Acts 7:20 Moses was...EXCEEDING fair (mistake?)

[brandplucked]

Acts 7:20-- "In which time Moses was born, and was EXCEEDING FAIR, and nourished up in his father's house three months."

I am continually amazed at the barrage of silly arguments raised against the authority and accuracy of the King James Bible. As for those who raise objections to the text of the King James Bible, I have yet to find one of them who actually has any Bible version they defend as being the pure, preserved, infallible words of God. Instead, "every man doeth that which is right in his own eyes" and they become their own final authority with a mystical bible that exists only in their own minds.

Such an example of ignorantly trying to "correct" the KJB is found in Acts 7:20. Years ago I was invited to debate the Bible Version issue on the radio. I wish I knew then what I know now, but in any event, one young man called in to say that the King James Bible was wrong when it said Moses was EXCEEDING fair in Acts 7:20. He said it should read as do the NKJV, NASB: "At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing TO GOD, and he was brought up in his father's house for three months." - (the NKJV), or "was lovely in the sight OF GOD" - (NASB).

Other versions that read like the NKJV, and NASB are Tyndale, the Geneva Bible, the RSV, NRSV, ESV, ISV, Young's, and the Holman Christian Standard.

However there are also many bible translations that read like the King James Bible with "was exceeding fair". Among these are the Revised Version 1881, the American Standard Version 1901, Darby, New American Bible 1970, the Bible in Basic English 1960, Webster's 1833 translation, the KJV 21st Century version 1994, Third Millenium Bible 1998, John Wesley?s translation 1755, Mace?s New Testament 1729, Goodspeed 1943, Weymouth 1913, Rotherham's Emphasized bible 1902, the 20th Century New Testament, the Comtemporary English Version 1991, the Hebrew Names Bible, the World English Bible,The Jerusalem Bible 1968, St. Joseph New American Bible 1970, the New Jerusalem bible 1985, Today's English Version 1992, the New English Bible 1970, the New Century Version of 1988, God?s Word translation 1995, Worldwide English N.T., Easy to Read Version 2001, Portugese Ferreira de Almeda, Spanish Biblia en Lenguaje Sencillo 2000, Italian La Parola e Vita 1997, the French Martin 1744, the Updated Bible Version 2004 and The Message of 2003.

The NIV and the TNIV are a bit unusual in that they both say Moses "was no ordinary child", but like the KJB, they do not contain the words "of God" in their translation.

There is a simple and thoroughly biblical explanation as to why the KJB and many others translated this phrase as "exceeding fair" instead of "lovely to God". The Greek reads the same here in all texts (kai hn asteios tw thew) so it is not a textual but rather a translational issue.

Some of the meanings of the word "God" or Elohim in Hebrew and God or Theos in Greek are "mighty, very great, exceeding, or judges". ALL bible versions at times translate Elohim as "great, mighty, or exceeding". The NIV, for example, shows the word Elohim as translated in the following manner: "God, angels, godly, idols, majestic, sacred, MIGHTY, GREAT, and VERY." The NASB also lists "God, mighty, great, judges, and rulers."

Notice how the post-Christian Greek Septuagint version renders these verses from the Old Testament, and how they employ the word "God, or Theos".

Jonah 3:3 "Now Nineveh was and EXCEEDING great city of three days' journey" - h de nineuh hn polis megalh tw thew.

Genesis 23:6 "Hear us, my lord: thou art a MIGHTY prince among us" - basileus para theou ei su en hmin

Genesis 30:8 "And Rachel said, With GREAT wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed." - kai eipen rachl sunelabeto moi o theos

Exodus 9:28 "Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more MIGHTY thunderings and hail" -fwnas theou kai calazan

1 Samuel 14:15 "and the earth quaked: so it was a very GREAT trembling"- egenhqh ekstasis para kuriou

The King James Bible is NOT incorrect in Acts 7:20 by saying Moses was "exceeding fair". In fact, it makes more sense and is consistent with what we are told in Exodus 2:2. "And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months." That he was a goodly child simply means that Moses was a beautiful baby, and that is exactly what we are told again in Acts 7:20. To say, as the NKJV and NASB do, that this little baby boy of only a few weeks old was "well pleasing to God" when all he could do was cry, wiggle, eat and poop his diapers is to attribute a spiritual life to him that babies simply do not have.

Will Kinney

[Guest Guest]

"The King James Bible is NOT incorrect in Acts 7:20 by saying Moses was "exceeding fair". In fact, it makes more sense and is consistent with what we are told in Exodus 2:2. "And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months." That he was a goodly child simply means that Moses was a beautiful baby, and that is exactly what we are told again in Acts 7:20. To say, as the NKJV and NASB do, that this little baby boy of only a few weeks old was "well pleasing to God" when all he could do was cry, wiggle, eat and poop his diapers is to attribute a spiritual life to him that babies simply do not have."

Will Kinney



Excellent. :thumb

i wonder if the "boyz" over on the FFF would ever be able to reason with such simplicity? Keep it up Brother Will.

[Guest Guest]

I really see no contradiction in the expansion of the context either. That's a rather sad argument I must say... In it's context and language of 1611, it meant the same thing that most other versions say. Basically It's saying that Moses was desirable as a child. I see no mistake with the King James in this context.

[brandplucked]

"The King James Bible is NOT incorrect in Acts 7:20 by saying Moses was "exceeding fair". In fact, it makes more sense and is consistent with what we are told in Exodus 2:2. "And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months." That he was a goodly child simply means that Moses was a beautiful baby, and that is exactly what we are told again in Acts 7:20. To say, as the NKJV and NASB do, that this little baby boy of only a few weeks old was "well pleasing to God" when all he could do was cry, wiggle, eat and poop his diapers is to attribute a spiritual life to him that babies simply do not have."

Will Kinney



Excellent. :thumb

i wonder if the "boyz" over on the FFF would ever be able to reason with such simplicity? Keep it up Brother Will.

Hi fellow redeemed Bible believers. Thank you for your comments. Praise our God for His precious, preserved and inerrant words as found in the only 100% true Holy Bible.

Accepted in the Beloved, (Eph. 1:6)

Will K