{"id":6073,"date":"2025-02-20T22:26:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T14:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soundofdestiny.com\/?p=6073"},"modified":"2025-02-21T14:21:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T06:21:38","slug":"commandments-vs-suggestions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soundofdestiny.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/commandments-vs-suggestions\/","title":{"rendered":"Commandment vs suggestion"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Commandment vs suggestion<\/h1>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

by Ivan Ho\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 21 Feb 2025<\/p>\r\n

Let me give you an English lesson in the context of the 10 commandments.<\/p>\r\n

Is there any difference between the following modal verbs: shall, should, may, might, would, must, can, could<\/em> and so on?<\/p>\r\n

For example, in the first commandment, which modal verb would you use?<\/p>\r\n

You _______ have no other gods before me.<\/p>\r\n

Would you say:<\/p>\r\n

a. You MAY have no other gods before me.
b. You SHOULD have no other gods before me.
c. You COULD have no other gods before me.
d. You SHALL have no other gods before me.<\/p>\r\n

The correct answer is d. SHALL, which is how English versions like NKJV translates the passage.<\/p>\r\n

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You shall have no other gods before Me.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

Exodus 20:3 NKJV<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

As it is called the “10 commandments<\/em>” rather than”10 suggestions<\/em>“, the word SHALL is used to emphasis the important truth that God commands us not to do certain things rather than just to give us some friendly advice or good suggestions to follow.
If God said: “You may not kill”, or “You should not kill”, it would mean that He was offering us some advice but giving us the option to follow, or not.<\/p>\r\n

So if you understand the English language, how certain words are used, it would help you understand the actual meanings of the scriptures better.<\/p>\r\n

Unfortunately, some Bible teachers and scholars are subtly changing the original meanings of God’s Word by changing some wordings of the bible passages here and there, to make it sound more “user friendly” and compatible with modern cultures. It’s like the devil saying to Eve: “Did God say…?” (What He actually means is something else instead).<\/p>\r\n

To give an example, in NKJV translation:<\/p>\r\n

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But He answered and said, \u201cIt is written, \u2018Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.\u2019 \u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Matthew 4:4 NKJV<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

However, in the MSG (Message) paraphrase version, it says the following:<\/p>\r\n

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: \u201cIt takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God\u2019s mouth.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Matthew 4:4 MSG<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Jesus was indeed quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3<\/a>, but if someone is quoting something, it should be word for word similar to the original source from which one is quoting, rather than making up whatever words as one sees fit. Moreover, the word SHALL<\/em> is deleted from the MSG translation, making it sound less being a command. The word EVERY<\/em> (word of God) is also missing from the latter translation. By contrast, NKJV or KJV tells us that we shall live by EVERY<\/em> word that comes from the mouth of God, rather than pick and choose some but discard others.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

I know that some people like to quote from MSG which is full of modern day idioms and expressions to spice up their messages. But if MSG (which sounds like some food addictives) is your daily main course food consumption, you will suffer from malnutrition, to say the least.<\/p>\r\n

That is why it is important for us to choose to use the proper English bible translation as our primary source. Even NKJV, which is the modern version of KJV, isn’t the perfect translation.<\/p>\r\n