Article August 8, 1936 Issue

Bible Notes

"Thou ... canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13)—The term "'amal," here translated "iniquity," has the primary meaning of "labor or toil," but was often employed to signify "trouble, misery, sorrow, suffering," besides "mischief, wrong, oppression" (cf. Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 251). Moffatt has: "Thou canst not look on at oppression;" while the margin of the Authorized Version suggests the rendering "grievance," since the word "'amal" is thus translated in verse 3. The American Revised Version has "perverseness" and the Septuagint, "grievous afflictions."

"O Zion, that bringest good tidings, ... O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings" (Isa. 40:9)—The idiom of the original permits a somewhat different sense, suggested by the American Revised Version: "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, ... O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem." Similarly, Smith translates: "O heralds of good news to Zion, ... to Jerusalem;" while Kent has: "To a high mountain, get thee up, Zion's herald of good news; lift up mightly thy voice, Jerusalem's herald of good news."

"The Lord God will come with strong hand" (Isa. 40:10)—The word "hand" is not represented in the original, but has been supplied by the translators, to complete their concept of the sense. However, when we recall that Hebrew was originally written without vowels, we are justified in reading "CHoZeK" (strength) instead of "CHaZaK" (strong), as did those who prepared the Septuagint Version some two hundred and fifty years B.C., and who translate: "The Lord is coming with strength." Moffatt has: "Here is the Eternal coming in power;" while Smith renders: "with might"; and Kent: "in might."

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