Revelation 13:8, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
This day (14th January) in 1643 John Bois, one of the key translators of the Authorized Version of the Bible, died in Ely, England. He had been able to read the Hebrew Bible from the age of five and taught Greek at Cambridge for many years.
When the translation committee came to Revelation 13:8 there were various views as to whether the phrase "from the foundation of the world" referred to the "book of life" or to "the Lamb slain". John Bois however was quite clear in his own mind. He said, “since all translators, as far as I know, and a good portion of the commentators both ancient and modern, regard this passage as pertaining to the eternity of the sacrifice of Christ, I do not deem it prudent to institute anew anything in a matter so commonplace and spread abroad." His view prevailed and the AV translation has, "the lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
“He may be said to be "slain from the foundation of the world"; in the decree and purpose of God, by which he was set forth, or foreappointed to be the propitiation for sin, and was foreordained, before the foundation of the world, to redeem his people by his blood... and in the promise of God... it reached to all the saints from the beginning of the world, for the justification of their persons, the atonement of their sins, and cleansing from them; for the remission of sins, that are past, and for the redemption of transgressions under the first testament; for Old Testament saints from the beginning are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, as New Testament ones are.” (John Gill)
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