Article May 30, 1936 Issue

Bible Notes

"Who would not fear thee . . .? for to thee doth it appertain" (Jer. 10:7)—The word rendered "appertain" means more literally "be fitting" and so the translation "for thee it (i.e., fear) is befitting" has been suggested (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Heberw Lexicon, p. 383). Hence, Moffatt has: "Who would not revere thee? For reverence is thy due;" and Smith: "Who would not reverence thee? . . for this is thy due."

"He . . . hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion" (Jer. 10:12)—The Hebrew word "tebunah," which is here rendered "discretion," is commonly employed in the sense of "insight, understanding, intelligence" (cf. Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 366); hence the Revised Version has: "By his understanding"; and Moffatt suggests: "By his knowledge spread heaven out."

"Every man is brutish in his knowledge" (Jer. 10:14)—A literal rendering would be: "Every man is stupid from (or 'on account of') knowledge," but the Hebrew preposition rendered "from" can also mean "apart from or without" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 577ff.); hence Smith renders: "Every man is stupid and senseless."

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