Jeremiah 17:9 – Some Thoughts

Jeremiah 17:9 – lost in translation?

Jeremiah 17:9 is one of those verses that seems to have been “lost in translation” over the centuries.

For a person not versed in the Hebrew language, the multiplicity of translations into English tends to throw doubt on the reliability of Scriptures. I suppose, at some point, we must all wrestle with the fact that our English versions are translations by men of what God originally wrote in other languages.

Some will state that the God has preserved His word perfectly in English. But why would God favor English over other languages? And if God did not preserve His word perfectly in Chinese, why would we think He did so in English? And if He perfectly preserved His word in all languages in which it is translated, then what do we do with the differences between the translations going into the different languages?

We think the better view is that God has preserved His word in the original languages.