Revelation 5:4
 
Revelation 5:4
(KJV) And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
(1611 KJV) And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open, and to reade the booke, neither to looke thereon.
(1587 Geneva Bible) Then I wept much, because no man was foud worthy to open, and to reade the Booke, neither to looke thereon.
(1526 Tyndale) And I wepte moche because no man was founde worthy to open and to rede the boke nether to loke thereon.
 
Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
(1901 ASV) And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
(AMP) And I wept audibly and bitterly because no one was found fit to open the scroll or to inspect it.
(CEB) So I began to weep and weep, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look inside it.
(CEV) I cried hard because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or see inside it.
(CSB) I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.
(1899 Douay-Rheims American Edition) And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open the book, nor to see it.
(ERV) I cried and cried because there was no one who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
(ESV) and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
(GNB) I cried bitterly because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
(HCSB) And I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.
(JB Phillips) I began to weep bitterly because no one could be found fit to open the book, or even to look at it,
(NASV) Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;
(NCV) I cried bitterly because there was no one who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
(NIV) I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
(NLV) Then I began to cry with loud cries. I cried because no one was good enough to open the book or to look in it.
(NLT) Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.
(RSV) and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
(NAB-Roman Catholic) I shed many tears because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to examine it.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) And I gave way to a great deal of weeping because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
 
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
και εγω εκλαιον πολλα οτι ουδεις αξιος ευρεθη ανοιξαι και αναγνωναι το βιβλιον ουτε βλεπειν αυτο
 
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
και εγω εκλαιον πολυ οτι ουδεις αξιος ευρεθη ανοιξαι το βιβλιον ουτε βλεπειν αυτο
 
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
P 025 - Ninth century
 
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
Stephanus (1550 A.D.)
Elzivir 1624
 
Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Omit “and to read” after “to open”
Greisbach, Johann - 1805
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902
Hodges and Farstad - Majority Text 1982 as corrected in 1985
 
Affected Teaching
It does no good to open a book if you are not going to read its contents. The word “anagnonai“ is used 33 times in the New Testament and occurs in the context of a literal reading such as in the following verses:
 
(Mat 24:15 KJV) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
 
(Acts 8:28 KJV) Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
 
As we see in these two verses, they speak of a literal reading. The Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 and the reader of Matthew 24. John had realized that the revelation contained in the book was of utmost importance and believing that there was no one found worthy to open the book, he wept bitterly. In Revelation 4:1 he was told that he was going to be shown the things which were to happen and if the book could not be opened nor read, then the revelation would be at an impasse. John was saddened because the end of the world and the judgments which were to come seemed to now be thwarted unless the book could be opened and read. The modern versions omit this serious situation.

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