Jehovah's Witnesses, 2

When I started on this topic previously, I intended to write about the announcement of Samson's birth. But I got going on my history with JWs and went on so long that I felt I'd better save Samson's narrative to a later point. Now I'm almost finished with the Book of Judges. So I need to deal with this account before it gets too far in the past.

The New World [Mis-]Translation (that used by the JWs) of Judges 13 consistently refers to the heavenly being who appeared to Samson's mother and subsequently his father Manoah as "Jehovah's angel." But as I understand it, the OT consistently uses different terms in this regard. When it refers to just any angel, that being is called "an angel of the LORD." But we find interesting occurrences when a different turn of the phrase is used. Sometimes we read, "The angel of the LORD." On these occasions, we see consistent differences. These are seen clearly in this account.

Perhaps the best place to direct a JW's attention in the chapter would be the passage that starts at verse 15. The following is copied directly from their on-line version of the New World [Mis-]Translation: "15 Ma·no´ah now said to Jehovah’s angel: 'Let us, please, detain you and fix up a kid of the goats before you.' 16 But Jehovah’s angel said to Ma·no´ah: 'If you detain me, I shall not feed myself on your bread; but if you will render up a burnt offering to Jehovah, you may offer it up.' For Ma·no´ah did not know that he was Jehovah’s angel." So Manoah prepared a burnt offering and grain offering for Jehovah. Then we read: "19 And Ma·no´ah proceeded to take the kid of the goats and the grain offering and to offer it upon the rock to Jehovah. And He was doing something in a wonderful way while Ma·no´ah and his wife were looking on. 20 So it came about that, as the flame ascended from off the altar heavenward, then Jehovah’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar while Ma·no´ah and his wife were looking on. At once they fell upon their faces to the earth."

Now I don't currently have a reference for the following, but I have noticed in other references to "regular" angels that when a human suggests either offering a sacrifice to the heavenly being or in any way starts to worship this creature, the angel immediately refuses the sacrifice and/or worship. Not so in this case. This Being clearly accepts the sacrifice, even ascending to heaven in the flame of the sacrifice.

Even JW's own mistranslation admits this statement from Manoah: "22 Consequently Ma·no´ah said to his wife: “We shall positively die, because it is God that we have seen.” Manoah recognized that the sequence of events pointed to the appearance of Jehovah God. He knew that no other being would have accepted this sacrifice. That is why he feared for his life.

Well, these distinctions come out much more clearly in the more accurate translations used by Christians. But if you want to engage the JWs, it may prove more effective to use their own mis-translation, since they would not accept as valid the translations we believers prefer.

P.S.: A similar pattern can be found in Judges 6, where "The Angel of the LORD" appears and commissions Gideon. In our translations, the terms "Angel of the LORD" and "the LORD" are used interchangeably. [If you're not already familiar with the use of LORD in all caps in the OT, it is used to refer specifically to Jehovah God.]

Well, may you be well-armed the next time JWs knock at your door. I hope you will greet them joyfully and then boldly and confidently open to them the truth from God's word!

Thank you for reading. What do you think?