5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.Isaiah 24:5
There is a major issue whereby Paul seems to change what it says in the hebrew scriptures in order to comport with his narrative.
9 What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one,
11 there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”[a] Romans 3:10-12
The problem is essentially, that is not “just as it is written”. First look at Psalms 14:1-3:
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,[a]
who seek after God.3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.Psalms 14:1-5(ESV)
What this passage says is that the wicked people are those who say there is no God, and who turn aside away from God and do not seek him – but that instead there are some righteous people, the generation of the righteous – and that God is with them.
It seems as if Paul twists the meaning of “no one” as written in the Psalms to include more people than just the ‘evildoers’ and ‘fools’ which are the subject of this Psalm. In fact, Paul is making a point opposed to this psalm. Who is right?
In any case, any one of the dozens of such verses as follows shows that Paul has misread and misquoted the hebrew scriptures;
5 Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); 9 because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.Romans 10:5-9 (ESV)
Above, Paul makes the statement that Christ is the Law. He says that the word is in your heart – for if you believe in your heart, you will be saved. Compare what Paul says above, to the actual verse in the Hebrew scriptures:
11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (ESV)
In the actual passage, we are told that the commandments are not difficult to keep, and that they are not difficult to understand, nor are they unknown – but that they are known, and in your mouth, and in your heart – for the express purpose that you are actually able to do them. I.E. let no one say you cannot keep the law!
Paul cuts out the part where it says “the law is not too difficult for you,” and “so that you may do it.” and instead builds the case that Christ has done what the bible says we did not need to have done for us in the first place.
So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, “Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:26-27
In the above statement, Paul quotes Isaiah as stating “he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.” But what it really says below, is “to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the Lord.”
20 And he will come to Zion as Redeemer, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the Lord.
21 And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and forever.
Isaiah 59:20-21
Paul changed what it says in the bible in order to comport with his narrative. He changed the actor and the action from “those in Jacob who (repent)” to “The redeemer who (will banish) ungodliness”. Secondly, he removes the second verse entirely and mis-states that the first verse is the entirety of the covenant. It should be clear that what it actually says in Isaiah goes against Paul's narrative, continued:
28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now[e] receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.Romans 11:28-32 (ESV)
What Paul is saying is clear. Israel, the Jews, are no longer a light to the Gentile nations. In fact, the Gentile nations (who believe in Jesus and worship him) are now the light to Israel. This is a 180 degree difference than the eternal covenant mentioned in Isaiah 59:20-21.
In Numbers 25:9 we read: “And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.“
Paul in 1 Cor. 10:8 apparently misreads the number: “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day twenty three thousand.”
Paul understated the number by one thousand. Not a big problem but, is this scripture divinely inspired, or not? What does that then mean, and what other errors did Paul make?
This one seems a bit difficult for some people to understand because of the grammar and archaic use of words in the Tyndale family of translations (KJV, ASV, RSV, ESV) so I will quote multiple translations to give a clearer picture of “the point”.
| Ver. | Deuteronomy 27:26 |
|---|---|
| KJV | Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. |
| NLT | ‘Cursed is anyone who does not affirm and obey the terms of these instructions.’ |
| NET | ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ |
| BER | ‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ |
| HCSB | Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.' |
| DRA | Cursed be he that abideth not in the words of this law, and fulfilleth them not in work: |
| DARBY | Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them! |
It should be clear that what is meant by Deuteronomy 27:26 is that you have to at least try to keep the commandments; you have to put them into practice. Those of you with an interlinear will note that the translation depends on the word h.6213 לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת “la-‘ă-śō-wṯ”, and are free to look up the meaning of this word. It is often used in the sense of preparing for, or the idea of working on. Ex. Genesis 6:14 (Make) an ark of wood. The meaning is that you have to confirm the commandment has value by attempting to actually do them. What is Paul's response?
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”Galatians 3:10 (ESV)
Paul specifically says that “all those who rely on works of the law are under a curse,” which is 180 degrees diametrically opposed to Deuteronomy 27:26. Secondly he changes the ordinance. Watch carefully:
| Deuteronomy | ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ |
|---|---|
| Paul | Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law… |
This issue should be clearer but it is not, mainly due to the archaic grammar. So I don't usually present it as a first argument.
12 But the law is not based on faith,[a] but the one who does the works of the law[b] will live by them.[c] Galatians 3:11-12 (NET)
Versus;
5 So you must keep[a] my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping them.[b] I am the Lord.Leviticus 18:5 (NET)
The translation note here is that Paul is editorializing the passage in Leviticus; the NET bible therefore leaves the editorial in boldface to show that it does not exist in the hebrew. What Paul has done here is again change the meaning of the text; God says those who keep the commandments will live, while Paul says those who keep the commandments will live by them. The problem is that nowhere in Leviticus is any kind of faith introduced; one may live by doing the commandments as given.
2/5; Paul is referencing a verse in Leviticus and disagreeing with it, which is in and of itself a problem, but not a true 'misquote'. The actual breakdown occurrs in his premise that 'The righteous shall live by faith,' which is a separate issue.
Paul's argument is “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”:
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming[g] a curse for us (because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)[h] Galatians 3:13
First, ignoring the bad logic (Christ redeemed us from a curse by becoming a curse), the proof for this itself is faulty:
22 If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse[a] on a tree, 23 his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury[b] him that same day, for the one who is left exposed[c] on a tree is cursed by God.[d] You must not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.Deu 21:22-23 (NET)
What Deuteronomy is saying is that the fact there is a dead body hanging on the tree will defile the land out of the fact that he was killed (see: Numbers 35:33). Paul's argument that it is the body itself which is cursed is a misread of what it says in Deuteronomy. Even so, we must finally return to the point that the logic itself of being freed by a curse by a curse is itself problematic.
In addition to the above misquotes Paul impeaches himself as a Pharisee by presenting an entirely Roman and Greek worldview, which is completely at odds with the Hebrew scriptures.
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.1 Corinthians 15:44 (ESV)
Paul's spiritual worldview is distinctly hellenistic. Paul's mind is clearly expressing a late Greek/early Roman Mithtaic spiritual worldview which is alien to Pharisaic/Jewish thought.
This is actually a big deal, as the Pharisees believed in a physical resurrection of the dead (ex. the valley of dry bones). The Jewish/Pharisaic view on the resurrection is entirely physical (ex. Ezekiel 37). In contrast, to the Greeks this idea was insanity. The Greeks believed in a spiritual resurrection (“44 …If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”). This spiritual body was considered much higher and purer than the physical body which was considered the vessel of a broken world.
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more?1 Cor. 9:9-12
This is so striking because (it should be known) no religious Jew (especially a Pharisee) would ever say such a thing; no one who comes from a Pharisaic background would ever suggest such a thing; the idea that this isn't talking about an Ox and it is instead entirely in reference to us (i.e. the commandment is being spoken of in the manner of a parable) is an idea that is at once familiar to Christians but completely alien to Jews. That Paul would use such a means of explanation is a sharp contrast to his portrayal of himself as a Pharisee – it's just not the sort of argument a Pharisee (or any good Jew for that matter) would come up with. TO be clear, even if we assume Paul is just making the point for the point's sake, it is a stab in the wrong direction. No Jew or especially Pharisee would use that passage to make such a point while stepping over the verse's original intent.
This is very much in the spirit of the Epistle of Barnabas, which would often second guess passages in the Old Testament, step over their clear intent and explain them to mean something else entirely – thus allowing a believer to break that commandment in the spirit it was originally intended to be kept.
The Christian response to much of the above is that Paul was quoting from the Septuagint. However, if this is true, it only moves the problem away from Paul and onto the Septuagint. We would then need to understand why the Septuagint is so different than the original Hebrew. There are other secondary problems with this claim which impeach it as unacceptable. For example, we must ask why Paul, a “Pharisee of Pharisees” and a student of Gamaliel, the giant of his generation – would choose to use the Septuagint, which was expressly rejected by the Jews for use in teaching and judgement.
In Paul's day, he would have had access to the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which is word-for-word accurate (some spelling errors in some scrolls though) with the masoretic texts we have today (even considering faulty or reject scrolls, we can assume serious copies made by professional scribes would not contain gross errors such as spelling errors).
Christians I have discussed this with on the internet have a tendency to dodge the main issue and give accusations of spiritual blindness. Often you will hear that if you just “Read Galatians” (or some other book) or “Pray about it” you will “understand” what Paul was talking about. Please see veils and scales for a more detailed analysis of the claim of non-christian spiritual blindness.
For an overview of the major issues with Paul, please see The Problem with Paul – Why do people suspect Paul?