Bible Notes
[The Biblical citations given in the Christian Science Quarterly are from the Authorized King James Version. The Bible Notes in this column can be used, if deemed necessary, to elucidate some of the words or passages contained in the Bible Lessons. The Notes in this issue are related to the Lesson-Sermon designated to be read in Christian Science churches on October 26, 1941.]
"An evil heart of unbelief" (Hebr. 3:12)—While this represents a literal translation of the original Greek, Goodspeed suggests the more idiomatic English rendering: "a wicked, unbelieving heart ;" while the Twentieth Century New Testament has: "a wicked and faithless heart."
"Departing from the living God" (Hebr. 3:12)—The Greek verb which is used here has the literal sense of "to stand off," but can also mean "to depart," while, in addition, it is employed in various senses according to the context, including "desert, shun, fall away, become faithless." Weymouth (Fifth Edition) renders: "a sinful and unbelieving heart, manifesting itself in revolt from the ever-living God;" and Moffatt: "... moving you to apostatize from the living God."
"Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness" (Hebr. 3:8)—This is a quotation from Psalms 95:8, where the Hebrew words translated '"provocation" and "temptation" are "Massah" and "Meribah" respectively. The incident referred to in these passages is recorded in Exodus 17, where Moses is said to have given the double name "Massah, and Meribah" to the spot where the people forced him to provide them with water from the rock, "because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?" (Ex. 17:7.)
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God" (Hebr. 4:9)—It may be noted that the word rendered "rest" in this verse is entirely different from that translated by the same English word in verses 1, 10, and 11. In these verses the word is "katapausis," meaning "resting or rest," while in verse 9 it is "sabbatismos," meaning more specifically "sabbath rest; the rest of the sabbath day." In verse 9 Goodspeed has: "There must still be a promised Sabbath of Rest for God's people;" while the American Standard Version renders the word "sabbath rest."
"It shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him" (Eccl. 8:12)—It may well be recalled that when "fear" is mentioned in the Bible with reference to God, the thought is regularly that of "awe" or "reverence" expressed towards God, rather than of "fear" in the sense of terror.
"Neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow" (Eccl. 8:13)—Since the words "which are" are not represented in the original, Smith prefers to translate: "nor shall he prolong his life as a shadow." Moffatt offers the interesting rendering: "The bad man fares ill—he cannot thrive, for lives that lack all reverence for God pass like a shadow."
"Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption" (I Cor. 15:50)—The term "phthora" (corruption) has the literal meaning of "corruption, destruction, or perishing," and sometimes, by metonymy, "that which is subject to corruption, what is perishable." Goodspeed suggests: "Decay will not share in what is imperishable;" while the Twentieth Century New Testament has: "nor can the perishable share the imperishable."
"They all with one consent began to make excuse" (Luke 14:18)—The word "consent" is not represented in the Greek, though something of the sort is clearly implied. Another possible rendering would be "with one voice." Moffatt suggests: "They all alike proceeded to decline;" and Goodspeed: "They all immediately began to excuse themselves."
"I pray thee have me excused" (Luke 14:18)—More literally, "Consider me as having been excused." Dr. Farrar observes that "the very form of the expression involves the consciousness that his excuse of necessity was merely an excuse." It would appear also that the word "me" is emphatic, suggesting that whatever might be the case with the other invited guests, the speaker feels that he, at least, should be excused.
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12)—The Greek verb used in this clause means literally "accomplish, perform, achieve," and so "work out" or "make every effort to obtain" salvation. Moffatt suggests: "Work all the more strenuously at your salvation with reverence and trembling." However, in view of the fact that the Greek preposition here rendered "with" also means "in the midst of," we could translate: "Work out your own salvation in the midst of (or 'in the face of') fear and trembling."
"The sincere milk of the word" (I Pet. 2:2)—The term translated "of the word" means more literally "rational in accord with reason or soul." Then the word "adolos" means literally "without guile," and so "sincere," but recent discoveries of papyrus manuscripts show that it was often used in the early centuries in the special sense of "pure" or "unadulterated," a sense which fits the present context. Weymouth renders: "pure milk for the soul;" and Goodspeed: "pure spiritual milk."
"Being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23)—The translation "delivered," found in our Common Version, might lead one to suppose that the word was used in its familiar sense of "saved"; but the literal meaning here is rather "given up" or "delivered up," and so "handed over to the authorities." Moffatt has: "betrayed in the predestined course of God's deliberate purpose."
