Romans 4:19

[KJB1611reader]

Dear community,

I was reading stackexchange on some other issues and encountered this:

https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/36047/how-can-we-understand-romans-419-in-the-light-of-different-translations

Romans 4:19
Authorized (King James) Version
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:

Should 'not' be in text or not? (of course it should.)

Shawn

 

[David Lamb]

Dear community,

I was reading stackexchange on some other issues and encountered this:

https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/36047/how-can-we-understand-romans-419-in-the-light-of-different-translations

Romans 4:19
Authorized (King James) Version
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:

Should 'not' be in text or not? (of course it should.)

Shawn

I have just taken a look at the verse, and it certainly seems that the Greek has a word for "not". I have looked at several English translations, and they have "not" too. For example, the NKJV has:

“And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” (Ro 4:19 NKJV)

The ERV has:

And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb:

Young's Literal Translation has:

and not having been weak in the faith, he did not consider his own body, already become dead, (being about a hundred years old,) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb,

 

[KJB1611reader]

ERV removed 'not.'

 

[David Lamb]

ERV removed 'not.'

Well, ERV doesn't use the word "not", but the meaning is there. Here is the verse from ERV:

And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb:

"Without being weakened in faith" means he was not weakened in faith.

 

[KJB1611reader]

Well, ERV doesn't use the word "not", but the meaning is there. Here is the verse from ERV:

And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb:

"Without being weakened in faith" means he was not weakened in faith.

Considered his body, considered not his body.

 

[David Lamb]

Considered his body, considered not his body.

Ah! I was looking at the wrong "not". But it seems to me that the ERV's "he considered his own body now as good as dead" means that he rated his body as so old that it was as good as dead. That seems very similar to saying, "he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old." In other words, in both cases, the meaning is that his faith didn't waver on account of the age of his body.