3 NEPHI 18:29 - THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 10:30 pm
Decades ago I ran across this blunder in the Book of Mormon. I've never run across any other reference to it. So I thought I would post it here for comment.
The text in question is 3 Nephi 18:28-32:
28 And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it;
29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.
30 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him unto the Father, in my name; and if it so be that he repenteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive him, and shall minister unto him of my flesh and blood.
31 But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people, for behold I know my sheep, and they are numbered.
32 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your asynagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.
Compare that with 1 Corinthian 11:27-29:
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
Note, particularly the text in bold. It would seem that both sets of texts are conveying the same message, do they not? But they do not.
For centuries it has been a common misunderstanding of 1 Corinthian 11:27-29 made by people reading the King James Bible who did not consider the context of Paul's message, nor the actual Greek underlying the English translation. The context of Paul's statement pertains to the Corthinians coming together for, what should have been, a partaking of the Lord's Supper. Start at verse 11 and read through to the end of the chapter. There were "divisions", "heresies", those who were "hungry", those who were "drunken". Paul reminds them of the reason they are suppose to be coming together which is to "discern the Lord's body."
Now, the word "unworthily" is an abverb which modifies the act, not the actor. What Paul is saying here is that they are partaking of the body and blood of the Lord in an unworthy manner. (Greek ἀναξίως - see any modern translation.) Paul's complaint has absolutely nothing to do with personal worthiness. He is complaining about the manner in which they are partaking. The party-like behavior, with various cliques and divisions at the event is taking their focus off of "discerning the Lord's body" when they partake of the "body and blood of the Lord." Those who partake in such an unworthy manner are committing an insult to the body and blood of the Lord, and will suffer serious consequences.
Now back to 3 Nephi. Whoever is responsible for this bit of prose in 3 Nephi essentially lifted the core verbiage from the text of Paul's complaint to the Corinithians with the common misunderstanding about what Paul was actually saying, and then elaborated on the misunderstanding, making it about a man's personal worthiness.
"For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul;" is nearly identical to Paul's words in verse 29 of the King James Bible, including the use of the adverb "unworthily" which modifies the verbs "eateth" and "drinketh." Then in the very next clause, the adverb is jettisoned and the adjective "unworthy" is employed, which pertains to a man's personal worthiness. This is a material shift in intention, and reflects the common misunderstanding of the King James text. And the idea continues all the way to the end of the elaboration.
Oops!
What's even worse is that the writer of the Book of Mormon puts this in the mouth of "Jesus", who allegedly preaches this common misunderstanding to the Nephites some 20 or 30 years prior to Paul uttering the Greek words that the King James translators would render in 1611 into the English that caused the confusion.
The text in question is 3 Nephi 18:28-32:
28 And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it;
29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.
30 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him unto the Father, in my name; and if it so be that he repenteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive him, and shall minister unto him of my flesh and blood.
31 But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people, for behold I know my sheep, and they are numbered.
32 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your asynagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.
Compare that with 1 Corinthian 11:27-29:
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
Note, particularly the text in bold. It would seem that both sets of texts are conveying the same message, do they not? But they do not.
For centuries it has been a common misunderstanding of 1 Corinthian 11:27-29 made by people reading the King James Bible who did not consider the context of Paul's message, nor the actual Greek underlying the English translation. The context of Paul's statement pertains to the Corthinians coming together for, what should have been, a partaking of the Lord's Supper. Start at verse 11 and read through to the end of the chapter. There were "divisions", "heresies", those who were "hungry", those who were "drunken". Paul reminds them of the reason they are suppose to be coming together which is to "discern the Lord's body."
Now, the word "unworthily" is an abverb which modifies the act, not the actor. What Paul is saying here is that they are partaking of the body and blood of the Lord in an unworthy manner. (Greek ἀναξίως - see any modern translation.) Paul's complaint has absolutely nothing to do with personal worthiness. He is complaining about the manner in which they are partaking. The party-like behavior, with various cliques and divisions at the event is taking their focus off of "discerning the Lord's body" when they partake of the "body and blood of the Lord." Those who partake in such an unworthy manner are committing an insult to the body and blood of the Lord, and will suffer serious consequences.
Now back to 3 Nephi. Whoever is responsible for this bit of prose in 3 Nephi essentially lifted the core verbiage from the text of Paul's complaint to the Corinithians with the common misunderstanding about what Paul was actually saying, and then elaborated on the misunderstanding, making it about a man's personal worthiness.
"For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul;" is nearly identical to Paul's words in verse 29 of the King James Bible, including the use of the adverb "unworthily" which modifies the verbs "eateth" and "drinketh." Then in the very next clause, the adverb is jettisoned and the adjective "unworthy" is employed, which pertains to a man's personal worthiness. This is a material shift in intention, and reflects the common misunderstanding of the King James text. And the idea continues all the way to the end of the elaboration.
Oops!
What's even worse is that the writer of the Book of Mormon puts this in the mouth of "Jesus", who allegedly preaches this common misunderstanding to the Nephites some 20 or 30 years prior to Paul uttering the Greek words that the King James translators would render in 1611 into the English that caused the confusion.