Article April 18, 1936 Issue

Bible Notes

"A lively hope" (I Pet. 1:3)—The word rendered "lively" is the regular Greek term for "living" (Zosan). Thus Weymouth (5th edition) renders: "a living hope"; and Moffatt and Goodspeed: "a life of hope."

"If in this life only we have hope in Christ" (I Cor. 15:19)—This translation would seem to suggest that "only" definitely modifies "in this life." However, many scholars contend that the order of the words in the original is "decisive against the rendering 'in this life only'" (Edwards: Commentary on First Corinthians, p. 407; compare Robertson and Plummer: First Corinthians, p. 350). In the Greek, "only" most naturally refers to "we have hope" (i.e., hope without faith or understanding) "in Christ." Weymouth has: "if in this present life we have had nothing more than a hope in Christ;" and Moffatt: "if in this life we have nothing but a mere hope in Christ." Goodspeed, however, prefers: "If we have centered our hopes on Christ in this life, and that is all, we are the most pitiable people in the world."

"Woe unto the wicked! . . . for the reward of his hands shall be given him" (Isa. 3:11)—Literally, "For the dealing of his hands shall be done to him" (cf. Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 168). Smith translates: "For the work of their hands shall be paid back to them;" while Moffatt reads: "Woe to the villain . . . undone by all that he has done!"

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