The Cambridge Dictionary defines to ‘misquote’ as; “to repeat something someone has said in a way that is not accurate.”  Misquotes can be just plain wrong – it was never said.  Or misquotes can be taken out of context – it  was said but with reference to an entirely different situation.  In the former case,the error is easy to detect – just look it up and compare.  In the latter case, you must do a little more work to expose the misquote.  You must read the surrounding verses and determine what the  context of the Biblical passage that the particular verse is found in.17480

Scriptural misquotes are found in all sorts of writing – including secular writing.  For example, the article; “Does Honor Matter?” by Adam Kirsch attempts to support the his argument that honor matters by quoting the Bible;

But what exactly is honor? . . . , it is a slippery word, used in a wide variety of contexts, from honor societies to honor killings. When it appears on its own, it has a quaint sound: Honor is what led aristocrats to fight duels at 10 paces. And there is a robust tradition in modern thought that has nothing but contempt for the idea of honor. Perhaps the most famous description of honor in English literature is the speech Falstaff makes in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part One, in which he justifies being cowardly—that is, dishonorable—on the battlefield: “What is honor? A word … Who hath it? He that died o’ Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No.” Falstaff knows that it is senseless to throw away your life for a mere word; as the Bible puts it, it’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion.

Sounds good and deep especially when you throw in the kicker that the Bible agrees but the problem is the particular Bible passage that says ‘it’ better to be a love dog than dead lion.’ isn’t referring to honor. Let’s take a look in the Bible for this ‘quote:’

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.  But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.  (Ecclesiastes 9:3,4,5)

When a careful reader does his or her homework and actually looks up the quote in the Bible and reads the surrounding context, two facts emerge; 1) the Bible is speaking about life and hope not honor and 2) the author who misquotes the scripture doesn’t even use the full scripture verse; ‘But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.’ which makes the context plain. This Scriptural passage teaches us that honor by itself is meaningless.  Honor without hope is an empty life.  Life without hope is a kind of living  death.

The apostle Paul sums up what a thoughtful person will come to see as important in life; “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:12,13) Love not honor matters the most.   And God is love; “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)  Love has a name.  His name is Jesus.

Unlike Shakespeare’s Falstaff, the Bible teaches that there are some things that  are worth dying for.  Jesus tells us; “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25) The whole counsel of the Bible teaches that dying for the right reason is worthwhile and leads to eternal life.

When someone quotes Scripture to support their arguments always look up the verse yourself in the Bible.  You may find as in this case that scripture is only partially quoted and not in context.  If the scripture is only partially quoted the omission may amount to a lie.  Wikipedia defines lying by omission as; “Lying by omission, also known as a continuing misrepresentation, occurs when an important fact is left out in order to foster a misconception.” What the  Bible actually says about honor is a topic for another day but suffice to say the Scripture ‘quoted’ in this case doesn’t refer to honor at all.

So be a careful reader and don’t get fooled or manipulated.