Article June 24, 1939 Issue

Bible Notes

"The only wise God" (I Tim. 1:17)—In a number of the earliest and most authoritative of the manuscripts of our New Testament, such as the Sinaitic, Alexandrian, and Bezan Codices, the term rendered "wise" is omitted from this verse. Its inclusion in some manuscripts has been explained as an effort to bring this into conformity with Paul's reference in Romans 16:27 (Revised Version) to "the only wise God" (see Souter: Novum Testamentum Graece). In I Timothy 1:17 Moffatt and the Revised Version have simply, "the only God"; and Goodspeed, "the one God"; while Weymouth (fifth edition) has: "who alone is God."

"He shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:6)—The verb translated "direct" means literally "to make smooth or straight" (Brown, Driver and Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 448); hence Smith's rendering: "He will make straight your paths." It may be noted that the Septuagint translators render the verb by the rather unusual Greek term which is to be found also in II Timothy 2:15, and is there rendered "rightly dividing."

"I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious" (Acts 17:22)—The original sense of the Greek term "deisidaimon" was "reverencing God, or the gods, pious, religious," though it was occasionally employed in a bad sense with the meaning "superstitious" (see Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 127); just as, in English, "to fear God" may imply either terror or reverence. Moffatt translates: "I observe at every turn that you are a most religious people;" and Weymouth: "I perceive that you are in every respect remarkably religious;" while Goodspeed has: "From every point of view I see that you are extremely religious." Thus it would appear that Paul's famous address to the Athenians opened with words of commendation, rather than with criticism and a blunt accusation of "superstition." The Athenians were, at least, more God-fearing than were many of the other Greeks (compare Meyer: Acts, Vol. II, p. 112; and Thayer: loc. cit.).

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