God’s Promise for the Full Bible

Psalm 12:6-7 promises God’s words as “pure… purified seven times,” kept safe forever. This covers the whole Bible, including the Old Testament. The Masoretic Text (MT) —the standard Hebrew OT finalized by Jewish scribes around 900–1000 AD—stands behind the KJV Old Testament. Just as God guided the New Testament’s Byzantine text, He preserved the MT through careful providence.

Dead Sea Scrolls Confirm Masoretic Reliability

The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), discovered in 1947 and dating from 250 BC to 68 AD, match the MT in 95–99% of cases. The complete Isaiah Scroll is nearly identical to the MT version, despite a 1,000-year gap. Psalms and Deuteronomy show only minor spelling differences—no changes to meaning or doctrine. Importantly, the DSS line up with the MT, not the Septuagint , rejecting its additions and omissions that appear in some modern Bibles. Scholar Patrick Skehan noted that the MT is “substantially vindicated” by these finds.

Masoretic Scribes’ Ironclad Rules

The Masoretes, especially the Ben Asher family, added vowels, accents, and notes to fix pronunciation and meaning perfectly. They counted every letter, word, and verse—for example, totaling every letter in Genesis exactly. The process involved one scribe writing, a second reading aloud, and a third checking. Their prized Tiberian MT survives in the Aleppo  and Leningrad  Codices, agreeing 99.9%. Mistakes meant severe punishment, like excommunication. This created a rock-solid text with almost no changes over centuries.

Problems with the Septuagint

The Septuagint (LXX) , a Greek Old Testament from around 250 BC, seems ancient but has issues. Origen’s Hexapla in 240 AD mixed three Greek versions with the Hebrew, adding symbols for “gaps.” The LXX expands Jeremiah by one-eighth and stretches Genesis genealogies. The DSS match the MT far better—no long Jeremiah there. Modern Bibles like NIV and ESV often follow LXX or Samaritan texts for shorter readings, such as skipping a verse in Psalm 145 that the MT includes.

Key Doctrines Protected by the MT

The MT safeguards truths cut in modern versions:

– Genesis 4:8 adds Cain telling Abel his murderous plan—”said unto Abel”—omitted in LXX/NIV.

– 1 Samuel 10:1 includes “Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee?” linking to Messiah; NIV shortens it.

– Psalm 12:7 says “Thou shalt keep them” , not NIV’s “us” —vital for preservation teaching.

Divine Number Patterns in the MT

Like the New Testament, the MT shows patterns based on 7:

– Genesis 1:1: 7 words, 28 letters .

– Entire Torah: Letters and words in 7-multiples.

– Center verse: Psalm 118:8—”trust in man.”

The LXX breaks these; the MT keeps them intact, like a signature from God.

From Hebrew MT to KJV English

The 1524–1525 Ben Chayyim Hebrew Bible  fed the KJV translators. God preserved the Hebrew through Masoretes, then gave the world a perfect Old Testament in English—the language of global reach.

Final Word: MT + KJV = Reliable Old Testament

With Dead Sea proof, strict scribes, LXX flaws exposed, strong doctrines, and number seals, the MT shines as God’s chosen text. The KJV Old Testament delivers it flawlessly for our day of judgment .

: Skehan, Qumran and the Old Testament Text .  

: Leningrad Codex .  

: Jeffrey, The Signature of God .  

: Scrivener, Hebrew Text Prefaces.