Did The Translators of The New World Translation Know Hebrew?

This site shows that they did!
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NWT mistake a good thing
NWT mistake actually a good thing!

In the book Holman Quick Source Guide to Understanding Creation

by Mark Whorton & Hill Robers on page 173 Chapter 19 it reads,

" In this context we must follow the lead of the Apostle Paul when he wrote: " Set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.'' ( 1 Peter.3:15)

Did you see the problem. Peter said this not Paul! So before anyone wants to point fingers at the New World Translation. Realize that they actually translated the Hebrew and made a mistake. But in this book they didn't even translate; they wrote in their common tongue!

John.1:1

In 1953, The first volume of the NWT of the Hebrew Scriptures was published, which had Leviticus 23:21 read:

"And you must proclaim on this very day Jehovah's holy convention for yourselves."

This stood for 26 years, when it was changed to:

"And you must make a proclamation on this very day; there will be a holy convention for yourselves."

Lev. 23:21 has יהיה ("there will be") which is remarkably similar to יהוה ("Jehovah"). The translators misread יהיה as יהוה and later corrected this as noted in the 8/15/79 Watchtower's notice to it's readers on page 31:

"A Correction


In making the New World Translation of Leviticus 23:21, the Hebrew יהיה (“it will be”) was misread as יהוה (“Jehovah”). Hence, the first sentence of this verse should read: “And you must make a proclamation on this very day; there will be a holy convention for yourselves.”'

The original mistake definitely shows that the translators were either working from or comparing a Hebrew text and not simply “revising” English bibles, and the revision shows that the later revisers were also checking the Hebrew.