Article December 5, 1936 Issue

Bible Notes

"In an acceptable time have I heard thee" (Isa. 49:8)—Literally, "a time of good-will, favour, acceptance" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 205); while the Hebrew term rendered "heard" is more exactly "answered" (ibid., p. 772). Consequently, Kent translates: "In a time of favor I answer thee;" while Moffatt has: "When the favouring hour comes I will answer you;" and Smith renders: "In time of favor have I answered you."

"A daily provision of the king's meat" (Dan. 1:5)—The rare word here translated "meat" is really a term borrowed from the Persian, meaning apparently "delicacies," such as would be found at the royal table (cf. Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 834). Thus Moffatt translates: "The king ordered them a daily share of the delicacies he ate and of the wine he drank."

"Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel" (Dan. 1:11)—It is evident that the King James translators took the word "Melzar" to be the name of a man; but it is now generally supposed to denote "governor," though there still remains some doubt as to the status of the official referred to (see Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 576). The Revised Version suggests "the steward," while Moffatt transltes: "Daniel said to his guardian, whom the governor of the eunuchs had put in charge of Daniel;" and Smith's rendering is: "the steward whom the chief of the Eunuchs had placed over Daniel."

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