bookslover
Puritan Board Doctor
An acquaintance of mine, Eddie Pitts (a Reformed pastor in Arkansas), is preaching through Acts. He has noticed that, in the Greek text, the word "believed" in Acts 16.34b is third-person singular, not third-person plural. So, it should be translated "he believed," not "they believed," regarding the Philippian jailer and his family.
Here's the ESV of that part of the verse: "And he rejoiced, along with his entire household, that he had believed in God." Eddie notes that only the ESV and the old ASV (1901) translate this part of the verse correctly, and that the ESV has the clearest translation. The KJV, the NASB, and the NIV all get Acts 16.34b wrong.
The passage, beginning at verse 31, makes clear that both the jailer and his family heard the gospel. But Acts 16.34b seems to strongly imply that, up to that point, only the jailer himself believed. This could have bearing on our theology of baptism.
Any thoughts?
Here's the ESV of that part of the verse: "And he rejoiced, along with his entire household, that he had believed in God." Eddie notes that only the ESV and the old ASV (1901) translate this part of the verse correctly, and that the ESV has the clearest translation. The KJV, the NASB, and the NIV all get Acts 16.34b wrong.
The passage, beginning at verse 31, makes clear that both the jailer and his family heard the gospel. But Acts 16.34b seems to strongly imply that, up to that point, only the jailer himself believed. This could have bearing on our theology of baptism.
Any thoughts?