of the land, even the sons of Heth, this English translation of the Greek Septuagint says in Genesis 23:7: “And Abram rose up and did obeisance to the people of the land, to the sons of Chet.”

Consequently, for trinitarians to argue that the rendering of Matthew 28:9 by the King James Version, or some other trinitarian version, proves that we must worship Jesus as a member of the trinity, means that these trinitarians base their argument on a very weak foundation. All the way through the King James Version the Greek verb proskynéo is rendered as “worship,” even in Revelation 3:9, where Jesus says to his followers: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Here the King James Version shows the weakness of its translation, since not even trinitarians claim that others will worship Jesus’ followers.

While the King James Version renders proskynéo as “worship” throughout, other modern translations do not uniformly do so. This variation agrees with the Hebrew text, for in Hebrew the verb shahháh is the one that is translated in the Greek Septuagint by the verb proskynéo and it is the Hebrew verb that occurs in Genesis 23:7. In the King James Version this Hebrew word shahháh is translated in various places as “to bow down, to make to stoop, to humbly beseech, to crouch, to fall down, to fall flat, to do obeisance, to make obeisance, to do reverence and to worship.” Since the Greek verb proskynéo is the equivalent of the Hebrew word shahháh, the same thing should be done with regard to rendering proskynéo into English so as to indicate that it does not always mean worship such as is to be rendered to the Most High God Jehovah himself, alone.

Other translations, such as An American Translation, recognize the need to do this. Weymouth’s The New Testament in Modern Speech renders Matthew 28:9 this way: “And then suddenly they saw Jesus coming to meet them. ‘Peace be to you,’ He said. And they came and clasped His feet, bowing to the ground before Him.” The New English Bible, published in 1961, renders it in this manner: “Suddenly Jesus was there in their path. He gave them his greeting, and they came up and clasped his feet, falling prostrate before him.” So these, as well as other translations, show that because the King James Version renders proskynéo as “worshipped,” this does not make it right. Hence, Matthew 28:9, in its correct rendering, by no means contradicts the teaching of Jehovah’s witnesses that Jesus is not to be worshiped, as we worship only Jehovah God.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

It is the privilege and responsibility of those who have already been liberated from Babylon the Great to help others who are unwilling captives of that wicked empire of oppression to “get out of her.” That you can do during November by sharing in the distribution of the revealing book “Babylon the Great Has Fallen!” God’s Kingdom Rules! It will be placed, along with a Bible study booklet, for 75c.

OUR HISTORY-MAKING GENERATION

History often seems remote. It may well be to another generation, but not to those who live it. Ours is a history-making generation too, history that will never be repeated because our generation marks the climactic end of the history of vast empires. One international system that has affected the history of governments for centuries has already begun to topple! You should know how and why, and what the outcome will be because it affects your life! Send for and read the fascinating 704-page book “Babylon the Great Has Fallen!” God’s Kingdom Rules! Send 75c. Write at once and you will receive free the booklet God’s Kingdom Rules—Is the World’s End Near?

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

November 22: Jerusalem—”A Burdensome Stone to All the Peoples,” ¶1-24. Page 648.

November 29: Jerusalem—”A Burdensome Stone to All the Peoples,” ¶25-47. Page 652.

December 6: Jerusalem—”A Burdensome Stone to All the Peoples,” ¶48-69. Page 657.