Translation and Textual Criticism: The Case of Two Competing Readings,Both of Which Make Good Sense

In Isa 41.23 the Hebrew text is divided into two different readings, a Qere and a Kethib reading. The two readings have often been explained as a difference between two different verbs, the Qere reading derived from the verb rā’â “to see,” and the Kethib derived from yārē’ “to be afraid.” This is a misunderstanding: in both readings the verb is “to see.” The difference is in the mood: while the Qere reading is in the cohortative, “that we may see,” the Kethib is in the indicative, “and we will see.” No textual witness reads the verb “to be afraid” in this verse. The many Bible translations that render the verb as “to fear” in reality adopt a conjecture, that is, a reading without base in any textual witness. This example shows how translators must rely upon good textual resources in order to make the correct choices between competing readings.