(CBN) – The Danish Bible Society is raising eyebrows after it released a new translation of the Bible that omits dozens of references to Israel. The Bible 2020 translation rewrites “the land of Israel” as “the land of Jews” and the “People of Israel” simply as “the Jews.”
Jan Frost, a Danish Bible enthusiast, and Israel advocate called attention to the translation and said the word “Israel” is only mentioned once directly by name out of the 60 times it is referenced in Bible 2020. The translation also rewrites specific references to Israel as references to all of humanity.
For example, the Song of Ascents from the Book of Psalms originally states “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” The Bible 2020 authors replaced Israel with the word “us” so it reads “He who watches over us will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Frost argues the translation is an example of “Replacement Theology,” the doctrine that the New Testament supersedes the Old Testament and the Church has replaced Israel in its covenant with God.
The Danish Bible Society is defending the translation and argues the word “Israel” is omitted to prevent readers from confusing it with the modern State of Israel. The organization says “modern people read the Bible with completely different preconditions than humans in, for example, the time of Jesus,” in a statement on its website. READ MORE
