Article March 9, 1935 Issue

Bible Notes

"The Lord pondereth the hearts" (Prov. 21:2)—The Hebrew verb here rendered "ponder" means more exactly "to regulate, measure, estimate" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 1067). The Revised Version suggests: "The Lord weigheth the hearts;" and Smith: "The Lord weighs the motives."

"The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death" (Prov. 21:6)—The term translated "vanity" means literally "vapour or breath" (Brown, etc., cit., p. 210); moreover, there is some uncertainty as to the original text of the last few words of the verse. Thus, while Moffatt reads: "A man making money by fraud chases a bubble to his own doom," Smith suggests: "He who gains treasures by a lying tongue, is chasing a vapor to snares of death."

"The way of man is froward and strange" (Prov. 21:8)—The term rendered "froward" means more exactly "crooked" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 246), while the Hebrew consonants "WZR" can be read either "Wa ZaR" ("and strange," as in our Common Version), or else, "WaZaR" (criminal, guilty); thus we find the rendering: "Crooked is the way of the guilty man" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 255). Moffatt, however, seems to prefer the reading "ZD" (insolent), instead of "WZR" (guilty). Thus Moffatt renders: "The insolent follow a crooked course."

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