[disclaimer: believe what you will - clearly I will not change your cores beliefs. I encourage you to read this, but if reading contradictions in the Bible will upset you then it is best to skip it.]
Sorry, I really wasn't trying to set you up I promise. I was just seeking clarification. The linguistic issues go both ways, for as often as they resolve conflicts they create new ones. Which emphasize my central point: YOU DON'T KNOW. By your own admission your version of the book, if not the original, is subject to the indiscretion and editing whims of man. Seriously, if translation caused the myriad of problems following - what else is wrong?
To say you have no seen a contradiction to me, means you have not paid very close attention to the bible. Kudos to most of the meaning in the book, but it certainly is not infallible. Just about anything in the bible is contradicted resolutely (Though shalt not kill, vs. God said kill these people. Though shalt not steal vs. steal from the Egyptians b4 you go).
I can't resist. Sorry to those that will be offended and I'm not trying to drown you in quantity. I really do find this interesting and that's why I've studied it (12 years of Catholic schools gave me plenty of Bible time). (feel free to skip to the last two if you want. They make the point.])
The following are not really subject to translation issues - using King Jame's "God is not the author of confusion," (I Corinthians 14:33). Oh, I beg to differ.
You can look up the following passages, or any you so chose at:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Num.12:3;&version=9;1) Lets start with an easy one you mentioned. Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day. Died on Friday evening. Saturday evening(1), Sunday evening (2). MATT 12:40 he will spend "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." But he spent 2 nights and 2 days.
2) Sticking with your comments, Jesus last words were "it is finished?" One might think the Bible would agree on the focal point of the entire life of God, but nay:
Matt.27:46,50: "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" ...Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost."
Luke23:46: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, "Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:" and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."
John19:30: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished:" and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
3) and when was that that he was Crucified? Mark says "it was the third hour, and they crucified him." 15:25. But according to John 19:14-15 the crowd of Jews was calling for his crucification during the 6th hour "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!" (a moot point if he is already crucified). A minor point to be sure, a time line. But clearly not a perfect book.
4) For that matter, they don't agree on what happened after:
Acts 1:18: "Now this man (Judas) purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." (Judas kept the $)
Matt. 27:5-7: "And he (Judas) cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests...bought with them the potter's field." (Judas threw the money back)
5) Even the quotes of Jesus conflict with themselves:
Matthew 5:22 "Whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire." (don't insult people)
Matthew 23:17 "Ye fools and blind." (Jesus insulting people)
6) Perhaps it is a moot point. The savior will be a Son of David. But David's line is traced through Joseph, who is not Jesus father. (not arguing it as fact, pointing out a flaw).
Much of the rest is just as confusing if you pay close attention - and much of it can not be explained by translation:
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II SAMUEL 24: And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Isreal and Judah. (God told him to number the tribes)
I CHRONICLES 21: And SATAN stood up against Isreal, and provoked David to number Israel. (Satan told him to number the tribes)
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Gen 22:1 "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." (God tempted Abraham)
James 1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." (God doesnt tempt)
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PSA 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
JER 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
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MAT 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. (Jacob was Joseph's father)
LUK 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli. (Heli was Joseph's father)
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KI1 4:26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
CH2 9:25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
20,000 < 4,000. This one seems very apperent.
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ISA 14:21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. (children are punished for their fathers ills)
DEU 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. (children are not punished)
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In Greek Genesis uses the plural for God... the Gods created the heavens and the seas. In the 10 commandments we again see "Though halt have no other Gods before me" - grammatically allowing lesser gods. Such instances are common throughout - in spite of a monotheistic insistence.
Deuteronomy 6:4 "The Lord our God is one Lord."
Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image." (our being plural)
Genesis 3:22 "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil." (one of US, again plural)
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Num.12:3: "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the fact of the earth."
Num.31:17, 18: "Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman, ... But all the women children ... keep alive for yourselves."
That's not very meek now is it? Bad mosses. Though shalt not kill.
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Those are some contradictions, now about about inaccuracies?
LEV 11:13-19 - And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
Every raven after his kind; And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. (bats are not birds)
LEV 11:6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. (Rabbits do not chew their cud)
LEV 11:21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. (insects do not have 4 feet, they have 6).
Lets move on to fatal flaws shall we?These are from:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/flaws.htmlDT 6:5, MT 22:37, MK 12:30, LK 10:27
Love God.
DT 6:13, PS 33:8, 34:9, 111:10, 115:13, 128:1, 147:11, PR 8:13, 16:6, 19:23, 22:4, IS 8:13, LK 12:5, 1PE 2:17
Fear God.
1JN 4:18 There is no fear in love.
and finally:
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PR 30:5 Every word of God proves true.
Except where he made the prophets lie for him (91 Kings 22:23), lied to Jeremiah (20:7), or admits to lying in Ezekiel 14:9.
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I am supposed to fear God. There is no love in fear. So how can I love God?
And in the book I am told that God does not lie, a short distance from where God tells me he lies.
Pardon me if I'm confused. Again, sorry to everyone I surely offended. I love this stuff. Make for interesting discussion IMHO.