"A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14)—An ancient tradition still current in the northern part of Palestine contends that when Christ Jesus spoke on this occasion he had especially in mind the town of Safed, which stands some twenty-seven hundred feet above the level of the Mediterranean and can be seen from many parts of Galilee.

"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick" (Matt. 5:15)—The word "luchnos," here rendered "candle," has the more literal sense of "lamp," while "luchnia," here translated "candlestick," is more exactly "lampstand"—that is, the metal stand used in the early centuries to hold an earthenware earthenware lamp. Goodspeed suggests: "People do not light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure; they put it on its stand;" and Weymouth (Fifth Edition) : "Nor is a lamp lighted to be put under the bushel-measure, but on the lampstand."

"It hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy" (Matt. 5:43)—"Thou shalt love thy neighbour" is of course a direct quotation from Leviticus 19:18. Weymouth, commenting on the New Testament passage, reminds us that "there is no command in the Law to hate one's enemy," though it appears that certain stern passages in the Old Testament, such as Deuteronomy 23:6, were taken by the rabbinical interpreters as justifying such hatred. In Matthew 5:44 the Master counteracts such interpretation by the words, "Love your enemies."

"Be ye therefore perfect" (Matt. 5:48)—The Greek term "teleios" is derived from the word "telos," which means "final end"; and, while it is constantly employed in the sense of "perfect," it is sometimes also used to signify "completely operative," or again, "full grown, mature, having reached its full development," as Dr. Souter reminds us (Greek Lexicon, p. 258).

"The measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13)—The Greek term which is here translated "stature" can also mean "maturity, age, development." Moffatt suggests: "the full measure of development which belongs to the fulness of Christ;" and Weymouth: "the stature of full-grown men in Christ."

"He is lunatick, and sore vexed" (Matt. 17:15)—The translation "lunatick" (or, as we spell it now, "lunatic")—i.e., "moonstruck"—is quite literal; but the usual meaning of the Greek term is "epileptic," since epilepsy was once ignorantly considered to be affected by the changes of the moon. A more literal rendering of the phrase translated "is sore vexed" would be "suffers greatly." Moffatt suggests: "He is an epileptic and he suffers cruelly."

"Because of your unbelief" (Matt. 17:20)—The Greek word rendered "unbelief" suggests not complete lack of faith, as might be assumed from the familiar rendering of our Authorized Version, but more specifically, "lack of sufficient faith."

"Verily, verily" (John 14:12)—Literally, "amen, amen." "Amen" is really a Hebrew word which found its way into the Greek language and then eventually into English. It derives from a verb meaning "to be firm or steadfast," and is closely connected with the Old Testament term for "faith" (emunah). Dr. Thayer reminds us that in the New Testament "it came to be used as an adverb by which something is asserted or confirmed," meaning "surely" or "truly"; and when repeated, as in this verse, "it has the sense of a superlative 'most assuredly.'"

"My flesh also shall rest in hope" (Ps. 16:9)—It may be noted that the Hebrew term here rendered "hope" has the more literal meaning of "security" or "safety." Compare Smith's rendering: "My flesh also dwells in security."

"Hell ... corruption" (Ps. 16:10)—The Hebrew term "sheol," which is translated "hell," is generally employed with reference to the shadowy abode of the departed, without any of the unpleasant accompaniments associated with the word "hell" in popular usage. "Corruption" (Hebrew—"shachath") is literally "a pit," presumably in this context the pit of "sheol," which was supposed to be a great subteranean cavern. Thus in Hebrew "sheol" and "shachath" are virtually synonyms. Moffatt suggests: "Death ... the grave."

"At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11)—Dr. Briggs points out that the word which is here translated "pleasures" can also mean "loveliness," and so he renders: "Loveliness is on Thy right hand forever." Other commentators observe that if the familiar rendering "pleasures" be retained, it is to be taken as having reference to "spiritual delights."

"He will swallow up death in victory" (Isa. 25:8)—A more literal rendering of the Hebrew phrase "la-netsach" would be "forever," and the verb could be read in the past tense, owing to the ambiguity of the tenses in the original. Hence the rendering of the American Standard Version: "He hath swallowed up death for ever;" and that of Moffatt: "displacing death for evermore."