Article January 11, 1936 Issue

Bible Notes

"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God" (John 11:4)—Moffatt offers the interesting rendering: "This illness is not to end in death; the end of it is the glory of God."

"The Lord is the strength of my life" (Ps. 27:1)—The word "ma'oz," here rendered "strength," can also mean "a place of safety" and so "a fortress or refuge" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 732). Consequently, Moffatt prefers to translate: "The Eternal is the fortress of my life;" and Smith: "The Lord is the refuge of my life;" while the Septuagint Version has, "the defender."

"To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple" (Ps. 27:4)—The Hebrew word here rendered "beauty" can also mean "pleasantness or charm," as well as "kindness or favor" (cf. Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 218); while an alternative rendering of the verb translated "inquire" would be "consider" (margin of the Revised Version); "consider with pleasure" (Feyerabend: op. cit., p. 46). Some authorities, however, contend that at an early date in the history of the text a scribe mistook the form "BBQR" (in the morning) for "LBQR" (to inquire); consequently, Moffatt translates: "a vision of the Eternal's goodness in the temple at the morning hour;" and Briggs (Commentary on Psalms, Vol. I, p. 237): "to gaze on the loveliness of Yahweh in the morning in his temple." Smith, however, prefers to retain the familiar rendering of the King James translators, while the Genevan Version has: "to beholde the beauty of the Lord, and to visite his temple."

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