THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE

More and more charges are being made that the Bible is not inerrant. Critics accuse various so called “ inaccuracies” within the Bible. One of the areas in which they do so is in scientific statements. Some of the so-called errors or inaccuracies:

1. THE SPHERICAL EARTH. Historians and scientists generally credit Pythagoras, a Greek who lived in the sixth century BC, as suggesting a spherical Earth. The Greek scientist Eratosthenes, the third century BC, calculated the size of Earth. The biblical view of the world as a sphere is set forth by inspiration before either of the above mentioned Greeks lived. Isaiah writes: “It is he (Jehovah) that sitteth above the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). Solomon spoke of God setting “a circle upon the face of the deep!” (Proverbs 8:27). Job 26:10 speaks of “the confines of light and darkness,” which suggests that where light terminates, darkness begins. It declares both day and night on the spherical Earth as well as the rotation of Earth. The words of Jesus suggest the same, when He spoke of “In that day” (Luke 17:31) and “in that night” (Luke 17:34), as occurring at the same time.

2. THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH. The phrase “the four corners of the earth” (Ezekiel 7:2; Isaiah 11:12) has been controversial in that the Earth is a sphere. The Hebrew kanaph is translated in various ways and generally means “extremity.” In Numbers 15:38, it is translated as “the borders of their garments.” In Job 37:3 and 38:13, it is translated as, “the ends of the earth.” Some critics have tried to ridicule the Bible by claiming the Bible is unscientific and inaccurate with the phrase, “the four corners of the earth,” but the Bible makes it clear the earth is a sphere. Kanaph refers to extremities. Any who have traveled to the ocean and looked out over it will see the circle of the horizon.

3. THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH. The critics of the scientific accuracy of the Bible claim that the phrase “the pillars of the earth” refers to a Hebrew superstition that Earth rested on actual pillars or columns. They cite 1 Samuel 2:8; Job 9:6; 26:11 and Psalm 75:3. The Hebrew word for pillars is ammud and the Greek word is stulos. While both words literally mean pillar or column, the general meaning is support. In Galatians 2:9, James, Cephas, and John are referred to as pillars of the church. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). The idea is that of leaders or support.

We have nothing to be fearful of concerning the Bible’s accuracy. The so called “inaccuracies” is simply the failure of the critics to properly understand God’s word.

W. Terry Varner
General Editor
Sufficient Evidence