Article March 31, 1934 Issue

Bible Notes

"He will swallow up death in victory" (Isa. 25:8)—A more literal rendering of the Hebrew adverbial idiom "la-netsach" would be "for ever" (see Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 221). And the verb may be read in the past, owing to the ambiguity of the tenses in the original. This explains the translation of The Revised Version: "He hath swallowed up death for ever." Moffatt renders: "Displacing death forevermore"; and Smith: "He will destroy death forever." Nevertheless, the familiar rendering "in victory" may well be defended on the ground that it appears to summarize the various meanings of the noun "netsach," which include: "perpetuity, splendour, glory, truth, power, firmness, confidence." (Cf. Feyerabend: loc. cit.)

"God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:34)—It is of interest to note that the words "unto him" are not found in the original manuscripts; hence the statement would appear to be of wider application than is suggested by the rendering of our Common Version. Then, too, the Sinaitic and Vatican Manuscripts omit the Greek term which we translate "God"; and the passage, as they record it, thus admits of two possible translations: "He giveth not the Spirit by measure," or, "The Spirit giveth not by measure" (Cf. Plummer: "St. John"; p. 102). Weymouth renders: "For He does not give the Spirit with limitations;" and the Revised Version: "For he giveth not the Spirit by measure." Moffatt, however, follows more closely the rendering favored by the Authorized Version: "God gives him the spirit in no sparing measure."

"I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms" (Hosea 11:3)—There is some doubt as to the original text of the Hebrew in this verse; but a literal translation, following in part the testimony of the Greek and Syriac Versions of the Old Testament, reads: "Yet I taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms." Moffatt translates: "Yet I taught Ephraim to walk, holding them in my arms;" and Smith offers a similar rendering. (Cf. Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 920; Kittel: "Biblia Hebraica"; and Bagster's Edition of the Septuagint.)

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