All scripture is given by inspiration of God ?

The purpose of this brief article is to show the fallacy of the two verses that fundamentalists put most of their faith in: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (II Tim. 3:16,17)

I will forgo including the verses that give conflicting numbers as they are usually explained away as errors due to scribal mistakes in copying.

The following verses are from the New Scofield K.J.V. and they are clearly contradictory statements, which cannot possibly be explained away as copyist errors.

These scriptures show that "all scripture" could not have been "given by inspiration of God,"

• 
  1. "And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddanaram unto LABAN, SON OF BETHUEL the Syrian, the BROTHER of Rebehah, Jacob and Esau's mother." (Gen. 28:5)
  vs
  "And he said unto them, know ye LABAN, THE SON OF NAHOR? And they said, we know him." (Gen. 29:5)
  
  2. "And when Saul INQUIRED of the LORD. The LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." (I Sam. 28:6)
  vs
  "And he (Saul) INQUIRED NOT of the LORD; therefore, he (God) slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse." (I Chron. 10:14)
  
  3. "And OUT OF THE TRIBE OF DAN, Eltekeh with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs, AIJALON with its suburbs, GATH-RIMMON with its suburbs; four cities." (Josh. 21:23,24)
  vs
  "And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill country of EPHRAIM with its suburbs;... And AIJALON with its suburbs, and GATH-RIMMON with its suburbs." (I Chron. 6:67,69)
  
  4. "And his servants carried him (Josiah) in a chariot DEAD FROM MEGIDDO, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulcher." (II Kings 23:30)
  vs
  "And they brought him (Josiah) to JERUSALEM, and he DIED, and was buried in one of the sepulchers of his fathers." (II Chron. 35:24)
  
  5. "The wicked have made a snare for me; yet I ERRED NOT from thy precepts." (Ps. 119:110)
  vs
  "I have GONE ASTRAY like a lost sheep..." (v. 176)
  
  6. "And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of LENTILS...But HE stood in the midst of the plot and defended it." (II Sam. 23:11,12)
  vs
  "...the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a plot of ground full of BARLEY;... and THEY stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it..." (I Chron. 11:13,14)
  
  7. "And these be the names of those that were born unto him IN JERUSALEM; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, and Ibhar, and Elishua: and Nepheg, and Japhia, and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet." (II Sam. 5:14,15)
  vs
  "And these were born unto him IN JERUSALEM: Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,... and Ibbar, and Elishama, and ELIPHELET, NOGAH, and Nepheg, and Japhia, and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet..." (I Chron. 3:5-8) (Note: two with the same name also Eliphelet.)
  
  8. "ANSWER NOT a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him." (Prov. 26:4)
  vs
  "ANSWER a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." (Prov. 26:5)
  
  9. "And in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, JEHOSHAPHAT being then king of JUDAH,..." (II Kings 8:16)
  vs
  "...; all these were the sons of JEHOSHAPHAT, king of ISRAEL." (II Chron. 21:2)
  
  10. "By these were the borders of the nations divided in their lands; EVERY ONE AFTER HIS TONGUE, after their families, in their nations." (Gen. 10:5)
  vs
  "And the whole earth was of ONE LANGUAGE, and of ONE SPEECH." (Gen. 11:1)
  
  11. "And OUT OF THE GROUND the LORD God formed EVERY BEAST OF THE FIELD, and EVERY FOWL OF THE AIR;..." (Gen. 2:19)
  vs
  "And God said, Let the WATERS BRING FORTH abundantly THE MOVING CREATURE that hath life, and FOWL that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." (Gen. 1:20)
  
  12. "And ASA did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God; for HE TOOK AWAY the alters of the strange gods, and THE HIGH PLACES, and broke down the images, and cut down the groves." (II Chron. 14:2,3)
  vs
  "But THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT TAKEN AWAY out of Israel; nevertheless, the heart of ASA was perfect all his days." (II Chron. 15:17)
  
  13. "And his (Jehoshaphat) heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD; moreover, HE TOOK AWAY THE HIGH PLACES and groves out of Judah." (II Chron. 17:6)
  vs
  "Howbeit, THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT TAKEN AWAY; for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the god of their fathers." (II Chron. 20:33) see also I Kings 22:43.
  
  14. "THOU (God) art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and CANST NOT LOOK ON INIQUITY;..." (Hab. 1:13)
  vs
  "The EYES OF THE LORD ARE in every place, beholding THE EVIL and the good." (Prov. 15:3) "For MINE EYES ARE UPON all their ways; they are not hidden from my face, NEITHER IS THEIR INIQUITY HIDDEN FROM MINE EYES." (Jer. 16:17)
  
  15. "And the house of Israel called the name thereof MANNA: and it was like coriander seed, white; and THE TASTE OF IT WAS LIKE WAFERS MADE WITH HONEY." (Ex. 16:31)
  vs
  "And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and THE TASTE OF IT WAS AS THE TASTE OF FRESH OIL." (Num. 11:8)
  
  16. "And there was WAR between ASA and Baasha, king of Israel, ALL THEIR DAYS." (I Kings 15:16)
  vs
  "...; and ASA, his son, reigned in his stead. In his days THE LAND WAS QUIET TEN YEARS." (II Chron. 14:1)
  
  17. "For his (God's) ANGER ENDURETH BUT A MOMENT;..." (Ps. 30:5)
  vs
  "...; for ye have kindled a fire in MINE (God's) ANGER, WHICH SHALL BURN FOREVER." (Jer. 17:4)
  

So, is it true that, "all scripture is given by inspiration of God?" If it is, why would God inspire men to write completely conflicting statements?

This concludes my list of O.T. conflicting statements, but is by no means meant to be comprehensive.

compiled by Bill Henness

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