Article November 12, 1938 Issue

Bible Notes

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly" (I Thess. 5:23)—More literally, "And the God of peace himself" (American Standard Version). It may be noted that the word translated "wholly" means literally "altogether perfect" or "complete in all respects" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 444). Goodspeed translates: "May God himself, the giver of peace, consecrate you through and through;" Moffatt gives the following: "May the God of peace consecrate you through and through;" while Weymouth (fifth edition) has: "May the God of peace Himself make you entirely holy."

"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen" (Col. 2:18)—The Greek term "thelon," here rendered "voluntary," is properly a participle meaning literally "willing," and so "fixing one's will on, sticking resolutely to" (cf. Souter: Greek Lexicon, p. 109); and the word translated "humility" can also mean "meekness" (ibid., p. 257). Then, too, the verb here rendered "to rob of one's reward" was used originally of the adverse decisions made by an umpire or referee in a contest, and had the primary meaning of "to decide against, take part against," and so "to condemn" (ibid., p. 125). Moreover, the word "not" in the phrase "he hath not seen" is not found in the most authoritative of the early manuscripts, such as the Vatican and Alexandrian codices; while the original scribe of the Sinaitic manuscript also omitted it. (See Souter: Novum Testamentum Graece.) Hence one could translate the verse: "Let no one condemn you when he insists on meekness and the worship of angels, studying minutely the things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his human mind." Goodspeed suggests: "No one can put you in the wrong by persisting in studied humility and the worship of angels, being absorbed in the visions he has seen, and groundlessly conceited over his mere human mind;" and Moffatt: "Let no one lay down rules for you as he pleases, with regard to fasting and the cult of angels, presuming on his visions and inflated by his sensuous notions."

"Not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God" (Col. 2:19)—An alternative and somewhat simpler rendering would be: "Not holding fast to the Head, from which the whole body is supplied, being held together by joints and ligaments, and grows with a growth which is divine." Goodspeed has: "Such people lose their connection with the head, from which the whole body through its ligaments and sinews must be governed and united if it is to grow in the divine way;" while Moffatt suggests: "Instead of keeping in touch with that Head under whom the entire Body, supplied with joints and sinews and thus compacted, grows with growth divine;" and Weymouth: "Such a one does not keep his hold upon Christ, from whom the body, in all its parts nourished and strengthened by its points of contact and its connexions, grows with a divine growth."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

Christian Science was brought to me at a time of great...