Wednesday 26 February 2014

Matthew 5:41 (Or don't mess with history)

So the lesson on Sunday was about going the extra mile. I had an easy morning, only doing the readings, so I grabbed a bible from the vestry and read the words in front of me...

"And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one kilometre, carry it two kilometres."*1

A kilometre?  Excuse me?  don't you mean...

 "And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles."*2

Roman soldiers didn't march in kilometres.  The kilometre wasn't going to be invented for another 1760 years. A Roman mile was 1000 paces, or if you must be metric, 1473 metres.

It's not a critical change, but nobody ever talks about going the extra kilometre.  But it is a small reminder that not every bible translation is the same, and sometimes I may wish to read from another if it fits on the day.


*1 Good news translation, from the vestry.
*2 Good news translation, from Biblegateway

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