At the back of his translation of the Bible, An American Translation, Dr. William F. Beck has listed a number of scriptural passages in both Testaments that he had felt some other translators have not rendered correctly in regard to the Messiah. One of these is Micah 5: 2.
I have included the whole verse as it is translated by Dr. Beck. However, it is the end of the verse that is in question. Thus, I have quoted only that part with the thirty-nine other versions. Because a basic Christian doctrine is involved, I have chosen to compare so many. The changes are so subtle that the average Christian may not recognize them or may not feel that they are of any consequence.
Versions Compared
- AAT – An American Translation (Beck)
- AB – Amplified Bible
- ASV – American Standard Version
- DHB – Darby Holy Bible
- EBR – The Emphasized Bible
- EVD – English Version for the Deaf
- GW – God’s Word
- HBME – The Holy Bible in Modern English
- HBRV – Holy Bible, Revised Version
- IB – Interlinear Bible
- IV – Inspired Version
- KJV – King James Version
- KTC – Knox Translation
- LB – Living Bible
- LBP – Lamsa Bible
- LXX – The Septuagint
- MNT – Moffatt New Translation
- MRB – Modern Reader’s Bible
- NAB – New American Bible
- NAS – New American Standard Version
- NBV – New Berkeley Version
- NCV – New Century Version
- NEB – New English Bible
- NIV – New International Version
- NJB – New Jerusalem Bible
- NJPS – New JPS Version
- NKJ – New King James Version
- NLT – New Living Translation
- NLV – New Life Version
- NWT – New World Translation
- REB – Revised English Bible
- RSV – Revised Standard Version
- SBK – The Shorter Bible
- SGAT – An American Translation (Smith-Goodspeed)
- SNB – Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible
- SSBE – Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition
- TDB – The Dartmouth Bible
- TEV – Today’s English Version
- TJB – The Jerusalem Bible
- YLR – Young’s Literal Translation, Revised Edition
Micah 5: 2
AAT – You, Bethlehem [Ephrathah],
too small to be one of Judah’s clans,
from you there will come out for Me,
One Who Is to Rule Israel
who real comings are from the eternal past.
AB – Whose going s forth have been from of old, from ancient days – eternity.
ASV – whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.
DHB – whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity.
EBR – Whose comings forth have been from of old from the days of age-past time.
EVD – His beginnings are from ancient times.
from long, long ago.
GW – His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
HBME – Who brought you, long ago, in old times from the East;
HBRV – whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.
IB – and His goings forth have been from old, from the days of eternity.
IV – whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
KJV – whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
KTC – Whence comes he? From the first beginning, from ages untold!
Footnote: ‘From ages untold’; literally, ‘from the days of eternity,’ but this is a phrase used somewhat loosely by Hebrew authors, and no certain theological inferences can be based on it.
LB – who is alive from everlasting ages past.
LBP – whose goings forth have been predicted from of old, from eternity.
LXX – and his goings forth have been from the beginning, even from eternity.
MNT – one whose origin is of old,
of long descent.
MRB – whose goings forth are from old, from ancient days.
NAB – Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
NAS – His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.
NBV – His goings forth are from of old, from days of eternity.
NCV – He comes from very old times,
from days long ago.
NEB – one whose roots are far back in the past, in days gone by.
NIV – whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.
Footnote: origins: Hebrew goings out.
Footnote: ancient times: Or from days of eternity.
NJB – whose origins go back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
NJPS – One whose origin is from of old,
From ancient times.
NKJ – Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.
NLT – one whose origins are from the distant past.
NLV – His coming was planned long ago, from the beginning.
NWT – whose origin is from early times, from the days of time indefinite.
REB – one whose origins are far back in the past, in ancient times.
RSV – whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
SBK – And his origin is from of old,
From ages long past.
SGAT – Whose origins are from of old,
From ancient days.
SNB – whose comings forth have been from of old, from the days of age-past time.
SSBE – whose origin is from an ancient era, from ages of eternity.
TDB – whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
TEV – whose family line goes back to ancient times.
TJB – his origin goes back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
YLR – And his comings forth are of old,
From the days of antiquity.
Word Definitions
There are a few words that carry specific meanings in this passage. I shall state the meaning of each, as is found in Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of the English Language, International Edition.
- Age:
- Any great and distant period of time in the history of man, of the earth, etc.; era; epoch.
- Ancient:
- Existing or occurring in times long gone by, especially before the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, in 476; belonging to or having existed from a remote antiquity.
- Antiquity:
- The state or quality of being ancient; ancient times, people, or civilization.
- Beginning:
- The starting point in space, time, or action; the source or first cause of anything.
- Day:
- A time or period; an age.
- Era:
- A historical period or reckoning of years, dating from some important event or fixed point of time; an epoch; the beginning of a period.
- Eternal:
- Having neither beginning nor end of existence; infinite duration; everlasting; having no end; independent of time or its conditions.
- Eternity:
- Infinite duration or existence; an endless or limitless time.
- Everlasting:
- Lasting forever; eternal; past or future endless duration.
- Origin:
- The commencement of the existence of anything; a primary source.
- Time:
- A considerable period marked of by some special characteristics; indefinite duration viewed in the concrete as measurable and terminable, but not precisely limited.
