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Some Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint, and the Syriac all say 18. Perhaps the mistranslations happened due to a copyist error, but that is not the explanation for the alleged error. Since some Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint, the Syriac, and 2 Kings 24:8 do say 18, we can rest assured that the number is 18 and some translations simply got it wrong.


(Fred) Are you speaking about 2 Kings 24:8? I am making reference to 2 Chronicles 36:9. Both passages are addressing the same historical event. However, the 2 Kings passage states that Jehoiachin started his reign as king when he was 18 years old, but the 2 Chronicles passage states that he was 8 years old. Dealing specifically with the Hebrew, because there is no evidence that any of the major translations of the Hebrew (LXX, Syriac,etc.) are translating from a text with variants, how exactly do you explain the 2 Chronicles verse in light of the 2 Kings verse? I believe the 2 Kings passage is correctly stating his age as being 18 when he started his 3 month reign, however, we also have 2 Chronicles to contend with. That verse is telling us an entirely different age for king Jehoiachin, that being he was 8 years old when he began to reign. I am with you on the 2 Kings passage, but your explanation has yet to address the problem of 2 Chronicles.
If this is a mistranslation or a variant problem, where exactly is that evidence? If that evidence is not available, nor all together non-existent, how exactly are we to maintain our stance on inerrancy and explain this passage?

Fred

"Ah, sitting - the great leveler of men. From the mightest of pharaohs to the lowest of peasants, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?" M. Burns