KJB Textual Technology

  • To Readers: The website is subject to ongoing revision to optimize the language
  • Home page: Summarizing the primary content of the present website
  • About Dr Bednar
  • Books available
  • Contact us
  • Unscholarly & uncivil internet criticism of the KJV-Only position
  • The nature of modern English versions: An introduction to the topic
  • Introducing the case for inerrancy preservation: The role of scholarship
  • Inerrancy preservation in the KJV illustrating the Divine Hand on text history
  • Refuting claims by scholars of error in the KJV, based on items from the essays
  • Essay 1 -Our guide to eternity: God's Word or text-tinkering of scholars?
  • Essay 2 - Inerrancy & Greek-manuscript variance: An Introduction to the topic
  • Essay 3 -Is there evidence of tampering by Gnostics in Alexandrian Greek texts?
  • Essay 4 -Outstanding accuracy of the Greek Received Text
  • a- 1 John 5:7,8 -Establishing the authenticity of the Johannine Comma
  • b. -Acts 20:28 - The Blood of God, or the blood of his own: Our unique Savior
  • c -Col.1:14 -Redemption through the blood of the Savior
  • d- 1 Pet. 4:1 Jesus did not have any sin of his own to suffer for
  • e- Order of Resurrection Morning events in the gospels
  • f -John 8 -The adulterous woman & the missing man: Proving passage authenticity
  • g- The Received Text -No support given to works or universal salvation
  • h- The Received Text -No renderings based upon conjecture
  • i -R.T. Inerrancy: Exact equivalence preserves it; textual evidence reveals it
  • j -Evidence that the Received-Text ancestor is older than Alexandrian texts
  • k. The Biblical Christmas story: Identifying the star & the wise men
  • l -Jude 25 "God our Savior" is a correct indirect reference to the Trinity
  • m -The authenticity of the concluding doxology of the Lord's Prayer
  • n. -Which is correct, the Sermon on the Mount, or the sermon on the plain?
  • Essay 5 -The KJV preserves the accuracy of the Received Text: Various examples
  • a- Acts 12:4 -"Easter" is correct: One case where "passover" does not apply
  • b -The KJV: Distinguished by never teaching salvation by works to its readers
  • c- The Holy Spirit and the use of the pronouns "it" and "itself"
  • d -Is Jesus or Joshua referenced in Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45?
  • e -The KJV never teaches abuse of the body to its readers
  • f -Mt.2:1-12 The KJV wise men vs. modern-version magi
  • g -The love of money really is the root of all evil, not just some evil
  • h -Which rendering is correct, devils or demons? The nature of evil
  • i -Hebrews 10:23 "Faith" or "hope?" Which one is the correct rendering?
  • j -Matthew 23:24 Is the right reading "Strain at a gnat" or "strain out a gnat?"
  • k -Saved or always being saved? Is there a sense in which salvation is ongoing?
  • l. Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit: Is there just one correct name or two?
  • m. -1 Pet.3:20-21 "Saved by water" is not salvation by water
  • n -Exact equivalence in traditional KJV editions preserves inerrancy
  • Essay 6 -Uniqueness & total accuracy of the Masoretic Hebrew/Aramaic Text
  • a- Ps.12 -God preserves His Word for His godly people; Also the ben Chayyim text
  • b. The Bible Rightly Designates animal species: Exposing the evolutionist agenda
  • c -No contradiction of numbers, names, etc. - Chronicles Amplification
  • -- 1. The years that king Asa reigned: Adding a figurative sense to the literal
  • -- 2. Age of king Jehoiachin: Did this king begin to reign at age 8 or 18?
  • -- 3. Was Ahaziah 42 years old or 22 years old when he began to reign in Judah?
  • -- 4. The great price of a sin of David: Does 2 Samuel contradict 1 Chronicles?
  • -- 5. Syrian horsemen & footmen slain by David: Do the numbers properly add-up?
  • -- 6. Horsemen, horses, stalls & chariots for king Solomon
  • -- 7. Amplification variance: How king Saul died: 2 Samuel amplifies 1 Samuel
  • d -Pattern Amplification: Clarifying patterns of Hebrew-text expression
  • --1. The number of years king Saul reigned in Israel - 1 Samuel 13:1
  • --2. 2 Sam.15:7 Did Absalom need 40 years or 4 years to overthrow King David?
  • e -Suggested other types of contradiction in scripture are refuted
  • --1. The number of Hebrews returning from the exile in Babylon
  • --2. Why king Saul fails to recognize David during the incident with Goliath
  • --3. The role of Hebrew-text qere marginal notes: Isa.9:3 - Joy or no joy?
  • -4. Was Nineveh in Jonah's day much larger than major modern-day cities?
  • f -Key Hebrew-text history: The Dead- Sea scrolls & the Samaritan Pentateuch
  • g - Exodus 25:31 - Is the Menorah a "she" or "he" or an "it"
  • Essay 7 -The KJV preserves the total accuracy of the Masoretic Text
  • a- Dan 3 Aramaic -Christ in theophany: The Son of God, not a son of the gods
  • b- Who killed Goliath -David or Elhanen? The unique nature of the name Goliath
  • c -YHVH -Gods sacred name that is never to be spoken by sinners
  • d -True science in the KJV: Identifying the "firmament" in the Creation account
  • e. -Why mythical creatures are presented in the KJV: Following correct Hebrew
  • f. -Is The correct rendering "Lucifer" or "Morning Star"? A danger of confusion
  • g. -Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill" or "You shall not murder?"
  • h. -Proverbs 18:24 Showing ourselves friendly, or coming to ruin?
  • Essay 8 -God's spoken Word in written form: The case for Dictation Inspiration
  • Essay 9 -The KJV as a true agent of text inerrancy preservation
  • Essay 10 -Problems with application of textual criticism of the Bible
  • Essay 11 - The uniqueness of God's Word: Perspectives of Bible-believers
  • a -One unchanging bible speaks inerrantly to ancient and modern people
  • b -Mk.16:16-18 -Significance of early miraculous signs & Christian baptism
  • c -The Resurrection of Christ and His people: A reality that extends to eternity
  • d -Christians are not called to be slaves: "Servants" fits all contexts
  • e -The Crucifixion hour -Did the Crucifixion occur at the 3rd hour or the 6th?
  • f -The authenticity of the big-fish experience of Jonah & the supportive science
  • g -Giant dinosaurs and their sea-going relatives are in the biblical book of Job
  • h. -Ps 22:16,8 Pierced my hands & my feet, or like a lion my hands and my feet?
  • Essay 12 -100 erroneous criticisms of the KJV & its textual basis
  • Essay 13 -KJV classical language of emphasis: Acts 5:30, Titus 2:13, 1 Chr. 5:26
  • Essay 14 -KJV older English glorifies God & favors study: Dayspring from on high
  • Essay 15 A Translation that God approves: Replenish the earth, John Baptist, etc
  • Essay 16 -Should faith in text accuracy be vested in scholar opinion?
  • Essay 17 -Refuting claims of dynamic equivalence in the KJV
  • Essay 18 -Biblical doctrine: a. Did Moses persuade God to change His mind?
  • b. -Why God questioned Adam & Eve about eating forbidden fruit
  • c. -Sermon on the Mount: Is it for churches? Did Christ teach works salvation?
  • d. -Mark 10:17,18 -Why callest thou me good? Christ did not deny His own deity
  • e. -Was God unfair in judging Egypt & Pharaoh after hardening Pharaoh's heart?
  • f -Does the Old Testament teach soul sleep in Sheol? Saul & the woman of Endor
  • g. -Can Old Testament institutions be restored in the Millennium?
  • Essay 19 -Topics on creation vs evolution: Which one is technically correct?
  • Associated organizations with goals related to those of this website


 Essay 6-d-2

  d-2  Did Absalom Need 40 Years or 4 Years to Overthrow King David?

2 Samuel 15:7

KJV: And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.

NIV: At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.”


The Hebrew text says forty, as the KJV has it, but the NIV (and other modern versions) render four that appears in the ancient Septuagint and Syriac versions, and Josephus makes it to be four. Modern translators assume the Hebrew text has a copyist error here since context speaks of Absalom having just won over the hearts of the men of Israel as he seeks to overthrow David as king. It would be impossible for Absalom to have spent forty literal years in this matter since it took place at least a few years before David concluded his reign, and the total time that he reigned is said to be forty years in 2 Samuel 5:4.

Now use of the number four is improper since it's based on the notion of error in the Hebrew text. Scribes copying & transmitting the Masoretic Text were conscientious in the extreme with regard to accuracy, and the difference in the appearance of the numbers 40 & 4 is much too obvious to attribute the number 40 to copyist error.

To understand this matter we must realize that the number 40 in scripture relates to radical transitions in history, like the 40 days Christ walked the earth in supernatural bodily form after the Resurrection, the 40 days of rain in the great flood, forty years that doing of evil by Israel led to God delivering the nation unto the Philistines (Judges 13:1), and the 40 years that Eli the priest had judged Israel when he died upon hearing of defeat of Israel by the Philistines, with consequent loss of the glory of God upon loss of the ark of God (1 Samuel 4:18-22). Indeed, the monarchy in Israel began with king Saul who ruled 40 years, followed by the far better 40-year rule of David who was normally a man after God's own heart, followed by the 40-year rule of Solomon who, by God's power, brought temporary great wisdom & peace and God's temple to Israel (see Judaism and Numbers, Rabbi G. Dennis MyJewishLearning.com for the Hebrew perspective on this matter). It appears God ordained literal 40-year or 40-day periods associated with radical change in the lives of His people to provide a striking indicator that His scriptural Word reflects His will in all matters of greatest importance in our lives, no matter how we view these events.


Now once we view the term forty years in 2 Sam.15:7 as another indication of radical transition, we see that the number is authentic. A radical transition begins as verse 15:6 reveals that Absalom has just finished stealing the hearts of men of Israel through his political chicanery, in order to set himself up as king in David's place. The literal time required for Absalom to conclude his scheme during David's reign would be on the order of a few years, but there's no real basis to assume that the four years of other textual sources is correct. The forty-year figure properly indicates a radical temporary transition in the monarchy. It would relate indirectly to the years since a lawful God- ordained monarchy began with God's call to Saul in his 40-year reign. It would relate directly to David's lawful 40-year reign as interrupted temporarily by an unlawful one of Absalom. In 2 Sam.15:7, after 40 years, or the end of 40 years, would be a unique figurative expression marking a time after, an early end of, the lawful reign of David that God ordained to last 40 years, but ended early due to unrighteous behavior of David (noted below), resulting in a temporary unlawful end of David's lawful literal 40-year reign; the 40-year figure actually tells us David's literal reign won't end until his time is complete. David saw his reign as over, however long the interruption might be, and he very hurriedly abandoned the throne at Jerusalem, and left the city.

There is a reason why this 40-year figure related to Absalom is the only figurative use of 40 in scripture, the numbers normally being literal ones reflecting God's ordained will. While there were a few other cases of unlawful reigns in the Old Testament, this one seems to be chosen to represent matters in which unlawful major events result by God's permissive will, rather than His ordained will, which would be a response to improper behavior in the life of a man God chose for special honors. David was chosen by God to be the forerunner of the Son of David who will rule the world from David's throne during the Millennial Kingdom, but David exhibited some evil behavior totally unfitting for the forerunner of the ultimate King. Earlier he committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the murder of her husband. Then he did not punish his son Amnon who raped his own sister Tamar, a matter later avenged by Absalom who killed Amnon, and eventually stole David's throne temporarily. Absalom was killed in battle to cause David great sorrow of heart, for David knew that his own sin was the real cause of Absalom's death.

What the forty years of 2 Sam.15:7 signify is a modification of a pattern on the end of a king's reign, which normally occurred at his death, as seen in various cases, like the 1 Kings 2:10,11 account of the end of David's reign specified as 40 years at the time of his death, with the death indicated by the terminology slept with his fathers. This pattern appears regarding the 40-year reign of Solomon in 1 Kings 11:42,43, and the 22-year reign of Jeroboam, the king of Israel after division of the nation into two parts. Each subsequent king in 1 Kings slept with his fathers in death (e.g. Rehoboam in 1 Kgs.14:31, Baasha in 1 Kgs.16:6, Asa in 1 Kgs.15:24, etc). David's life & reign are far from over at the time of the incident with Absalom, so the usual pattern identifying the literal end of a king's reign is broken by use of a figurative expression.  

The unusual way of expressing this matter regarding Absalom's overthrow of David may have an additional relationship to the reign of the Son of David in the sense of patterns. Jesus Christ will continue and establish the legitimacy of the throne of David forever (Isa.9:7, Lk.1:32,33 & Mt.19:28). He was born as the king of the Jews (Mt.2:2), and should have been received as the lawful universal king at His First Advent, for He is God in the flesh, but was betrayed by His own disciple Judas and rejected by his own chosen people in the flesh. This betrayal and rejection were foretold by rejection of David from the throne in the betrayal by his own son and rejection by his own people in the flesh. Christ's reign was interrupted temporarily, but will be established forever at the start of the Millennium. David's reign was temporarily interrupted, but, due to its forerunner status, can't be ended by Absalom, anymore than the Millennial reign of Christ the Son of David can be ended. The forty-year figure in 2 Samuel seems meant to convey this truth since David's reign isn't over at this point, so forty years is part of the process of inspiration by Holy-Spirit dictation unknown to the human writer of the text.

From the standpoint of the human writer of 2 Samuel, the forty years would simply reflect his knowledge that David's very important lawful reign had not really ended, and a figurative expression would avoid a suggestion that it had ended, while also recognizing the temporary end. That is, the 40-year figure indicates David's lawful reign will continue to its end, despite an appearance that it had ended prematurely. Indeed, common use of the literal number forty in the Hebrew text would sooner or later invoke a figurative sense when this proved expedient in recognizing some radical historical change of a unique nature that was inconsistent with the usual pattern. This matter would be reserved for application to the figurative forerunner of the future reign of Christ, a reign greater than all others, and it would be one of various aspects of veiled Christology, the primary aspect of the uniqueness of the Masoretic Text. The Word of God in the Old Testament is filled with unique, sometimes mysterious, truths providing a foundation on which to build His great plan for His people, while His New Testament Word is the open revelation of the full depth & structure of God's truth.