Bible Notes
"Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24 )—A more literal translation of the Greek would be, "that your joy may be fulfilled." Weymouth (fifth edition) suggests the rendering: "Ask, and you shall receive, that your hearts may be filled with gladness;" and Westcott: "that your joy may be fulfilled;" though Goodspeed prefers: "so that your happiness may be complete;" and the Twentieth Century New Testament: "so that your joy may be complete."
"These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs" (John 16:25 )—It may be noted that the Greek word which is here rendered "proverbs" (cf. also verse 29) occurs in the singular in John 10:6, where it is translated "parable." The Greek term corresponds closely in meaning and in usage to the Hebrew word "mashal," which can signify "proverb, parable, allegory, riddle, comparison," etc. Goodspeed well suggests the general sense of the passage when he translates: "I have said all this to you in figurative language;" while Moffatt has: "I have told you this in figures;" and Weymouth: "All this I have spoken to you in veiled language."
"Do ye now believe?" (John 16:31 )—The Greek phrase can be taken either as a question, as in our Common Version and in most modern renderings, or as a statement. Choosing the latter alternative, Weymouth renders: " 'You believe me now,' replied Jesus, 'but mark! the time is coming.' "
"This is my blood of the new testament" (Matt. 26:28 )—The Greek word "diatheke," which is here rendered "testament," can also be translated "covenant," and it is instructive to note the Jewish belief, expressed, for instance,in Exodus 24:6–8, that a covenant should be scaled or ratified by the shedding of blood. It may be observed that the Sinaitic and Vatican manuscripts, as well as others, omit the word rendered "new" in Matthew 26:28. Goodspeed translates: "This is my blood which ratifies the agreement;" and Weymouth: "This is my blood ... the blod of the Covenant;" while Moffatt has: "This means my blood, the new covenant-blood."
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 )—Dr. Macgregor points out that the "use of the word 'friend' ... does not necessarily narrow the love-circle for whom Christ [Jesus] is thought to die; rather does it emphasize the intimacy of the love.... The Evangelist stresses the peculiar love of Jesus to 'his own,' but not at all to the exclusion of 'the world' from his love" (The Gospel of John, p. 289f.); while Westcott notes that here "love is contemplated from the side of him who feels it, so that the objects of it are spoken of as 'friends,' that is, 'loved by him' " (op. cit., p. 205).
"I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end" (Ps. 119:112 )—The words "even unto" are not represented in the original, which at that point has a single Hebrew word which may mean "end" or "reward" or "footprint" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 784). Consequently, Moffatt prefers to translate the passage as follows: "I set myself to execute thine orders ever, at every step;" and Kent: "In incline my heart to keep thy statutes as an eternal reward;" though Smith prefers: "I incline my heart to execute thy statutes, henceforth forever."
"Great peace have they which love thy law" (Ps. 119:165 )—In Hebrew, the term "shalom," which is here rendered "peace," can also mean "prosperity," so the Genevan Version (1560) and the Bishops' Bible (1568) suggest: "They that love thy lawe shall have great prosperitie." Similarly, Smith translates: "Great prosperity have they who love thy law;" while Moffatt has: "Right well they fare who love thy law."
"With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12 )—The Hebrew verb rendered "compass" can mean to "surround," but is also closely connected with a root which means "crown" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 742). Kent suggests the rendering: "Thou coverest him over as with a shield, with favor crownest him;" and Moffatt: "shielding them safe, crowning them with thy favour;" though Smith's rendering is more askin to that of our Common Version: "Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield."
"The chief priests held a consultation with ... the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate" (Mark 15:1 )—The "council" here referred to is what was called the "Sanhedrin," and its functions were chiefly judicial. This council had already passed sentence of death on Christ Jesus (Mark 14:64), but it possessed no authority to carry this sentence into execution "except as approved and ordered by the representative of the Roman government" (New Standard Bible Dictionary, p. 155). Thus the Sanbedrin "delivered him to Pilate," not because they had any doubts concerning the Master's guilt, but simply with a view to having their own judgment officially confirmed by Rome.
"Children, have ye any meat?" (John 21:5 )—The Greek term "prosphagion" is not restricted in meaning to "meat" in the modern sense of "animal flesh," but has reference to "anything eaten with bread"—in this case, apparently, "fish" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 550). The American Revised Version has simply: "Have ye aught to eat?" but Goodspeed, more specifically, "Have you any fish?" Moffatt prefers to render: "Have you got anything?"
"Come and dine" (John 21:12 )—More literally, "Come and breakfast," for as Dr. Plummer observes (Commentary on St. John, p. 371), "the meal indicated is not the principal meal of the day (deipnon), but the morning meal (ariston) or breakfast." Consequently, Goodspeed renders: "Come and have breakfast;" Weymouth: "Come to breakfast"; while Moffatt has: "Come and breakfast."
