The Lord Reigns

[Sam]

The argument about different Bible versions is not new.

Below are three versions of the same verse of Scripture.

The first is from the King James Version which is based on the Masoretic text. The second is from a quote by Justin Martyr. The third is from a prayer which quotes the psalm on a Coptic Church website. This prayer is still in use today by Coptic Christians.

The quote from the writings of Justin Martyr was probably written from Ephesus shortly after the Bar-Kochba rebellion of 132-135 A.D. He is addressing a Jew named Trypho and he accuses the Jews who did not accept Jesus as Messiah of deleting something in their version of the Scriptures that they were using. Justin Martyr, a Christian writer, quotes from the Septuagint Bible, sometimes called the LXX. The LXX was a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek begun around 282 B.C. by 70 or 72 Jewish translators. The reason for the translation was because the old Hebrew language was not in popular use but had been replaced by Aramaic and Greek. Jews who had been disbursed all over the Roman Empire could more easily read the Greek translation. The LXX was used by the early Church quite often. This is one reason why Old Testament quotes in our New Testament are some times different than they currently read if you check them out in our Old Testament. Our Old Testament is based on the Hebrew (Masoretic) version but the early Christian writers used the Greek (LXX) version.

This Psalm, which is number 95 in the LXX but number 96 in the King James Bible, exalts our God above the heathen gods. Our God is called Lord (Greek Kurios) in the LXX and is called LORD (Hebrew Jehovah or YHWH) in the KJV. Note that verse 10 states that God (the Lord or Jehovah) reigns "from the tree." The tree is seen as a reference to the cross. This was used as a proof text by early Christians to prove that the God of the Hebrews, the LORD Jehovah Himself, had come to earth as Jesus and even though He had been crucified was reigning triumphantly.

The Coptic Church denomination has its headquarters in Egypt. History/tradition says that the Church is the result of St. Mark (author of the Gospel) evangelization in Egypt. The Church organization or denomination that still exists there today traces its history back to the first century.

Here are the different versions of the verse.

10 Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.(KJV)

10 Say among the Gentiles, the Lord has reigned from the tree. For he has established the world, which will not be moved; He will judge the people with justice. (LXX as quoted by Justin Martyr)

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigned on a wood: for He has established the world that it shall not be moved: He will judge the peoples in righteousness.”
(from the Coptic Church site)