Stake or Cross?
Recently, someone said that the word "cross" in the King James Bible, is from the Greek word "stauros" which actually means "stake". So, therefore in their Bible, the New World Translation, they replaced the word with "torture stake".
| King James Bible | New World Translation |
| And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. - Matthew 10:38 (KJV) |
And whoever does not accept his torture stake and follow after me is not worthy of me. - Matthew 10:38 (NWT) |
The first thing I noticed, is that "cross" (one word) is now two words ("torture stake"), so it's no longer a word-for-word translation, and it has become an interpretation from the translator. In other words, where does the word "torture" come from?
Anyway, I checked out BibleHub, and they stated:
stauros =
- a stake or post (as set upright)
- (specially) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment)
- (figuratively) exposure to death, i.e. self-denial
- (by implication) the atonement of Christ
So, it actually says that it can be both stake or cross, and that it depends on the context. Note that the default translation for "stauros" on BibleHub is given as "cross".
The evidence for "cross" is overwhelming:
- The King James Bible translators would have known it was a cross, and used that word everywhere
- At best, the cross is "a stake (or beam) with a crossbeam" (hence the name "cross")
- The words crucified and crucifixion contain the word crux meaning "cross"
- There have been numerous witness accounts that describe how Jesus was actually crucified, and they all say "put on a cross", as was the custom of the Romans back then
- Worldwide, no one seems to really doubt that it was a cross, except for a small minority. Not necessarily evidence, but it is quite telling nonetheless
So, the right word is "cross", and not "torture stake".
