Correcting an error in Thomas Nelson Publishers' 1990 edition of "The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible".

(Matthew 4.9) And saith unto Him, "All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me."

(Luke 4.7) If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine."

This study is an adaptation of an e-mail correspondence regarding a certain "Strong's" reference numbers for the word "worship" in Matthew 4.9 and Luke 4.7. The question I received and the answer I gave are here presented in the hopes of but sharpening our attention to detail.

The author entreats that his commentary hold no element in one's determination of the truth. As with all humanity, my sin, too, leaves me short of the glory of God. I conclude myself as Job, "Behold, I am vile". A fallen creature can hardly aspire to understand in totality, interpret with precision, and completely communicate the immeasurable breadth, length, depth, and height of the blessed Creator's word. Attainment of the purest Bible knowledge, understanding, and wisdom a human can hope for is solely by ever diligently seeking after God, not through the writings and commentaries and expositions of mortals, but through His only begotten Son Jesus, Whose "name is called The Word of God."

My writings are imperfect, wholly inept, needless. Yet should it please the Holy Spirit to even faintly enlighten one through my humble efforts in His word of truth, then all credit and thanks must be directed and given to our Father in the heavens as I know and can know nothing apart from Him.

Notes are indicated by braced, asterisked numbers, e.g. {*1}, {*2}, {*3}, etc.

May each of us benefit from this Biblical correspondence.

- - - - - - -

"My 'Strong's [Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible]' says that the word translated as 'worship' in Luke 4:7 is different from the one translated as 'worship' in Matthew 4:9. It says that the 'worship' of Matthew 4:9 is #4352 of the Greek dictionary and that the 'worship' of Luke 4:7 is #1799. I don't understand."

An excellent question! My answer is going to be a bit more detailed than necessary; but the more we can learn, the better. I'll be working from the four printed Greek New Testament texts I have -- the Scholz (SCH), the Received Text based on Scrivener (RTS), the Westcott & Hort (WES), and the United Bible Society 3rd Edition (UB3) -- and three electronic texts from the BibleWorks 5.0 database -- the Robinson-Pierpoint Majority Text (BYZ), the Stephanus (STE), and the Tischendorf 8th Edition (TIS).

All seven agree that Matthew 4.9 reads "proskuneses moi".

The SCH, RTS, and STE read Luke 4.7 as "proskuneses enopion mou"{*1}; the WES, UB3, BYZ, and TIS, "proskuneses enopion emou".

The difference between "moi" (Matthew 4.9), "mou," and "emou" (Luke 4.7)? The dative "moi" generally can mean either "to me" or "for me"; the genitive "mou," "of me"; and the genitive "emou," "of ME" (emphatic).

What's this word "enopion" in Luke 4.7 though? It's not in Matthew 4.9, yet more than a handful of the Bibles I own don't call attention to its appearance in Luke 4.7. What gives? What gives is that it is the key to the answer to your question.

"Enopion" usually appears as "before" or "in the sight of" in the Authorized Version; your "Strong's", however, indicates that THIS is the word translated as "worship" in Luke 4.7. "Enopion" is indeed #1799 of the "Strong's" Greek dictionary, but there is no possible way it can be translated as "worship." Either your "Strong's" is in error here (and should read #4352 instead), or it's an entirely vague method of indicating that the King James translators did not translate "enopion" in Luke 4.7. My opinion? It's an error in your particular edition/printing of the "Strong's".{*2}

It is a shame that not all Bibles distinguish the speech and nuance in Luke 4.7 from that in Matthew 4.9. An accurate translation of the differences would allow more English readers the opportunity to explore the possibility of Satan tempting Jesus not three times, but SIX -- thrice on two different occasions.

Notice how the following six translations make no distinction at all between the Matthean "proskuneses moi" and the Lucan "proskuneses enopion mou/emou". Both phrases are rendered simply as "worship me":

The Version of William Tyndale (A.D. 1534):{*3}

(Matthew 4.-9) if thou wilt faull doune and worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) Yf thou therfore wilt worshippe me,




The Geneva New Testament (A.D. 1557):{*4}

(Matthew 4.-9) if thou fallyng downe wilt worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) If thou therfore wylt worshyp me,




The Authorized Version (A.D. 1611):{*5}

(Matthew 4.-9) if thou wilt fall downe and worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) If thou therefore wilt worship me,{*6}




New International Version:{*7}

(Matthew 4.-9) "if you will bow down and worship me."

(Luke 4.7-) So if you worship me,




"The New Testament in Modern English":{*8}

(Matthew 4.-9) "if you will fall down and worship me."

(Luke 4.-7) if you will fall down and worship me."




"The New Testament":{*9}

(Matthew 4.-9) 'if you kneel down and worship me.'

(Luke 4.7-) If you worship me,




These next nine are better, but "emou" remains indistinguishable from "mou":

The Great Bible (A.D. 1539):{*10}

(Matthew 4.-9) yf thou wilt fall downe, and worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) If you therfore wylt fall downe before me and worshyp me,




The Revised Version (A.D. 1881):{*11}

(Matthew 4.-9) if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) If thou therefore wilt worship before me,




"The New Testament: An American Translation":{*12}

(Matthew 4.-9) if you will fall on your knees and do homage to me."

(Luke 4.7-) If you will do homage before me,




"New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures":{*13}

(Matthew 4.-9) if you fall down and do an act of worship to me."

(Luke 4.7-) You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me,




"The Interlinear Bible":{*14}

(Matthew 4.-9) if falling down You will worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) then if You worship before me,




"The Bible: James Moffatt Translation":{*15}

(Matthew 4.-9) if you will fall down and worship me."

(Luke 4.7-) If you will worship before me,




"The Emphasized Bible" (But see the Note.):{*16}

(Matthew 4.-9) --if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) Thou therefore if thou wilt worship before me




"Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible":{*17}

(Matthew 4.-9) if falling down thou mayst bow to me.'

(Luke 4.7-) thou, then, if thou mayest bow before me--




"Exegeses Parallel Bible":{*18}

(Matthew 4.-9) whenever you fall and worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) so whenever you worship in my sight,




"The Amplified Bible"{*19}, though prefaced with the aim that it "shall be true to the original Hebrew and Greek"{*20}, translates Matthew 4.9 as though IT reads "proskuneses enopion mou/emou" and Luke 4.7 "proskuneses moi"!

(Matthew 4.-9) if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me.

(Luke 4.7-) Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once],

Its preface wisely adds, "The Amplified Bible is not . . . intended to be a substitute for other translations."{21*}




"The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest"{*22} implies both verses read "proskuneses enopion mou/emou":

(Matthew 4.-9) if, having fallen down upon your knees and having touched the ground with your forehead in an expression of profound reverence, you would prostrate yourself in worship before me.

(Luke 4.7-) As for you therefore, if you will fall upon your knees before me and touch the ground with your forehead as an expression of profound and reverential worship,

But this New Testament is prefaced with, "It [Wuest's expanded translation] is intended as a companion to, or commentary on, the standard translations".{*23}




To no surprise, the wide margin of "The Companion Bible" calls attention to each of these differences between Matthew 4.9 and Luke 4.7, the typeset even revealing the emphatic "emou" of Luke 4.7.{*24}

Good catch! That's my girl!

Notes:

{*1} But a level 2 majority change reads the RTS here with "emou" instead of "mou". This level 2 majority change means that 80-94% of the vast majority of all manuscripts read Luke 4.7 with "emou" instead of "mou". See Jay P. Green, Sr., ed. and trans., "The Interlinear Bible", One Volume Edition, 2nd ed. (Lafayette, Indiana: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 1986), p.968.

{*2} This opinion has since been proven true: I was later blessed with the purchase of a ninth printing of the first edition of "Strong's", and on p.1190 of the main concordance the "worship" of Luke 4.7 is followed by BOTH #4352 AND #1799 of the Greek dictionary, evidently indicating that two words ("proskuneses enopion") were translated as only one ("worship").

{*3} "The English Hexapla", hardcover photocopy of the edition originally published by Samuel Bagster and Sons, London, 1841 (Edmonton, Alberta [Canada]: Still Waters Revival Books, no date).

{*4} Ibid.

{*5} Scripture taken from "The Holy Bible", a word-for-word reprint of the first edition of the Authorized Version originally imprinted by Robert Barker, London, 1611 (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, no date).

{*6} The margin reads, "Or, fall downe before me."

{*7} Scripture taken from the "Holy Bible, New International Version". Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

{*8} J.B. Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", rev. ed. (New York, New York: Inspirational Press, 1995), pp.6 and 117.

{*9} William Barclay, "The New Testament" (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), pp.51 and 126.

{*10} "The English Hexapla".

{*11} Scripture taken from John S.C. Abbott, Jacob Abbott, and Lyman Abbott, "The Pictorial New Testament" (New York, New York: Henry S. Goodspeed & Co., 1881), pp.43 and 230.

{*12} Edgar J. Goodspeed, "The New Testament: An American Translation" (Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1944), pp.5 and 116.

{*13} New World Bible Translation Committee, "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures", rev. ed. (Brooklyn, New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 1984), pp.1219 and 1289.

{*14} "The Interlinear Bible", pp.739 and 790.

{*15} James A. R. Moffatt, "The Bible: James Moffatt Translation" (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1994), pp.4 and 75 (of the New Testament).

{*16} Joseph Bryant Rotherham, "The Emphasized Bible" (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1994), pp.3 and 60 (of the New Testament). This work ought to be consulted directly as I am unable to replicate neither its unique system of symbols relating to emphasis nor certain of its punctuation.

{*17} Robert Young, "Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible", rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2000), pp.2 and 42 (of the New Testament).

{*18} Herb Jahn, "Exegeses Parallel Bible", 5th ed. (Orange, California: Exegeses, 2001), pp.1467 and 1565.

{*19} Scripture taken from "The Amplified Bible", Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright © 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

{*20} "The Amplified Bible" (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), p.v (of the preface).

{*21} Ibid.

{*22} Kenneth S. Wuest, "The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest" (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002), pp.8 and 136.

{*23} "The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest", p.vii (of the preface).

{*24} "The Companion Bible", King James Version (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1990), pp.1314 and 1441.

Copyright © 2000-2003 by Thomas John Dexter. All rights reserved. The matter of this work may be reproduced for distribution, but it is not to be sold. The matter of this work (with the exception of any Scripture or quote) is the sole production of the copyright proprietor and is subject to change as he grows in knowledge and wisdom concerning the Word of God.