Article March 28, 1936 Issue

Bible Notes

"Charge them that are rich . . . that they be not highminded" (I Tim. 6:17)—The Greek verb "hupselophronein," here rendered "to be highminded," means also "to be proud" (cf. Thayer: Greek Lcxicon, p. 646). Weymouth (Sth edition) suggests: "Impress on those who are rich . . . that they must not be haughty;" and Goodspeed: "Charge the rich . . . not to be arrogant;" while Moffatt has: "Charge the rich . . . not to be supercilious."

"A corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit" (Matt. 7:17)—The Greek word "sapros," rendered "corrupt" in this and the following verse, was originally used in the sense of "decayed, crumbling or rotten" (Souter: Greek Lexicon, p. 231); but McNeile contends that in this context the word does not mean " 'rotten,' for a rotten tree would produce no fruit of any kind, but 'worthless' " (Commentary on Matthew, p. 96), a meaning which Souter also records. Goodspeed suggests: "A poor tree bears bad fruit;" Weymouth: "A worthless tree produces bad fruit;" while Moffatt prefers: "A rotten tree bears bad fruit."

"Man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7)—The term "nephesh," here rendered "soul," is used in a wide variety of senses in Hebrew, being often employed to denote "life or soul," while in other passages it signifies rather "self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, passion" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 659). Moffatt translates: "This was how man became a living being."

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