Article July 12, 1941 Issue

Bible Notes

[The Biblical citations given in the Christian Science Quarterly are from the Authorized King James Version. The Bible Notes in this column can be used, if deemed necessary, to elucidate some of the words or passages contained in the Bible Lessons. The Notes in this issue are related to the Lesson-Sermon designated to be read in Christian Science churches on July 20, 1941.]

"He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out" (John 10:3)—In the East it is usual for sheepfolds to be palisaded or walled, and at nightfall several shepherds bring their flocks to one fold for safety. There a watchman—the "porter" mentioned in this verse—remains with them all night. In the morning each shepherd comes and calls to his sheep "by name." They at once gather around him, and are led to their pasture. Even in our Western lands, good shepherds know each sheep as an individual.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10)—It may be noted that the word for "it" is not found in the original, and that the verb rendered "I am come" is in the aorist or past tense; while in the Greek the "I" is emphatic. Hence the rendering found in the Margin of the American Standard Version: "I came that they may have life, and may have abundance."

"The children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings" (Ps. 36:7)—The verb here translated "put their trust" means more literally "seek refuge." Thus we find that Smith renders: "The sons of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings;" though the Septuagint prefers: "So the children of men shall trust in the shelter of thy wings."

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