science

Bible errata

Bible errata is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Bible errata rather than just read about it. In short: Throughout history, printers' errors, unconventional translations and translation mistakes have appeared in a number of published Bibles. Bibles with features considered to be erroneous are known as Bible errata, and were often destroyed or suppressed due to their contents being considered heretical by some.

Key takeaways

Bible errata belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Bible errata to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Bible errata from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Throughout history, printers' errors, unconventional translations and translation mistakes have appeared in a number of published Bibles. Bibles with features considered to be erroneous are known as Bible errata, and were often destroyed or suppressed due to their contents being considered heretical by some.

Manuscript Bibles

The Book of Kells, c. 800

The Book of Kells features two errors within its text:

The genealogy of Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, lists an extra ancestor in Luke 3:26. This error is considered to have resulted from the transcriber reading the phrase "QUI FUIT MATHATHIAE" as "QUI FUIT MATHATH IAE", with the "IAE" being considered an additional individual, resulting in the lines "QUI FUIT MATHATH" and the additional "QUI FUIT IAE", rather than the singular "QUI FUIT MATHATHIAE". In the Gospel of Matthew, 10:34b should read "I came not to send peace, but the sword". However, rather than the Latin gladium, meaning "sword", the Book of Kells has gaudium, meaning "joy", rendering the verse "I came not [only] to send peace, but [also] joy".

The Book of Deer, 10th century The Scottish Book of Deer in Cambridge University Library has a number of errors. In the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, it has Seth as the first man and grandfather of Adam.

Printed Bibles

Geneva "Place-makers' Bible" 1562: the second edition of the Geneva Bible, Matthew 5:9 reads "Blessed are the placemakers: for they shall be called the children of God"; it should read "peacemakers". In its chapter heading for Luke 21, the Place-makers' Bible has "Christ condemneth the poor widow", rather than "commendeth".

Douai "Manchester edition" 1793: The heading on Chapter 3 of Leviticus and the first verse has "bees" rather than "beeves" (plural of beef). It reads: "How the pacifique hosts must be of bees, sheep, lambs and goats" ("pacifique hosts" meaning peace offerings).

King James

In various printings of the King James Version of the Bible, some of the more famous examples have been given their own names. Among them are:

"Printers Bible", from 1612: In some copies, Psalm 119:161 reads, "Printers have persecuted me without a cause", rather than "Princes have persecuted me..." "Judas Bible", from 1613: This Bible has Judas, not Jesus, saying "Sit ye here while I go yonder and pray" (Matthew 26:36). A second folio edition printed by Robert Barker, printer to King James I, is held in St. Mary's Church, Totnes, Devon. In this copy, the misprint has been covered with a small slip of paper glued over the name of Judas. "Wicked Bible", "Adulterous Bible" or "Sinner's Bible", from 1631: Barker and Lucas: Omits an important "not" from Exodus 20:14, making the seventh commandment read "Thou shalt commit adultery." An 1886 study of Star Chamber case reports suggests that this was just one of the "two grossest errors" in the printing, alongside Deuteronomy 5:24, which read "the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his great-asse" instead of the correct "greatness[e]". The printers were fined £300 and most of the copies were recalled immediately. Only 15 copies survive in the collections of public institutions in the English-speaking world. "More Sea Bible", from 1641: "...the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was more sea", rather than "...the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea", from Revelation 21:1. "Unrighteous Bible" or "Wicked Bible", from 1653, Cambridge Press: Another edition carrying this title omits a "not" before the word "inherit", making 1 Corinthians 6:9 read "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God?". In addition, Romans 6:13 reads "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of righteousness into sin", where it should read "unrighteousness". "Sin On Bible", from 1716: Jeremiah 31:34 reads "sin on more" rather than "sin no more".

"Vinegar Bible", from 1717: J. Baskett, Clarendon Press: The chapter heading for Luke 20 reads "The Parable of the Vinegar" instead of "The Parable of the Vineyard." One reviewer called this particular edition "a Baskett full of errors" due to the abundance of typographical errors. One copy sold for $5,000 in 2008. "The Fools Bible", from 1763: Psalm 14:1 reads "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God", rather than "there is no God". The printers were fined £3,000 and all copies ordered destroyed. "The Killer Bible", from 1795: "Filled" is replaced by "killed", making Mark 7:27 read: "Let the children first be killed". "Murderer's Bible", from 1801: "Murmurers" is printed as "murderers", making Jude 16 read: "These are murderers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage." "To-remain Bible", from 1805: In Galatians 4:29, a proofreader had written in "to remain" in the margin, as an answer to whether a comma should be deleted. The note inadvertently became part of the text, making the edition read "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit to remain, even so it is now." "Standing Fishes Bible", from 1806: "Fishes" replaced "fishers" making Ezekiel 47:10 read "And it shall come to pass, that the fishes shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many." "Wife-hater Bible", from 1810: "Wife" replaces "life" in this edition, making Luke 14:26 redundantly read "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own wife also, he cannot be my disciple." "The Large Family Bible", from 1820: Isaiah 66:9 reads: "Shall I bring to birth and not cease to bring forth?" rather than "Shall I bring to birth and not cause to bring forth?" "Rebecca's Camels Bible", from 1823: "Camels" replaces "damsels" in one instance, making Genesis 24:61 read "And Rebecca arose, and her camels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebecca and went his way." "Owl Bible", from 1944: "Owl" replaces "own", making 1 Peter 3:5 read, "For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their owl husbands." The error was caused by a printing plate with a damaged letter n.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Bible errata: The Wicked Bible of 1631 renders Exodus 20:14[10] as "thou shalt commit adultery" instead of "thou shalt not commit adultery" — The Wicked Bible of 1631 renders Exodus 20:14[10] as "thou shalt commit adultery" instead of "thou shalt not commit adultery"

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Bible errata

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Bible errata claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Bible errata before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Bible errata ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Bible errata

In research: Bible errata appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Bible errata in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Bible errata is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bible versions and translations, Linguistic error, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Bible errata outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Bible errata in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Bible errata means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Bible errata out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bible errata in simple terms?

Why does Bible errata matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Bible errata?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Bible errata.