Article May 12, 1934 Issue

Bible Notes

"Our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20)—The Greek word "politeuma," translated "conversation" in our Common Version, means literally "commonwealth, or community"; but according to the evidence of certain early papyrus manuscripts it seems often to have been used in New Testament times in the metaphorical sense of "citizenship" (Moulton and Milligan: Vocabulary of New Testament Greek, p. 526). Hence the translation of the American Revised Version: "Our citizenship is in heaven;" and Weymouth: "We ... are free citizens of heaven." Goodspeed, however, prefers to read: "The commonwealth to which we belong is in heaven."

"If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands" (II Cor. 5:1)—It may be noted that the phrase translated "of God" is literally "from God." Moffatt reads: "If this earthly tent of mine is taken down, I get a home from God, made by no human hands;" and Goodspeed: "If this earthly tent that I live in is taken down, God will provide me a building in heaven to live in, not built by human hands."

"I see another law in my members" (Rom. 7:23)—The Greek term translated "members" is the regular word for the limbs or parts of the human body; so the Twentieth Century New Testament prefers to translate "throughout my body." Weymouth (5th Edition) reads: "I discover in my faculties a different law."

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