DID YOU KNOW: Were there ever any misprints in Bible editions?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

Skeptics are often looking for errors in the Bible.  Were there ever any documented misprints in Bible editions?

The Holy Bible, as written, is inerrant and inspired by the Holy Spirit.  But various editions printed by humans - copied from the originals or copied from copies - have had errors over the years.  But, as you'd expect, these errors were quickly discovered and resolved.  This article covers some famous misprints.

The "Placemakers" Bible The second edition of the Geneva Bible, published in 1562 has been given the name the "Placemakers" Bible because it printed: "Blessed are the placemakers" instead of "peacemakers" in Matthew 5:9.The "Wicked" Bible In a 1631 edition of the King James Bible, in Exodus 20 verse 14, the word "not" was left out. This changed the 7th commandment to read, "Thou shalt commit adultery." Most of the copies were recalled immediately and destroyed on the orders of Charles I. But there are 11 copies still remaining. They are known as the "Wicked" Bible. The Bible museum in Branson, Missouri, has one copy of the "Wicked Bible". Fortunately for this interesting Bible fact the printer was fined heavily for his mistake.
The "Sin On" Bible In the 1716 King James Version John 8:11 should read: "Go, and sin no more." However, the printer accidentally inverted the "n" and the "o" in the word "on," so it read, "Go and sin on more."
The "Fool" Bible The printer of the 1763 KJV was ordered to pay £3,000 for his inadvertent printer's error which he made in Psalm 14:1. There he printed: "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God," instead of: "the fool hath said in his heart there is no God." As soon as this error was spotted all copies of this Bible were suppressed.

HUMOR: Not quite the Trinity

Not mine.  From here.

Several children found a dead robin. Feeling that a proper burial should be performed, they secured a small box and some cotton batting, dug a hole in the back yard, and made ready to dispose of the deceased. The minister's 5-year-old son was chosen to say the prayer. And so with great dignity, he intoned, "Glory be to the Father...and unto the Son...and into the hole he goes."

HUMOR: Copy and Paste

Not mine.  From here.

A pastor I know has a standard liturgy for funerals. To personalize each service, he uses the Find and Replace command on his computer to replace the name of the deceased from the previous funeral with the new name.
      The next morning, the funeral was going smoothly until the Apostle's Creed. "Jesus Christ," the congregation read from the program, "born of the Virgin Edna..."

HUMOR: Ewwwwwwww!

Not mine.  From here.

Marty, a little boy, was in church one Easter Sunday with his mother Doris, when he started feeling sick.

'Mummy,' he inquired, 'can we leave now?' 
'No,' his mother replied, 'the service isn't over yet.'

'Well, I think I'm about to throw up.' Marty announced. 
'Then go out of the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush.' said Doris.

After about sixty seconds, Marty returned to his pew, alongside his mother.

'Did you throw up?' Marty's Mum asked quietly. 
'Yes,' Marty answered, embarrassed.

'How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?' Doris demanded.

'I didn't have to go out of the church, Mummy. They have a box next to the front door that says, "For the Sick".'

DID YOU KNOW: Were there ever any misprints in Bible editions?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

Skeptics are often looking for errors in the Bible.  Were there ever any documented misprints in Bible editions?

The Holy Bible, as written, is inerrant and inspired by the Holy Spirit.  But various editions printed by humans - copied from the originals or copied from copies - have had errors over the years.  But, as you'd expect, these errors were quickly discovered and resolved.  This article covers some famous misprints.

The "Placemakers" Bible The second edition of the Geneva Bible, published in 1562 has been given the name the "Placemakers" Bible because it printed: "Blessed are the placemakers" instead of "peacemakers" in Matthew 5:9.The "Wicked" Bible In a 1631 edition of the King James Bible, in Exodus 20 verse 14, the word "not" was left out. This changed the 7th commandment to read, "Thou shalt commit adultery." Most of the copies were recalled immediately and destroyed on the orders of Charles I. But there are 11 copies still remaining. They are known as the "Wicked" Bible. The Bible museum in Branson, Missouri, has one copy of the "Wicked Bible". Fortunately for this interesting Bible fact the printer was fined heavily for his mistake.
The "Sin On" Bible In the 1716 King James Version John 8:11 should read: "Go, and sin no more." However, the printer accidentally inverted the "n" and the "o" in the word "on," so it read, "Go and sin on more."
The "Fool" Bible The printer of the 1763 KJV was ordered to pay £3,000 for his inadvertent printer's error which he made in Psalm 14:1. There he printed: "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God," instead of: "the fool hath said in his heart there is no God." As soon as this error was spotted all copies of this Bible were suppressed.

HUMOR: Not quite the Trinity

Not mine.  From here. 

Several children found a dead robin. Feeling that a proper burial should be performed, they secured a small box and some cotton batting, dug a hole in the back yard, and made ready to dispose of the deceased. The minister's 5-year-old son was chosen to say the prayer. And so with great dignity, he intoned, "Glory be to the Father...and unto the Son...and into the hole he goes."

HUMOR: Copy and Paste

Not mine.  From here.

A pastor I know has a standard liturgy for funerals. To personalize each service, he uses the Find and Replace command on his computer to replace the name of the deceased from the previous funeral with the new name.
      The next morning, the funeral was going smoothly until the Apostle's Creed. "Jesus Christ," the congregation read from the program, "born of the Virgin Edna..."

HUMOR: Ewwwwwwww!

Not mine.  From here.

Marty, a little boy, was in church one Easter Sunday with his mother Doris, when he started feeling sick.

'Mummy,' he inquired, 'can we leave now?' 
'No,' his mother replied, 'the service isn't over yet.'

'Well, I think I'm about to throw up.' Marty announced. 
'Then go out of the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush.' said Doris.

After about sixty seconds, Marty returned to his pew, alongside his mother.

'Did you throw up?' Marty's Mum asked quietly. 
'Yes,' Marty answered, embarrassed.

'How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?' Doris demanded.

'I didn't have to go out of the church, Mummy. They have a box next to the front door that says, "For the Sick".'

WEEKLY COMIC: A "Wise" Observation

WEEKLY COMIC: Well, it's not the way most hypocrites do it...