Article October 10, 1936 Issue

Bible Notes

"Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true" (Hebr. 9:24)—The Greek word "antitupa," here rendered "figures," means more exactly "things formed after some pattern" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 51). Goodspeed suggests: "For it was not a sanctuary made by human hands and only copied after the true one that Christ entered;" and Moffatt: "Christ has not entered a holy place which human hands have made (a mere type of the reality!)."

"Hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us" (Eph. 2:14)—The words rendered "the middle wall of partition" are literally "the middle wall of the fence," and so "the middle wall that acts as a fence" (ef. Thayer: op. cit., pp. 402 and 657). Moffatt has: "destroyed the barrier which kept us apart;" and Weymouth (fifth edition): "has broken down the hostile dividing wall." It is now generally agreed that Paul took the metaphor from the partition separating the "court of the Gentiles" from the sacred precincts of the temple at Jerusalem—so separating Jew and Gentile. (Cf. verse 11.)

"My servant shall deal prudently" (Isa. 52:13)—The Hebrew verb here translated "deal prudently" has various shades of meaning, including "to have insight, intelligence, or understanding; to prosper" (ef. Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 332). The Septuagint translates the verse: "Behold, my servant shall understand, and be exalted and glorified exceedingly."

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