Article May 8, 1937 Issue

Bible Notes

"Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you" (Rom. 8:9)—It may be observed that when, in the Greek New Testament, "sarx" (flesh) is referred to in distinction from "pneuma" (Spirit), it often denotes "mere human nature, the earthly part of man apart from divine influence" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 571), or the supposed material substance of the body (cf. Souter: Greek Lexicon, p. 232); while it appears that the Greek "eiper" (if so be) can mean either "if indeed" or "since." Consequently, one would be justified in translating: "You are not material but spiritual, since God's Spirit dwells within you." Goodspeed renders: "You are not physical but spiritual, if God's Spirit has really taken possession of you;" and Moffatt: "You are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells within you;" while Weymouth (fifth edition) translates verses 8 and 9 as follows: "Those who obey the lower nature cannot please God. You, however, are not absorbed in such things, but in things spiritual, if the Spirit of God is dwelling in you."

"Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God" (Deut. 18:13)—The word in the original, usually translated "perfect," as here, can also be rendered "complete, healthful, sound, wholesome, blameless, innocent" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 1071); while Kent takes it as meaning "without blemish." Commentators contend that the preposition which is literally translated "with" means, in this particular passage, "'in dealing' or 'in converse with,' almost 'towards'" (Driver: Deuteronomy, p. 227). Moffatt offers the rendering: "Before the Eternal your God you must be blameless;" and Smith: "You must be absolutely true to the Lord your God;" while Bagster's translation of the Septuagint has: "Thou shalt be perfect before the Lord thy God." It may be added that the word translated "perfect" in Deuteronomy 18:13, is rendered "upright" in Psalms 37:18.

"Them that have familiar spirits, and ... wizards" (Isa. 8:19)—Professor S. R. Driver holds that the word "oboth," here rendered "them that have familiar spirits," has the literal meaning of "ghosts"; while that which is translated "wizards" means literally "knowers," in other words, supposed spirits thought to impart supernatural knowledge through the instrumentality of what would be called in modern parlance "a medium." "Those who divine by the former (oboth—'ghosts') profess to call up any ghost; those who divine by the latter (yideonim—'knowers, or, wise spirits') consult only the particular spirit which is their 'familiar'" (Driver: Commentary on Deuteronomy, p. 226). Moffatt renders: "Mediums and ghosts"; and Smith: "Ghosts and spirits."

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