On the JST of Philippians and Colossians

A COMMENTARY ON JOSEPH SMITH’S REVISION OF PHILIPPIANS

Kevin Barney

1. Philippians 1:4

Always in every prayer of mine, for the steadfastness of you all, making request with joy,

    The KJV is ambiguous in the second half of the verse as to who is doing the praying. Does “for you all making request with joy” refer to a prayer Paul is making or a prayer the people themselves are making? In the English of the KJV it is not clear. The JST adds commas to clarify that this is Paul’s prayer on behalf of the people. Further, is Paul’s prayer one of petition or thanksgiving? The JST suggests it is both. Adding “the steadfastness of” makes it clear this is a prayer of thanks for the people and all the good they have done, while “making request” are words of Paul’s petition on their behalf. Note how the AMPC expresses this more clearly than the KJV: “In every prayer of mine I always make my entreaty and petition for you all with joy (delight).” (Emphasis in original.)

Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

2. Philippians 1:21

For to me to live, is to do the will of Christ, and to die is my gain.

    Paul here is musing whether it would be better to die and be with Christ immediately or remain in the flesh and pursue his productive work among the people. (In verse 24 he will opt to remain and continue the work.) The expressions in this verse are quite sparse, as one can see from the very literal rendering of the Anchor Bible: “For to me to live, Christ, and to die, gain.” John Reumann, Philippians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008): 209. Also, the italicized “is” may have suggested to Smith the need for a revision. Accordingly, the JST fills the text out a little to convey more clearly Paul’s meaning. What does “to live is Christ” mean? The expression is obscure and needs to be fleshed out. The CEB takes a similar tack to the JST with “Because for me, living serves Christ.” And a number of translations flesh out the “gain” as being personal gain as the JST takes it. ERV has “even death would be for my benefit” and EXB has “dying would be profit for me.”

Paradigm Classifications A-1 and A-2 (Paraphrase of KJV Text and Suspicion of Italicized Text)

3. Philippians 1:22

But if I live in the flesh, this is ye are the fruit of my labour labor: yet what I shall choose I wot know not.

    Here Paul continues his musing on whether it would be better for him to live or to die. In the KJV, the “this is” has no clear antecedent for what the nature of Paul’s work is. The JST makes it clear that the substance of Paul’s work is the people themselves. The changes from “labour” to “labor” and from “wot” to “know” are simply modernizations.

    Paradigm Classifications A-1 and A-3 (Paraphrase of KJV Text and Modernization)

4. Philippians 1:23

For Now I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

    Here Paul is continuing his musings on whether it would be better to live or to die. The conjunction gar is commonly translated as “for,” “since,” “then,” “indeed,” or “certainly,” suggesting a development in an argument or a train of thought. Some translations indeed use “for”; others use “but”; many omit the conjunction altogether. PHILLIPS like the JST begins the verse with “Now” suggesting a summing up of the prior argument and a transition to a final decision.  

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

5. Philippians 1:26

That your rejoicing with me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ, for me by my coming to you again.

    As the NET Bible annotation explains, there are two possible ways to read the Greek here. The first is “your boasting may overflow in Christ Jesus because of me,” (where “me” comes near the end) and the second is “Your boasting in me may overflow in Christ Jesus” (where “me” is moved forward in connection with “boasting/rejoicing.”). The JST revision moves the “me” forward similar to the second reading, as do a number of modern translations. The NIV has “so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.” The KJV “for me by my coming” seems to pile up the first-person singular pronouns almost on top of each other, and so it is possible that was a motivation to move the first such pronoun forward in the sentence to create some separation between them.

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

6. Philippians 1:27

Only Therefore let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

    The neuter of the adjective monos is used as an adverb, “only,” and is a qualification of what has gone before. The JST suggests a different adverb, “therefore,” making this verse a consequence of what has gone before. CEB is close to this usage with “Most important”; CEV has “above all else”; GNY has “Now, the important thing is” and NLT has “Above all.”

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

7. Philippians 1:28

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries:, who reject the gospel, which is to bringeth on them an evident token of perdition destruction, but to you who receive the gospel, of salvation,; and that of God.

    The JST makes four changes here: (i) the gloss “who reject the gospel” is a definition of who their enemies are; (ii) the gloss “who receive the gospel” is a definition of who they and their own people are; (iii) the replacement of “is to” with “bringeth on” suggests a more forceful and active process; and (iv) “an evident token of perdition” is replaced by the single word “destruction,” which is a more common and less technical synonym of “perdition.” Most modern translations use the word “destruction” here.

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

8. Philippians 1:30

Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear know to be in me.

    It is true that the Greek text has akouete “hear.” But the JST is making a common-sense correction, because Paul just got done telling them about his struggle, so this isn’t rumor or idle gossip, they know of Paul’s struggle because they now have the details directly from the man himself. In effect the JST is emphasizing the word “now”; i.e. “you now hear [and thus know].” One translation that takes a similar tack using the word “know” is the TPT: “For you have been called by him to endure the conflict the same way I have endured it—for you know I’m not giving up.”

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

9. Philippians 2:17

Yea, and if I be offered a upon the sacrifice and upon the service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

    To be “offered upon the sacrifice” doesn’t make sense; Paul is talking about being offered (metaphorically) as a sacrifice, as correctly reflected in the JST. The Greek verb used here, spendomai, has specific reference to being poured out as a drink offering, and most modern translations take it that way as a metaphor, such as the NIV: “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

10. Philippians 3:1

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but and for you it is safe.

    This is an example of the Greek men…de construction. The word men is a particle, usually untranslated, that introduces one clause, which is then followed by a second clause introduced by the conjunction de (meaning but, to the contrary, rather, and, now, then), often to be translated “on the one hand . . . on the other hand,” in which the first point contrasts with and sets up the second point, which is to be emphasized. The transition between the two clauses may be made by “but,” but it also may be made by “and,” depending on context. Here modern translations are split pretty much 50/50 between “but” and “and” (as in the JST). For instance, the GNT has “I don’t mind repeating what I have written before, and you will be safer if I do so.” (The Anchor Bible also uses “and.”)

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

11. Philippians 3:11

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead just.

    Inasmuch as all will be resurrected from the dead, both the just and the unjust, the JST specifies the resurrection of the just. Some translations similarly reflect this nuance with something like “raised to life” in lieu of “resurrection of the dead.”

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

12. Philippians 3:18

(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are as the enemies of the cross of Christ:

    This revision is based on the italics. Three italicized words in a row are almost certain to be revised in some fashion in the JST. The change is not intended to change the meaning of the passage in any way.

    Paradigm Classification A-2 (Suspicion of Italicized Text)

13. Philippians 3:19

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose who glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

    The JST changes “whose glory is in their shame” to “who glory in their shame.” The JST assimilates the “whose” to the “who” of the following clause to make it clear that they do not receive objective glory in that case, but that they are the ones who glory in their shame.

    Paradigm Classification A-4 (Assimilation)

14. Philippians 4:6

Be careful afflicted for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

    This is a case where the KJV is a poor translation due to linguistic drift over time. In Jacobian idiom “careful” means “full of care or concern,” whereas in modern idiom that word means to be “cautious.” As being cautious is often a laudable and prudent quality it seems odd to have Paul warn against it, and so the JST supplies another (clearly) negative condition. A modern translation would be “Do not be anxious about anything.” (NET).

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

A COMMENTARY ON JOSEPH SMITH’S REVISION OF COLOSSIANS

Kevin Barney

1. Colossians 1:4

Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the your love which ye have to all the saints,

    This revision is based on the italics. Smith regularly scrutinized the italics for possible revision, but when there are at least three italicized words in a row, as here, the likelihood of revision increases markedly. This revision is not intended to change the meaning of the verse in any way. CEB, CEV, GNV, GW, GNT, MEV, NOG, NKJV, NLV, NLT, RGT and VOICE all similarly render “your love.”

    Paradigm Classification A-2 (Suspicion of Italicized Text)

2. Colossians 1:6

Which is come unto you, as it is in all generations of the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

    The deletion of “it is” is of course based on the italics. The text seems to speak of “all the world” geographically, but the JST adds the concept of “all the world” temporally by adding “generations of.” The Anchor Bible takes the modal estin (“is”) as belonging to the immediately following participle karpophoroumenon (“bearing fruit”) as a periphrastic construction reflecting Semitic influence, emphatically suggesting continuous action: “continuously bringing forth fruit,” which thus suggests a temporal as well as a spatial reach of the expression. See Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke, Colossians, A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New York: Doubleday, 1994), 158. AMP, NASB1995, and PHILLIPS have “constantly,” and MSG has “The Message . . . doesn’t diminish or weaken over time.”

    Paradigm Classifications A-1 and A-2 (Paraphrase of KJV Text and Suspicion of Italicized Text) 

3. Colossians 2:2

That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, who is of God, even the Father;

    There is a bewildering array of variant textual readings for the end of this verse. The KJV is following the Textus Receptus, which is a late and certainly incorrect form of the text. The KJV awkwardly seems to suggest that God and the Father are two separate beings, and so the JST revises the text to make the references to God and to the Father as more clearly being to the same being. The likely original text is tou musteriou tou theou, christou “of the mystery of God, (namely) Christ (the Messiah).”

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)

4-6. Colossians 2:21-23

Which are after the commandments and doctrines of men, who teach you to  (Touch touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all those things which are to perish with the using;)? after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour as to the satisfying of the flesh, not in any honor to God.

Although the JST appears to make substantial revisions to these verses, in reality it is simply reorganizing the material to avoid confusion. KJV verse 21 sparsely and without introduction gives three negative imperatives: “Touch not, taste not, handle not.” Without introduction, those commands could be misconstrued as commands of God rather than of men, so the explanation of the nature of these commands is moved forward from following the words of verse 21 to preceding those words. The KJV tries to make the human nature of these commands clear by using parentheses, but the parentheses are inadequate for the task and are not used in modern translations, which use quotation marks here. Of course, quotation marks were not an option for the KJV, as it does not use quotation marks at all. Similarly, some text in verse 23 is moved to the end of the verse to make it more emphatic and to make it clear that it governs all the preceding text of verse 23. The JST does not intend to alter the meaning of the passage, but simply to make it clearer and avoid confusion and misunderstanding. (Note that “will worship” is a an archaic rendering of ethelothreskia, meaning “self-imposed piety.”)

    Paradigm Classification A-1 (Paraphrase of KJV Text)