Danish translation of New Testament eliminates references to Israel

Critics believe the changes were made for political reasons.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

A Danish translation of the New Testament has removed nearly every mention of Israel, reported Denmark’s 24NYT news site.

According to the report, Bible 2020 recently published by the Danish Bible Society removed 59 of the 60 references to Israel in the New Testament’s original text.

Other than that one time, when the Biblical Greek New Testament references the “Land of Israel,” the Bible 2020 translation reads the “Land of The Jews,” and when the people of Israel are mentioned in the original text, it is replaced by either “Jews” or nothing at all.

A Danish Bible Society representative quoted by 24NYT defended the society’s actions, saying that it did not want to confuse its readers into thinking the Land of Israel in biblical times was the same as present-day Israel.

However, when it came to other lands mentioned in the Bible, such as Egypt, the translators made no such distinction.

Many people took to social media to protest the “radical claims” of such a “central element” of the New Testament, and suggested the changes were made for political reasons, the report said.