Article January 7, 1939 Issue

Bible Notes

"If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" (John 8:51)—The Greek negative employed in this verse is even stronger than is suggested in the familiar rendering of our Common Version; and a literal translation, as Dr. Plummer notes (Commentary on John, p. 194), would be: "... shall certainly not behold death for ever." Moreover, the same commentator observes that " 'for ever' belongs, like the negative, to the verb, not to 'death.' It does not mean, 'he shall see death, but the death shall not be eternal;' rather 'he shall certainly never see death,' i.e., he already has eternal life (verse 24) and shall never lose it." Goodspeed has: "If anyone observes my teaching, he will never experience death."

"Ye have not known him; but I know him" (John 8:55)—In the original we find two Greek verbs with a significant difference between them, though both are here rendered "know." The first of these is a word which means rather to "recognize, to come to know, to learn;" while the second means to "know by intuition, to know naturally, or instinctively." Thus Plummer has: "Ye have not recognized him; but I know him." Goodspeed suggests: "You have never come to know him. But I know him;" and Moffatt: "You do not understand him. I know him."

"Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58)—A literal translation would be, "Before Abraham was born, I am." As early as the sixteenth century, Cranmer gave the rendering: "Ere Abraham was born, I am;" while among modern translators, Goodspeed has: "I existed before Abraham was born;" Moffatt: "I have existed before Abraham was born;" and Weymouth: "Before Abraham came into existence, I am."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

With a heart filled with gratitude and love for our dear...