WORDS OF CURRENT INTEREST

[The words in this issue are related to the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly designated to be read in Christian Science churches on May 30, 1965.]

[Balaam] took up his parable,
and said (Num. 23:7)

The Hebrew word mashal, here translated "parable," was also used in a wide variety of meanings, including comparison, proverb, saying; leading Moffatt to render the phrase simply, "He uttered these lines"; although Smith prefers, "He gave utterance to his oracle, saving."

According to this time
(Num. 23:23)

The compound Hebrew form ka'eth, thus translated in the King James Version, is of uncertain meaning, but the Revised Standard Version well suggests the simple rendering, "now."

The son of perdition
(II Thess. 2:3)

(per-dish'un—e as in maker, i as in is, u as in circus). The Greek word apoleia, meaning "destruction, ruin, loss." is well rendered by "perdition." which is derived from the Latin perdere (to lose). Phillips vividly renders the phrase, "The product of all that leads to death."

Gaudy

(god'y—o as in orb, y as in sleepy). Ostentatiously fine: making a pretentious but often hollow show of excellence, elegance, beauty, richness, or worth: having show without substance. "Gaudy" may suggest the cheap showiness of taste, overbright coloration, or vulgarly excessive conspicuous ornamentation.

Your children (Matt. 12:27)

Literally, "your sons"; but since the term was used in a very wide sense by the Biblical writers and speakers, the reference could well be to "your students" or "your associates." The New English Bible has, "your own people." The Apostle Paul refers to Timothy as his "dearly beloved son" (II Tim. 1:2), not of course in a literal sense, but rather viewing him as his student or as a younger co-worker.

Strong holds (II Cor. 10:4)

The single Greek word represented by these two English words is ochuromata—bulwarks or bastions—and was often used in a metaphorical sense. The Revised Standard Version, Phillips, and The New English Bible agree in rendering "strongholds."

Despoil

(de-spoil—e as in silent, oi as in oil). To strip of belongings or possessions; plunder; pillage. To deprive or divest coercively or wantonly—used with "of." To strip of what is of value. To wrest away, blast, or wreck, as if by predatory raid.

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