Differences in Romans 8:1

What are we to make of the differences in the text (both some English and some Greek) of Romans 8:1?

What follows is an overview and lacks the detail required by experts in Biblical translation and interpretation.

In Romans 8:1 a few translations read, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."(KJV 1900)

Most more modern translations read, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (NASB)

First, here is the translator note from the NET Bible: "1 tc The earliest and best witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texts, as well as a few others (א* B D* F G 6 1506 1739 1881 pc co), have no additional words for v. 1. Later scribes (A D1 Ψ 81 365 629 pc vg) added the words μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν (mē kata sarka peripatousin, “who do not walk according to the flesh”), while even later ones (א2 D2 33vid 𝔐) added ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα (alla kata pneuma, “but [who do walk] according to the Spirit”). Both the external evidence and the internal evidence are compelling for the shortest reading. The scribes were evidently motivated to add such qualifications (interpolated from v. 4) to insulate Paul’s gospel from charges that it was characterized too much by grace. The KJV follows the longest reading found in 𝔐"

Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes, (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Ro 8:1.

Some of that may seem a bit strange. The odd symbols, letters, and numbers are references to specific manuscripts. The naming conventions are odd because there are a number of different manuscript groups and each is named using a different convention. For those who work with the manuscripts this is actually helpful. For most of us who do not, it's fairly opaque.

The New Testament is translated from Greek, as you know. Whether you are reading King James, RSV, NASB, NIV, or whatever, every one of them was translated from the Greek. I say this because some suppose that newer English language translations used the King James as their source and translated from there. This is incorrect.

The discussion below is mostly taken from "Interpreting the New Testament Text--Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis" Darrell L. Bock and Buist M. Fanning editors.

The manuscripts that constitute the primary source material for Bible translation consist of four groups, papyri, majuscules, minuscules, and lectionaries. These manuscripts are exhaustively analyzed, compared, and assembled into collections comprising the entire New Testament text in Greek. In total, there are over 5700 manuscripts (primary sources) and tens of thousands more compilations that constitute secondary sources.

There are three primary text types. The Alexandrian, the Western, and the Byzantine. The Alexandrian was produced especially in Egypt, the Western in Rome, and the Byzantine mostly in the East.

The Byzantine is the primary source for the KJV, NKJV, ESV, etc. The Alexandrian is the primary source for the newer translations such as NASB, NIV, and so on. Most scholars agree that the Alexandrian and Western text types began in the second century. The Byzantine text was a later development based largely on Western and Alexandrian manuscripts. The Byzantine text was copied in the East a great deal and displays more variations than the Alexandrian and Western.

When variants are found in the manuscripts, the variant that has the greatest claim to authenticity will be found in the earliest, best, and most geographically widespread witnesses. (There are significant additional criteria, but this will suffice for the current discussion.)

Today, the two most prominent Greek New Testaments are Westcott-Hort, 27th Edition, and UBS 4th Edition (sometimes called Nestle'-Aland). Neither of these contain "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" in Romans 8 verse 1.

Analysis of the texts points compellingly to a scribal error that was later copied by others in a few later manuscripts. The Byzantine text-type was recopied so many times by so many people in so many places in the middle East and beyond that it more often varies from the oldest and best manuscripts. So, regarding interlinears, you'll need one based on the UBS or Westcott-Hort text. That means it will be interlinear with a translation not based on the so-called "Textus Receptus" which is of Byzantine origin. KJV, NKJV, ESV, are based on "Textus Receptus" (also sometimes referred to as the "Majority Text" or "MT)." NASB, NIV, NET, CSB, etc. are based on the Alexandrian text-type.

A more approachable book than the one I've referenced above is Bill Mounce's "Why I Trust the Bible" https://amzn.to/3ZXNc1d