1 Corinthians 10:9
“We must not put the Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents”
This verse is a clear quotation from the Old Testament passage in Numbers, where it reads:
“Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.” (21:4-6)
In this passage in Numbers, it is clear that the children of Israel complained against “'ĕlôhı̂ym”. It then goes on to say, that “Yehôvâh” sent “fiery serpents among the people”, that killed many.
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul, writing under the Inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, says that this “Yehôvâh” in Numbers 21:6, is Jesus Christ. Because of this clear Testimony to the Deity of The Lord Jesus Christ, where He is without any doubt called YHWH, the Eternal, Unchanging, Creator God, that some tried to corrupt the reading in the Corinthians text, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have done in their version, in John 1:1, and other places. Instead of the reading “Christos”, we have in some of the modern versions, “Theos [God]”, and “Kurios [Lord]”, neither of which assert the Deity of Jesus Christ, as the reading “Christos”, does.
In their Emphatic Diaglott, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who published it in 1942, have in the Greek text, “Christos”, and the English under it, “the Anointed”. Though in the English translation in the right column, it has “the Lord”, which is theological, rather than what the Greek says. Interestingly, in the cross-reference, it has the passage from Numbers 21, thereby they affirm the Deity of Jesus Christ, as the Greek says, “Christos”. The Unitarian New Testament by Dr George Noyes, reads “Christ”.
The textual evidence overwhelmingly supports the reading “Christos”, in 1 Corinthians 10:9. The oldest Greek manuscript for this Letter of Paul, from around A.D. 200, the the Chester Beatty Papyri, P46. Before this time, we have the evidence of the Greek Church fathers, Irenaeus, who was born about A.D. 140; and Clement of Alexandria (150-215). Then, Origen (185-254), who was a heretic and denied that Jesus Christ is God; Eusebius (260-340). From the Latin Church, we have, Ambrose, Bishp of Malan (339-97), Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (354-430), both who knew Greek and used the Greek New Testament. Then, we also the the Syriac father, Ephraem (306-373), who came from Edessa.
Of the English Versions that have the reading “Christos”, we have the, King James Version, New King James, Darby, Douay, New Living Translation, 21st Century King James, Webster, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Common English Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Holman Christian Standard Bible, Today’s New International Version, New International Version, and the English Standard Version.
Of the older English Versions, we have “Christos”, in Wycliffe (1385), Tyndale (1526), Coverdale (1535), Great (1539), Bishop’s (1568), Geneva (1587).
In Jude 5 there is a very interesting reading that is found in the English Standard Version:
“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe”
Instead of “the Lord”, we have “Jesus”, which has the far better textual evidence.
The oldest Greek manuscript for the Letter of Jude, the Papyri Manuscript, known as P72, dating from between 200-250 A.D., reads: “Theos Christos” (God Christ). A similar reading can be found in Colossians 2:2, "Theou Christou" (of God Christ), and can be found as early as around A.D.200, in the Greek Papyri Manuscript, know as Chester Beatty, P46. Of the later Greek Manuscripts, we have the codices, Vaticanus, of the 4th century, and Alexandrinus, of the 5th. The support of the Ancient Versions, the Latin Vulgate, which is of the 4th century. The Coptic (Egyptian) Sahidic Version, 4th. The Armenian Version, 5th. Ethopic Version, about the 5th. The Church fathers who knew of the reading "Jesus", were, Didymus, "the blind", (A.D.313-398); Cyril of Alexandris (died 444); who were both of the Greek Church. Then, of the Latin Church we have, Jerome, who was responsible for the Latin Vulgate (342-420); John Cassian (360-435), and Bede (673-735). Even the heretic, Origen (185-354), knew of this reading. The witness of Origen is important, in that it represents a very early date for this reading, in the Greek text.
In the Book of Judges, chaprer 6, verses 8-10, we read:
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, “I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’”
Yet, in chapter 2, verses 1-2, it says:
"Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’” So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept."
There are some who argue, that for Jesus Christ to be called “Elohim”, or “Theos”, does not mean that He is The Creator God, because these words are used also for created beings in the Holy Bible. This is true, but they are also used 1000’s of times for The One True God!. However, in these passages from 1 Corinthians and Jude, we have clear evidence, when compared to the Old Testament, that Jesus Christ is very clearly called Yahweh. This Great Name of Almighty God, is NEVER used for any created being. It is also very clear, that the Person Who Spoke with Moses in the Burning Bush in Exodus chapter 3, is identified as “And the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (verse 2). In verse 4 we read of this “Angel of the Lord”, “And when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, Elohim called unto him out of the midst of the bush”. Who identifies Himself as: “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God”. This same “Angel of the Lord”, tells Moses, that He IS, “’Ehyeh ’ăsher ’ehyeh”, which is, “I AM WHO I AM”.
Only those who are enemies of the Holy Bible, and the Truth that it Teaches, can deny that It very explicitly Teaches, that Jesus Christ IS YHWH, The Eternal, Uncreated, Unchanging, Creator God.
“We must not put the Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents”
This verse is a clear quotation from the Old Testament passage in Numbers, where it reads:
“Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.” (21:4-6)
In this passage in Numbers, it is clear that the children of Israel complained against “'ĕlôhı̂ym”. It then goes on to say, that “Yehôvâh” sent “fiery serpents among the people”, that killed many.
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul, writing under the Inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, says that this “Yehôvâh” in Numbers 21:6, is Jesus Christ. Because of this clear Testimony to the Deity of The Lord Jesus Christ, where He is without any doubt called YHWH, the Eternal, Unchanging, Creator God, that some tried to corrupt the reading in the Corinthians text, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have done in their version, in John 1:1, and other places. Instead of the reading “Christos”, we have in some of the modern versions, “Theos [God]”, and “Kurios [Lord]”, neither of which assert the Deity of Jesus Christ, as the reading “Christos”, does.
In their Emphatic Diaglott, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who published it in 1942, have in the Greek text, “Christos”, and the English under it, “the Anointed”. Though in the English translation in the right column, it has “the Lord”, which is theological, rather than what the Greek says. Interestingly, in the cross-reference, it has the passage from Numbers 21, thereby they affirm the Deity of Jesus Christ, as the Greek says, “Christos”. The Unitarian New Testament by Dr George Noyes, reads “Christ”.
The textual evidence overwhelmingly supports the reading “Christos”, in 1 Corinthians 10:9. The oldest Greek manuscript for this Letter of Paul, from around A.D. 200, the the Chester Beatty Papyri, P46. Before this time, we have the evidence of the Greek Church fathers, Irenaeus, who was born about A.D. 140; and Clement of Alexandria (150-215). Then, Origen (185-254), who was a heretic and denied that Jesus Christ is God; Eusebius (260-340). From the Latin Church, we have, Ambrose, Bishp of Malan (339-97), Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (354-430), both who knew Greek and used the Greek New Testament. Then, we also the the Syriac father, Ephraem (306-373), who came from Edessa.
Of the English Versions that have the reading “Christos”, we have the, King James Version, New King James, Darby, Douay, New Living Translation, 21st Century King James, Webster, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Common English Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Holman Christian Standard Bible, Today’s New International Version, New International Version, and the English Standard Version.
Of the older English Versions, we have “Christos”, in Wycliffe (1385), Tyndale (1526), Coverdale (1535), Great (1539), Bishop’s (1568), Geneva (1587).
In Jude 5 there is a very interesting reading that is found in the English Standard Version:
“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe”
Instead of “the Lord”, we have “Jesus”, which has the far better textual evidence.
The oldest Greek manuscript for the Letter of Jude, the Papyri Manuscript, known as P72, dating from between 200-250 A.D., reads: “Theos Christos” (God Christ). A similar reading can be found in Colossians 2:2, "Theou Christou" (of God Christ), and can be found as early as around A.D.200, in the Greek Papyri Manuscript, know as Chester Beatty, P46. Of the later Greek Manuscripts, we have the codices, Vaticanus, of the 4th century, and Alexandrinus, of the 5th. The support of the Ancient Versions, the Latin Vulgate, which is of the 4th century. The Coptic (Egyptian) Sahidic Version, 4th. The Armenian Version, 5th. Ethopic Version, about the 5th. The Church fathers who knew of the reading "Jesus", were, Didymus, "the blind", (A.D.313-398); Cyril of Alexandris (died 444); who were both of the Greek Church. Then, of the Latin Church we have, Jerome, who was responsible for the Latin Vulgate (342-420); John Cassian (360-435), and Bede (673-735). Even the heretic, Origen (185-354), knew of this reading. The witness of Origen is important, in that it represents a very early date for this reading, in the Greek text.
In the Book of Judges, chaprer 6, verses 8-10, we read:
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, “I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’”
Yet, in chapter 2, verses 1-2, it says:
"Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’” So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept."
There are some who argue, that for Jesus Christ to be called “Elohim”, or “Theos”, does not mean that He is The Creator God, because these words are used also for created beings in the Holy Bible. This is true, but they are also used 1000’s of times for The One True God!. However, in these passages from 1 Corinthians and Jude, we have clear evidence, when compared to the Old Testament, that Jesus Christ is very clearly called Yahweh. This Great Name of Almighty God, is NEVER used for any created being. It is also very clear, that the Person Who Spoke with Moses in the Burning Bush in Exodus chapter 3, is identified as “And the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (verse 2). In verse 4 we read of this “Angel of the Lord”, “And when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, Elohim called unto him out of the midst of the bush”. Who identifies Himself as: “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God”. This same “Angel of the Lord”, tells Moses, that He IS, “’Ehyeh ’ăsher ’ehyeh”, which is, “I AM WHO I AM”.
Only those who are enemies of the Holy Bible, and the Truth that it Teaches, can deny that It very explicitly Teaches, that Jesus Christ IS YHWH, The Eternal, Uncreated, Unchanging, Creator God.
