How Many Missing Words?

Section 5

How Many Missing Words?

The most striking detail about the
modern versions is that their New Testaments are clearly shorter than the
Authorized King James Bible. The following depicts just how much shorter they
are.

As translation from one language to
another tends to expand or contract the number of words, an accurate picture
would not be gained by merely counting the English words in the KJB, NIV or NASV.
It is necessary to go to the Greek texts underlying these versions to obtain
such. Even this will not yield a completely accurate count since a version will
usually not follow one of the standard Greek editions at every point. However,
the matter may be simplified by the realization that there are really only two
kinds of Greek New Testaments-the Received Text and the Modern Critical Text.
The Authorized (King James) Bible and all other Reformation Bibles were based on
the former and practically all modern Bibles on the latter. We will not here
examine their relative merits, but will rather show book by book and chapter by
chapter that the Critical Text is shorter.

The two most popular editions of
the Critical Text are: The Nestle-Aland 26th Edition, and The United Bible
Society - 3rd Edition. These have a different format but their text is
identical. The most widely used edition of the Received Text was that prepared
by Robert Stephanus in 1550. The KJB does not follow Stephanus in every
instance, nor is the NIV text identical with the Nestle-Aland, but they are
extremely close. Thus these two Greek Testaments provide a basis for comparison.

The following gives a chapter by
chapter comparison of the Stephanus-1550 (number of words given first) and the
Nestle-Aland 26th. Keep in mind that word omissions are only part of the story,
there are also many word alterations in the modern version text.

MATTHEW

(1) 445 - 438	(2) 458 - 457	(3) 334 - 335	(4) 432 - 427
(5) 841 - 822	(6) 683 - 653	(7) 514 - 517	(8) 599 - 585
(9) 657 - 646	(10) 721 - 724	(11) 498 - 493	(12) 920 - 905
(13) 1096 - 1076	(14) 565 - 561	(15) 625 - 610	(16) 533 - 525
(17) 517 - 496	(18) 695 - 668	(19) 549 - 533	(20) 572 - 542
(21) 869 - 865	(22) 668 - 661	(23) 688 - 656	(24) 835 - 825
(25) 773 - 763	(26) 1274 - 1239	(27) 1036 - 1008	(28) 341 - 329

TOTAL: 18,738 - 18,359 =
379 fewer words in the modern version text    

MARK

(1) 721 - 708	(2) 558 - 541	(3) 541 - 547	(4) 698 - 682
(5) 710 - 697	(6) 1017 - 981	(7) 631 - 605	(8) 644 - 630
(9) 914 - 858	(10) 919 - 885	(11) 595 - 563	(12) 837 - 793
(13) 637 - 606	(14) 1234 - 1197	(15) 689 - 667	(16) 301 - 308*

TOTAL: 11,646 - 11,268 =
378 fewer words in the modern version text

LUKE

(1) 1204 - 1186	(2) 864 - 849	(3) 594 - 585	(4) 799 - 767
(5) 760 - 754	(6) 957 - 924	(7) 913 - 890	(8) 1117 - 1086
(9) 1199 - 1151	(10) 808 - 782	(11) 1028 - 978	(12) 1059 - 1036
(13) 672 - 663	(14) 612 - 607	(15) 564 - 561	(16) 605 - 595
(17) 583 - 570	(18) 688 - 683	(19) 767 - 762	(20) 719 - 702
(21) 593 - 586	(22) 1113 - 1086	(23) 878 - 852	(24) 843 - 818

TOTAL: 19,939 - 19,473 =
466 fewer words in the modern version text

JOHN

(1) 844 - 829	(2) 434 - 430	(3) 671 - 658	(4) 952 - 946
(5) 830 - 792	(6) 1283 - 1241	(7) 871 - 861	(8) 1115 - 1070*
(9) 698 - 692	(10) 711 - 695	(11) 985 - 944	(12) 888 - 892
(13) 668 - 665	(14) 592 - 580	(15) 499 - 500	(16) 601 - 581
(17) 512 - 499	(18) 804 - 779	(19) 821 - 821	(20) 627 - 614
(21) 551 - 547

TOTAL: 15,957 - 15,636 =
321 fewer words in the modern version text*The modern versions either omit,
place in the footnotes, question their authenticity, or place in brackets,
Mark 16:9 - 20 and John 7: 53 - 8:11.

ACTS

(1) 511 - 506	(2) 848 - 839	(3) 504 - 506	(4) 682 - 687
(5) 787 - 771	(6) 280 - 280	(7) 1136 - 1113	(8) 723 - 695
(9) 812 - 786	(10) 872 - 837	(11) 533 - 528	(12) 496 - 501
(13) 954 - 932	(14) 481 - 472	(15) 716 - 694	(16) 723 - 721
(17) 677 - 673	(18) 528 - 511	(19) 766 - 756	(20) 694 - 676
(21) 814 - 798	(22) 584 - 567	(23) 676 - 662	(24) 495 - 459
(25) 539 - 530	(26) 597 - 596	(27) 748 - 755	(28) 618 - 597

TOTAL: 18,794 - 18,448 =
346 fewer words in the modern version text

ROMANS

(1) 547 - 543	(2) 452 - 448	(3) 432 - 429	(4) 408 - 402
(5) 431 - 432	(6) 372 - 367	(7) 467 - 469	(8) 662 - 652
(9) 531 - 524	(10) 345 - 340	(11) 595 - 581	(12) 307 - 305
(13) 275 - 270	(14) 393 - 379	(15) 550 - 543	(16) 437 - 424

TOTAL: 7,204 - 7,108 = 96
fewer words in the modern version text

I CORINTHIANS

(1) 502 - 501	(2) 293 - 288	(3) 347 - 341	(4) 347 - 345
(5) 231 - 220	(6) 344 - 335	(7) 690 - 686	(8) 227 - 225
(9) 452 - 450	(10) 484 - 463	(11) 538 - 531	(12) 475 - 471
(13) 199 - 196	(14) 624 - 608	(15) 852 - 847	(16) 328 - 323

TOTAL: 6,933 - 6,830 = 103
fewer words in the modern version text

II CORINTHIANS

(1) 488 - 488	(2) 286 - 285	(3) 299 - 296	(4) 323 - 322
(5) 343 - 338	(6) 266 - 266	(7) 331 - 329	(8) 413 - 409
(9) 287 - 284	(10) 314 - 311	(11) 502 - 500	(12) 415 - 412
(13) 242 - 236

TOTAL: 4,509 - 4,476 = 33
fewer words in the modern version text

GALATIANS

(1) 362 - 364	(2) 383 - 386	(3) 464 - 454	(4) 451 - 445
(5) 319 - 314	(6) 272 - 267

TOTAL: 2,251 - 2,230 = 21
fewer words in the modern version text

EPHESIANS

(1) 404 - 401	(2) 362 - 362	(3) 337 - 325	(4) 486 - 483
(5) 472 - 457	(6) 401 - 393

TOTAL: 2,462 - 2,421 = 41
fewer words in the modern version text

PHILIPPIANS

(1) 499 - 501

(2) 434 - 431

(3) 349 - 340

(4) 359 - 357

TOTAL: 1,641 - 1,629 = 12
fewer words in the modern version text

COLOSSIANS

(1) 552 - 538

(2) 403 - 388

(3) 378 - 369

(4) 288 - 286

TOTAL: 1,621 - 1,581 = 40
fewer words in the modern version text

I THESSALONIANS

(1) 219 - 214

(2) 393 - 390

(3) 253 - 248

(4) 308 - 310 (5) 322 - 319

TOTAL: 1,495 - 1,481 = 14
fewer words in the modern version text

II THESSALONIANS

(1) 237 - 235

(2) 319 - 310

(3) 278 - 274

TOTAL: 834 - 819 = 15 fewer
words in the modern version text

I TIMOTHY

(1) 310 - 306	(2) 190 - 186	(3) 209 - 207	(4) 225 - 221
(5) 336 - 328	(6) 354 - 343

TOTAL: 1,624 - 1,591 = 33
fewer words in the modern version text

II TIMOTHY

(1) 318 - 317

(2) 361 - 358

(3) 238 - 236

(4) 337 - 327

TOTAL: 1,254 - 1,238 = 16
fewer words in the modern version text

TITUS

(1) 253 - 251

(2) 190 - 189

(3) 223 - 219

TOTAL: 666 - 659 = 7 fewer
words in the modern version text

PHILEMON

TOTAL: 339 - 334 = 5
fewer words in the modern version text

HEBREWS

(1) 255 - 256	(2) 321 - 313	(3) 281 - 283	(4) 292 - 291
(5) 234 - 232	(6) 303 - 301	(7) 459 - 456	(8) 283 - 274
(9) 509 - 512	(10) 559 - 550	(11) 639 - 633	(12) 479 - 474
(13) 376 - 378

TOTAL: 4,990 - 4,953 = 37
fewer words in the modern version text

JAMES

(1) 411 - 406	(2) 428 - 416	(3) 300 - 295	(4) 278 - 277
(5) 346 - 348

TOTAL: 1,763 - 1,742 = 21
fewer words in the modern version text

I PETER

(1) 415 - 409	(2) 395 - 393	(3) 378 - 370	(4) 322 - 305
(5) 214 - 207

TOTAL: 1,724 - 1,684 = 40
fewer words in the modern version text

II PETER

(1) 385 - 384

(2) 376 - 374

(3) 343 - 341

TOTAL: 1,104 - 1,099 = 5
fewer words in the modern version text

I JOHN

(1) 207 - 207	(2) 579 - 587	(3) 471 - 469	(4) 453 - 449
(5) 465 - 429

TOTAL: 2,175 - 2,141 = 34
fewer words in the modern version text

II JOHN

TOTAL: 249 - 245 = 4 fewer
words in the modern version text

III JOHN

TOTAL: 218 - 219 = 1 more
word in the modern version text

JUDE

TOTAL: 452 - 461 = 9 more
words in the modern version

REVELATION

(1) 500 - 469	(2) 636 - 622	(3) 526 - 525	(4) 293 - 293
(5) 351 - 338	(6) 422 - 417	(7) 406 - 398	(8) 307 - 319
(9) 495 - 497	(10) 292 - 292	(11) 494 - 496	(12) 436 - 438
(13) 444 - 447	(14) 545 - 549	(15) 222 - 217	(16) 484 - 470
(17) 444 - 442	(18) 622 - 626	(19) 535 - 526	(20) 411 - 407
(21) 621 - 611	(22) 455 - 452

TOTAL: 9,941 - 9,851 = 90
fewer words in the modern version text

SUB TOTAL:140,523 - 137,976
= 2,547* fewer words in the modern version text*

After taking the two well-known
passages into account in Mark 16 and John 7:53 - 8:11 (as shown on pg. 36),
the final tally is:

FINAL TOTAL:140,523
- 137,601 = 2,922 fewer words in the modern version textThus,
the modern version text is shorter in the New Testament than that of the King
James Bible by about the total number of words contained in I and II Peter
combined!

Floyd Jones Th.D., Ph.D.

Floyd Jones Ministries, Inc.

8222 Glencliffe Lane

Houston, Texas 77070

All the material
appearing in Sections 1-5

has been adapted by permission from Dr. Jack A.

Moorman's excellent manuscript,

MISSING IN MODERN BIBLES (pages 3 - 41).