Why don't most modern day translations include Acts 24:7?
In The Book of Acts Chapter 24, where Paul stands trial before Felix, verse 7 seems to be conveniently missing. The following is copied from The NIV translation: 5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [7] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.” The following is in the ESV translation: 5 For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.” BUT the following is in The KJV translation: 6 Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. 7 But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, 8 Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him. What is the reasoning behind this?
Acts 24:5 - 8
NIV - 5 We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 And even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [7]
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Tim Maas
My understanding is that there are arguments both for and against the inclusion of the cited verse. Against its inclusion is that it differs greatly from similar interpolations elsewhere in the book of Acts. Those other insertions were made merely to bring the whole of a narrative under view at once, with no variation of an account previously given elsewhere. However, in this verse, the facts are not represented as stated before, but give such a version of them as might make Lysias appear to have been in the wrong, and to have exercised his power in Jerusalem arbitrarily against men who were only anxious to preserve the purity of their sacred temple. In favor of its inclusion is the fact that sources such as the Syriac and Vulgate versions of the text both include the verse, giving grounds for hesitation in rejecting it.
Albert DeBenedictis
There are several different groups of Greek manuscripts of the New Testament have been found. While they mostly agree, there are some minor differences between the various groups. I will briefly describe these different manuscript types. The manuscript types that include Acts 24:7 are the Textus Receptus (used in preparing the King James Version and the New King James Version), and the Byzantine text-type (also called Majority Text). The manuscript types that do not include Acts 24:7 is the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament and the United Bible Societies’ third edition (which includes the Alexandrian [Egyptian type], Vaticanus, and Sinaiticus type manuscripts). These Greek manuscript text types are believed to be the oldest, and hence, closest to the original Greek manuscripts. Virtually all modern translations, including the New International Version (NIV) and English Standard Version (ESV) mainly uses the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament and the United Bible Societies’ third edition type manuscripts for their translations. If one relies solely on the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament and the United Bible Societies’ third edition manuscripts, they will most likely believe that Acts 24:7 was not in the original Greek text. It is difficult to determine whether nor not some passages were included in the original Greek text, as the various text types differ in some minor areas. To determine where the different Greek text manuscripts differ, most New King James Version Bibles include footnotes that indicate where the manuscript groups differ. Check to be sure. My New King James Life Application Bible (1993), my New King James MacArthur Study Bible (Second Edition, 2019), and my The Christian Life Bible (New King James Version 1985), include these footnotes that indicate where the various Greek manuscript types differ.
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