. The Word and the Name are the same.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:1–2 (NASB95) 

1 In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth. 2 But the earth was unseen and unprepared, and darkness was upon the deep. And the spirit of God rushed upon the water. Genesis 1:1–2 (LES2) 

3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Genesis 1:3–5 (NASB95) 

3 And God said, “Let light come into being.” And light came into being. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good. And God made a separation between the light and the darkness. 5 And God named the light day and the darkness he named night. And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:3–5 (LES2) 

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Genesis 1:6–8 (NASB95) 

6 And God said, “Let a firmament come into being in the midst of the water, and let a separator be in the midst of the water.” And so it happened. 7 And God made the firmament, and God made a separation in the midst of the water that was under the firmament and in the midst of the water that was upon the firmament. 8 And God named the firmament heaven. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the second day. Genesis 1:6–8 (LES2) 

9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day. Genesis 1:9–13 (NASB95) 

9 And God said, “Let the water that is under the heavens be gathered together into one assembly, and let the dryness appear.” And so it happened. And the water under the heavens was brought together into their assembly, and the dryness appeared. 10 And God named the dryness earth, and the assemblies of the waters he named seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout fodder plants, sowing seed according to kind and according to likeness, and fruit-bearing tree making fruit whose seed is itself in the tree, according to kind in regard to likeness upon the earth.” And so it happened. 12 And the earth brought forth fodder plants, sowing seed according to kind and according to likeness, and the fruit-bearing tree making fruit whose seed is itself in the tree, corresponding to its kind upon the earth. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning, the third day. Genesis 1:9–13 (LES2) 

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Genesis 1:14–19 (NASB95) 

14 And God said, “Let luminaries come into being in the firmament of the heavens for illumination of the earth and rule the days and the nights and make a separation in the midst of the day and in the midst of the night. And let them be for a sign and for seasons and for days and for years. 15 And let them be for illumination in the firmament of the heavens so that they might give light upon the earth.” And so it happened. 16 And God made the two big luminaries, the big luminary to have authority over the day, and the little luminary to have authority over the night and the stars. 17 And God placed them in the firmament of the heavens so that they might shine upon the earth 18 and rule over the day and the night and to make a separation in the midst of the light and in the midst of the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fourth day. Genesis 1:14–19 (LES2)

20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Genesis 1:20–23 (NASB95) 

20 And God said, “Let the water bring forth living, creeping things and birds flying above the earth in relation to the firmament of the heavens.” And so it happened. 21 And God made the very large fish and every life of living creeping things that the water brought forth according to their kind and every bird with wings according to kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Increase and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply upon the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day. Genesis 1:20–23 (LES2)

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.  Genesis 1:24–31 (NASB95) 

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth a living creature according to kind, quadrupeds and creeping things and wild animals of the earth according to kind.” And so it happened. 25 And God made the wild animals of the earth according to kind and the livestock according to kind and all the creeping things of the earth according to their kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 And God said, “Let us make humankind according to our image and according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the livestock and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.” 27 And God made humankind; he made him according to the image of God; he made them male and female. 28 And God blessed them, saying, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and gain dominion over it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and all the livestock and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.” 29 And God said, “Look, I have given to you every herb that has sowable seed that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has sowable seed in its fruit will become food for you, 30 and for all the wild animals of the earth and for all the birds of the heavens and for every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth that has soul of life in itself. And all green fodder will be for food.” And so it happened. 31 And God saw everything that he made, and look, it was very good! And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:24–31 (LES2)