Myths Taught About the Bible

Myths Taught About the Bible

Updated 5/12/06

MYTH: THE MIZPAH IS A SYMBOL OF LOVE
("The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another." Gen 31:49)

It was a covenant between Jacob and his father-in-law Laban. Jacob was very upset with Laban. They piled up some rocks and made this vow. It didn't mean "I want God to take care of you while we are apart because I love you." It meant more along the lines of "I want God to remind me of all the bad things you did to me and I vow not to go past this pile of rocks with intentions to do you harm."

MYTH: JEHOVAH IS GOD'S NAME

We only know that God's name had the consonants YHWH or YHVH in it. At some point in time the vowels from the word Adonai (which is "Lord" in Hebrew) were inserted into YHWH. The "Y" was pronounced "J" and Jehovah was the result.

MYTH: ADAM AND EVE ATE AN APPLE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
Gen 3:7

The Bible doesn't say what kind of fruit it was.

MYTH: NOAH ONLY TOOK TWO OF EACH ANIMAL ONTO THE ARK

"Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth."
Gen 7:2-3

MYTH: ISRAEL CONSISTED OF 12 TRIBES

Jacob/Israel had 12 sons but there were 13 tribes. The book of Revelations mentions 12 tribes being represented in the 144,000 that were sealed yet there were 13 tribes.

Here's a chart with more information: 12 Tribes or 13?

MYTH: THERE WERE 400 SILENT YEARS BETWEEN THE WRITING OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS

Were there 400 silent years between the Old and New Testaments where God didn't speak to His people? That's what I was always taught. That is the difference in time between when the Old Testament and the New Testament were written.

Read Luke 2:36-37. Anna was a prophetess. What is a prophetess? She couldn't be called a prophetess if God wasn't speaking to her.

The only true thing we can say about those 400 years is that there were no books of the Bible written during those years. Perhaps God just didn't tell anyone to write things down that He was telling them.

MYTH: THE BIBLE SAYS, "CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS" AND "GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES."

Nope. You will not find those verses in the Bible anywhere.

MYTH: THE BIBLE SAYS THE PRIESTS WORE AN ANKLE ROPE

I have heard it taught that the the reason the priests, the ones who went into the Holiest of Holies, wore bells around the hem of their garment so that people could hear them behind the veil as they ministered to God. When the bells stopped ringing, then something was wrong. They would be able to pull the priest out by the rope attached to his ankle. That way, if he died for some reason, his body could be removed.

Probably the idea came from the scripture:
"And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not."
Ex 28:35

The priest had a very specific list of what clothes to wear and what to do prior to going behind the veil. If he didn't do those things he would die. So, without the bells, he would die. The rest of Chapter 28 tells about the clothing and the last verse, again, speaks of the priest dying if he doesn't do things correctly.

Perhaps they did wear a rope. One thing is for sure and that is the Bible doesn't say that they had a rope tied around their ankle.

There is an incident mentioned in the Bible where two priests died in the Holy of Holies:
"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."
Lev 10:1-2

Then Moses sent in two men to retrieve the bodies:
"And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp."
Lev 10:4

It didn't say anything about ropes.

MYTH: THE BIBLE SAYS IT WAS A PROSTITUTE WHO ANOINTED JESUS WITH OIL

Nope, the Bible doesn't say she was a prostitute. She was called a "sinner" and not a prostitute.

A lot of assumptions are made about that woman. Here's what the Bible says about her: Who Was That Woman?

MYTH: THE BIBLE SAYS ANGELS REJOICE WHEN SOMEONE GETS SAVED

Well, maybe they do, but let's read it again: "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

Luke 15:10 The joy is in the presence of the angels. Could that be referring to God? Maybe it is God that is expressing joy! Another scripture that is similar:"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." Jude 1:24

MYTH: THE BIBLE SAYS THERE WERE THREE WISE MEN
Maybe there were three, but the Bible doesn't say specifically how many there were.

MYTH: THE BIBLE SAYS MARY RODE A DONKEY OR AN ANIMAL TO BETHLEHEM
All we know for sure is that she went with Joseph and she was "great with child". Luke 2:5