Bible Notes

"Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it" (Job 28:1)—The term translated "vein" means literally "a place of going forth, a source," and is often taken, in this context, to mean "a place whence silver comes, 'a mine' " (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 425); while the second clause is more literally "a place for [the] gold they refine." Moffatt translates: "For silver there are mines, and places for refining gold;" and Smith: "Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where they refine gold."

"Brass is molten out of the stone" (Job 28:2)—The term rendered "brass" is more exactly "copper." "Brass," as the term is now employed in English, is, of course, an alloy, and not obtainable from ore.

"Jewels of fine gold" (Job 28:17)—The word "jewels" in modern usage commonly means "precious stones," but the word "keli," used in the original, denotes literally "articles, utensils, vessels" in a general sense, though it was often employed in the meaning of "precious things, ornaments" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 479). The margin of the Revised Version translates: "vessels of fine gold;" and Smith: "articles of fine gold."

"O Zion, that bringest good tidings ... O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings" (Isa. 40:9)—The idiom of the original permits a slightly different sense suggested by the Revised Version: "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion ... O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem." Similarly Moffatt translates: "O herald of happiness to Sion ... O herald of happiness to Jerusalem;" and Smith: "O heralds of good news to Zion ... to Jerusalem."

"Meted out heaven with the span" (Isa. 40:12)—Literally, a "span" is the "distance between the ends of the thumb and the little finger of the outspread hand" and was commonly reckoned as equivalent to half a cubit, the cubit being usually counted at eighteen (or sometimes twenty-two) inches, the approximate distance from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow of a grown man. Compare the Greek "pechus," which means either "forearm" or "cubit" (cf. Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 285). Smith translates: "Ruled off the heavens with a span."

"Vanity" (Isa. 40:17)—This represents the Hebrew "tohu," translated "without form" in Genesis 1:2; and it may be noted that it is no way connected with the word for "vanity" so characteristic of the book of Ecclesiastes. "Tohu" means literally "formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 1062). Moffatt translates the verse: "Before him all nations are as nothing; to him they are but empty and inane;" and Smith: "All the nations are as nothing before him, blank ciphers he counts them;" while Kent has: " ... they are reckoned by him as void and nothingness."

"The counsel of the Lord ... the thoughts of his heart" (Ps. 33:11)—The word rendered "counsel" can also be translated "design or purpose" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 420), while the term "machsheboth" (thoughts) often has the sense of "devises, plans, purposes" (ibid., p. 364). Hence Moffatt is justified in rendering the verse: "But the Eternal's purpose stands for ever, and what he plans will last from age to age."

"The blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18)—The Greek word "porosis," here rendered "blindness," meant originally "the covering with a callous, hardening" (Abbott-Smith: Greek Lexicon); hence, in a metaphorical sense, "obtuseness, stubbornness, obduracy" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 559). So Goodspeed has, "their obstinacy of heart;" Weymouth, "the insensibility of their moral nature;" Moffatt, "their dulness of heart;" while the Twentieth Century New Testament has "hardness."

"Conversation" (Eph. 4:22)—The word "anastrophe," thus translated, means rather "manner of life, behaviour, conduct" (Abbott-Smith, op. cit., p. 34). Goodspeed expresses the sense by the word "habits"; Moffatt, "course of life"; and Weymouth, "mode of life."

"Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God" (Rom. 12:1)—This is a literal translation of the Greek and is followed with little variation by most modern translators. Moffatt renders: "Dedicate your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated and acceptable to God."

"Which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1)—Scholars contend that the word "latreia," while it generally means "service of any kind" in Classical Greek (cf. Liddell and Scott: Greek Lexicon, p. 878), is used in the New Testament in the special sense of worship rendered to God (Thayer, op. cit., p. 372); consequently the reference here would seem to be to the "worship that is rendered by reason or soul" (ibid., p. 379). So the margin of the Revised Version renders it: "Which is your spiritual worship;" Goodspeed: "That is your rational worship;" and Weymouth: "A spiritual mode of worship."

"Be not conformed to this world" (Rom. 12:2)—The word rendered "world" can also be translated "age." Goodspeed has, "You must not adopt the customs of this world."

"He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity" (Rom. 12:8)—The Greek term rendered "simplicity" can also be translated "singleness, sincerity, mental honesty;" while some have suggested that it connotes "openness of heart, manifesting itself by benefactions," hence "liberality" (cf. Thayer: op. cit., p. 57 and the margin of the Revised Version). Weymouth has: "One who gives should be liberal;" Moffatt: "The contributor must be liberal."

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