This is a re-upload of a post written by a Tumblr user with the screen name ‘Dorper’, on the now-closed dorper.tumblr.com. The post was made on 15 Jun. 2021, a dead link can be found here, and an archive on the Wayback Machine can be found here. I’m re-uploading it here because I find it useful and want it accessable. If you’re the creator and don’t want it here, let me know. Keep in mind that I am not the original writer of the text below, so it’s views are not necessarily my own. Let us begin:
The author of EvilBible.com chose Matthew 19:12 ASV for December 25th’s Evil Bible Quote, giving it the subtitle of “Become a Eunuch for God.” Matthew 19:12 ASV says:
For there are eunuchs, that were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Matthew 19:12 ASV
When Jesus speaks about eunuchs who “made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake” he is refering not to people who castrate themselves but instead to people who take a vow of celibacy. The NAB notes agree with this interpretation:
Incapable of marriage: literally, “eunuchs.” Three classes are mentioned, eunuchs from birth, eunuchs by castration, and those who have voluntarily renounced marriage (literally, “have made themselves eunuchs”) for the sake of the kingdom, i.e., to devote themselves entirely to its service. Some scholars take the last class to be those who have been divorced by their spouses and have refused to enter another marriage. But it is more likely that it is rather those who have chosen never to marry, since that suits better the optional nature of the decision: whoever can…ought to accept it.
It is interesting that the author of EvilBible.com decided to use the American Standard Version. This is the only verse on the page which uses this translation. The rest of the quotes use NLT or NAB. Why could this be. Let us take a look at the NLT and NAB translations of Matthew 19:12:
Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Matthew 19:12 NLT
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Matthew 19:12 NAB
Ah, that’s why. The two translations that he usually uses disagree with his interpretation and instead of doing an in depth study of what the verse means, he cites the ASV which is a formal equivalence translation. Because dynamic equivalence translations like the NAB and NLT translate thoughts instead of words, they will be conveying the meaning of Matthew 19:12 rather than the exact words. Basically, the EvilBible.com author found a verse in his preferred translation that he disagreed with the translation of so he got a word-for-word translation which leaves the meaning ambiguous. He then interprets the verse to mean self-castration. Not even Origen interpreted it this way.
Nikaea 325 