Article May 5, 1934 Issue

Bible Notes

"Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress" (Ps. 4:1)—The Hebrew verb "rachab," here translated "enlarge," is commonly used in the sense of "to enlarge limit of territory" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 931), and hence it can also be employed "figuratively of deliverance" (ibid.); while sometimes it means "to make room for." Thus the Revised Version suggests: "Thou hast set me at large ...," while we could also read: "Thou hast made room for me. ..." Moffatt reads: "When I was hemmed in, thou hast freed me often;" and Smith has: "Thou ... didst give me room when I was in distress."

"How long will ye ... seek after leasing?" (Ps. 4:2)—The somewhat archaic English word "leasing" translates the Hebrew "kazab," "lie or falsehood" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 469). The Septuagint transltes as follows: "Wherefore do ye ... seek falsehood?"

"Make thy way straight before my face" (Ps. 5:8)—The verb rendered "make straight" has the primary meaning of "make smooth" or "make even" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 448), while "before my face" is a literal rendering of a Hebrew idiom meaning simply "before me." Compare Moffatt: "Make thy path smooth before me."

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Bible Notes

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access