An Oddity in the New King James Version

[bookslover]

The oddity is the very last word in Genesis 20.16:

Then to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody." Thus she was rebuked."

Actually, Sarah was the exact opposite of "rebuked." None of the translations I consulted (ASV, CSB, ESV, NASB) agree with this translation and have her being rebuked. All of them say, at the very end of the verse, that Sarah was vindicated or some similar word.

The KJV says "reproved," which is also wrong.

Perhaps someone was asleep at the wheel among the NKJV translators or editors back in 1982.

 

[iainduguid]

The oddity is the very last word in Genesis 20.16:

Then to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody." Thus she was rebuked."

Actually, Sarah was the exact opposite of "rebuked." None of the translations I consulted (ASV, CSB, ESV, NASB) agree with this translation and have her being rebuked. All of them say, at the very end of the verse, that Sarah was vindicated or some similar word.

The KJV says "reproved," which is also wrong.

Perhaps someone was asleep at the wheel among the NKJV translators or editors back in 1982.

"Asleep at the wheel" is a pretty strong charge for a reasonable disagreement in translation. It's a very tricky phrase to translate. It's not the obvious way of saying that Sarah was reproved or vindicated. The Hebrew word yakach in the Hiphil normally means something like "argue, reason, adjudicate", by extension it can mean the result of that argument, either vindication or rebuke. Here it is in the Niphal, which usually has a passive or reflexive sense, here "adjudicated". The Hiphil more commonly means rebuke than vindication, which I suspect is what is driving the KJV and the NKJV, while context is probably pushing the modern translations in the opposite direction (with the Vulgate; the LXX doesn't seem to know quite what to do with it at all).

 

[Bill The Baptist]

According to Strong’s, the underlying Hebrew word can be translated as either vindicated or rebuked. I suppose it comes down the context in terms of the way in which the translators chose to go. As far as the NKJV, the translators were likely just following the lead of the KJV, so any fault if indeed there is any, would lie with the translators of the KJV.

 

[Grant]

Gotta love the footnotes. If you have an NKJV with the Full set of text variants you will see the word could be “rebuked” or “justified”.

No one was sleeping during the translation of that word. At least that is not what any old commentaries I have read say.

P.S. The newish NKJV Preaching Bible has the full set (https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/new-bible.97564/)

 

[bookslover]

"Asleep at the wheel" is a pretty strong charge for a reasonable disagreement in translation. It's a very tricky phrase to translate. It's not the obvious way of saying that Sarah was reproved or vindicated. The Hebrew word yakach in the Hiphil normally means something like "argue, reason, adjudicate", by extension it can mean the result of that argument, either vindication or rebuke. Here it is in the Niphal, which usually has a passive or reflexive sense, here "adjudicated". The Hiphil more commonly means rebuke than vindication, which I suspect is what is driving the KJV and the NKJV, while context is probably pushing the modern translations in the opposite direction (with the Vulgate; the LXX doesn't seem to know quite what to do with it at all).

Thanks for the explanation, Iain. This seems to be an obvious case where context is crucial for determining which "direction" to go with the Hebrew word involved.

I meant "asleep at the wheel" to be taken as being more humorous than condemning. I should have included an emoji or a LOL or something to indicate that. My apologies.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

P.S. The newish NKJV Preaching Bible has the full set (https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/new-bible.97564/)

I also have an NKJV preaching Bible and I love it. It has become my main Bible to preach from.

 

[Grant]

I also have an NKJV preaching Bible and I love it. It has become my main Bible to preach from.

Great to know. I have it in brown and i also have the Thinline Goatskin. Both are fantastic. Overall I like the Thinline better. However the Preaching Bible has the fuller set of variant footnotes and the blue font grows on me each time I borrow it from my wife (who is not a preacher, to be clear).

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

HALOT:

יכח: MHeb. hif. to rebuke, prove, MHeb.2 hitp. (ettapa. ?) to dispute, JArm. af. to rebuke, JArm.b to prove, JArm.tg ettaph. to dispute, to prove to be just;
• cognate with נכח;
• Eth. wkḥ to cause an argument, Arb. wakaʿa (ḥ corresponding to ʿ !), to reprimand, wkḥ IV to refrain from, X to refuse;
• basic meaning:
• to put in the right, Nöldeke Neue Beitr. 190f, in legal context, Horst Gottesrecht 289;
• Seeligmann Fschr. Baumgartner 266ff;
• :: Leslau 24;
• Guillaume 1:9:
• to argue.
nif:
impf. נִוָּֽכְחָה;
• pt. נוֹכָח, נֹכַ֫חַת:
1. to argue (in a lawsuit) Is 118, עִם with, Job 237;
2. to be found to be right Gn 2016. †


Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 410). Leiden: E.J. Brill.

Here is how the JPS Tanakh translates this verse:

"And to Sarah he said, “I herewith give your brother a thousand pieces of silver; this will serve you as vindication before all who are with you, and you are cleared before everyone.” 17

Jewish Publication Society. (1985). Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Ge 20:16–17). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society."


The Lexham English Septuagint has an interesting take on this verse. I know it is Greek behind the translation but still thought it worth sharing.

"16 He said to Sarah, “Look, I have given a thousand didrachmas to your brother. These will be to you for honor of your face and to all those with you. Now, speak truthfully about everything.”

Brannan, R., Penner, K. M., Loken, I., Aubrey, M., & Hoogendyk, I. (Eds.). (2012). The Lexham English Septuagint (Ge 20:16). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press."

Here is what Calvin had to say:

"Thus she was reproved. Interpreters distort this clause also. The natural exposition seems to me to be, that the Lord had suffered Sarah to be reproved by a heathen king, that he might the more deeply affect her with a sense of shame. For Moses draws especial attention to the person of the speaker; because it seemed a disgrace that the mother of the faithful should be reprehended by such a master. Others suppose that Moses speaks of the profit which she had received; seeing that she, instructed by such a lesson, would henceforth learn to act differently. But Moses seems rather to point out that kind of correction of which I have spoken; namely, that Sarah was humbled, by being delivered over to the discipline of a heathen man."

Calvin, J., & King, J. (2010). Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis (Vol. 1, p. 533). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

Kenneth Matthews commenting on the verse:

"This payment is accompanied by a direct public apology to the woman in which Abimelech makes it clear that she was not defiled. In addressing her the king speaks of Abraham as “your brother” (v. 16), which may be an additional sign of concession to Abraham’s defense or, perhaps, even a final jibe at the heartless ruse they carried out. “Cover the eyes” (kĕsût ʿênayim, “cover the offense,” NIV) and “vindicated” (nōkāḥat) work together but differently in conveying the exoneration of Sarah.

Mathews, K. A. (2005). Genesis 11:27–50:26 (Vol. 1B, p. 258). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

 

[Grant]

The oddity

The "oddity" I feel from the passage is that it took (or rather God used) a heathen king to bring correction to the deceit of Abraham.

Oh how our Lord knows just how to cut us to our most inward parts. Oh how foolish we can be when we wander into sin. How blinded we can be that the Lord could even use a pagan king to expose our unfaithfulness. A truly convicting event.

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

The "oddity" I feel from the passage is that it took (or rather God used) a heathen king to bring correction to the deceit of Abraham.

Judging from the quote above, Calvin would certainly agree with you.

 

[Grant]

Judging from the quote above, Calvin would certainly agree with you.

Funny you say that because I agree with him!

I have tried to get Calvin to agree with me before, but he never returned my voicemails.

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

Funny you say that because I agree with him!

I have tried to get Calvin to agree with me before, but that did not really work out.

It is a beautiful thing to be in exegetical harmony with Master Calvin.

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

It is truly humbling. Similarly think about the fact that a beast (animal) was used in the correction of Jonah. We can become so entrenched in our our foolish pride at times. The fact that the Lord can show us our own stupidity not by the world's most wise, but by something further beneath us is a bone breaking truth.

P.S. Okay I will digress from my off topic rant. The scriptural account from the OP just hit me hard.

Indeed, brother. Think about how crazy the pride of Nebechudnezzar was and the Lord's response to it in Daniel. He strickened him with madness. The Lord knows how many times I have erected statues of myself within my heart. How truly deprave our hearts are. Father, please forgive us!

 

[Grant]

It is truly humbling. Similarly think about the fact that a beast (animal) was used in the correction of Jonah. We can become so entrenched in our foolish pride at times. The fact that the Lord can show us our own stupidity not by the world's most wise, but by something further beneath us is a bone crushing truth.

P.S. Okay I will digress from my off topic rant. The scriptural account from the OP just hit me hard.

 

[Grant]

Indeed, brother. Think about how crazy the pride of Nebechudnezzar was and the Lord's response to it in Daniel. The Lord strickened him with madness. How deprave our hearts are. Lord forgive us!

Amen, and yet we still see God's grace in each correction. The thoughts that give me the most tremble are when I think about being in a position where God could simply leave me hardened and never bring conviction. So God, if it takes a whale, please bring the whale!