Article July 15, 1939 Issue

Bible Notes

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17)— More literally, "Sanctify them by (or 'in') the truth" (compare Weymouth, fifth edition). Goodspeed renders: "Consecrate them by truth. Your message is truth;" and Moffatt has: "Consecrate them by the truth: thy word is truth."

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise" (Ps. 57:7)— The Hebrew term here translated "fixed" can also mean "securely determined, certain, steadfast, prepared, ready" (cf. Brown, Driver, and Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 465). Moffatt suggests: "My heart is ready, ready, O God, for song and melody;" and Smith has: "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will play and sing." In his "Commentary on Psalms," Vol. II, p. 37, Dr. Briggs offers the rendering: "My mind is fixed, Yahweh; with my mind let me sing and let me make melody;" while the early Genevan Version had: "Mine heart is prepared, O God, mine heart is prepared: I will sing and give praise."

"Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early" (Ps. 57:8)—The words "my glory" scarcely seem to fit the context, though they represent a literal translation of the Hebrew text as it has come down to us. On the basis of the Syriac Version and one Hebrew manuscript, Kent suggests the reading: "Awake, my lyre"; while Moffatt has: "Awake, my soul!" In the latter part of the verse, the word "shachar," rendered "early," is properly a word meaning "dawn" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 1007). Consequently, we find: "Let me awake the dawn" (Moffatt); "I will awaken the dawn" (Smith); "Let me awake the dawn" (Kent). The Genevan Version rendered the verse as follows: "Awake, my tongue, awake viole and harpe: I will awake earely."

"Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright" (Ps. 33:1)—The Hebrew term which is here translated "righteous" can also mean "just, honest, right" (see Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 282); while that which is rendered "comely" can also be translated "becoming" or "lovely" (op. cit., p. 204). Consequently, Moffatt translates: "Rejoice, ye just, in the Eternal, for songs of praise befit the upright soul;" while Smith offers the rendering: "Rejoice in the Lord, O righteous ones; praise befits the upright."

"All his works are done in truth" (Ps. 33:4)—It is of interest to note that the Hebrew term "emunah," which is here rendered "truth," is translated "faith" in Habakkuk 2:4. Alternative renderings of this word "emunah" include "firmness, steadfastness, fidelity," while it also suggests "trust and stability" (compare: Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 53), as well as "honesty, security, conscientiousness" (Feyerabend: op. cit., p. 20). Moffatt suggests: "All he does is loyally done;" and Smith: "All his work is faithful."

"Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in" (Isa. 26:2)—It may be noted that an alternative rendering of the Hebrew word "emunim," which is here translated "truth," is "faithfulness" (see Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 53). Moffatt suggests: "Ours is a strong, sure city...; open its gates for the upright, for folk who keep the faith;" and Smith has: "Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter—those who keep faith."

"In the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength" (Isa. 26:4)—The words "the Lord JEHOVAH" represent the Hebrew "YH YHWH" — "YH" (pronounced "Jah" or "Yah"), being simply an abbreviated form of "YHWH" (Jehovah, or, more exactly, Yahweh). The words which are here rendered "everlasting strength" mean literally "rock of ages" or "an everlasting rock" (Revised Version). Smith's rendering is: "Yah the Lord is a rock everlasting;" while Moffatt has: "The Eternal's strength endures."

"Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity" (Ps. 24:4)—The Hebrew word "shave," which is here rendered "vanity," means more exactly "emptiness, nothingness, worthlessness," and is occasionally employed in the sense of "lying" (see Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 996). Moffatt suggests the translation: "who never sets his mind on what is false;" while Smith has: "who has had no desire for falsehood;" and Briggs (op. cit.): "who hath not lifted up his soul to a lie."

"Lead me in thy truth" (Ps. 25:5)—The Hebrew preposition which is here translated "in" can mean, alternatively, "by" (compare Brown, etc., op. cit., pp. 88ff.). Consequently, another translation would be: "Lead me by thy truth." Moffatt's suggestion is: "Lead me, as thou art true to thy word."

"On thee do I wait" (Ps. 25:5)—The verb which is here rendered "wait" also has the meaning of "to look eagerly for" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 875). Smith has this translation: "For thee do I long continually;" while the Genevan Version had the following: "In thee doe I trust all the day."

"The glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14)—A literal rendering of the original would be "glory as of an only begotten of a father;" and so we find: "such honor as an only son receives from his father" (Goodspeed); and, "glory such as an only son enjoys from his father" (Moffatt). Weymouth has: "glory such as a father bestows on his only son."

"He... came into his own city" (Matt. 9:1)—There is general agreement among commentators that the reference in this verse is to the city of Capernaum, especially since we are told that on "leaving Nazareth" Jesus "came and dwelt in Capernaum" (Matt. 4:13), which seems to have formed the headquarters of his Galilean mission, judging from the many references to it.

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