"His understanding is infinite" (Ps. 147:5)—The original Hebrew means literally: "His understanding has no number;" from which the sense of infinitude is very naturally deduced. Moffatt suggests: "His wisdom is unsearchable;" and Smith: "There is no limit to his understanding."

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3)—The Greek preposition "dia," rendered "by," can also mean "through"; and the word translated "without" is more exactly "apart from" (Souter: Greek Lexicon, p. 286). Hence, Goodspeed has: "Everything came into existence through him, and apart from him nothing came to be;" and Moffatt: "Though him all existence came into being, no existence came into being apart from him;" while Weymouth (fifth edition) suggests: "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing that now exists came into being."

"The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:5)—The Greek verb "katalambanein," here rendered "comprehend," means literally "to lay hold of so as to make one's own; appropriate, attain to, and so, 'overtake'" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 332); indeed, in John 12:35 the same verb is rendered "overtake" by the Revised Version. In John 1:5 Weymouth suggests: "The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never overpowered it;" and Goodspeed: "The light is still shining in the darkness, for the darkness has never put it out;" while Moffatt reads: "Amid the darkness the Light shone, but the darkness did not master it;" and the Revised Version: "and the darkness apprehended it not."

"And not we ourselves" (Ps. 100:3)—Several early versions suggest the rendering: "And we are his," which is in accord with the Jewish Massoretic tradition, the Aramaic Targum, and modern translators such as Moffatt and others, in addition to the Revised Version. The word "ourselves" is not represented in the original text of this verse, having been added by those who prepared our Common Version, to complete their concept of the sense (cf. Kittel: Biblia Hebraica; also cf. Biblia Sacra Polyglotta).

"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 meanings of "'emunah" include "firmness, steadfastness, fidelity," while it also suggests "trust and stability" (cf. Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 53), in addition to "honesty, security, conscientiousness" (Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 20). Smith suggests: "All his work is faithful;" and Moffatt has: "And he does is loyally done."

"God doeth it, that men should fear before him" (Eccl. 3:14)—In Hebrew the word "yare'" is constantly employed in the sense of reverence, or awe, implying respect, rather than "fear" or "terror." The above verse is translated as follows by Moffatt: "God orders things, that men may stand in awe of him;" and Smith: "God has ordained it that they shall be in awe before him;" while another suggested rendering is: "God doeth it that we should stand in awe before him" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 431).

"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" (Job 38:2)—This is a literal translation of the original, but Moffatt's rendering is of interest: "Who darkens my design with a cloud of thoughtless words?"

"God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise" (I Cor. 1:27)—The Greek verb translated "confound" has the literal meaning of "to shame, disgrace, bring to shame, put to utter confusion" (cf. Souter: Greek Lexicon, p. 126). Thus Weymouth has: "God has chosen the foolish things of the world in order to shame its wise men;" and Goodspeed: "It was what the world calls foolish that God chose to put the wise to shame with;" while Moffatt reads: "God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise." In the Revised Version we find a closely similar rendering.

"That no flesh should glory in his presence" (I Cor. 1:29)—The phrase translated "in his presence" is literally "before God." Weymouth offers the interesting rendering: "to prevent any mortal man from boasting before God."

"Yea, the deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:10)—The word rendered "deep things" means literally "depths" (Thayer: op. cit., p. 92). Goodspeed suggests the rendering: "even the depths of God himself;" and Moffatt: "even the depths of God."

"Our Father which art in heaven" (Luke 11:2)—This is the reading of the Alexandrian and Bezan manuscripts, but the still older Vatican and Sinaitic codices, followed by the Vulgate and other versions, read simply: "Father." Hence we find: "Father, may Thy name be kept holy" (Weymouth); "Father, your name be revered" (Goodspeed); "Father, Hallowed by thy name" (Revised Version); and, "Father, may thy name be held holy" (Twentieth Century New Testament).

"The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them" (Rev. 21:3)—The verb translated "dwell" (skenose) is formed from the noun "skene," rendered "tabernacle" (literally, "tent"). Hence, one might translate literally: "God's tent is with men, and with them will he pitch his tent." Moffatt suggests: "God's dwelling place is with men, with men will he dwell" (cf. Lev. 26:11f.).

"True and faithful" (Rev. 21:5)—The word rendered "true" is more literally "that which can be relied on" (Thayer: op. cit., p. 514); while the term translated "faithful" is more exactly "true, veracious, sincere" (ibid., p. 27). Hence, Goodspeed and Weymouth have: "trustworthy and true"; and Moffatt: "trustworthy and genuine."