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DIVINITY SCHOOL
TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY

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A CRITICAL ESSAY

REVISED VERSION OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT.

A CRITICAL ESSAY
* ON THE
REVISED VERSION OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT

MAJOR ROBERT STUART
LATE OF HER MAJESTY'S DIPLOMATIC SERVICE

RIVINGTONS
WATERLOO PLACE, LONDON
MDCCCLXXXVII

PREFACE
In offering the following Notes to the public,
I would claim credit for the assurance that I
have not been actuated by any motive un
worthy of the solemn task I have undertaken,
or of the responsibility which I challenge.
It must not be supposed that I would venture
to compete with our schoolmen in the theo
retical knowledge of Greek, — a knowledge
based, for the most part, upon the refinements
of grammatical rules, of etymology, and of a
system of prosody derived from the metrical
language of poetry. My knowledge, with the
-average share of school-teaching, has been
chiefly acquired by the familiar intercourse of
a good many years with people who still speak
the Greek language as it has come down to

vi Preface.
them, through successive generations, from
remote antiquity.
Their pronunciation is very unlike the pro
nunciation of our schools. But from a close
study of the subject, I have arrived at the con
viction that theirs is, if not altogether, at any
rate very nearly, the true pronunciation of
antiquity. In this study I have been personally
aided by learned Greeks, who were conversant
with the extant literature of ancient Greece,
and also with all the modern rules according to
which Greek is taught in our schools as a dead
language. To some of those rules they demur ; while
they strenuously maintain that the Greek of
antiquity is not, and never has been, a dead
language. As regards the question of pronunciation, the
claims urged by the schoolmen of modern
Greece have been, in part at least, practically
recognised by the Professors of many of the
Continental schools, — schools in which the

Preface. vii
ancient Greek is no less thoroughly taught
than in the best academies of our own country.
Many of our schoolmen admit, I have been
told, that the pronunciation of Greek which
they teach, is open to objection. Nevertheless,
they still refuse to follow the example of their
continental brethren ; although by their refusal
they withhold from their alumni the great ad
vantage of learning, with the ancient, a modern
language, which is widely spoken in South-
Eastern Europe and through all the regions
of the Levant, — which is, I must add, widely
extending, and is rapidly recovering its ancient
purity. Those whose duties call them to the Levant,
are not long in discovering how useful the
knowledge of their' school-Greek would be, had
it been taught with the pronunciation that pre
vails in the countries where modern Greek is
spoken. Offence will not, I hope, be taken at the use
in the following pages of the plural we instead

viii Preface.
of I. The fact is, the Essay was written for a
Review ; on the advice, however, of persons of
experience, I decided to give it to the public in
its present form.
ROBERT STUART.
Leamington, 1887.

INTRODUCTORY.

r I AHE Revised Version of the New Testament
•*- has now been six years before the world.
It has been carefully read and studied ; it has
been critically examined, and has been dili
gently compared with other versions of high
repute in different languages. On both sides
of the Atlantic it has been submitted to severe
but impartial scrutiny by men of competent
learning ; its merits have been duly acknow
ledged ; on the other hand, where there were
objections to make, they have been stated with
candour and moderation, but, at the same time,
with force and precision.
All this testing and analysis has led to two
sets of opinions, which are directly at variance
one with the other : the one upholding the
revision as the nearest approach yet made to a
A

2 The Revised Version.
faultless rendering of the original ; the other
maintaining that it is by no means free from
errors and defects, and that, on the whole, it
compares but doubtfully with the Authorised
Version. This divergence of learned opinions suggests
the necessity of further examination. For, in
a matter so nearly touching the groundwork of
our faith, it is but reasonable that we should
look for a trustworthy text-book, clear, easily
understood, and, if possible, unencumbered
with the doubts and hesitations implied by
footnotes and marginal variants. For such
should be the translation intended for the
reading of the many, — for all those, we mean,
who would be puzzled rather than enlightened
by alternative renderings, among which they
would not have the learning, or even inclina
tion or time, to make a choice.
Once more, then, the question often asked
may here be repeated, namely : Was there in
reality any urgent call for a revision of the
Authorised Version of the New Testament ?
That version had long commended itself to the

Introductory. 3
affectionate veneration of all English-speaking
peoples. From it they learned not only the
principles, but also the language, of the religion
of forgiveness and love. Apart from the great
interests of which it treats, it rivets the atten
tion by the charm of its simple eloquence, by the
solemn rhythm of its cadences, harmoniously
answering to the solemnity of the messages
they convey ; by its fervour, its impressiveness,
its power of appeal to every faculty of the
human mind, to every affection of the human
heart. We all know that there are errors of trans
lation, both verbal and syntactic, in the Autho
rised Version of the Sacred Writings. But few
of them, however, if any, are of importance with
respect to religious or moral instruction. They
do not bear upon doctrine, nor clash with the
precepts which have, in characters of light,
proclaimed to the world ' the whole duty of
man.' No one need therefore be misled by those
errors ; and in point of fact they have hitherto
proved harmless in those Christian communities

4 The Revised Version.
which speak the English language. Certain it
is that they have in no way hindered or inter
fered with the great work of evangelisation, of
which the Authorised Version has for many
generations been the chief groundwork.
Still, it was alleged, and on fair and logical
grounds, that in a book of such transcendent
importance as the Bible, the Book that teaches
to man the lesson of immortality and of the
alternative states of the future, that defines his
duties as a responsible being, and enforces his
responsibilities with the hopes of reward and
the fears of penalty, that in that Book there
should be no error, however slight, that could be
corrected, no sentence or word that admitted of
question or doubt, no misunderstanding in the
rendering of the language in which it was first
put forth to the world.
These were strong arguments, and they were
strongly pleaded. They were not to be gain
said ; and they prevailed. A new revision was
accordingly resolved upon, and after due pre
paration it was undertaken. It was a solemn
and momentous undertaking. If there were any

Introductory. 5
misgivings as to what the result would be, they
were silenced by the consideration that the know
ledge of ancient languages and customs had
been vastly enlarged by the researches of these
later times, while confidence was inspired by
the high reputation for scholarship and theology
with which the gentlemen, of whom the body
of revisers was composed, were justly credited.
This confidence was strengthened when it be
came known that the revisers had imposed on
themselves a rule ' to introduce as few altera
tions as possible into the Text of the Autho
rised Version consistently with faithfulness.'
The English translation of the Bible has
then undergone another revision ; and the new
version has been offered to the English-speaking
world as an improvement on the old.
As we have already noticed, both the Old
Testament and the New were, soon after pub
lication in the revised form, largely dealt with
by able reviewers. This work of reviewing,
indeed, still goes on ; and fresh critiques con
tinue to appear from time to time in our
high-class periodicals. With the Old Testament

6 The Revised Version.
we have at present nothing to do. Our business
is with the Revised Version of the New Testa
ment, on which we shall, we think, be able to show
that criticism has not yet done its perfect work.
To what remains undone we now propose to
contribute a supplementary offering. It is a
venturesome contribution ; being nothing less
than the correction of renderings, both of words
and sentences, which we hold to be inaccurate.
We do not undertake this task in a light or
presumptuous spirit ; we are not wanting in the
respect due to the ability, earnestness, and high
reputation of the revisers ; and we are fully
sensible of the responsibility we incur in ventur
ing to impugn the ten years' work of a company
of men who were deemed to be luminaries of
learning, and oracles on every subject pertain
ing to religion.
It must, however, be borne in mind that the
New Testament is the great charter of our re
ligion ; and we must not be withheld by respect
of persons from bringing to light any errors that
may, in our judgment, have been made in trans
ferring its original text into our mother tongue.

Introductory. 7
We would here premise that, for the correc
tions we are about to submit, we have taken
the Greek text adopted by the revisers. Fur
thermore, we intend to restrict our emendations
to the terms and passages embodied in the text
of the revised translation ; and, as a rule, not
to occupy ourselves with either the marginal
alternatives or the footnotes. Not that we
undervalue the alternatives or the notes ; but it
is the text, and the text alone, that will be read
by the many ; and for this reason all translators
of the Holy Scriptures should, we deem, study
to render the original directly in plain, clear,
popular language, easily understood, and charac
terised by simplicity and oneness of expression.

S. MATTHEW.
Chap. i. I : Keeping in view the object we
plead for in the preceding page, we begin with
the opening words of the New Testament :
/3t/3\.o? ryevio-eo)$, translated in the A.V. and the
R.V., ' The book of the generation.'
Generation would here be a fit rendering of
7ez/6crt9 as a synonym of creation, but of
creation in the sense which the word bears
in that sublime outpouring of adoration, the
General Thanksgiving of our Prayer-Book,
where we bless ' God for our creation, preserva
tion, and all the blessings of this life.' Here
the word creation means the act of God to
which we owe our existence as living beings.
' God made man,' saith the Bible ; and we
praise Him for having made us.
But generation in its conventional and more
general sense, means 'a single succession in

S. Matthew. g
natural descent,' as we find it, for instance, in
Matt. xxiv. 34 : ' This generation shall not pass,
till all these things be fulfilled.' In this sense
it is the equivalent of ryhea, of which word it is
the rendering in verse 17 of this chapter, and
in the many other passages of the New Testa
ment wherein it occurs.
As a more accurate translation of the sentence,
we would therefore suggest : ' The book of the
nativity of Jesus Christ'
Chap. i. 22 : tovto Se okov yeyovev, tva 7f\,7)pa>6f
to pt]6ev vtto tov K-vpLov Bia tov Tvpoa\>r\TOv, ' Now
all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,' A.V. ;
' Now all this is come to pass, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through
the prophet,' R.v. It in the apodosis is too
weak as a demonstrative for the relative which.
It which hurts the ear. Again, ' is come to
pass ' is rather an unusual form of the preterite.
We would therefore submit the following
emendation : ' Now all this came to pass that
that might be fulfilled,' etc.
Chap. ii. 13 : /xiXXei <yap 'Hpa>Sn<; £r)Teiv,

10 S. Matthew.
' For Herod will seek,' A.V. and R.V. The verb
fjueXXa) has more than a simple future signi
fication. It indicates passim that which is near
at hand, is going, or is about, to be. ' Herod
is going (intends) to seek the young child.'
Chap. iii. 3 : ETOtfidaaTe ttjv 6Bbv K.vpiov,
'make ye ready (prepare ye) the way of the Lord.'
In some eastern countries, where there are no
paved or macadamized roads, it is, or has been,
the rule, when a great personage is about to
travel, to send messengers ahead with orders to
have the beaten tracks repaired over which he
is to pass ; to fill up ruts, level inequalities, and
render travelling as practicable as possible.
May not this be the simple explanation of the
figurative language and the grand diction which
the prophet Isaiah employs with poetic rapture
in chap. xl. 3, 4 ?
Chap. iii. 7 : °^7ro TV^ p.eXXovo-7]$ 6pyr)<;,
' from the coming wrath.'
Chap. iii. 1 2 : irvpl ao-fieo-Tw, ' with unquench
able fire,' A.V. and R.V. This verse describes
with accuracy the mode of winnowing wheat
still carried on in some parts of South-Eastern

S. Matthew. ii
Europe. After the sheaves have been trodden
out by horses or unmuzzled oxen (Deut xxv. 4),
the straw is gathered up and piled in a ridge to
leeward of the thrashing-floor. The mingled
grain and chaff are then heaped up in the middle
of the floor, and the winnower goes to work
with a long-handled wooden shovel — to tttvov
— with which he throws up the wheat and chaff
in the air, until he has gone through the whole
heap. The wheat falls, from its own weight, on
the floor ; the chaff is blown against the ridge
of straw. The floor is then swept clean — Siaica-
¦Oaptel Tr\v avXmva avTov, — the wheat is forth
with taken away and gathered into the garner ;
the straw and chaff (ayvpov means both) are set
fire to, and left to burn until both are consumed,
and the fire goes out of itself; to Se ayypov
Ka-Taicavcret, rrvpl atr/3e<7Tw, ' But the chaff and
straw he will burn with fire not to be quenched!
ao-/3ecrTo<;, proparoxytone, formed from a
priv. and o-/36o-to?, oxytone, the verbal adjective
of o-fievvvpi. See Lev. vi. 1 3. (Sept.) : ical irvp
SiatravTO<i tcavdrjO-eTai eVt to Ovaiaarrjptov, ov
o-r3ea6r]aeTat. And Josephus, Antiquities, i. 22 :

12 S. Matthew.
'E7rt tovtcov <f>&<; io-Tiv avarroo-fieaTov Kai ra?
vvKTas Kai Ta<; r/pepas.
Chap. iv. I : 'Kv^yOt), ' was led up,' A.V. and
R.V. 'Avd prefixed to verbs of motion, generally
means departure from ; icaTa, arrival at; accord
ingly we would here translate the verb 'was
led away.' '
Chap. iv. 9 : iav -rrearbv irpoo-Kwrjarj'; pot, ' if
thou wilt fall down and worship me,' A.V. and
R.V. Compare Gen. xxiii. 7. (Sept.) : 'Aftpaap,
irpoo-eKiivrjo-e toS XaS tt}<; <yrj<;, ' Abraham bowed
himself to the people of the land.' And again,
Gen. xxxiii. 3 : ical irpoaeicvvrjae eVt ttjv yyv
e7TT«/a?, e<»? tov eyyio-at too aSeX<pq> avTov,
' And he bowed himself to the ground seven
times, until he came near to his brother.' See
Herod. Clio, 134: "Hv Se ttoXXoj § ovrepo<;
ayevvecrTepos, irpoaTrinrTOiv irpoaKweeu tov eTepov,
' But if one (of two persons meeting) be of far
inferior birth, he falls down and does reverence
to the other.' The common salutation in
modern Greek is Sas irpoaKwio. The present
writer has seen in India a respectable native
kneel down and touch the ground with his

S. Matthew. 13
forehead at the approach of an English magis
trate. See 1 Chron. xxi. 16: 'Then David and
the elders . . . fell upon their faces.'
From these citations it would appear that
the verb irpoaKwea means respectful saluta
tion due to a superior, as well as worship in
the religious sense of the word.
Chap. iv. 23 : irdaav voaov Kai irdaav
/xaXaKiav, ' all manner of sickness and all man
ner of disease,' A.V.; 'all manner of disease and
all manner of sickness,' R.V. NoVo?' means
generally ' a grievous sickness.' As is said in
the ' Order for the Visitation of the Sick ' in our
Prayer-Book : ' Thy servant who is grieved
with sickness.' The special meaning of the
term is theplague. Thuc. ii. 47 : 'H voo-o<; irpcoTov
¦ijp^aro ryevicrdai, to?s 'AdnvaLous, ' The plague
first began with the Athenians.' The German
word for plague is seuche ; allied' to which is
siech, ' sick,' and siechthum, 'sickness.' MaXaKia
means 'softness,' 'delicacy,' 'feebleness.' Disease
primarily means ' unrest,' in French malaise.
From these remarks it will be seen that the old
translators rendered the words before us with

14 S. Matthew.
singular fidelity, and with an exact perception of
the proper and distinctive meanings of vocro<;
and paXaKia.
Chap. iv. 24 : o-eXrjvta^op^vov?, ' Those which
were lunatic,' A.V. ; 'epileptic,' R.V. %eXvvid^o-
pLai, 'to be moon-struck,' from aeXrjvn, the
moon. Lunatic, from Luna, the moon. ' Epilep
tic ' is in Greek 6VtX^7TTt«:6?, from iiriXrjtyLa —
epilepsy. Milton has ' moon-struck madness,'
Par. Lost, xi. 486.
Chap. v. 13: vp,el<; io~Te to aXas rij? jfj<;'
iav Se to aXa<; ficvpavdfj, iv tLvl dXiorOrjoreTai, ;
' Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt
have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be
salted ?' A.V. and R.V. According to this render
ing, the question asked would be : ' Wherewith
shall the lost savour of the salt be restored ? ' As
understood by us the question is : ' Wherewith
shall anything be salted ? ' or, in homely para
phrase, ' What shall be done for salt ? ' A writer
in the Quarterly Review of April 1886, No.
324, p. 308, hit off, perhaps unconsciously, the
meaning for which we contend, in the following
sentence : ' Now they were regarded as in great

S. Matthew. 15
measure the salt of the earth ; but if that salt
should lose its savour, where was such virtue
elsewhere to be found ? '
According to the Mosaic ritual, salt was
largely used in the sacrificial ordinances of the
Temple. It was also used in other ways which
gave to it a special value. For one of those
uses see Ezekiel xvi. 4. Moreover, great
quantities of it must have been consumed, as
it is now consumed, by the shepherds of the
country, in rearing the young of their flocks.
Chap. vi. 5 : T&v TrXarei&v. irXaTeid, the
place of the French. In modern Greek djopd,
' market-place,' from dyelpto, ' to assemble ' : the
broad — irXaTv<; — place still to be seen in many
of our old towns, serving as well for a market
place as for a place of assembly. It was at the
corners of this broad square place that the
hypocrites loved to stand and pray.
Chap. vi. 13: dXXa pvaau r/p,a<; dirb tov
Trovwpov, ' but deliver us from evil,' A.V. ; ' but
deliver us from the evil one,' R.V. Compare
Deut. xiii. 5, Kai d<paviel<; to irovnpbv il; vp,oiv
avTiov, ' so shalt thou put away the evil from

1 6 S. Matthew.
the midst of thee ; ' 2 Chron. xii. 14, Kai eirolnae
to -n-ovnpov, 'And he did that which was evil.'
Other passages might be cited in which
to Trovnpov is evil abstract : but in the passage
we are considering, the revisers make it con
crete in a person. And yet we cannot but think
that the term was, like many others relating to
religion, borrowed by the Gospel-writers from
the Septuagint.
Chap. vi. 27 : irpoaOelvai, iirl ttjv rfXtKiav
avTov irriyvv eva, ' add one cubit to his stature,'
A.v. and R.V. To add a cubit — 22 inches — to the
stature would indeed be a marvellous achieve
ment of human forethought and contrivance.
But the Divine Preacher was arguing to show
how little human forethought and contrivance
could effect. The primary and proper meaning
of -r)XiKia is age, time of life. It next means the
duration of life, in which sense it was very
commonly used. In modern Greek the word
o-mOafif] — 9 inches — serves to express a short
space of time — o-iriQafxr) Kaipov,like as in English,
its exact equivalent, a span. It seems to us
that ?)XtKla here means the duration of life.

S. Matthew. 17
Adopting this meaning, we should retain the
full sense of the passage ; and should do no
disrespect to the original if we were to translate
7n5%u? by our own familiar term span.
Chap. vii. 4. An educated Greek of the pre
sent day might with propriety say, aches eKfidXco
to Kapcpos e/c tow 6<p6aXp,ov crov, just as we
might say, ' Let me take the mote out of your
eye.' To cast out a mote implies an exertion of
force out of all proportion with the occasion.
Chap. vii. 22 : Sai/iovia. This word, wherever it
occurs in the New Testament, should,we think, be
translated by ' demon.' The subject of demons
is too large to be dealt with in this place. We
would only observe that belief in those beings
had become a religious tenet of the Jews long
before the advent of our Saviour. There were
good demons, and bad or malignant demons.
The latter only are spoken of in the New Testa
ment. They were subordinate to a chief, whose
name was Satan or Beelzebub ; and their role on
earth was to take up their abode in the bodies
of men, and also of inferior animals — vid. chap.
viii. 30, 31. The Greeks believed in demons;
B

1 8 S. Matthew.
but they attributed to them a more amiable
character than did the Jews. To the Bolbitine
(Rosetta) branch of the Nile they gave the
name of ' A<ya6oSaip,cov — ' good demon,' because
of the grateful veneration in which it was held
by the Egyptians in return for the benefits
derived by their land from its fertilising
waters. Chap. ix. 1 6 : a'cpei <yt\p to TrXtjpco/ia avTov
airb tov IpbaTiov, Kai yelpov ayicrpa yiveTai,
'for that which is put in to fill it up taketh
from the garment, and the rent is made worse,'
A.V. ; ' for that which should fill it up taketh
from the garment, and a worse rent is made,' R.V.
In this passage our translators are very much
at fault. Atpec has iTrifiXrjfia of the preceding
line for nominative, and for accusative ¦jrXrfpco/Aa,
the full quantity covered by the iirlfiXrjua —
patch. This being of new strong cloth, cannot
long be held by the thin worn-out material of
the I/jlutiov or old garment. It comes, there
fore, soon away, tearing with it to irXrjpwfia
avTov, all that it covered of the old stuff, and a
worse rent is made.

S. Matthew. 19
We shall have a good deal more to say in the
sequel about the word irXrjpap.a.
Chap. ix. 23 : Kai IScov Toil's avXvTas Kai tw
o%Xov 6opv^ovp,evov, ' and saw the flute-players
and the crowd making a nojse.' The flute-
playing and noise were intended to keep away
evil demons, as is still done in negro countries.
Chap. x. 4 : 0 Kai irapaSovs avTov, ' who also
betrayed him.' ¦rrapaSlScofii, is ' to deliver up,' /
' hand over ' ; ' to betray ' is irpoSiScofii.
Chap. xi. 25 : iv iKeivcg tco Kaipco diroKptOel';
6 'Iwcrovs elirev, ' At that season Jesus answered
and said.' The expressions diroKpidels eiTre and
diroKpidels eXeye are of frequent occurrence in
the four Gospels and in The Acts of the
Apostles ; and are always translated in both
the A.V. and the R.V. by ' answered and said,'
although in many cases there is no question
to answer. In the present passage the expres
sion introduces us to an ejaculation of thanks
giving to the Supreme Being. In chap. xv. 15
of this Gospel it leads to a request. In xxii. 1
it precedes the resumption of a discourse after
a brief interruption. From these and other

20 S. Matthew.
like cases that might be adduced, we may con
clude that the words were used as a conventional
phrase, by way of introduction to what was
about to follow.
Chap. xiv. 6 : iv tco fj,ecrcp, ' in the midst.'
This was a form of expression retained from
the early custom of sitting on the grass in a
circle, to witness displays, discuss questions,
hear speeches, recitals, and the like, the actors
or speakers being iv tco pecrco. The custom still
survives among the rural Greeks.
Chap. xv. 19 : ^Xao-cprj/ilai, ' blasphemies.'
In Greek this word conveys but rarely the idea
of daring impiety which is attached to it in our
language. Its proper meaning is defamation,
calumny, slander. In the R.V. it is here
rendered by railings.
Chap. xvi. 26 : ttjv Se ¦^rvyrjv avTov ^vp.icoQfi,
' and lose his own soul,' A.V. ; ' and forfeit his
life,' R.V. This is a judicial form of expression.
Poena, damnum, mulcta, are the Latin equiva
lents of fr/ila : fine, penalty, the English. T^i/
¦^rvjffjv %np,iovo~6ai, means ' to be condemned
to death.'

S. Matthew. 21
Chap, xxiii. 15 : on irepidyeTe ttjv ddXacraav
Kai ttjv %r)pdv, ' for ye compass sea and land,'
A.V. and R.V. The verb has here its intransitive
sense : ' for ye go about sea and land.'
Chap, xxiii. 24 : 01 SivXl£ovTe<; tov Kcovcoira,
' which strain at a gnat,' A.V. ; ' which strain out
the gnat,' R.V. The latter is the true rendering ;
but with an overscrupulous regard for the
definite article. Off instead of out might be an
improvement. Chap. xxiv. 28 : oirov eav § to irTcofia, e'/cet
avva^OrjcrovTai, ol deToi, ' wheresoever the car
case is, there will the eagles be gathered to
gether,' A.V. and R.V. A simile that would be
well understood by shepherds in the East, who,
when they see birds of prey, such as eagles or
vultures, hovering near their pastures, know
well that a sheep must be down, fallen, whether
rigwelted, as they say in Yorkshire, or sick or
dying or dead.
The writer once saw a striking case of the
kind. He was sitting with some shepherds in
a field in South Albania. The flocks were
grazing two or three hundred yards off. The

22 S. Matthew.
conversation was suddenly interrupted by one
of the shepherds starting up and exclaiming
that a sheep had fallen. When asked how he
came to know it, he answered : ' Don't you see
the vultures, how they are gathering and
hovering over the flocks ?' This was said in
Greek ; but the translation here given is sub
stantially, if not verbally, correct. A general
run to the rescue was made ; and, sure enough,
it was found that a sheep had fallen from some
painful accident it had met with. Compare
Job xxxix. 9, ' Her eyes [the eagle's] behold
afar off ; and where the slain are, there is she.'
Prophetic allusion may also be understood to
the Roman Eagle and the siege of Jerusalem.
But the application of the simile is, at any rate,
obvious.

S. MARK.
CHAP. i. 17 : SeijTe oirlaco p,ov, Kai Troir/crco
vfias yevecrdai aXtet? dvOpcoircov, ' come ye after
me, and I will make you to become fishers of
men.' Beside this passage we may place the
reproof which Cleopatra addressed to Antony
when he made himself ridiculous by his awkward
attempts to catch fish : TlapaSo? r)fuv tov KaXa-
p,ov, avTOKpaTcop, Tot? ^apiVat? Kai Kai/fi)/3tTat?
ftacrCXevcTLV 97 Se arj Qr\pa 7roA,et? elcrl, kcu /3acn-
Xeis Kai rj-Treipoc : ' Leave the fishing-rod, Emperor,
to us kings of Pharis and Canopus ; thy game
are cities and kings and dominions.' — Plutarch,
Antony, xxix.
Chap. ii. 21: et Se pvt), alpei to irXripcopa (cwr')
avTov to Kaivbv tov iraXabov. The elided pre
position in this sentence appears only in the
text adopted by the revisers ; where it is marked
om. (omit) in the foot-notes. With this omission
we have the commonly received text ; and the

24 S. Mark.
translation would, in sense, be the same as that
which we have given for the parallel passage in
Matt. ix. 21, viz. : ' If he does, the new takes its
ifXripcopa, all it covers — from the old ' — tov
iraXaiov — genitive of ablation.
Septuagint — For our rendering of et Se fir],
see Numbers xx. 1 8 : ov SieXevo-n St' e/tou' et
Se firj, iv iroXefico i^eXevao/iai, et? crvvdvTrjaov croi,
' Thou shalt not pass through me : if thou dost,
I will come out in battle-array to meet thee.'
In this and other like cases of antithesis, the
word lest is too weak ; and we prefer the obvious
sense to the close, literal translation.
Chap. vi. 39-40 : avfnrocna, avpirocna : little
parties sitting on the grass in circles and facing
inwards ; irpacrial, irpaaiai : the same, like
garden-plots. We have often seen the reality on
festive occasions in Thessaly and Epirus, when
large numbers would be assembled on the green.
Chap. vii. 3 : iav fir) irvyfif) vlifrcovTat, t«?
Xeipas, ' Except they wash their hands oft,1
A.V. ; ' except they wash their hands diligently,'
R.V. Our translation is : ' unless they wash their
hands up to the elbow,' as the Moslems are

S. Mark. 25
careful to do at the fountain outside the mosque,
before they enter for prayer.
Chap. viii. 23 : Kai irTvcras et? to, op,fiara
ai/Tov, eVtflet? t<z? p^etjoa? avTco, ' and when he
had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon
him,' A.V., and, with the exception of laid for put,
the R.V. We submit : ' spit into his eyes.' In
Kurdistan a Bey of the country came to the
present writer, bringing with him a little son,
who was suffering from inflammation of the eye
lids. He asked the writer to cure his boy ; and
when he was told that the person he addressed
was not a doctor, he seemed to be much sur
prised ; for in his country it is commonly be
lieved that all Europeans are skilled in medicine.
He then took his son by the hand, spit into his
eyes, drew his right hand over them, said a
prayer in silence ; and went away, taking the
lad with him.
Chap. ix. 23 : to el Svvaaai — Revisers' text —
If thou canst ! to et Svvaaai, iriaTevaai — Gries-
bach's text — ' If thou canst believe,' A.v. The
omission of iriaTevaai and the rendering of
the Revisers give an abrupt and rather impatient

26 S. Mark.
utterance, totally at variance with the calm,
even tenor of the Saviour's discourses. For the
to, compare Luke i. 62, to ti av OiXoi KaXeiaOai
avTov ; ibid. ix. 46, to Tt? av e'it] fiei^cov aincov ;
Acts iv. 21, to 7r<u? KoXdacovTai avTovs. Herod.
Clio i. 130, rfpypv to dirb tovtov t»j? 'A0-M7?. In
these and other like sentences, the to is an
idiomatic pleonasm, and does not admit of
translation into English.
Chap. ix. 49-50 : 7ra? yap irvpl dXiadr]aeTai,
Kai Traaa Qvaia dXl aXiadrjaeTai. KaXov to
aXa.?- idv Se aXas avaXov yevrjTai, iv tivi avTo
dpTvaeTe ; We copy this passage from Gries-
bach's text, because the part Kai iraaa Qvaia
dXl dXiaQr\aeTai is omitted in the text of the
Revisers, but is given in the foot-notes with
' add ' before it. This is an important part of
the sentence ; for it shows that St. Mark, and,
we may assume, the other Evangelists also,
took the metaphor from the use of salt in the
meat-offerings on the altar, as prescribed in
Lev. ii. 13. This verse we transcribe in full
from the Septuagint: irdv Scopov 0vala<; vficov
aXi dXiaOrjaeTai. ov SiairavaaTe dXa<; Sia6rjKr)<i

S. Mark. 27
Kvpiov atro QvaiaafiaTcov vficov. eVt TravTo<;
Scopov vficov TrpoaoiaeTe Kvpico tco deep vficov aXas.
Assuming that the metaphor was taken from
this passage, we may well conclude that, in the
case of the salt having lost its savour, the first
thought would be for to Scopov 8vaias, how to
season it, and make it fit for presentation on
the altar. And the anxious question would
suggest itself — ev tivi dXiaQr\aeTai ; — to Smpov
understood. According to this interpretation
the avTo in St. Mark's question of iv TtVt avTO
dpTvaeTe ; must either refer to Scopov, or be
rejected as an interpolation.

S. LUKE.
Chap. i. 17. Reading suggested for transla
tion : Kai avTO<; irpoeXevaeTai ivcoiriov avTov ev
TrvevfiaTi Kai Svvdfiei 'H.X10V, iiriaTpetyai Kap-
St'a? TraTepcov eVt TeKva- Kai (prpoeXevaeTai
ivcoiriov avTov) iv cbpovrjaei SiKaicov, <z7ret#et?
eToifidaai (et?) Xabv JLvpico KaTeaKevaafievov.
We place a colon after Tmva : and the remain
ing part of the verse we translate as follows :
' and (he shall go before him) in the wisdom of
the just, to make ready the disobedient to be a
people prepared for the Lord.'
Chap. ii. 49 : eV Tot? tov iraTpos fiov, ' about
my Father's business,' A.V. ; ' in my Father's
house,' R.V. The latter is the correct transla
tion ; but as it would appear from the marginal
alternatives that it was not given without
hesitation, we make the following citations in
support of it : 1 Esdras v. 46, Kai ovtcov tcov
vlcov 'laparfX eKaaTOV iv Tot? lSioi<; : I Mac-

S. Luke. 29
cabees v. 13, koi 7rai>Te? 01 dSeXcbol rjpcbv, ol
oWe? iv Tot? Tcofiiov, TeOavaTcovTai. Josephus,
Ant. i. 18 : tov t€ %pvaovv Kiova, tov iv Tot$ tov
Ato? dvedrjKev.
Chap. vi. 40 : KaTvpTiafievo? Se 7ra? (jia9<r]Tr}<;)
eaTai <b? o SiSdaKaXos, ' every one that is per
fect shall be as his Master,' A.V. ; ' Every one,
when he is perfected, shall be as his Master,'
R.V. The past participle would here seem to
mean ' fully instructed :' ' every learner who has
been thoroughly taught shall be as (learned as)
his teacher.'
Chap. xiii. 32 : TeXeiovfiai. cpddvco et? to tc'Xo?
tov f3iov fiov, ' I come to the end of my life,' is
one of the meanings of this verb given by
Skarlat in his lexicon of Ancient and Modern
Greek. Chap. xvii. 5 • Trp6a0e<; r/fiiv iriaTiv, ' increase
our faith,' A.V. and R.V. Our rendering is —
' Grant us faith, as an additional boon.' Com
pare Matt. vi. 33 : Kai tovtw irdvTa irpoaTe-
QrfaeTai vfiiv, ' and all these things shall be
added unto you ; ' and Acts ii. 47 : 6 Se Kvpio?
ivpoaeTiQei tovs acofr/ievovs Kad' i)p,epav ttj

30 S. Luke.
iKKXvaia, ' and the Lord added daily to the
Church such as should be saved.' These refer
ences show that the government of irpoaTiQiffii
does not signify an increment of the thing
added, but the thing itself.
Chap. xix. 42 : et eyvco*;, ' if thou hadst
known,' A.V. and R.V. The true meaning would
seem to be ' utinam novisses,' ' would that thou
hadst known.'
Chap. xxi. 19 : iv tt) birofiovy vp,cov KTijaeade
to.? ijw^a? bpcov, ' in your patience possess ye
your souls,' A.V. ; ' in your patience ye shall win
your souls,' R.V. Our rendering is : 'by your
patience (endurance, holding out), ye shall win
(save) your lives.'

S. JOHN.
CHAP. i. 15: efnrpoaOev pov yeyovev, ' is pre
ferred before me,' A. v. ; ' is become before me,'
R.V. This latter is a novel form of expression,
meaning, we presume, ' has got before me.'
Chap. I. 16 : Kai (oTt, R.V.) e/c tov TrX7)pcofiaTO<;
avTov rffiels 7rafT6? eXdffofiev, ' and of his ful
ness have all we received,' A.V. ; ' For of his
fulness we all received,' R.V. TTX^pco/ia does
not mean fulness, which is the state of being
full. It means the fill, that is, the full quantity
of anything that any recipient can hold. See
Mark viii. 20 : irbacov airvpiScov TrXrfpcofiaTa
KXaa/iaTcov ffpaTe ; ' how many basketfuls of
broken pieces took ye up ? ' R.V. If the word
fill be objected to as too poor and commonplace
for the diction of the sacred writings, we would
reply that, although but little used in select
composition, it has, nevertheless, the sanction of
some of the highest authorities in our language,

32 S. John.
both in poetry and in prose. Take, for instance,
the following quotations : —
Meanwhile enjoy
Your fill, what happiness this happy state
Can comprehend, incapable of more.
Par. Lost, v. 503.
Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung,
Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat ray fill
I spared not. ibid. ix. 594.
When ye were thirsty, did I not cleave the rock, and waters
flowed out to your fill ? — 2 Esdras i. 20.
Your barbarity . . . may have its, fill of destruction. — Pope,
As the term has no exact synonym in
English that we know of, we venture, on the
authority of these citations, to employ it in the
case before us ; and the translation we offer is
as follows : ' and of His fill [of that with which
He was filled] have we all received.' What that
was with which he was filled is stated in
Colossians ii. 9, a text that will require its own
elucidation. Chap. iv. 6 : eKaOe^eTo ovtco<; eVt Ty injyrj,
' sat thus on the well,' A.V. ; ' sat thus by the
well,' R.V. Round the mouths of deep wells in
Eastern countries, there are always low parapets
in masonry, on which travellers are wont to sit

S. John. 33
and take a brief interval of rest. So far the
meaning of the passage is very plain. But there
is confessedly a difficulty about the word ovtcos.
The Attic form of that word is oi/Tcoai, which
has been fined down in modern Greek to iron,
without any change of meaning. In the variety
of its applications eVcrt is a close equivalent of
our adverb so. For instance : to the question
n&)? %6Te ar]fipov ; ' How are you to-day ? '
the answer might be eVo-t Kai iTai, ' so-so,' —
meaning ' only middling ' —
What think'st thou of the rich Mercutio ?
Well, of his wealth ; but of himself, so-so.
Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Referring to the text, in Greece, and in the
Turkish provinces adjoining Greece, the writer
has often been asked to take a seat, with the
expression /ea#t£e irai. He has often used the
expression himself ; meaning simply, ' Sit down,
if you please.' 'ETo-t is, in fact, often a mere
expletive, like many words in common use in
our own and in every tongue. Properly speak
ing, the word corresponds in such cases with
C

34 S. John.
mairep e%eiv — vid. Herod, ii. 121 — and very
nearly with the French ' sans facon.'
In the passage before us it would seem to
mean nothing more than 'casually' — 'it hap
pened that Jesus sat down on the parapet that
surrounded the mouth of the well.'
Chap. xiii. 23 : ?]v dvaKeifievo<; e£? e'« fiaQiyrcov
avrov iv tco koXttco tov 'Iijaov, 'now there was
leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,' A.V. ;
' there was at the table reclining in Jesus' bosom
one of his disciples,' R.V. The company were
reclining on couches, which were end-on to the
table ; each person lay on his left side, as at a
Roman triclinium. The disciple spoken of was
immediately in front of Jesus ; and leaning back
on Jesus' breast — dvaireacov — eVt to aTrjOos tov
'Irjaov — he put the question, as requested, to
Him. This we conceive to be the simple ex
planation of the passage we are considering.
It certainly presents a picture very different
from the conception embodied in the great
painting of Leonardo da Vinci.

THE ACTS.
CHAP. i. I : 3>v r]p^aT0 6 'Iijaovs ivoielv Te Kai
SiSdaKeiv, ' that Jesus began both to do and to
teach,' A.V. and R.V. To this rendering we
would submit the following emendation : ' which
Jesus was the first both to do and to teach.'
Compare Hebrews ii. 3, r/Tt? dpyrfv Xaftovaa
XaXeiadai Sia tov Kvpiov, 'which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord,' A.V. ; ' which
having at the first been spoken through the Lord,'
R.V. See also Josephus, fewish War, vi. 1. 4,
ov firjv iroXfia Tt? dvafirjvai- TrpoviTTOs yap toi<;
dp^afievoi<; rjv dircoXeia, ' no one, however, dared
to mount ; for it was death foreseen to the first
who tried it'
Chap. ii. 2: 7tvot]<;. Instead of wind, the ren
dering of the A.V. and the R.V, could not
this word have here the same equivalent as in
Genesis ii. 7, viz., ' breath'? Would ' breathing'
be thought better ?
Chap. ii. 3 : Kai cocbdrjaav avToi<; Siafiepi%6p,evai

36 The Acts.
yX&aaai mael 7TU/30? Kai iKaQiaev ecp' eva eKaaTOv
avT&v, 'and there appeared unto them cloven
tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of
them,' A.V. ; ' and there appeared unto them
tongues parting asunder, like as of fire : and it
sat upon each one of them,' R.V. Aiafiepi^ofievat
is here to be taken in its true sense as a par
ticiple, and in the middle voice. We would
also note that there is an ellipsis in the second
limb of the sentence. A nominative is wanting
for the verb ivadiaev, which must be found in
order to complete the passage for translation,
and to transfer its full sense and expression
into plain English. After careful study, we offer,
as follows, our rendering of the whole passage :
'And there appeared unto them, distributing
themselves, tongues like as of fire ; and one
tongue sat upon each one of them ' — the apostles.
Or, by a transposition strictly permissible, ' and
there appeared unto them tongues like as of
fire ; and, distributing themselves, one tongue sat
upon each one of them ' — the apostles, to wit.
Chap. xii. 20 : ?]v Se (0 'HpcbSr]?) dv/iofiax&v
Tv/>tot? Kai %iScoviois, ' and Herod was highly
displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon,' A.V. ;

The Acts. 37
'now he was highly displeased with them of
Tyre and Sidon,' R.v. ' Herod was bent on war
with the Tyrians and Sidonians ' is our rendering.
Chap. xv. 23 : ol diroaToXoi Kai ol TrpeafivTepoi
dSeXcboi. This is the text reading adopted by
the Revisers ; the commonly received text be
ing Kai ol dSeXcboi. ' The apostles and elder
brethren,' R.v. ; ' the apostles, and elders, and
brethren,' A.V. The only instance in which
7rpea/3vTepo<; appears as an adjective in the
authorised texts of the New Testament is in
Luke xv. 25, r\v Se o uto? avTov 6 irpeafivTepo<s iv
dypw, ' Now his elder son was in the field.'
Chap. xxv. II : ov irapaTovp,ai to diroQavelv,
' I refuse not to die,' A.V. and R.V. We submit,
' I do not deprecate being put to death.'
' ATrodvrjaKco may often be taken in a passive
sense : oi et«o? eivai tov . . . TOKea vtto tov eavTov
7ratSo? diroOvrjaKeiv, ' It is not likely that a father
should be killed by his own son,' Herod, i. 1 37.
Chap, xxvii. 32 : Kai elaaav avTtjv iKireaelv,
' and let her fall off,' A.V. and R.V. ' And let
her run ashore.' 'E«7rt7TTouo-t Trjai vqiiai e'?
'Ir]7rvyi7]v, ' they are cast ashore in the ships
at Iapygia,' Herod, iii. 138.

THE EPISTLE TO THE
ROMANS.
CHAP. i. 17 : SiKaioavvr] yap ®eov iv avTco
aTTOKaXviTTeTai ix iriareco'; et? iriaTiv, ' for there
in is the righteousness of God revealed from
faith to faith,' A.V. ; ' for therein is revealed a
righteousness of God by faith unto faith,' R.V.
What appears to us to be the true sense of
this passage can scarcely be rendered in English
by a word-for-word translation. Our attempt
is as follows : ' For the righteousness of God in
(by) him (Jesus Christ) is revealed of faith to
faith,' that is, to believers — abstract for concrete.
Paraphrase : ' for the righteousness which God
has provided in or by him (Jesus Christ) is
revealed to believers because of their belief in
him.' For SiKaioavvr/ . . . iv avTco compare
SiKaioavvrjv ttjv iv v6fiq>, Phil. iii. 6.
The concluding words of the verse, o Se St'/mto?
iK iriaTeco<s ZfiaeTai, are rendered in the A.V. by
' the just shall live by faith ' ; in the R.V. ' the

Romans. 39
righteous shall live by faith.' We submit : ' the
just by faith shall live.' See chap. v. 1, Siicaico-
GevTes ovv eic TrlaTecof, ' being therefore justified
by faith.'
Chap. ii. 20 : eyovTa tt)v p,6pcbcoaiv t?j?
yvcbaecos Kai tt}? aX^eta? iv tco vop,co, ' which
hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in
the law,' A.v. ; ' having in the law the form of
knowledge and of the 'truth,' R.v. From the
context it would appear that the word fiopcf>coai<s
has here its proper meaning of forming, that is,
of instructing in the knowledge, etc.
Chap. ii. 27 : ae tov Sia ypdfifiaTos Kai
TrepiTOfir)<; TrapafSaTr/v vbfiov, ' thee, who by the
letter and circumcision dost transgress the law,'
A.V. ; ' thee, who, with the letter and circumcision,
art a transgressor of the law,' R.v. HepiTOfir) Kap-
St'a? iv irvevfiaTi, ' circumcision of the heart in the
spirit,' ver. 29, is represented by ' the outward
and visible sign ' of nrepiTOfir] iv aapKi, ' circum
cision in the flesh,' ver. 28, which is also termed
irepiTOfir] ev ypdfifiari, ver. 29, the letter or pre
scribed form of the sacrament. Circumcision in
the flesh was ' a token of the covenant ' (Genesis

40 Romans.
xvii. n), by which the Israelite was solemnly
bound, became 'a debtor to the whole law:'
Gal. v. 3. But in the passage before us, he is
charged with being, though outwardly circum
cised, a transgressor of the law. The transla
tion of that passage would therefore be : ' Thee
who, having passed through the letter (the
outward form) even of circumcision, art a trans
gressor of the law.' The Kai is here used as
an emphatic particle to express more forcibly
the enormity of the transgression.
Chap. iii. 30 : o? SiKaicoaei irepiTofiryv e'«
7rt'o-Te(u? Kai aKpofivaTiav Sid Tr}<; •KiaTeco^, ' which
shall justify the circumcision by faith, and un-
circumcision through faith,' A.V ; ' and he shall
justify the circumcision by faith, and the un-
circumcision through faith,' R.v. We take the
true meaning to be : ' Who through faith, Sid
iriaTem, shall justify the circumcision of faith,
that is, the Jews who believe— and the un-
circumcision, that is, the Gentiles.' Compare
Acts x. 45, ol e'« TrepiTOfiris inaToi, ' they of the
circumcision which believed.'
Chap. iv. 17: Kai koXovvtos Ta fit) SvTa co?

Romans. 41
ovTa, 'and calling the things that are not as
though they were.' Alongside of this passage
we are tempted to place the following quotation
from the Anabasis of Xenophon, Lib. iv. cap. iv.
15, ovto<; yap iSoKei Kai Trpofepov TroXXa rjSr)
aXrjvevaai ToiavTa, Ta ovTa Te a>? ovTa koI Ta fir)
ovTa a>? ovk ovTa, ' For this man was reputed
to have already on previous occasions truly told
many such things, things being as being, things
not being as not being.' Compare also Herod.
i. 30 : dXXd tco ibvTi yj>r]aap,evos, ' but speak
ing the truth ' ; and i. 95, aXXa tov ibvTa Xeyeiv
Xdyov, 'but to speak the true word.'
We may well believe that the expression
which is given at its full length in the quotation
from Xenophon came in time to be abridged
to the form in which we find it in Matt. v. 17 :
eaTco Se 6 Xoyo<; vficov val val ov ov, ' let your
speech be yea, yea, and nay, nay' — meaning,
' speak the real truth, both yes and no.'
It might hence be concluded that the passage
we are considering is defective ; and that the
writer intended to say that God, in whose
promises Abraham trusted, is a God of perfect

42 Romans.
truth, whose words are verities, whether they be
yes or no. A faint survival or shadow of this
idea must have existed in Shakespeare's time ;
for we read in his Merry Wives of Windsor, i. I,
' Sir, I thank you, by yea and no, I do — ' and
i. 4, 'And the very yea and no is,' etc.
Chap. v. 15-20. The whole of this passage is
in the law language of the time ; and consists,
for the most part, of a series of antitheses, bear
ing on the opposing powers of sin and grace
with respect to man. Among these antitheses
we would specially notice irapdirTcofia and ydp-
iap,a, ' transgression ' and ' forgiveness ' or ' act
of grace ' : KaTaKpi/ia and SiKaicofia, ' condemna
tion' and ' acquittal ' : dfiapTcoXoi and SUaioi,
' sinners ' and 'just.' To the several words in the
passage, formed from St'/cato?, 'just,' 'righteous,'
our translators have not, we think, assigned the
distinctive meaning which they hold in the
original. We mean the words SiKaioavvr), SiKai-
co/ia, and SiKaicoais. For instance, they render
SiKaicofia in verse 16 and SiKaicoais in verse 18,
both by justification ; and again, SiKaioavvr) in
verse 17, and SiKaicofia in verse 18, by righteous
ness. In the language of the New Testament

Romans. 43
SiKaioavvr/ means righteousness, as opposed to
sinfulness ; SiKaicofia means ' acquittal,' that is —
a verdict of SiKaioavvr) ; SiKaicoais— ' the giving
of that verdict,' or 'justification.' This last term
has several collateral meanings; among which we
would mention 'rightful claim,' 'title'; either of
which might, we think, be accepted in verse 18.
See Sept., 2 UapaXenrofievcov vi. 23, tov SiKai-
5>aai SiKaiov KaTa, Tr)V SiKaioavvr/v avTov.
Chap. xi. 29 : dfierafieXrjTa, ' without repent
ance,' A.V. and R.V. We translate the term,
' irrevocable,' ' immutable,' ' constant' See Plato,
Timaeus, xxiv. 1 1 : tov<; (Xoyovs) yeviaeco<; irepl
Siadecbfievos (Tt?) . . . d/ieTafieXr/Tov r)Sovr)v KTcvrai,
' any one who studies arguments concerning
creation gains assured pleasure.'
Chap. xiii. 14 : Kai tt;? aapKos nrpbvoiav fir)
Troieiade et? iiriOvfiias, ' and make not provision
for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof, A.V. and
R.V. Instead of which we write : ' And make
not provision for the lusts of the flesh,' — vid.
Josephus, fewish Wars, v. II. 5, ovSev et? aacbd-
Xeiav r) cbvXaKrjv tcov acofidrrcov irpovoovfievov;,
' taking no thought for the safety or protection
of their bodies.'

44 Romans.
Chap. xiv. 22 : fiaKapios 6 fir) Kpivcov eavTov
ev co SoKifia^ei, ' happy is he that condemneth
not himself in that thing which he alloweth,'
A.V. ; ' happy is he that judgeth not himself in
that which he approveth,' R.V. We place the
stop after Kpivcov, and translate as follows :
' blessed is he that judgeth not others, while he
proves his own self.' For ' blessed ' instead of
' happy,' see Matt. v. 3 et seq. For fir) Kpivcov,
see Matt. vii. 1, fir) Kpivere, where, as in the
verse we are considering, the accusative is
understood, eTepov, dSeXcbov, dXXrjXow;. Com- ,
pare also Rom. ii. 1, Sib dva7roX6yr]To<; et . . .
7ra? o Kpivcov, iv co yap Kpivei<; tov eTepov, aeavrbv
KaTaKpiveis, and verses 10, 13 of the present
chapter : aii Se tl Kpiveis tov dSeXcbov aov ;
and firfKerre ovv dXXrjXovs Kpivcofiev, ' but thou,
why judgest thou thy brother ? ' and, ' let us
not therefore judge one another any more.'
Then for the latter part of the sentence as
divided by us, viz., eavTov iv co SoKifid^ei, com
pare 2 Cor. xiii. 5> eavTov<; ireipd^eTe et ecrTe
iv Tjj iriaTei, eavTovs SoKi/id^ere, ' try your own
selves, whether ye be in the faith ; prove your
own selves.'

Romans. 45
We venture to think that these references
will fully bear out our proposed emenda
tion. The whole of this fourteenth chapter of
Romans relates to the subject of meats for
bidden and meats allowed by the law of Moses.
The Apostle writes to show that the stringency
of the law on that head was relaxed under the
Christian dispensation ; but that scruples in
the matter were to be respected, while freedom
of conscience should be allowed. Such being
the drift of the lesson enjoined, we would sub
mit the following enlarged translation of its
summing up in verses 22, 23 : ' The full assurance
which thou hast with thine own self, be sure
that thou hast also before God. For he that
doubteth respecting the meat, if he eat, is to be
condemned, because he hath not eaten with full
assurance. For every thing eaten without full
assurance is sin.'

THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE
CORINTHIANS.
CHAP. i. 12: 6Vt e/eao-To? v/icov Xeyei, 'that
every one of you saith,' A.V. ; ' that each one
of you saith,' R.v. Literally correct ; but, ac
cording to English idiom, the meaning is, ' that
ye severally say.'
Chap. iv. 4 : oiSev yap e/iavrco avvoiSa, ' for
I know nothing by myself,' A.V. ; ' for I know
nothing against myself,' R.V. We translate :
' for I am conscious to myself of nothing.'
HepiavSpo? avveyivcoaKero ecovTco ov/cert elvai
SwaTos Ta TrpijyfiaTa iiropdv Te Kai Sieireiv,
Herod, iii. 53, ' Periander was conscious to
himself that he was no longer able to superin
tend and administer the affairs.' And again,
v. 91, avyyivcoaKOfiev avToiai rj/iiv ov 7roir)aaai
6p6m, ' we are conscious to ourselves that we
did not do well'
Chap. vii. 25 : irepl Se tcov nrapdevcov. TlapQevos
is sometimes masculine : see Rev. xiv. 4. From

I. Corinthians. 47
some of the observations which here follow,
unmarried persons of both sexes would seem
to be spoken of in this chapter.
Chap. vii. 3 1 : Kai 01 %pcop,evoi t<£ Koa/ico tovtco
to? fir) KaTa'Xpcbfievoi, 'and they that use this
world as not abusing it,' A.V. ; ' and those that
use the world as not abusing it,' R.V. The KaTa
lends force to the verb. See Josephus, fewish
Wars, v. 13. 6: Set fier aSeta? KaTa%prjaaadai
Tot? deiois virep tov deiov, ' one must with leave
use sacred things for what is sacred.'
Chap. vii. 37 : Trjpeiv Tr)v eavTov irapQevov
Instead of irapQkvov, we would be disposed to
read here nrapBeviav.

THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE
CORINTHIANS.
CHAP. iv. 15 : 'iva r) ydpis irXeovdaaaa Sid
tcov irXeibvcov Tr)v evyapianav, irepiaaevar) et?
Tr)v Sb%av tov 6eov, ' that the abundant grace
might, through the thanksgiving of many, re
dound to the glory of God,' A.V. ; ' that the
grace, being multiplied through the many, may
cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the
glory of God,' R.V. Our version is : ' That
grace, increased because of the thanksgiving of
many, may redound to the glory of God.'
Chap. vii. 10 : fieTavoiav et? acoTrjpiav dfieTa-
fieXi)Tov, ' Repentance to salvation not to be
repented of/ A.V. ; ' repentance unto salvation,
a repentance which bringeth no regret,' R.V.
We submit : ' Repentance to an assured salva
tion.' See note on Romans xi. 29.
Chap. viii. I : yvcopi^o/iev Se vfiiv, — ttjv ^dpiv
tov ©eov Tr)v SeSofiivrjv iv Tat? iKKXrjaiaif tjj?

II. Corinthians. 49
Ma/ceSoz/t'a?, ' Moreover, ... we do you to wit of
the grace of God bestowed on the churches of
Macedonia,' A.V. ; ' Moreover, ... we make known
to you the grace of God given in the churches
of Macedonia,' R.v. Among' the synonyms
of %apt? are Scoped, ' gift,' and evepyeaia, ' an act
of beneficence.' For present purposes we select
the former ; and hold that %dpi<; ©eov is here a
Hebraism, meaning ' a great gift,' and is used by
the Apostle to designate the liberal donation
received from the churches in Macedonia, verse 4.
Compare Genesis xxx. 8, where 'great wrest
lings ' of the text is ' wrestlings of God ' in the
margin. See also Col. ii. 19, av^ei ttjv av^r/aiv
tov ®eov, ' increaseth with the increase of God,'
A.V. and R.V. — that is, 'increaseth mightily';
1 Sam. xiv. 15, 'an exceeding great trembling':
margin, ' a trembling of God ' : ' ein Schrecken
von Gott! We therefore suggest the following
emendation : ' Moreover, brethren, we inform
you of the great donation which has been given
to us by the churches of Macedonia.'
Chap. ix. 3 : ev tco fiepei tovtco, ' in this
behalf/ A.V. ; ' in this respect,' R.v. Our render-
D

50 II. Corinthians.
ing is : 'in this place ' — in Philippi, where the
Epistle was written.
Chap. x. 13 : to fierpov tov Kavbvo<s, ' the
measure of the rule,' A. v. ; ' the measure of the
province,' R.V. The literal translation is : ' the
measure of the measuring-rod,' meaning 'the
strict measure.'
Chap. xiii. 9 : Tr)v vficov KaTapriaiv, ' even
your perfection/ A.V. ; ' even your perfecting/
R.V. KaTdpTiai? means ' fitting together/ ' ad
justing.' One of its synonyms is avfifiifiaafibs,
' reconciliation/ a meaning that would recom
mend itself here, if we refer to the divisions
among the Corinthian Christians, of which so
.much is said in the first Chapter of the First
Epistle.

THE EPISTLE TO THE
GALATIANS.
CHAP. i. 6 : tov KaXeaavTo? v/ias iv %dpiTi
XpiaTov, ' that called you into the grace of
Christ/ A.V. ; ' that called you in the grace of
Christ/ R.V. Might it not be, ' that called you
by the grace of Christ ' ?
Chap. ii. 17: fir) yevono, 'God forbid/ A.V.
and R.v. Why should this expression not be
rendered literally in the simple form of depreca
tion, ' Be it not so/ instead of going out of the
way to bring in the sacred name of the Deity ?
Chap. iii. 20 : 6 Se /ieo-tVij? ez/o? ovk eaTiv,
6 Se ©eo? et? eo-Tt, ' now a mediator is not a
mediator of one ; but God is one.' We confess
to a feeling of nervousness in approaching this
passage. The words are simplicity itself; but
the meaning is hid in an ellipsis which has
not yet been satisfactorily supplied, although

5 2 Galatians.
attempted by many. The failure of others
must not, however, deter us from facing the
difficulty. We shall therefore add, but with
all modesty, one more to the list of solutions
which have already been put forward.
In the chapter from which the passage is
taken, the Apostle is dealing with two laws, —
the law of works, ordained through angels by
the hand of a mediator, Moses (John i. 17), and
the law of grace, of which Jesus Christ was the
mediator (John i. 17 ; Heb. viii. 6, ix. 15, xii. 24).
A free translation of the passage, supplying the
ellipsis, might therefore be as follows : ' But it
is not of one law (the law of works) only that
there is a mediator ; there is also a mediator of
the law of grace. But it is one (the same) God
that ordained both laws! This interpretation
has the warrant of numerous passages in the
writings of the New Testament ; while it wholly
agrees with the context, and with the received
tenets respecting the Mosaic and the Christian
dispensations. The ellipsis, according to the
suggested supplement, is bold. But the Greek
language, shaped to the quick apprehension of

Galatians. 53
the Greek people, admits of bold ellipses. Nor
are such curtailments excluded from our own
language. For instance : —
' If you prove a mutineer, the next tree. '
Tempest, iii. 2.
' Haply you shall not see me more ; or if —
A mangled shadow. '
Anthony and Cleopatra, iv. I.
Chap. iv. 3 : Ta aToiyeia tov Koa/iov, ' the
elements (or rudiments) of the world' — an
expression applied to the Mosaic dispensation.

THE EPISTLE TO THE
EPHESIANS.
CHAP. i. 9, 10 : Kara Tr)v evSoKiav avTov, r)v
irpoedeTO ev avTco et? Tr)v oiKOvo/iiav tov irXrfpco-
fiaTO? tcov Kaipcov, dvaKecpaXaicoaaaOai Ta irdvTa
iv tco XpiaTco, ' according to his good pleasure
which he had purposed in himself, that in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ/ A.V. ;
' according to his good pleasure which he pur
posed in him unto a dispensation of the fulness
of the times, to sum up all things in Christ/ R.V.
These two versions but vaguely render the
sense of the passage, which, however, must
have been clearly expressed in the original
language ; we therefore essay a correction, as
follows : ' According to the decree which he
purposed beforehand with himself (iv avrcp,
Griesbach) for arranging the fulfilment (et?

Ephesians. 55
oiKovofiiav tov 7rXr)pcofiaTo<;) of the times, in
order to sum up (bring to a head, finish) all
things in Christ' EvSoKia = 6iXr)fia, 'a thing
willed.' The same idea may be traced in placet,
Le Roi le veut.
Chap. i. 1 8 : ev toi? dyioi<; seems to us the
same as iv toi? eVovpai'tot? (verse 20), ' in the
holy/ ' in the heavenly places! The Temple,
as the type of heaven upon earth, was called
by Josephus t<x "Ayia, ' the Holies.'
Chap. iv. 14 : ev iravovpyia, 7rpo? Tr)v fiedoSeiav
t% irXdvr)<;, 'and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to deceive/ A.V. ; ' in craftiness,
after the wiles of error/ R.v. We understand
the passage to say : ' by craftiness for (in) the
fabrication of error ' ; that is, of false doctrine.
Chap. iv. 16 : avfiftifiatpfievov Sid nrdar)<i acpr)<;
t?)? iiri,)(opr)yia<; KaT ivepyeiav iv fierrpco evbs
eKaaTov fiepovs, ' compacted by that which
every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part/ A.V. ;
' knit together through that which every joint
supplieth, according to the working in due
measure of each several part,' R.v. We submit

56 Ephesians.
the following : ' compacted (knit together) by
the working (KaT ivepyeiav) of the supply (of
that which is supplied) through (by means of)
every joint in measure of each one part' Com
pare Col. ii. 19, irdv to aco/ia Sid tcov dcpcov
Kai avvSeaficov im^oprjyovfievov Kai avfi/3i/3a£o-
fievov, 'all the body being supplied and knit
together through (by means of) joints and
bands.' Chap. vi. 13. Compare Wisdom of Solomon
v. 1 8 et seq.

THE EPISTLE TO THE
PHILIPPIANS.
CHAP. ii. 6 : ov% dpTrayfibv r)yr)aaTo to elvai
laa ®eco, ' thought it not robbery to be equal
with God/ A.V. ; ' counted it not a prize to be
on an equality with God,' R.V. We take the
words of the original in their simple, obvious
meaning, and translate the sentence as follows :
' did not look on equality — the being equal —
with God as plunder ' — in allusion to the soldier's
plunder, which was his indefeasible right and
property, which he could not be called upon to
part with or give up. Compare Jeremiah xxi. 9,
Septuagint, Kai eaTai r) ¦^rv^r) avTov et? aKvXa,
Kai tfyaerai, ' and his life shall be unto him
for a prey, and he shall live.' liKvXa means
' the spoils of a slain enemy ' ; they belonged
by absolute right to the slayer or spoiler (vide
Herod. Clio, 82).

58 Philippians.
Chap. iv. IO : oti fjSr) iroTe dveOdXeTe to vtrep
efiov cppovelv, 'that now at the last your care
of me hath flourished again/ A.V. ; ' that now
at length ye have revived your thought of me/
R.V. 'AvaddXXco is an intransitive verb. In the
passage there is an ellipsis, supplying which,
the reading would be as follows : oti dveOdXeTe
a>? irpb<; to virep efiov cppovelv. And the transla
tion in plain English would be : ' that now at
length ye have warmed up in your thoughts for
me.'

THE EPISTLE TO THE
COLOSSIANS.
CHAP. ii. 9, 10 : oti iv avTco KaToiKel Trav to
TrXijpcofia r>5? OeoTrfTOS acofiaTiKco<;, Kai eaTe iv
avrcp TreTrXr/pcofievoi, o? iaTiv r), 'for in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily ;
and ye are complete in him, which is,' A.V. ;
' for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God
head bodily ; and in him ye are made full, who
is/ etc., R.V. In the note on St. John i. 16 the
meaning of irXripcofia has been fully explained.
According to that explanation, the literal trans
lation of the passage before us would be : ' For
in him dwelleth his whole fill of the Divine
Essence bodily ; and ye are filled with the
Divine Essence, being in him who is/ etc.
We have rendered to by his in deference to
English idiom ; and, being of opinion that the
second part of the sentence is elliptical, we have

60 COLOSSIANS.
supplied the ellipsis in accordance, we believe,
with the true sense of the original, as will be
borne out by the texts which we shall presently
quote. The first part of the sentence might,
without any departure from its strict meaning,
be paraphrased as follows : ' he is filled to the
full with the Divine Essence which dwelleth in
his body.' Compare St. John i. 16, Kai e/c tov
TrXr)pcofiaTo<; avTov 17/tet? irdvTet; eXdfiofiev, ' for
of his fulness we all received/ R.V. — we do not
here offer our own rendering ; ibid. xiv. 20,
iyco iv tco iraTpi fiov, Kai vfiel<; iv ifiol, Kai iyco
iv vfilv, ' I am in my Father, and ye in me, and
I in you'; ibid. xvii. 21, Kadcos aii, iraTep, iv
ifiol, Kayco iv aol, iva Kai avTol iv r)filv ev coaiv,
' even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us ' ; and verse 23,
eyco iv awTot? Kai av ev i/ioi, 'I in them and
thou in me' ; Acts vi. 5, %Tecpavov, dvSpa irXrjpr)
Trto-Tew? Kai TLvevfiaTo<; 'Ayiov, ' Stephen, a man
full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,' R.V.; 1 Cor.
vi. 19, r) ovk o'iSaTe oti to acbfia vfLcbv vab<; tov
iv v/ilv 'Ayiov HvevfiaTO'; iaTiv, ov e^ere dirb
%eov, ' Know ye not that your body is a temple

COLOSSIANS. 6 1
of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have from God ?'
This last quotation will, we presume, be
accepted as justifying our interpretation of the
word acofiaTiKco<;, ' bodily.' The other quotations
lend their sanction to our way of completing
that part of the text which we hold to be
elliptic. Chap. ii. 15 : direKSvadfievo^ Tas dp%a<; Kai
Tas if;ovaia<;, iSeiyfiaTiaev iv irapprjaia, Opiafi-
ySeucra? avTov? eV avTco (eavTco contracted),
'having spoiled principalities and powers, he
made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it/ R.v. The Authorised Version gives
' in himself as a marginal rendering of iv avTcp.
As we understand the sentence, the word
d7re«:Svo-a/iei'o? has the causative meaning which
is one of the properties of the middle voice ;
and as there is allusion here to a Roman triumph,
we prefer the translation of the Authorised
Version. As to ctp%a? and i^ovaias, 'princi
palities and powers/ we take them to denote
the spiritual, adversaries with which our Saviour,
as head of the Church, had been at war (Eph.

62 Colossi ans.
vi. 12). ' He led them in triumph (conquered)
by himself/ iv avTco (eavTco contracted). ' His
right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him
the victory ' (Psalm xcviii. 1).
Chap. ii. 23 : ovk iv Tififj tivI w/ao? irXrjafiovrjv
Tr)<; aapKos, ' not in any honour to the satisfy
ing of the flesh/ A.V. ; ' but are not of any value
against the indulgence of the flesh/ R.V. The
old translation is verbally accurate ; but it must
be seen that verbal accuracy here fails to render
the meaning of the original. It seems apparent
to us that there is an ellipsis in the sentence,
which, as we understand the Greek text, would
be intelligibly supplied by inserting Ta ovTa after
Ttz>t. The translation would then be : ' those
things that are for the pampering of the flesh
being in no esteem — despised.' HXrjafiovr) aap-
«o? is in opposition to dcpeiSia acbfiaTo<;.
It is evident that in the passage from verse 16
to the end of the chapter, the Apostle was
warning the Colossian Christians against the
doctrines of the Essenes.
Chap. iii. 14: avvSeafios TeXeioTr)TO<;, 'the
bond of perfectness/ A.V. and R.V. TeXetoV?;™?

Colossians. 63
is here the abstract for the concrete : TeXeicov,
' perfect ' — that is : the approved disciples who
had been definitively received into the brother
hood of Christ
The term is borrowed from the ceremony of
final initiation into the mystic rites of the
Paganism of antiquity.

THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE
THESSALONIANS.
IN the first verse of this Epistle there is a
striking discrepancy between the Greek text
adopted by the Revisers, and all the other
texts to which there is easy access. The dis
crepancy consists in the omission in the
Revisers' text of the concluding words of the
verse, viz. : dirb ®eov iraTpbs r)ficov Kai Hvpiov
'Irjaov XpiaTov. These words we are, how
ever, told .in a foot-note to add ; though, in
the translation, they are omitted without note,
comment, or explanation. And yet, these
words appear in the Vulgate, in the German
translation of Luther, in the Italian of Dio-
dati, in the French of Ostervald, and, as we
have already said, in our own Authorised
Version.

I. Thessalonians. 65
We are bound to believe that the Revisers
must have had strong authority for making
this serious omission.
Chap. i. 5 : oti to evayyeXiov r)ficov ovk iyevr\6r)
et? vfias, 'for our gospel came not unto you,'
A.V. ; ' how that our gospel came not unto
you,' R.v. We think that ' for ' or ' because '
is here a better rendering of 6Vt than 'how
that' Chap. i. 10. : t»j? 0/3777? Trjs ep%ofievr)<;, 'the
wrath to come,' A.V. and R.v. 'The wrath
that is coming/ is our translation. See note
on S. Matt. iii. 7.
Chap. ii. 8 : dXXd Kai Ta<; eavTcov -vjru^a?,
' but also our own souls,' A.V. and R.v. We
suggest, ' our own lives.'
Chap. ii. II: KaOdirep oiSaTe, to? eva maaTov
vficov . . . irapaKaXovvTes v/id<;, ' as ye know
how we exhorted and comforted . . . every
one of you,' A. V. ; ' as ye know how we dealt
with each one of you . exhorting you,' R.v.
KaOdirep has a stronger meaning than the
simple 'as.' It should be translated 'just as.'
We would also observe that the supplementary
E

66 I. Thessalonians.
words, dealt with, of the Revision, are super
fluous ; for eva eKaaTOv vficov are, as wejl as
vp,d<;, under the government of irapaKaXovvTe'i
and the verbs following. We therefore hold to
the rendering of the A.V. as being more simple,
while it is strictly in harmony with the Greek
text. Chap. ii. 13 : TrapaXafiovTei; Xoyov aKor)<; irap'
i)ficov tov ®eov, ' when ye received the Word
of God which ye heard of us,' A.V. ; ' when ye
received from us the word of the message, even
the word of God,' R.v. For translation, we
would transpose the words of the Greek text,
as follows : TrapaXaftovTes Xbyov tov ®eov aKor)^
Trap' r)ficbv. And the rendering of the R.V. is,
in our opinion, as correct as the idiom of our
language will permit. For aKor), meaning
primarily, 'the power of hearing/ came to
mean, ' the thing heard,' ' the thing said/ and
so on, 'a report,' 'a preaching.' Vide Matt.
xiv. I, r)KOvaev 'HpcoSr)<; . . . Tr)v aKor)v 'Ir/aov,
' Herod heard the report concerning Jesus/
R.V. ; Mark i. 28, e'^Xtfe Se r) aKor) avTov,
' and the report of him went out,' R.v. ; Gal.

I. Thessalonians. 67
iii. 2, rj il; aKor}<; iriaTeco<s, 'or by the hearing
([message] in note) of faith/ R.v.
Chap. ii. 16: et? TeXo<;, 'to the uttermost/
A.V. and R.v. We think the expression should
be translated ' at last.'
Chap. ii. 17: diropcpaviaOevTe'; dcj> vficov,
' being taken from you,' A.V. ; ' being bereaved
of you/ R.v. The first we hold to be the more
correct rendering ; but it lacks the force of the
original. ' Having been rent — torn from you,'
comes nearer to the Apostle's expression.
Chap. ii. 18: Sib, the commonly received
Greek text — Sioti, the Revisers'. The first
means wherefore, which agrees better with the
context than because, the meaning of the latter.
Chap. iii. 4 : fieXXo/iev dXifieadai, ' that we
should suffer tribulation,' A.V. ; ' that we are to
suffer affliction,' R.v. We suggest, ' that we are
about (going) to suffer/ etc.
Chap. iii. IO : Kai KarapTlaai Ta vaTeprjfiaTa
t»5? 7rio-Tew? v/icov, ' and might (may, R.v.)
perfect that which is lacking in your faith,' A.V.
A simpler rendering would be, ' and supply the
shortcomings of your faith.'

68 I. Thessalonians.
Chap. iv. 2 : TrapayyeXias, 'commandments/
A. v. ; ' charge/ R.v. The Greek word means
' command,' ' injunction ' ; and is here in the
plural. Chap. iv. 4 : elSevai eKaaTOv vficov to eavTov
aKevo'i KTaaOai, ' that every one of you should
know how to possess his vessel,' A.V. ; ' that each
one of you know how to possess himself of his
own vessel,' R.v. A more familiar and for many
a more intelligible translation, would be : ' That
every one of you should know how to keep his
own vessel,' etc.
Chap. iv. 6 : to fir) virepftaiveiv Kai irXeoveKTeiv,
' that no man go beyond and defraud,' A.V. ;
' transgress and wrong/ R.v. We suggest,
' overreach and take advantage of
Chap. iv. 13: ol Xonroi, ' others/ A.V. ; ' the
rest,' R.V. The sense would, we think, be better
expressed by ' those others ' or ' all those.'
Chap. iv. 16 : iv KeXeva/iaTi, ' with a shout,'
A.V. and R.v. ' With a shout of command,'
would be nearer the original.
Chap. v. 1 1 : oiKoSofielTe et? tov eva, ' edify
one another/ A.V. ; ' build each other up/ R.v.

I. Thessalonians. 69
Build up instead of edify as the translation in a
moral sense of oiKoSofielTe, will not, we imagine,
find favour with many.
Of the merits of the revised version of this
Epistle, it will be enough to note two passages
from the present chapter, verse 16 : irdvTOTe
¦yaipeTe, ' Rejoice alway/ instead of, ' Rejoice
evermore,' A.V. ; verse 27 : opKi^co iifids, ' I
adjure you,' instead of ' I charge you/ A.V.

THE SECOND EPISTLE TO
TIMOTHY.
CHAP. ii. 26 : Kai dvavrytycoaiv e« t9)% tov
SiaftoXov irayiSo'i i£coypr)p,evoi vir avTov et? to
iKeivov OeXrjfia, ' and that they may recover
themselves out of the snare of the devil who are
taken by him at his will,' A.V. ; ' and they may
recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,
having been taken captive by the Lord's servant
unto the will of God,' R.v. In the original avTov
and eKeivov are in such close contact that, with
their different meanings, they cannot apply to
the same person. The following, with a slight
departure from the word-for-word translation,
would seem to be the true sense of the passage :
' and that they should wake up to the will of
him' (God, mentioned in verse 25) 'from the
snare of the devil, by whom they were taken
alive.'

THE EPISTLE TO THE
HEBREWS.
CHAP. xi. 1 1 : et? KaTajSoXrfv a7rep/iaT0<;, ' to
conceive seed,' A.V. and R.v. We translate the
words : ' for the founding of a race,' which was
first promised in Gen. xvii. 16. In verse 12 of
the present chapter we are told that the promise
was abundantly fulfilled. For KaTaftoXr/v, see
Rev. xiii. 8 and xvii. 8, dirb KaTa/3oXr}s Koa/iov,
' from the foundation of the world.'
Chap. xi. 19 : ev irapa/3oXy = vrapafibXcos,
'unexpectedly'; for adverbial form see Col.
ii. 15, ev Tvapprjaia, 'openly.'
Chap. xii. 17: fieTavolas yap tottov ou% evpe,
' for he found no place of repentance, though he
sought it diligently with tears.' The fieTavoia
was on the part of Isaac. Esau could not per
suade his father to change his mind about the
blessing, though he besought him to do so with
tears, Gen. xxvii. 38.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF
PETER.
CHAP. i. I, 2 : IleT/so? a.7r6o-ToXo? . . . iv
dyiaa/ico UvevfiaTo<;, ' Peter an apostle . . .
through sanctification of the Spirit/ A.V. ; ' in
sanctification of the Spirit,' R.v. We prefer by
to either through or in.
Chap. i. 1 1 : to. et? XpiaTov iradrffiaTa, ' the
sufferings of Christ/ for which we submit ' the
sufferings for Christ,' alluded to in verses 6, 7.
Chap. i. 20 : irpoeyvcoafievov fiev irpb Kara-
/3oXr)<; Koafiov, ' foreordained before the founda
tion of the world/ A.V. ; ' foreknown . . .,' R.v.
We hold to the A.V. rendering of the parti
ciple. Compare Josephus, Wars, vii. 1. 2 :
K.alaap Se cpvXaKr/v fiev avToOe KaTaXeiireiv eyvco,
' now Caesar decided to leave there a guard.'
Chap. iv. 7 : acocppovqaaTe ovv Kai vq^aTe et?
nrpoaev)(d<i, ' be ye therefore sober, and watch

I. Peter. 73
unto prayer/ A.V. ; 'be ye therefore of sound
mind, and be sober unto prayer,' R.V. "Zcocppoveco
means, no doubt, ' to be of sound mind,' but it
means also ' to be discreet,' ' calm,' ' sober.' In
like manner vrjcpco means ' to be sober/ but it
means also ' to be vigilant' We are not of the
number of those who will prefer the revised to
the old translation of the passage.

THE EPISTLE OF JUDE.
VERSE 1 1 : Kai Tfj irXdvr) tov BaXaa/i fiiaOov
i%ej(yQr)aav, ' and ran greedily after the error
of Balaam for reward,' A.V. ; ' and ran riotously
in the error of Balaam for hire/ R.v. We trans
late : ' and rushed after the delusion of Balaam's
reward.'

THE REVELATION OF
S. JOHN THE DIVINE.
Chap. i. 4 : 6 ipxbfievos, ' which is to come/
A.V. and R.V. More correctly : ' which is
coming.' Chap. iv. 7 : «6to3 ireTcofievcp, ' a flying
eagle.' 'An eagle with expanded wings'
would, we think, be more correct.
Chap. vi. 14 : elXiaabfievov, ' when it is
rolled together/ A.V. ; ' rolled up/ R.v. ' When it
is being rolled up ' is the true rendering.
Chap. viii. 13 : tcov Tpicov dyyeXcov tcov
fieXXbvTcov aaXiri^eiv, 'of the three angels
which are yet to sound.' It should rather be,
' which (or who) are going to sound.'
Chap. xvi. 6 : a^tot (ydp) elai, ' for they
are worthy.' Does it not mean, 'for they
deserve it ' ? That is : to be made drink
blood. Chap. xix. 8 : to yap /3vaaivov Ta SiKaicofiaTa

76 Revelation.
rav ctyicov iari, 'for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints,' A.V. ; ' for the fine
linen is the righteous acts of the saints,' R.v.
One of the meanings of SiKaicofia is, a judicial
verdict of ' not guilty,' as opposed to KaTaKpi>/ia,
a verdict of ' guilty/ Rom. v. 16. A verdict
of sinlessness (SiKaicofia) is pronounced on the
redeemed, in pursuance of the atonement made
for them by Christ. ' In his blood they have
washed their robes, and made them white,' chap.
vii. 14. Those white robes are therefore em
blematic of the SiKaicbfiaTa (acquittals) which
the saints obtain through the imputed right
eousness of Christ.
Chap. xix. IO : r) yap fiapTvpia (tov) 'Irjaov
ecrTt to Trvevfia t?5? Trpo§r)Teias, 'for the testi
mony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy ' — where
' the spirit of prophecy ' is subject, ' testimony/
predicate. See John i. 45, 'We have found
him of whom Moses in the law, and the
prophets, did write'; Heb. x. 15, 'And the
Holy Ghost also beareth witness to us/ R.v. ;
I John v. 6, ' And it is the Spirit that beareth
witness.'

CONCLUDING REMARKS.
The list of corrections we have now gone
through may appear long. It might have
been longer ; but we have been careful not to
meddle with passages which, in our judgment,
admitted of doubt either in construction or
in meaning.
A scrupulous, we might say a strained, adher
ence to literal translation pervades the whole
revision. Literal the translation of the Holy
Scriptures ought to be ; but literal in sense
rather than in words and forms of expression.
For every language has idioms, phrases, and a
construction of its own, which are among the
distinctive marks of its individuality, and which
cannot, in most cases, be transferred without
paraphrase into another tongue.
It is not easy to acquire a familiar knowledge
of those peculiarities in the case of languages
that have long ceased to be spoken. Hence the

78 Concluding Remarks.
variants, sometimes contradictory, that appear
in the translations of many of the extant writ
ings of antiquity. The meaning of a figure,
trope, or metaphor, is but too often conjectural.
The mark is sometimes hit ; sometimes it is
widely missed.
Even idioms apart, no language can be trans
lated word for word into another, because no
two people have adopted the same sequence
of equivalents, or the same construction of
sentences, for the expression of their ideas.
They may have the same ideas ; they may
think and reason alike ; but their utterances
will be different, not only in sound but in
arrangement and connection. We need not
go back to the dead languages of antiquity for
illustrations of these truths ; we need only cross
the Straits of Dover to find them in abundance
among our French neighbours, with whom we
have for ages been in close and constant inter
course. Let us take, for example, a few of their
familiar locutions : ' Vous avez beau fair e '; ' A la
bonne heure ' ; ' Fairegras' ; ' Faire maigre ' ; ' fe
m'en passe! Translated word for word, these

The Revised Version. 79
expressions would either have meanings different
from the original, or would present unmeaning
forms alien to our language. We therefore
render them, and all such like, with our own
equivalents, which, though identical in sense,
are often composed of words which have no
meaning in common with the French.
It would be less easy to deal unaided with
such figures of speech as ' montrer la corde'
' graisser le marteau,' ' entre chien et loup', etc. etc.
With such far-fetched figures of speech every
language abounds. Their meaning is not
to be learned by vocabulary and grammar. It
is only by colloquial acquaintance with the
particular language that we can learn to under
stand and apply them.
Every language consists, as we all know, for
the most part, of imagery and metaphor, and
becomes more or less terse and elliptic by use.
In those respects languages differ according to
the physical surroundings amid which they grew,
according to circumstances of time, and to the
genius of the people who respectively shaped
them. As regards dead languages, we are in a

80 Concluding Remarks.
great measure dependent on conjecture for the
interpretation of their metaphorical expressions ;
and conjecture, as we have already observed, is
not always right in its interpretations. What has
come down to us of those languages consists,
for the most part, of poetry and literature.
From these we learn but little of the domestic,
every-day language of the people, which was as
different in bygone times from the classic as it
is with us and with every other people in the
present day. And yet it is in the conventional
language which the people spoke that the mean
ing is to be found of many of the pithy phrases
and figures of speech with which the student is
so often puzzled.
In order to acquire a thorough knowledge of
any foreign language, the best, if not the only,
way is to mix and converse with the people
who speak that language. Hence our attain
ments in dead languages can never get beyond
what is taught by lexicon and grammar. But
lexicon and grammar do not lead us into the
wide field of popular language that lies outside
the bounds of etymology, syntax, and prosody.

The Revised Version. 81
Happily Greek is not to be consigned to the
category of dead languages, unless we are to
follow the dictum of some of the schools of
Western Europe. But in point of fact, ever
since the period of that language's classic per
fection, all through the middle ages down to the
present day, it has been the spoken language
of a numerous people, widely diffused through
all parts of South-Eastern Europe, and through
the countries washed by the eastern waters of
the Mediterranean.
It is true that in all those regions, wherever
centres of commerce sprung up, the language,
while still retaining its distinctive character,
lost much of its native purity, owing to the
confluence of people of different races and of
other tongues. Another cause of its deteriora
tion was the settlement in Greek-speaking
countries of conquering hordes from the North
and the East. But in the mountainous districts
of the interior, which had but few attractions
for the merchant or the invader, the people's
language of ancient Greece, of the mainland
and the Isles, is still retained, rich in its primitive
F

82 Concluding Remarks.
beauties, and spoken with its archaic accent
and pronunciation, which are very different
indeed from the Teutonic hardness of the
Erasmian theory.
In those parts the present writer has long
dwelt ; and there he learned, among the people
themselves, a good deal of Greek that is not to
be learned at our schools or universities.
With the accent and pronunciation of those
mountain villagers, modern Greek is universally
spoken. Both are maintained in all the schools
of renascent Greece, which are, at the same
time, striving, and successfully striving, to purify
the language from foreign alloy, and to restore
it to its ancient form and structure, so far as
may be found compatible with modern thought,
and with the requirements of modern times.
Ellipsis and the conventional use of terms
are common to every language ; they prevail
in our own, though seldom observed by our
selves. As regards conventionalisms, they have
all long since been stereotyped ; and they recur
with their acquired meanings almost every time
one speaks. In modern languages few terms

The Revised Version. 83
have, in fact, kept to their radical meaning,
while many have drifted so far from it as to
have almost parted company with their stem.
Now, both ellipsis and conventionalism are
frequent in the original writings of the New
Testament, — in the writings, we mean, from
which our translations were made. This remark
applies especially to the writings of St. Paul,
who evidently studied the terse, sententious style
which was best suited, as he knew, to the taste
and quick apprehension of his Grecian readers.
It is an important part of sound translation to
fill up elliptical sentences, and to select from
among the various meanings of any particular
word, that meaning which is required by the
context. Have the Revisers, we would ask, succeeded
in those two essential parts of their undertak
ing ? Of one thing we may be certain, namely,
that the language of the original writings of the
New Testament was understood by those for
whom those writings were, in the first instance,
intended. True, there are in those writings
passages whose subtle, mysterious import was

84 Concluding Remarks.
above the comprehension of the early readers
as it is still above ours. But it is one thing
to understand the meaning of terms, another
thing to understand the meaning of sentences
composed of those terms. Is the language of
the revised translation always understood by
those who read it ? Does it, on the whole, deal
with the difficult passages of the original more
intelligibly than the Authorised Version? If
not, the least that can be said is, that there is
still room for revision.
In the Preface to the Revised Version we are
told that the Revisers chose for their work an
improved edition of the Greek text, founded on
ancient documentary authorities that had but
lately become known. Between this edition and
the editions previously received as authentic
there are a good many discrepancies : and that
the Revisers did not consider the new edition as
altogether authoritative, might be inferred from
the frequent marks in the footnotes of words to
be added, omitted, or changed, thus producing
in many cases exact conformity with the read
ing of the standard editions. This, however,

The Revised Version. 85
has not always been done ; as for instance in
Acts ii. 47, which, in the editions we have been
accustomed to, is written, o Se /cvpto? Trpoaendei
tow? aco^ofievov; Ka8' r)/iepav rfj iKKXrjaia, ; but
in the text adopted by the Revisers the sentence
ends in the words Kad' r)fiepav eVt to avTo.
Again, compare our old reading in Acts iv. 25,
o Sid o-To/taTo? AavlS 7ratSo? aov elircov, with
o tou 7raTpo? rjficov Sid HvevfiaTOS 'Ayiov aTOfiaTOS
Aa/318 7ratS6? crou ehrcov. The new reading in
Rev. xviii. 3 is oti e/c tov o'ivov tov Ovfiov ttj?
iropveia<; avTr}<; irerrTcoKav TrdvTa Ta edvr), ' for
by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all
the nations are fallen.' Against this we quote
from the Authorised Text and Version, oti e«
tov o'ivov tov dvfiov tt)? Tropveias avTr)<; ireircoKe
irdvTa Ta edvr), ' for all nations have drunk of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication.' Com
pare Psalm lxxv. 8, Isaiah li. 17, Jer. xxv. 15,
Rev. xvi. 9.
In conclusion, we would observe that if the
emendations which we have offered in the fore
going pages are, all or in part, to hold good,
the Revised Version of the New Testament,

86 Concluding Remarks.
judged from the standpoint we have taken, must
be found wanting. It has from other stand
points been subjected to searching examina
tions, which have not always told in its favour.
The objections which have been raised against
it have been but feebly met, or not at all.
Meanwhile, private judgment has not been idle.
Opinions are formed at the family hearth, which,
though they do not always spread abroad, are
not without effect on public opinion. And the
general result is, that the Revised Version has
not met with unmixed approval. The Authorised
Version, on the other hand, instead of being
superseded, is even strengthened in its hold on
the religious affections of almost all Christians
who read the New Testament in English.

Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to Her Majesty,
at the Edinburgh University Press.

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