"Remember that thou magnify his work, which men behold" (Job 36:24)—Many scholars feel that the very unusual Hebrew form "shoreru" comes from the verb "shir" (to sing), instead of from "shur" (to behold). (Compare Driver and Gray: Job, Vol. ii., p. 281.) Thus the Revised Version and Smith have, "his work, whereof men have sung;" Kent: "concerning which men have sung;" and Moffatt: "Remember to extol him for his creation, that has moved men to song;" while the Septuagint translators, evidently supposing the verb to be connected with the root "sarar" (to attempt), render: "Remember that his works are great, beyond those which men have attempted" (Bagster's translation).

"Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out" (Job 37:23)—There is some difference of opinion among commentators both as to the original text and as to the correct meaning of this verse. Moffatt translates it: "The Almighty is beyond our minds. Supreme in power and rich in justice, he violates no right." Kent bases his rendering upon the evidence of the Syriac version, and we find him suggesting: "The Almighty,—we cannot find him; he abounds in power and justice; the thoroughly righteous he harms not." On the other hand, the margin of the Revised Version gives the conclusion of this verse as follows: "To judgement and plenteous justice he doeth no violence."

"Praise ye the Lord" (Ps. 148:1)—It may be observed that our English word "Hallelujah" is simply the anglicized form of the Hebrew term which is here translated: "Praise ye the Lord."

"Ye heavens of heavens" (Ps. 148:4)—Some authorities have considered this as virtually equivalent in meaning to "the highest heaven," in accord with a well-known Hebrew idiom. A parallel to this usage may be found in the phrase "vanity of vanities" (cf. Eccl. 1:2), which is taken as implying absolute vanity; while in Exodus 26:33 what is literally "holy of holies" is translated "most holy" in our Common Version (see Davidson: Hebrew Syntax, p. 49).

"Light is sown for the righteous" (Ps. 97:11)—This is a literal rendering of the Hebrew text as we have it today; but from the evidence of the Septuagint, the Syriac, and other early versions, it is very probable that at some period a copyist wrote down "zarua" instead of the original "zarach," which means "appears or arises"—a verb often used with reference to the rising of the sun—e.g. in Pslams 104:22 and Job 9:7. Hence Moffatt's rendering: "Light dawns for the just," and that of the Septuagint: "Light is sprung up for the righteous;" though Smith prefers to retain: "Light is sown for the righteous" (compare: Kittel: Biblia Hebracia, footnote to page 984; and Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 281).

"Every man is brutish by his knowledge" (Jer. 51:17)—A literal rendering would be: "Every man is stupid from (or 'on account of') knowledge;" but the Hebrew preposition rendered "from" can also mean "apart from or without" (cf. Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 577ff.); hence Smith renders: "Every man is stupid and senseless."

"Every founder is confounded by the graven image" (Jer. 51:17)—The word translated "founder" means literally "smelter or goldsmith," and a more literal rendering of the verb would be "ashamed"; consequently, one might render: "The goldsmith is ashamed of his carved image."

"They are vanity, the work of errors" (Jer. 51:18)—The word rendered "vanity" is literally "vapor or breath," while the literal translation of the term rendered "errors" would be "mockery" (see Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 1074). So Smith renders: "They are a mockery, a delusion."

"Which keepeth truth for ever" (Ps. 146:6)—The Hebrew term "emeth" can mean "truth," but has the more literal sense of "firmness, faithfulness, stability" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 54). Hence we could translate: "He keeps troth forever." Smith renders it: "fidelity," and Kent: "faithfulness"; while Moffatt has: "He remains forever true."

"The children of Israel went out with an high hand" (Ex. 14:8)—The rendering "with an high hand" is a literal one; however, Smith provides a more idiomatic rendering of the sense: "They were going triumphantly out;" while Moffatt suggests: "Pharaoh ... chased the Israelites, who were marching away quite confidently."

"They uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed" (Mark 2:4)—Commentators point out that the roof of a house used by the common folk in Palestine could well "consist of beams covered with poles and brushwood overlaid with earth and gravel" (compare Salmond: St. Mark, p. 139). Access to this roof could readily be obtained by ascending the outside steps which generally led to it in homes of this kind; and, having reached the roof, it would be a task of no great difficulty to "break up" (or, more literally, "dig out") a portion of it, so that the paralytic might be lowered into the midst of the crowded room below, as described in Mark's Gospel.

"We never saw it on this fashion" (Mark 2:12)—While this represents a literal rendering of the Greek, Weymouth translates more idiomatically: "We never saw anything like this;" and similarly Moffatt gives it: "We never saw the like of it!"

"Set your affection on things above" (Col. 3:2)—The Greek term "phroneite," here rendered "set your affection on," means literally "have in mind" or "think about" (cf. Souter: Novum Testamentum Graece, p. 277); hence Weymouth has: "Give your minds to the things that are above;" and Moffatt: "Mind what is above."