Did the scribes corrupt the Law? (Jer 8:8)

Dear in Christ,

Most of us are guilty of proof texting this scripture to prove that the scribes corrupted the scriptures:

Jer 8:8: How do ye say: We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

In the first place, this scripture does not say the scribes corrupted the scriptures, “the scribes” is not the subject of the sentence.

The talk of the context is NOT about the scribes at all, it’s about the people of Jerusalem, for instance, read the preceding verses:

Jer 8:5-7: Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying: What have I done? Everyone turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

Now, read the succeeding verse:

Jer 8:9: The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?

The topic of the context is the arrogance or attitude of the people of Jerusalem. They claim that they have wisdom, as they have the word of the LORD with them, but they, in fact lack wisdom, as they rejected the word of the LORD.

To a people who have rejected the Word, what value is the word?

If you observe Jer 8:8 in an interlinear Bible, you may notice that many words in the verse are superfluous.

Jer 8:8: How^H349 do ye say,^H559 We^H587 are wise,^H2450 and the law^H8451 of the LORD^H3068 is with^H854 us? Lo,^H2009 certainly^H403 in vain^H8267 made^H6213 he <<IT>>; the pen^H5842 of the scribes^H5608 <<IS>> in vain.^H8267

It’s obvious that the translators were clueless about the proceedings and tried their best to accommodate all the Hebrew words present in the Hebrew text. The Jewish Publishing Society version (JPS) sets things right a bit in their translation:

Jer 8:8: How do ye say: 'We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us'? Lo, certainly in vain hath wrought the vain pen of the scribes.

The Orthodox Jewish Publishing Society’s rendition makes things pretty clear:

Jer 8:8: How can you say, “We are wise, and we possess the Instruction of the LORD”? Assuredly, for naught has the pen labored, for naught the scribes!

All the efforts put in by the scribes and their pens have gone in vain, because of the lackadaisical attitude of the people of Jerusalem!

Most of the translators of the Bible, over the last 2,000 ± years, weren’t well versed in the grammars of Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek languages and have rendered many scriptures unreadable and meaningless. Adding to that is our practice of taking individual scriptures out of their contexts and hurling them around.

In Christ,

Tomsan Kattackal