"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly" (Ps. 1:1)—The Hebrew preposition rendered "in" in this verse, and in the phrase "in the multitude of thy mercy" in Psalms 5:7, often means "by" and can also mean "because of" or "thanks to" (cf. Brown, Driver and Briggs: Herbrew Lexicon, p. 90). Thus in Psalms 1:1 we find that Moffatt renders: "Happy the man who never goes by the advice of the ungodly," and continues, "who never takes the sinners' road."

"With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12)—The Hebrew verb "atar," which is here rendered by the somewhat archaic word "compass," can mean either "surround" or "crown" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 742). Briggs suggests the rendering: "Thou coverest them over with a great shield, with favour crownest them" (Commentary on Psalms, Vol. I, p. 39).

"Jacob sod pottage" (Gen. 25:29)—The Hebrew word rendered "sod" might rather be rendered "boiled," while the word translated "pottage" is derived from the same root, meaning literally "that which is boiled," and has been described as "a kind of boiled leguminous food" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 268), while others would take it as meaning "soup" or "vegetable stew," which in this instance was apparently made from lentils (see verse 34). Smith renders: "Jacob was making a stew;" and Moffatt: "Jacob was cooking some food."

"Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; . . . therefore was his name called Edom" (Gen. 25:30)—In the original Hebrew there is a play upon words, for the word "adom," rendered "red pottage," means literally "red" or "something red"; while the proper name "Edom" is supposed to have the same derivation, as the Biblical writer here suggests. Moffatt renders: " 'Let me have a bite of that red omelet there! . . .' (Hence he was called Edom or Red.)" Smith has: "Let me have a swallow of that red stuff there. . . . (That was how his name came to be called Edom [Red].)"

"Is wisdom no more in Teman?" (Jer. 49:7)—"Teman" was the name given to a district in the northern part of the territory of Edom, which lay to the south of the Dead Sea. The men of Teman, one of whom was Eliphaz, the counselor of Job, seem to have been famed for their wisdom.

"Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan" (Jer. 49:8)—The tribe of Dedan was descended from Abraham through his wife Keturah, and had settled to the southeast of the land of Edom. The rather unusual injunction that the "inhabitants of Dedan" should "dwell deep" is understood by Streane (Jeremiah and Lamentations, p. 309) as implying that they are "to retire from their accustomed intercourse with Edom, and keep well out of the way in the deserts, lest they should be involved in its ruin." Smith suggests: "Flee, hide yourselves in inaccessible haunts, you who live in Dedan;" and Moffatt has: "So turn and fly to your retreats, ye dwellers in Dedan."

"Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever" (Lam. 5:19)—The Hebrew root "yashab" means literally to "sit, remain or dwell," but is often used in the special sense of to "sit enthroned, sit as king" (Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 442). This explains Moffatt's rendering: "Thou art enthroned for ever, O Eternal;" and that of Smith: "Thou, O Lord, art enthroned forever."

"Neither is worshipped with men's hands" (Acts 17:25)—It may be observed that the primary meaning of the term "therapeutai," which is here rendered "is worshipped," is "is served"; while the verb was very often used in the sense of "healed" or "cured" (Thayer: Greek Lexicon, p. 288). Compare the use of our English word "therapeutic," which is derived from the same Greek root. Moreover, a literal rendering of the preposition "hupo, " translated "with," is "by." Consequently, a literal rendering would be: "nor is he served (or 'healed') by human hands." Weymouth suggests: "nor is He ministered to by human hands;" and Moffatt: "He is not served by human hands;" and Goodspeed: "nor is he waited on by human hands."

"The times of this ignorance God winked at" (Acts 17:30)— It may be noted that the Greek verb rendered "winked at" means more literally "overlooked." Hence the Riverside New Testament has: "The times of ignorance God overlooked;" and Goodspeed: "God overlooked those times of ignorance;" though Weymouth prefers: "Those times of ignorance God viewed with indulgence."

"The Godhead" (Acts 17:29)—More literally: "the divine" or "the divine nature" (Greek, "to theion"). Goodspeed has: "the divine nature."

"When they wanted wine" (John 2:3)—The verb "want" is so regularly employed in modern times in the sense of "to wish" or "to desire" that it may be noted that it is here used in the sense of "to lack" or "to run short of;" and when thus understood provides a literal rendering of the original. Thus Moffatt and Weymouth have: "The wine ran short."

"O LORD our Lord" (Ps. 8:1)—Two different Hebrew words for "Lord" are found in this phrase. The one represented by "LORD" is the Hebrew "Jehovah," or, more correctly, "Yahweh," meaning probably "He who is, the Eternal, the Self-Existent;" or possibly, "He who causes to be," and so "the Creator." The term translated "Lord," is derived from a root meaning to "rule or command" (Brown, etc., op. cit., 10ff.) and has the general sense of "Lord, master, or king." Moffatt renders: "O thou Eternal One, our Lord."

"Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels" (Ps. 8:5)—The Hebrew term "elohim," which is here translated "angels," has various meanings; but its most regular rendering is "God" (for example, in Genesis, chapter 1, and constantly throughout the Old Testament); though occasionally it is translated "gods" (as in Ex. 18:11), or again, "judges" (Ex. 21:6).