Article January 28, 1939 Issue

Bible Notes

"Sychar, near to the parcel of ground the Jacob gave to his son Joseph" (John 4:5)—Genesis 33:19 informs us that Jacob acquired this ground, on which in the course of his wanderings he had "spread his tent," from "the children of Hamor, Shechem's father," paying for it the sum of "an hundred pieces of money;" and there he erected an altar (verse 20), while in Joshua 24:32 it is confirmed that "it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph."

"Keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called" (I Tim. 6:20)—A literal translation would read: "Guard the deposit, turning away from common empty discussion and oppositions of knowledge." It is interesting to note that the Greek word rendered "opposition" is "antithesis"; while "that which is committed to thy trust" represents only two Greek words, which are rendered "the deposit" (or "the security") on the authority of early Greek papyrus manuscripts (see Moulton and Milligan: Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament, pp. 483ff.). Hence Moffatt translates: "Keep the securities of the faith intact: avoid the profane jargon and contradictions of what is falsely called Knowledge.'"

"The people ... gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did" (Acts 8:6)—The Greek word "semeia," here translated "miracles," is the regular term for "signs," and is thus rendered in the Revised Version and other translations. The rendering of our common version would suggest that the people heard the miracles as well as saw them; but Weymouth's rendering implies a slightly different sense: "Crowds of people ... gave attention to what they heard from him, listening, and witnessing the signs which he wrought."

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