Book or Scroll?
There are some Bible critics who tell us that the word “book” is an inaccurate and anachronistic translation of the Greek words Biblion and Biblos.
The word “book” is not at all wrong nor is it anachronistic. This King James Bible critic just doesn’t know his own English language very well.
Definitions of the word “book”.
Merriam Webster dictionary -
A. a set of written sheets of skin or paper or tablets of wood or ivory.
D. a major division of a treatise or literary work
the books of the Bible.
American Heritage Dictionary -
2. b. A main division of a larger printed or written work: A BOOK of the Old Testament.
Oxford Dictionary -
1.2 A main division of a classic literary work, an epic, or the Bible.
Cambridge Dictionary -
A written text that can be published in printed form.
Webster’s 1913 Dictionary -
A composition, written or printed; a treatise.
A part or subdivision of a treatise or literary work
Both Biblion and Biblos are translated as “book” in not only the King James Bible but in a multitude of Bibles out there in multiple languages.
A written document or a book of the Bible does not have to be bound between two covers to legitimately be called a BOOK. All the books of the Bible were at one time written on scrolls, yet they are correctly referred to as BOOKS.
The Greek lexicons tell us that both words mean both “a book” and “a scroll.”
The word biblion can also mean “a written document”. The King James Bible translates this single word as “a WRITING of divorcement” (Matthew 19:7) and “a BILL of divorcement” (Mark 10:4) and as a “BOOK” some 29 times and as “A SCROLL” one time in Revelation 6:14 - “the heaven departed as a SCROLL”.
This particular Bible critic then lists the NET version translation of Luke 4:17 to try to bolster his case. But is he right? Not at all, as we shall soon see.
NET Bible
Luke 4:17 and the SCROLL of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the SCROLL and found the place where it was written
Also reading “scroll” here are the ESV, Holman Standard, ISV, MEV, NASB 2020 edition, and the NIV.
Whereas the KJB and many other Bibles, both old and new, translate this verse as “And there was delivered unto him the BOOK of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the BOOK, he found the place where it was written”
So also read Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1524, Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible 1540, Matthew’s bible 1549, the Bishops’ bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1587, Revised Version 1881, the ASV 1901, Darby 1890, Weymouth N.T., the RSV 1946-1971, NKJV 1982, NASB 1995 edition, World English bible, Third Millennium Bible 1998, the Tomson N.T. 2002, New Century Version 2005, the New European Version 2010, the Names of God Bible 2011, the New Matthew Bible 2016, the Jubilee Bible 2020 and A Faithful Version 2021.
Inconsistency of the modern versions.
Yet these modern versions that translate the word biblion as “scroll” in Luke 4:17 translate the same word as BOOK in many other places.
Versions like the NET, ESV and NASB even mention “THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK” in Hebrews 10:7.
Biblion as BOOK in the modern versions.
ESV, NET, NASB, NIV - John 20:30 - which are not written in this BOOK
ESV, NET, NASB, NIV - John 21:25 - I suppose the whole worldwould not have room for the BOOKS that would be written
ESV, NET, NASB, NIV - Galatians 3:10 - "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the BOOK of the Law, and do them."
ESV, NET, NASB - Hebrews 9:19 - and sprinkled both the BOOK itself and all the people
ESV, NET, NASB - Hebrews 10:7 - “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK.”
ESV, NET, NASB 1995 - Revelation 1:11 - "Write what you see in a BOOK and send it to the seven churches
ESV, NET, NASB, NIV - Revelation 17:8 - whose names have not been written in the BOOK of life from the foundation of the world
ESV, NET, NASB, NIV - Revelation 20:12 - And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and BOOKS were opened. Then another BOOK was opened, which is the BOOK of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the BOOKS, according to what they had done.
And of course all through the Old Testament these versions often refer to the writings that were written on scrolls as being BOOKS.
See places like Exodus 24:7 -
KJB - And he took THE BOOK of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.
So also read the NET version, the ESV, ISV, MEV and the NIV.
All the BOOKS of the Bible were written on scrolls at this time, and yet they are referred to as books. A written document or a book of the Bible does not have to be bound between two covers to legitimately be called a BOOK.
“Book” and “books” in the modern versions.
The total number of times the words “book” and “books” appear in the NIV 133 times; the ESV 168 times; NASB 165 times.
The King James Bible is right, as always, and the Bible critics are wrong - as always.
ALL of grace, believing the Book - the King James Holy Bible.
Will Kinney