"But I say unto you" (Matt. 5:44)—Normally in the Greek of the New Testament period the personal pronoun "I" is simply implied when use is made of the first person singular of the verb; but in cases of special emphasis the additional word "ego" is found, as in this verse, suggesting clearly that the "I" is to be stressed. It is evident that the Master is emphasizing the contrast between his interpretation of the Old Testament law and the way in which his audience had formerly heard or understood it.

"The blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18)—The term "porosis," which is here translated "blindness," had the original meaning of "the covering with a thick skin or callous" (poros), and came to be used in the sense of mental dullness, obtuseness, stubbornness, or obduracy (cf. Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 559; and Abbott-Smith: Greek Lexicon). In consequence we find that Moffatt has: "their dulness of heart;" Weymouth (5th Edition): "the insensibility of their moral nature;" Goodspeed: "their obstinacy of heart;" and the Riverside New Testament: "the hardness of their hearts."

"Is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Eph. 4:22)—More literally: "is becoming corrupt because of the lusts of deceit." Weymouth suggests: "is doomed to perish as befits its misleading impulses;" and Good speed: "is going to ruin through its deceptive passions;" while Moffatt renders: "crumbles to ruin under the passions of moral deceit."

"Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24)—Moffatt suggests the rendering: "putting on the new nature, that divine pattern which has been created in the upright and pious character of the Truth;" Weymouth: "Clothe yourselves with that new and better self which has been created to resemble God in the righteousness and holiness of the truth;" and Goodspeed: "Put on the new self which has been created in likeness to God, with all the uprightness and holiness that belong to the truth."

"How much then is a man better than a sheep?" (Matt. 12:12)—The Greek verb "diapherein," here rendered "be better than," "does not strictly mean 'to excel' though that is implied" (McNeile: Matthew, p. 87). Its more literal sense is "to differ from" (cf. Souter: Greek Lexicon, p. 64), but it was often used to express a difference in value. Hence Moffatt translates: "How much more is a man worth than a sheep?" and Weymouth: "Is not a man, however, worth far more than a sheep?" while the Revised Version suggests: "How much then is a man of more value than a sheep!"

"Arise, shine" (Isa. 60:1)—The Hebrew verb "or" means literally "to be bright or radiant" or "to shine," but it was also often used to mean "to be happy or cheerful" (Feyerabend: Hebrew Dictionary, p. 9), a usage which might well be compared to that of our English term "bright," which can mean either "shining" or "cheerful." Various commentators contend that the word "shine," as used in this context, means "to 'greet the morn which has arisen with a glad heart' " (cf. Whitehouse: Isaiah, Vol. II, p. 280) ; and a closely similar thought is brought out in Moffatt's rendering: "Arise, be glad." The margin of the Authorized Version suggests the translation: "Arise, be enlightened"—which could be understood either literally or metaphorically.

"They shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting" (Isa. 60:21)—Moffatt, assuming a slight change in the text, suggests the rendering: "They shall always hold the land, planted there by the Eternal's hand," and continues, "his own work, for his own glory."

"I told you, and ye believed not" (John 10:25)—The more important manuscripts of the original read the second verb in this phrase as in the present, not in the past tense—"believe," not "believed," the implication being, as Dr. Plummer well observes, that "their unbelief still continues" (St. John, p. 220). The American Standard Version has: "I told you and ye believe not;" Moffatt: "I have told you, but you do not believe;" though Goodspeed prefers the following: "I have told you so, and you will not believe it."

"How long dost thou make us to doubt?" (John 10:24)—According to Dr. Plummer (op. cit., p. 220), the "literal meaning is "How long dost Thou excite our mind?' " and it might also be rendered, "For how long are you going to take away our mind?" Weymouth translates: "How long do you mean to keep us in suspense?" while closely similar renderings are suggested by Moffatt, Goodspeed, the Riverside New Testament, and the Revised Version.

"Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you" (John 10:26)—The words "as I said unto you" are omitted by the Vatican, Sinaitic, and other important and early manuscripts, and for this reason are left out by most modern translators. If they do indeed form a part of the original text, then doubtless the reference is to what is often called the allegory of the sheepfold found in verses 7ff. of this chapter, and especially perhaps in verses 14 and 15. Moffatt has simply: "You do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep;" and Weymouth: "You do not believe, because you are not of my sheep;" while Goodspeed agrees with them in omitting: "as I said unto you."

"They shall never perish" (John 10:28)—In the original Greek the statement is an unusually strong one, even stronger than is suggested in our Common Version, for a literal rendering of it would be, "They shall certainly not perish forever." Moreover, as Dr. Plummer observes (ibid., p. 221), "The negative belongs to the verb, not to 'for ever'; and the meaning is, not, 'they may die, but shall not die for ever,' but 'they shall never die for all eternity,' "