On January 8, I shared some interesting typographical errors introduced into the Bible over the years. Here are some more.
Camel Bible 1823
Genesis 24:61 reads: “And Rebekah arose, and her camels.” He should have read young ladies.
The idle Bible 1809
Zechariah 11:17 reads “the idle shepherd” instead of “the idol shepherd”.
Incunabula Bible 1594
The date on the title page reads 1495 instead of the correct 1594. The word incunabula applies to all books printed before 1500, when typography was in its infancy.
Bible ‘Big Family’ 1820
An Oxford edition printed Isaiah 66:9 as follows: “Must I bring forth and not cease (instead of cause) to bring forth?”
The Printers’ Bible 1702
David complains that “the printers (who should be princes) have persecuted me without cause”. Psalm 119:161.
‘Sin On’ Bible 1716
The first Bible printed in Ireland read “sin no more”, instead of “sin no more”. (John 5:14) Eight thousand copies were printed and bound before the error was discovered.
The Cannibal’s Bible
This 1682 King James Version of the Bible says in Deuteronomy 24:3 “If this last husband ate her” instead of “If this last husband hates her”.
The Vinegar Bible – or Baskett Full of Errors
This was published in 1717 by John Baskett. Luke 20 says “the parable of the vinegar” instead of “the parable of the vine”. It also contains many other errors.
The Lions Bible
Published in 1804, it says in 1 Kings 8:19, “Your son who shall come out of your lions.” Lions should be kidneys. It contains another error in Numbers 35:18: “The murderer will surely be restored. He should be “put to death”.
