Article March 12, 1938 Issue

Bible Notes

"Living water" (Jer. 2:13)—"Living water" was the regular Hebrew term or idiom for "running water," or that which came from a spring, as opposed to that which was stagnant or held in a cistern. Compare Jesus' use of the phrase "living water" in John 4:10, which the woman of Samaria evidently understood in its everyday meaning, and in John 4:11 (see: Binns: Commentary on Jeremiah, p. 20).

"Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven" (Jer. 10:2)—Moffatt has the interesting translation: "Never learn to live like pagans, dismayed at portents in the sky;" and then goes on, "pagans are dismayed at them, but their rites are inane"—thus reading the first clause of verse 3 as forming a part of verse 2.

"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 or reverence) is befitting"—has been offered (cf. Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew 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."

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