I’ve already talked a little about how Greek was not specially created by God for the New Testament. That myth was popular before the late nineteenth century, and it remains influential to this day. A similar myth claims that the traditional Hebrew Old Testament (the Masoretic text) deserves special sacred status. It doesn’t, and being influenced by that idea can hinder your Bible study.
There are several tools that can help English readers with the original languages. Other tools guide English readers to what various manuscripts say that might diverge from something in their translation. Manuscript copies of the Hebrew Old Testament have slight variations, none of which affect central doctrines, and Bible translations will sometimes note these small wording changes. If you think the traditional Hebrew text is sacrosanct, these tools won’t help you.
The myth claims that the Hebrew text hasn’t changed since its original composition—that the ancient Jewish scribes, the Masoretes, didn’t change a letter. The Dead Sea scrolls are often rolled out to make this argument. But it’s a myth, and the scrolls themselves demonstrate that.
The problem with the myth is that the work of the Masoretes only began around AD 100, when the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) was standardized by the Jewish religious authorities. There were various manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible in existence prior to that time. The most important one is the text from which the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, was created. The Septuagint was very popular with early Christians and, naturally, with the writers of the New Testament. It was popular because it was a Greek translation. However, the Hebrew text from which the Septuagint was translated and the text known today as the Masoretic text differ in some ways.
The rabbis wanted a standardized text for their community. So in AD 100 they took the existing texts and used them to produce a single text that would be copied down from that point on. That’s the Masoretic text. The Dead Sea Scrolls preserve differences from other texts. Those other texts are where many of the marginal notes in your study Bible come from.
My point is this: don’t be afraid to seriously entertain an alternative textual reading in your Bible’s footnotes. You might be returning to the original reading.