Article June 11, 1938 Issue

Bible Notes

"Ye heavens of heavens" (Ps. 148:4)—Some authorities cansider this as practically quivalent in meaning to "the highest heaven," in accord with a well-known Hebrew idiom. A parallel to this usage is found in the phrase "vanity of vanities" (cf. Eccl. 1:2), which is taken as implying absolute vanity; while in Exodus 26:33 what is literally "holy of holies" is rendered "most holy" in our Common Version. (Cf. Davidson: Hebrew Syntax, p. 49.)

"If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may he wise" (I Cor. 3:18)—The Greek verb "dokeo," here rendered "seem," is very often used in the sense of "think or suppose" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 154). Consequently we could translate: "If any man among you imagines that he is wise." The Revised Version has: "If any man thinketh that he is wise among you;" and Moffatt: "Whoever of you imagines he is wise with this world's wisdom become a a "fool,' if he is really to be wise."

"It is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness" (I Cor. 3:19)—The quotation is from Job 5:13. The Greek word "panourgia," which is here rendered "craftiness," could also be translated "cleverness," but since, as a rule, the word implies that such "cleverness" has behind it an evil motive, the translation of our Common Version appears to bring out clearly the sense of the passage. Weymouth (5th edition), bearing in mind the fact that the Greek preposition "en," here rendered "in," not seldom has the force of "with," suggests: "He snares the wise with their own cunning."