"The heaven of heavens" (Deut. 10:14)—Some scholars take this as equivalent to "the highest heaven," in accord with a well-known Hebrew idiom. Compare such phrases as: "Holy of holies" ("most holy"—Ex. 26:33); "vanity of vanities" (i.e., absolute vanity) in Ecclesiastes 1:2 (see Davidson: Hebrew Syntax, p. 49). Moffatt renders: "the highest heaven"; and Smith: "the highest heavens."

"Six cubits and a span" (I Sam. 17:4)—The cubit (literally "forearm") was the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, and is generally counted as from 18 to 21 inches; while the "span"—the distance from the tip of the thumb to that of the little finger of the outstretched hand—is reckoned as equivalent to half a cubit. In other words, Goliath's height must have been somewhere between 9 feet 9 inches, and 11 feet 4 inches. (Cf. Kirkpatrick: Cambridge Bible, "I Samuel," p. 153.)

"He was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass" (I Sam. 17:5)—The Hebrew word translated "coat" is taken to mean "body-armour, perhaps more exactly breastarmour" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 1056). The term translated "mail" is "kashkashim," ordinarily used to describe the "scales" of a fish (cf. Lev. 11:9), but here evidently referring to "scale like plates" of "brass" or rather bronze (Brown, etc., loc. cit.), used to form the giant's defensive armor. Driver notes that "5000 shekels of bronze was probably about 200 pounds avoirdupois" (Notes on the Hebrew Text of Samuel, p. 139); while Kirkpatrick contends that what Goliath wore was " 'a cuirass of scales' made of overlapping plates of metal, protecting the body down to the knees" (I and II Samuel, p. 140), adding that "armour of this kind is represented in the Assyrian sculptures." Moffatt translates: "He wore a bronze breast-plate of scaled armour, weighing about 200 pounds."

"And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him" (I Sam. 17:32)—The Hebrew preposition " 'al" here rendered "because of" is often translated "within" in other passages of our Common Version (cf. Psalm 42:6—"My soul is cast down 'within' ['al] me"). Hence the rendering of the margin of the Revised Version: "Let no man's heart fail within him."

"Saul armed David with his armour" (I Sam. 17:38)—The words employed in the original are used with reference to clothing rather than to armor; hence the Revised Version has: "Saul clad David with his apparel;" and Smith: "Saul clothed David with his garments."

"A scrip" (I Sam. 17:40)—This is the only place in the Old Testament in which the Hebrew word occurs. It appears to mean a small bag or wallet (literally "a collector"). (See Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 545; and Hastings' Bible Dictionary, Vol. IV, p. 423; also Kirkpatrick: "I and II Samuel," p. 160.) The English word occurs again in our Common Version of Matthew 10:10. In I Samuel Moffatt suggests the rendering "knapsack," and Kent "shepherd's bag."

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" (Matt. 19:24)—As is well known, Jesus ordinarily spoke Aramaic, and it is interesting to note that in modern Aramaic (also known as Syriac) the word "gamla" means either "rope or cable" or "camel"; hence "it is easier for a rope to enter the eye of a needle ..." may well be the correct translation. (See Lamsa: "My Neighbor Jesus," p. 62.)

"Miracles" (John 3:2)—The Greek term "semeia" means literally "signs," though here, as in many other passages in the Fourth Gospel, it is rendered "miracles" (cf. John 2:11; 4:54; 6:2, etc.). Hence the Revised Version, Moffatt, Goodspeed, Weymouth, and the Twentieth Century New Testament render "signs."

"Except a man be born again" (John 3:3)—The Greek word "anothen," used here and in verse 7, may be correctly translated "again"; but an alternative, and slightly more literal rendering is "from above" (see Abbott-Smith: Greek Lexicon, p. 43). So we find: "Except a man be born anew" (Revised Version); "Unless a man is born anew" (Weymouth); "Unless a man is reborn" (Twentieth Century); while Moffatt and the margin of the Revised Version have "from above." Goodspeed combines both renderings, reading: "I tell you no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born over again from above."

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; ... of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6)—It may be noted that when "sarx" (flesh) is opposed to "pneuma" (Spirit), it generally denotes "mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 571). Goodspeed translates: "Whatever owes its birth to the physical is physical and whatever owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual;" and the Twentieth Century New Testament: "All that owes its birth to human nature is human, and all that owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual."

"Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17)—It is of interest to note that the Greek verb "bastazein," while it often means "to carry or bear," can also denote "to bear away, to carry off," and Thayer contends that as employed in this context the verb means "to take away or remove [diseases] by curing them" (op. cit., p. 99); while the same authority holds that "lambanein," rendered "to take" in our Common Version, denotes here "to take away, remove" (ibid., p. 390). Then the term rendered "infirmity" means literally "lack of strength." Hence we could translate: "He himself removed our weaknesses and took away our diseases."