Translation
“when ye received the word of God”
By: Walter Giddings
February 22, 2026
Reference Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:13
(Mark John 17:17). On a number of occasions Pastor Jerry of Christian Reform Fellowship preached Lessons on how To Witness. He began by saying that once a potential brother seems comfortable at the mention of The Bible (however it is referenced) Pastor Jerry recommended getting that brother’s agreement on 2 things. 1st, get him to agree as we turn the pages of Scripture, we are reading The Truth!
17 Sanctify them through thy truth:
thy word is truth.
John chapter seventeen.
“Thy word is truth.” Can men sanctify other men? Can God sanctify men? Who is speaking in Verse 17? Where do we find who is speaking in Verse 17? Does Verse 1 of chapter 17 begin “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father the hour is come;”? Is Jesus praying to “our Father”? (Verse 17). Is Jesus asking our Father to sanctify us through His truth? How can we be sure that Jesus prayed for us, as well as the Apostles and disciples who believed on Him? Verse 2. Does Jesus, in Verse 2, refer to himself in this prayer in the 3rd person, in his role as “the Son”?
2 As thou hast given him power over
all flesh, that he should give eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him.
John chapter seventeen.
“To as many as thou hast given him.” Who is “thou” in Verse 2? Who is him, he and him? Do the 1st words of Verse 1 tell us “thou” is our Father? And that Jesus refers to himself in the 3rd person: “him”, “he”, and “him”? (Look down to Verse 6).
6 I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gavest me out
of the world: thine they were, and
thou gavest them me; and they have
kept thy word.
John chapter seventeen.
Did God give us to His Son Jesus “out of the world”? Are we keeping His Word? If God’s Word is not The Truth how can what is not Truth endure forever? Without Truth can we be sanctified? (1 Peter 1: 25) Has every lie, ever told, failed?!
25 But the word of the LORD endu-
reth forever. And this is the word
which by the gospel is preached unto
you.
First Peter chapter one.
Can lies endure forever? Serious students of The Scriptures will note that, in vv. 24-25, Peter is quoting Isaiah 40:6-8.
(Return to John 17). For another witness go to Verse 9.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the
world, but for them which thou hast
given me; for they are thine.
John chapter seventeen.
“I pray ... for them which thou hast given me.” Which of us remembers that moment in time when God gave us to His Son? Do we believe? Do we live by the Blessed Assurance that God gave us to Christ Jesus, His Son? Can we see that we have in John 17 three (3) witnesses, that Jesus prays for “them”.The Father has given “them” unto “His Son”! [Verses 2, 6, and 9].
(John 6:44). Shall we receive the testimony of one more witness?
44 No man can come to me, except
the Father which hath sent me draw
him: and I will raise him up at the
last day.
One day, after I had read this for the umpteenth time, curiosity drove me to look up G1670 helkuo, hel-koo’-o, which The Authorized Version 1611 translates as “draw”. What is that drawing all about? “To drag (literally or figuratively): -- draw.”
Is “draw” a mistranslation? ...! If the seminal or seed meaning of the Greek verb, G1670, is “drag”, why did the A.V. translators translate it “draw”? (Hebrews 13). Do we believe? Do we live by what Jesus said in John 6:44, “No man can come to me except the Father … [drag] him”?
(Hebrews 13:8). Pastor Jerry of Christian Reform Fellowship also taught us to get from those with whom we fellowship in The Scriptures a 2nd Agreement! Get them to admit and confess with us that we serve an unchanging God, a fundamental concept, even a principle, personified in the words of Hebrews 13:8.
8 Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
and today, and for ever.
Hebrews chapter thirteen.
Experienced students of The Scriptures recognize that the composer of The Epistle to the Hebrews is quoting from Malachi 3:6, which reads, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Among those who “continue in my word”, as Jesus said [John 8:31], these salty words about God’s Begotten Son, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever”, are etched into the minds of Christ’s disciples. For just a moment may we take the opportunity to consider why these words are so memorable, and are, indeed, etched into our minds?
Question: In your mind’s eye, what are the most pivotal words in Hebrews 13:8? Expressed another way, what are the words in Hebrews 13:8, around which all the other words seem to pivot? Hebrews 13:8 utilizes a figure of speech known to debate clubs, public speaking courses, and doctoral courses on the laws of the English language, commonly called grammar. [Suffering students often refer to grammar as “Anguish” [!] instead of English.] That figure of speech is called Ellipsis. Bullinger, in his Appendix Number Six, explains “Ellipsis” in these words:
“Ellipsis; or, Omission. When a gap is purpose-
ly left in a sentence through the omission of
some word or words.
III. “Ellipsis [or omission] of Repetition.
I. Simple; where the Ellipsis is to be supplemented from a preceding or succeeding clause (Gen 1. 30, 2 Cor 6. 16).
Bullinger’s Companion Bible. Appendix 6. pp. 9-10.
(2 Corinthians 6:14-16). To see what Bullinger is referencing, with full context:
p 14 Be ye not unequally yoked toge-
ther with unbelievers: For what fel-
lowship hath righteousness with un-
righteousness? and what communion
hath light with darkness?
c 15 And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? or what part hath he
that believeth with an infidel?
p 16 And what agreement hath the
temple of God with idols? ...
Second Corinthians chapter six.
“What agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” Who here has spotted the “simple omission”? What can we easily add back, and, precisely, where can we add it back? Remember: we are looking for a “Simple Ellipsis of Repetition”. What is the synonym for Ellipsis? Where do we find the Omission? What is the Omission?
Does the Omission occur in Verse 16?
(2 Corinthians 6:16). Does the Omission occur immediately following the preposition “with”?
16 And what agreement hath the
temple of God with the temple of
idols? ...
Omission restored: Second Corinthians chapter six.
Can we see that the uninstructed will have trouble locating Where the Omission occurred, and What the Omission is? Do ignorant children require a lot of correction?
(Return to Hebrews 13:8). Who can annul the Ellipsis, in Verse 8?
8 Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday,
the same, today, and the same, for
ever.
Ellipsis annulled Hebrews chapter thirteen.
“The same, yesterday, the same, today, and the same, forever.” How much stronger a testimony can we have from The Witness, The Holy Spirit?! Did Thomas, the Doubter, reach with his finger to behold Christ’s hands, and put his hand into Christ’s side, and become Thomas the Believer? In front of all the Disciples did Thomas say to Jesus “My Lord and my God”? If Jesus is our Lord, and our God, is there simplicity in our open confession that Christ is our unchanging Lord, and our unchanging God?
Does this mean that Israel remains God’s Elect? Does this mean that the only change is in the law [Hebrews 7:12] and was the change prophesied in Psalms , “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek”? Is Prophecy a form of law? If no Prophecy will go unfulfilled, does this mean that God’s Word is His Unchanging Word?
(Back to John 6:44). It is time to answer the Question, Is “draw” a mistranslation of the Greek verb, G1677, helkuo, hel-koo’-o?
Pop Quiz, anonymous survey, show of hands, how many say it is a mistranslation? How many say it should be translated “drag”? How many say it is not a mistranslation?
Is God careful to define His terms? Should we take the same care? What is the definition of MISTRANSLATION? Who is our Authority for the classical meaning of American English words or terms? Whom or what should we consult?
MISTRANSLATION, n. An erroneous translation or version.
MISTRANSLATED, pp. Erroneously rendered into another language.
MISTRANSLATING, ppr. Translating incorrectly.
How brutal are these definitions for the noun, past participle, and present participle of “Mistranslation”?! Shall we look at the definition of “Erroneous”?
ERRONEOUS, a. [L. erroneus, from erro, to err.]
3. Mistaking; misled; deviating, by mistake,
from the truth. Destroy not the erroneous
with the malicious.
This dictionary notes the 1st two significations are “less common”.
4. Wrong; false; mistaken; not conformable
to truth; erring from truth or justice; as an
erroneous opinion or judgment.
ERRONEOUSLY, adv. By mistake; not rightly; falsely.
ERRONEOUSNESS, n. ... inconformity to truth; ...
ERROR, n. [L. from error, from erro, to wander.]
A wandering or deviation from the truth;
or a mistake in judgment, by which men
assent to believe what is not true.
or
Error may be voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary when men neglect or pervert the proper means to inform the mind; involuntary, when the means of judging correctly are not in their power.
or
An error committed through carelessness or haste is a blunder.
Charge home upon error its most tremendous consequences J. M. Mason.
2. A mistake made in writing or other performance. It is no easy task to correct the errors of the press.
Authors sometimes charge their own errors to the printer. ...
4. Deviation from law, justice or right; oversight; mistake in conduct. Say not, it was an error. Eccles. v.
5. In scripture and theology, sin; iniquity; transgression. Who can understand his errors?
cleanse thou me from secret faults. Psalm xix.
1828 Webster.
Have we seen that “Mistranslations” can be voluntary or involuntary? When do involuntary “Mistranslations” or “Errors occur? In the definition of “Error” above, does it say that “Errors” occur “when the means of judging correctly are not in men’s power”?
Pop Survey: (relax: this should be easy; either we have, or we have not!)
Show of hands: anonymity is the order of the day; we are counting hands, not taking names. How many have translated Classical Latin into English and English into Classical Latin? (Classical Latin is differentiated from Church Latin.) How many have translated Hebrew into English and English into Hebrew? How many have translated the Koine Greek of the Bible into Hebrew and Hebrew into the Koine Greek of the Bible? How many have translated Koine Greek into English and English into Koine Greek? How many have translated German into English and English into German? (German is the language on the Earth that has the most Hebrew words! English has the second most Hebrew words.) How many have translated Spanish into English and English into Spanish? Has anyone taken French, Dutch, Erse (ancient Scottish), Russian, Norwegian, Swedish, Middle English, Old English? I better quit here! There is no point in boring ourselves with our collective ignorance! And I did not exhaust all the Indo-European languages, which were known before World War I as the Aryan Languages. Was I the only one who could raise my hand on any of these survey questions?! That was only for Spanish, German, and Classical Latin. (I have a degree in Modern Languages and a minor in History from the Public Fool System.) I am a recovering Public Fool graduate!
Scroll back up to the Definition for “Error” (1828 Webster) above. Notice the word “involuntary”! Do “involuntary Errors” occur “when the means of judging correctly are not in our power”? I have 2 degrees and a diploma, and, am I familiar with how much I do not know? Should a man know his limitations? Which, then, of all the Errors we could commit would we be most likely to commit with respect to Translation? Would our errors be “involuntary”?!
How many languages did Noah Webster master? Webster learned of a conference scheduled in Philadelphia, March 1829, whose topic would be the 2 Volume set of An American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster LL.D., New York: published by S. Converse, 1828. Webster’s critics openly reported they organized the Conference to oppose the Publication and openly denigrate it. For most of his life Webster had ignored his critics and gainsayers, but this time he felt he needed to go to Philadelphia to defend the work. Henry Jackson questioned Webster, “Might I ask, how many foreign languages you have learned?”
“... I arranged my work area in a giant semicircle, my chair on wheels so as to trace quickly a word in the reference books resting on tables before me. The languages I used? English, of course, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Latin, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Armoric, German, Anglo-Saxon, Irish, Persian, Hebrew, Ethiopic, Samaritan, Arabic, Chaldaic, Syriac, and a few dialects.”
Noah Webster, Master of Words, David Collins,
Illustrated by Michael Denham. Fenton, Michigan: Mott Media, copyright 1989.
“Audible murmurs could be heard in the crowd ...” Op. cit. page 128. This book was written for the young people of America. Opposite page 146 is a Bibliography of 8 biographies of Noah Webster, published from 1882 to 1980. In the Reproduction of the 1828 Webster’s First American Dictionary of the English Language by the Foundation for American Christian Education [FACE], Rosalie J. Slater writes:
“His twenty years of philological studies, his
mastery of ten languages by 1806, his convic-
tion that earlier students had ‘mistaken many
of the fundamentals of language’ provided him
with the ammunition ...”
“... he published in 1789 his Dissertations on the
English Language, which led him into his pro-
found study of etymology and philology, and
caused him ultimately to master more than 26
languages.”
Rosalie J. Slater’s Biography of Noah Webster told in Webster’s own words in the preface to the Foundation for American Christian Education [FACE] Reproduction of the 1828 Webster.
Webster entered Yale College in 1774. Students wrote and recited all classroom work in Classical Latin. For our modern American college students here, would any of us have ever made it into college? Did our Pop Quiz, anonymous, hand-count survey show us we would totally lack preparation to handle the classroom work of Yale College in the Fall of 1774?
Therefore, in the matter of the Art of Translation, how easy would it be for us to fall victim to involuntary error because “the means of judging correctly are not in our power”? Is it obvious the definition of MISTRANSLATION, as rank error, is brutal?
(Return to John 6:44).
44 No man can come to me, except
the Father which hath sent me, draw
him, and I will raise him up at the
last day.
John chapter six.
Who here can make a case that draw is a MISTRANSLATION of the Greek verb G1670 helkuo, hel-koo’-o? Who can make a case that drag is a fitting and proper translation of G1670 helkuo, hel-koo’-o?
Do we find that interesting? In the 21st Century would “drag” present a starker and more dramatic picture for our day? Why would the people of 1611 and 1828 receive “draw” as a better word picture for their day?
You might well accuse me of shifting gears on you! These last two questions do not involve science, or a body of knowledge of the classical meanings of Hebrew words. They involve artistic considerations. May I demonstrate?
horse drawn buggy
horse drawn carriage
horse drawn wagon
horse drawn stagecoach
horse drawn freight wagon
20 mule team drawn borax freight wagon (“Death Valley Days”)
horse drawn surrey (“with the fringe on top”)
For whom would either of these translations be wrong?! At this point, of what, if anything, are we sure?
Twenty mule team drawn freight wagon of Death Valley borax. Those of us who remember black and white television will recall the half-hour weekly show “Death Valley Days” telling stories of the Old West, purported to be true. Even the Amish giggle at the English because we refer to the power under the hood as horsepower!!!
Which translation of G1670 helkuo, hel-koo’-o, would be most artistically effective to those whose native tongue is 1611 King James English?
As an avid student of languages (the 1611 KJV word for student is disciple), Noah Webster made some observations of The King James Version, American Edition:
“In the present version, the language is in
general, correct and perspicuous; the genu-
ine popular English of Saxon origin; peculiar-
ly adapted to the subjects; and in many pass-
ages uniting sublimity with beautiful simplicity.”
Webster’s Preface to The 1833 KJV Bible with emendations.
Is a man who understood 26 Aryan Languages, including all the Languages of The Scriptures, a credible witness to the correctness of The KJV translation?
(Psalms 12:6-7). Does the 12th Psalm present, in verses 6 and 7, something that is in actual existence?
p 6 The words of the LORD are pure
words : as silver tried in a furnace
of earth, purified seven times.
c 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD,
thou shalt preserve them from this
generation for ever.
Psalms chapter twelve.
If the “pure words of the LORD” actually exist[!] according to Verse 6, we need to ask the next question! Where do we find the “pure words of the LORD”?
(Deuteronomy 30:11-14). Do the “pure words of the LORD” exist only in heaven in order to escape earthly corruption? Can we find witnesses in The Scriptures the “pure words of the LORD” exist on the earth?
p 11 For this commandment which I
command thee this day, it is not hid-
den from thee, neither is it far off.
c 12 It is not in heaven, that thou
shouldest say, Who shall go up for
us to heaven, and bring it unto us,
that we may hear it, and do it?
p 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that
thou shouldest say, Who shall go
over the sea for us, and bring it unto
us, that we may hear it, and do it?
c 14 But the word is very nigh unto
thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart,
that thou mayest do it.
Deuteronomy chapter thirty.
(Verse 12). “It is not in heaven,” seclusively!! (Verse 14). “But the word is very nigh unto thee.” Does this mean we can find the “pure words … of the LORD” on earth “very nigh unto” us, “that we may hear it, and do it”? How can that be when we have all these versions, and mistranslations/rank errors? Can we get another Witness?
(Isaiah 59:21). Are the Pure words of the LORD, purified seven times, really here? How nigh to us are they?
21 As for me, this is my covenant
with them, saith the LORD: My
spirit that is upon thee, and my words
which I have put in thy mouth, shall
not depart out of thy mouth, nor out
of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of
the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the
LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
Isaiah chapter fifty-nine.
“My words ... I have put in thy mouth.” How nigh is that? And how long is that going to last? Does Verse 21 read “from henceforth and for ever”?
(Romans 10:8). How do we know His words are true in our day?
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of faith, which
we preach.
Romans chapter ten.
Does Paul say here, “the word of faith, which we preach,” is the very same “word” that God put in the mouth of our Forefathers in Israel? Does “it”, in Verse 8 above, refer to the same “word” in Isaiah 59:21 above?
(Galatians 1:6-7). Does Paul say there is another “Gospel”? Does Paul say that other “Gospel” is a perversion?
p 6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed
from him that called you into the grace
of Christ unto another gospel.
c 7 Which is not another; but there be
some that trouble you and would per-
vert the gospel of Christ.
Galatians chapter one.
How can man “pervert”, or counterfeit something that does not exist? Does Galatians 1:6-7 presuppose the existence of the uncorrupted, genuine Gospel? Do we have an unperverted, genuine Gospel so “nigh” unto us that it is in our mouths and in our hearts?
(1 Thessalonians 2:13). If God in His Sovereignty preserved His Word from time immemorial, unto the Thessalonians, is He able to preserve His Word unto us?
13 For this cause also thank we God
without ceasing, because when ye re-
ceived the word of God which ye
heard of us, ye received it not as the
word of men, but as it is in truth, the
word of God which effectually work-
eth also in you that believe.
First Thessalonians chapter two.
Amen.
Bibliography
1 Thessalonians 2:13
“when ye received the word of God”
John 17:17. “thy word is truth”
John 17:2. “to as many as thou hast given him”.
John 17:6. “the men which thou gavest me out of the world”
1 Peter 1:25. “this is the word”
John 17:9. “I pray for them ... which thou hast given me.”
John 6:44. “except the Father ... draw him.”
Hebrews 13:8. “the same” [Harmony personified]
Bullinger. The Companion Bible [A.V. 1611]. Appendix 6: Ellipsis/Omission.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16. “with [the temple of] idols.”
Hebrews 13:8. Ellipsis annulled.
[Hebrews 7:12]. the only change in the law.
[Psalms 110:4]. the change prophesied.
Back to John 6:44. Is “draw” a mistranslation?
1828 Webster’s First American Dictionary of the English Language:
MISTRANSLATION, ERRONEOUS, ERROR. Would our errors be involuntary?
David Collins. Noah Webster. Master of Words. Fenton, Michigan: Mott Media, 1989. Page 128.
Reproduction of the 1828 Webster. Preface. Biography of Noah Webster told in his own words. Rosalie J. Slater. Foundation for American Christian Education.
Return to John 6:44. “draw or drag”
Noah Webster. KJV Bible with emendations. Preface. 1833. “the language is correct”
Psalms 12:6-7. “The words of the LORD are pure words.”
Deuteronomy 30:11-14. “the word is very nigh unto thee”
Isaiah 59:21. “my words ... shall not depart out of thy mouth”
Romans 10:8. “the word is nigh thee”
Galatians 1:6-7. “there be some ... that would pervert the gospel of Christ”
1 Thessalonians 2:13. “as it is in truth the word of God”
