Article November 17, 1934 Issue

Bible Notes

"The word of God is quick, and powerful" (Hebr. 4:12)—It may be observed that the word "quick" is here employed in its more archaic sense of "living," and a literal rendering of the Greek would be: "The word of God is living and active" (cf. Thayer: Greek Lexicon, pp. 215, 269). Weymouth (5th edition) translates: "The word of God is full of life and power;" Goodspeed: "The message of God is a living and active force;" while Moffatt renders: "The Logos of God is a living thing, active and more cutting than any sword with double edge."

"After the rudiments of the world" (Col. 2:8)—The Greek word "stoicheia," here rendered "rudiments," has a variety of meanings, and like our word "elements," which sometimes translates it (e.g. Gal. 4:9), it can refer either to "the material elements of the universe" or to "the rudiments of knowledge" (Abbott-Smith: Greek Lexicon, p. 418)—as we would say "the ABC" (cf. Thayer: op. cit., p. 589). Goodspeed translates: "Following material ways of looking at things;" and Weymouth: "Following the world's crude notions;" while Moffatt renders the complete verse as follows: "Beware of anyone getting hold of you by means of a theosophy which is specious make-believe, on the lines of human tradition corresponding to the elemental spirits of the world and not to Christ."

"In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9)—Commentators contend that the word "theotes," here translated "Godhead," denotes "the Divine nature" (Abbott: Ephesians and Colossians, p. 248). Hence Weymouth reads: "For it is in Christ that the fulness of God's nature dwells embodied;" while Goodspeed, connecting this verse with the opening clause of verse 10, renders: "For it is in him that all the fulness of God's nature lives embodied, and in union with him you too are filled with it."

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