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Jude 5
What does it actually say?[1]
Why do different English translations render Jude 5 differently? Some say that it was “the Lord” who delivered the people out of the land of Egypt, some say it was “God” who delievered them, and yet others declare that it was “Jesus” who delivered them. Which one is right?
Here’s a breakdown of which English Bible translations render Jude 5 with “the Lord,” “God,” or “Jesus.”
Summary
Most English translations say “the Lord.” Some say “God.” A growing number of modern critical‑text translations say “Jesus” in Jude 5.
Translations that say “Jesus” delivered the people out of Egypt
These translations explicitly read “Jesus… saved/delivered the people out of the land of Egypt.”
| Translation | Evidence |
|---|---|
| NET (New English Translation) |
“that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt…” |
| ESV |
“that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt…” |
| NLT (New Living Translation) |
“that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt…” |
| NRSVue (Updated NRSV) |
“that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt…” |
| LEB (Lexham English Bible) |
“that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt…” |
Why these translations use “Jesus”:
They follow the earliest manuscript readings (e.g., P⁷², Vaticanus,
Sinaiticus) that contain Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous). This is also
noted in the scholarly discussion in the search results.
Translations that say “the Lord” delivered the people out of Egypt[2]
These translations read “the Lord… saved/delivered the people out of the land of Egypt.”
| Translation | Evidence |
|---|---|
| NIV (2011) | “that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt…” |
| KJV | “how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt…” |
| NKJV | “that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt…” |
| NCV | “Remember that the Lord saved his people…” |
| ASV | “that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt…” |
| Darby | “that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt…” |
| “The Lord once saved his people from Egypt…” | |
| HCSB / CSB | “The Lord first saved a people out of Egypt…” |
| NIrV | “The Lord saved his people. He brought them out of Egypt.” |
Why these translations use “the Lord”:
They follow later Byzantine‑type manuscripts that read κύριος
(kurios). The search results note this tradition as well.
Why the difference? (Brief textual note)
The search results summarize the textual issue well:
• Earliest manuscripts: Ἰησοῦς — “Jesus”
• Later manuscripts: κύριος — “Lord”
• A few very late manuscripts: θεός — “God” (rare)
Scholars generally consider “Jesus” the more difficult reading and therefore likely original, which is why modern critical‑text translations increasingly adopt it.
Below is a clean, scholarly, citation‑grounded chart of the Greek manuscript evidence for Jude 5, based strictly on the sources retrieved in the search results. Citations appear at the end.
📜 Greek Manuscript Evidence for Jude 5 📜
The key textual variants are:
• Ἰησοῦς — “Jesus”
• κύριος — “Lord”
• θεός — “God” (rare, late)
Manuscripts Supporting Ἰησοῦς (“Jesus”)
These are the earliest and strongest witnesses, according to the search results.
| Manuscript | Century | Text Type | Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P⁷² | 3rd/4th | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | Earliest manuscript of Jude; explicitly reads “Jesus.” |
| Codex Sinaiticus (א) | 4th | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | One of the two great uncials; supports “Jesus.” |
| Codex Vaticanus (B) | 4th | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | Highly reliable witness; reads “Jesus.” |
| Codex Alexandrinus (A) | 5th | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | Strong early support for “Jesus.” |
| Minuscule 33 | 9th | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | “Queen of the cursives.” |
| Minuscule 81 | 1044 | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | High‑quality minuscule. |
| Minuscule 1739 | 10th | Mixed/Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | Often preserves early readings. |
| Minuscule 1881 | 14th | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | Alexandrian‑leaning. |
| Old Latin (some) | Various | Western | Ἰησοῦς | Early versions support “Jesus.” |
| Vulgate (some) | 4th+ | Western | Ἰησοῦς | Certain Vulgate witnesses read “Jesus.” |
| Coptic (Sahidic, Bohairic) | 3rd–4th | Alexandrian | Ἰησοῦς | Early versions support “Jesus.” |
| Ethiopic | Early | Eastern | Ἰησοῦς | Supports “Jesus.” |
Conclusion:
The search results emphasize that the earliest and most reliable
manuscripts overwhelmingly support “Jesus.”
Manuscripts Supporting κύριος (“Lord”)
These tend to be later or secondary corrections.
| Manuscript | Century | Text Type | Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) | 5th | Mixed | κύριος | Important but often corrected; “Lord” appears here. |
| Byzantine Majority Text | 9th+ | Byzantine | κύριος | Later tradition; widespread in medieval manuscripts. |
| Some Latin versions | Various | Western | κύριος | Later Latin tradition. |
Conclusion:
“Lord” is well attested, but mostly in later
manuscripts and often considered a scribal softening of the harder
reading “Jesus.”
Manuscripts Supporting θεός (“God”)
This reading is very rare and late.
| Manuscript | Century | Text Type | Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A few late minuscules | Late medieval | Byzantine | θεός | Very weak attestation; considered secondary. |
Conclusion:
“God” is almost universally rejected as secondary and derivative.
Summary Table (All Variants)
| Reading | Strength of Evidence | Earliest Witnesses | Manuscript Families | Scholarly Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἰησοῦς (“Jesus”) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strongest |
P⁷², א, A, B | Alexandrian | Increasingly accepted as original |
| κύριος (“Lord”) | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate |
C | Byzantine | Traditional reading; likely secondary |
| θεός (“God”) | ⭐ Weak |
Very late | Byzantine | Almost certainly secondary |
Sources
• Evidence for earliest manuscripts supporting Ἰησοῦς: P⁷², A, B, א, and early versions
• Evidence for κύριος in C and Byzantine tradition
• Evidence for rare θεός reading
Media Disclaimer: Presence of video or audio recordings on this website does not
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Michael Heiser & Chuck Missler Dissect Jude 5
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1. Detailed research for this page was performed by my Microsoft Copilot. [BACK]
2. If you see “Adonai;” in Jude 5, you would be reading a Messianic version using Hebrew vocabulary, and it would be based on κύριος — “Lord” in the text; κύριος translates into Hebrew as אדֹנִ֗י — “ADONAI.” In Messianic thought, however, “ADONAI” would be an appropriate rendering of the text regardless of which of the three Greek words appear in the text. [BACK]
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