Scientific Biblical Studies – Original Content Plus
Remember The Back Button On Your
Browser
The Life Foundations
Nexus
WEBSTER’S REVISION
OF THE KJV (1833)
Noah Webster, ed., The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New
Testaments, in the Common Version. With Amendments of the Language. New
Haven: Durrie and Peck, 1833. Reprinted Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1987.
The English
version of the sacred scriptures now in general use was first published in the
year 1611, in the reign of James I. Although the translators made many
alterations in the language of former versions, yet no small part of the
language is the same as that of the versions made in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth.
In the present
version, the language is, in general, correct and perspicuous; the genuine
popular English of Saxon origin; peculiarly adapted to the subjects; and in
many passages, uniting sublimity with beautiful simplicity. In my view, the
general style of the version ought not to be altered.
But in the
lapse of two or three centuries, changes have taken place which, in particular
passages, impair the beauty; in others, obscure the sense, of the original
languages. Some words have fallen into disuse; and the signification of others,
in current popular use, is not the same now as it was when they were introduced
into the version. The effect of these changes is, that some words are not
understood by common readers, who have no access to commentaries, and who will
always compose a great proportion of readers; while other words, being now used
in a sense different from that which they had when the translation was made,
present a wrong signification or false ideas. Whenever words are understood in
a sense different from that which they had when introduced, and different from
that of the original languages, they do not present to the reader the Word
of God. This circumstance is very important, even in things not the most
essential; and in essential points mistakes may be very injurious.
In my own view
of this subject, a version of the scriptures for popular use should consist of
words expressing the sense which is most common in popular usage, so that the first
ideas suggested to the reader should be the true meaning of such words,
according to the original languages. That many words in the present version
fail to do this is certain. My principal aim is to remedy this evil.
The
inaccuracies in grammar, such as which for who, his for its,
shall for will, should for would, and others, are
very numerous in the present version.
There are also
some quaint and vulgar phrases which are not relished by those who love a pure
style, and which are not in accordance with the general tenor of the language.
To these may be added many words and phrases very offensive to delicacy and
even to decency. In the opinion of all persons with whom I have conversed on
this subject, such words and phrases ought not to be retained in the version.
Language which cannot be uttered in company without a violation of decorum, or
the rules of good breeding, exposes the scriptures to the scoffs of
unbelievers, impairs their authority, and multiplies or confirms the enemies of
our holy religion.
These
considerations, with the approbation of respectable men, the friends of
religion and good judges of this subject, have induced me to undertake the task
of revising the language of the common version of the scriptures, and of
presenting to the public an edition with such amendments, as will better
express the true sense of the original languages, and remove objections to
particular parts of the phraseology.
In performing
this task, I have been careful to avoid unnecessary innovations, and to retain
the general character of the style. The principal alterations are comprised in
three classes.
A few errors in
the translation, which are admitted on all hands to be obvious, have been
corrected; and some obscure passages, illustrated. In making these amendments,
I have consulted the original languages, and also several translations and
commentaries. In the body of the work, my aim has been to preserve, but
in certain passages, more clearly to express the sense of the present
version.
The language of
the Bible has no inconsiderable influence in forming and preserving our
national language. On this account, the language of the common version ought to
be correct in grammatical construction, and in the use of appropriate words.
This is the more important, as men who are accustomed to read the Bible with
veneration are apt to contract a predilection for its phraseology, and thus to
become attached to phrases which are quaint or obsolete. This may be a real
misfortune; for the use of words and phrases, when they have ceased to be a
part of the living language, and appear odd or singular, impairs the purity of
the language, and is apt to create a disrelish for it in those who have not, by
long practice, contracted a like predilection. It may require some effort to
subdue this predilection; but it may be done, and for the sake of the rising
generation, it is desirable. The language of the scriptures ought to be pure,
chaste, simple and perspicuous, free from any words or phrases which may excite
observation by their singularity; and neither debased by vulgarisms, nor
tricked out with the ornaments of affected elegance.
As there are
diversities of tastes among men, it is not to be expected that the alterations
I have made in the language of the version will please all classes of readers.
Some persons will think I have done too little; others, too much. And probably
the result would be the same, were a revision to be executed by any other hand,
or even by the joint labors of many hands. All I can say is, that I have
executed this work in the manner which, in my judgment, appeared to be the
best.
To avoid giving
offense to any denomination of christians, I have not knowingly made any
alteration in the passages of the present version, on which the different
denominations rely for the support of their peculiar tenets.
In this country
there is no legislative power which claims to have the right to prescribe what
version of the scriptures shall be used in the churches, or by the people. And
as all human opinions are fallible, it is doubtless for the interest of
religion that no authority should be exerted in this case, except by
commendation.
At the same
time, it is very important that all denominations of christians should use the
same version, that in all public discourses, treatises and controversies, the
passages cited as authorities should be uniform. Alterations in the popular
version should not be frequent; but the changes incident to all living
languages render it not merely expedient, but necessary at times to introduce
such alterations as will express the true sense of the original languages, in
the current language of the age. A version thus amended may require no
alteration for two or three centuries to come.
In this
undertaking, I subject myself to the charge of arrogance; but I am not
conscious of being actuated by any improper motive. I am aware of the
sensitiveness of the religious public on this subject; and of the difficulties
which attend the performance. But all men whom I have consulted, if they have
thought much on the subject, seem to be agreed in the opinion, that it is high
time to have a revision of the common version of the scriptures; although no
person appears to know how or by whom such revision is to be executed. In my
own view, such revision is not merely a matter of expedience, but of moral
duty; and as I have been encouraged to undertake this work by respectable
literary and religious characters, I have ventured to attempt a revision upon
my own responsibility. If the work should fail to be well received, the loss
will be my own, and I hope no injury will be done. I have been painfully
solicitous that no error should escape me. The reasons for the principal
alterations introduced, will be found in the explanatory notes.
The Bible is the
chief moral cause of all that is good, and the best corrector of all that is
evil in human society; the best book for regulating the temporal concerns of
men, and the only book that can serve as an infallible guide to future
felicity. With this estimate of its value, I have attempted to render the
English version more useful, by correcting a few obvious errors, and removing
some obscurities, with objectionable words and phrases; and my earnest prayer
is that my labors may not be wholly unsuccessful.
N. W.
New Haven, September, 1833.
Who is substituted for which, when it refers to
persons.
Its is substituted for his, when it refers to plants
and things without life.
To is used for unto. This latter word is not found in
the Saxon books, and as it is never used in our present popular language, it is
evidently a modern compound. The first syllable un adds nothing to the
signification or force of to; but by increasing the number of
unimportant syllables, rather impairs the strength of the whole clause or
sentence in which it occurs. It has been rejected by almost every writer, for
more than a century.
Why is substituted for wherefore, when inquiry is made;
as, “why do the wicked live?” Job 21.7.
My and thy are generally substituted for mine
and thine, when used as adjectives. The latter are wholly obsolete.
Wherein, therein, whereon, thereon, and other
similar compounds, are not wholly obsolete, but are considered, except in
technical language, inelegant. I have not wholly rejected these words, but have
reduced the number of them; substituting in which, in that or this,
in it, on which, &c.
Assemble, collect, or convene, for the tautological
words gather together. In some cases, gather is retained and together
omitted as superfluous. Collection for gathering together. Gen.
1.10.
Know or knew, for wist, wit and wot.
Ex. 16.15; Gen. 21.26, &c.
Part for deal, as a tenth part of flour. Ex.
29.40. Deal, in this sense, is wholly antiquated.
Bring for fetch, in most cases.
Suppose for trow. Luke 17.9.
Falsehood for leasing. Ps. 4.2; 5.6.
Skillful for cunning, when used of persons; and curious
for the same word, when applied to things. Gen. 25.27; Ex. 26.1, &c.
Surely or certainly, for, “of a surety.” The latter
word is now used exclusively for security against loss, or for the
person who gives bail for another. In the phrase of a surety, the word
is now improper. Gen. 15.13, &c.
Number for tell, when used in the sense of count.
Gen. 15.5, &c.
Sixty for three score, and eighty for four
score. Two score and five score are never used. It appears to
me most eligible to retain but one mode of specifying numbers. Uniformity is
preferable to diversity. Gen. 25.26; Ex. 7.7, &c.
Go or depart, for get thee, get you, get
ye. Gen. 12.1; 19.14; 34.10, &c.
Evening for even and even-tide. Gen. 19.1, &c
Expire, generally for give or yield up the ghost,
Gen. 49.33, &c. or yield the breath. Job 11.20; 14.10.
Custody, in some cases, for ward. Gen. 40.3, &c.
Perhaps or it may be, in some cases, for peradventure.
Gen. 27.12; 31.31, &c.
Cows for kine. The latter is nearly obsolete, and the
former is used in several passages of the version; it is therefore judged
expedient to render the language uniform. Gen. 32.15, &c.
Employment or occupation for trade. The latter, as the
word is now used, is improper. Gen. 46.32, 34.
Severe, grievous or distressing, for sore,
and corresponding adverbs, or bitterly for sorely. Gen. 41.56,
57, &c. In some passages, a different word is used. See Gen. 19.9; Judges
10.9.
People or persons, for folk. Gen. 33.15; Mark 6.5,
&c.
Kinsmen for kinsfolk. Job 19.14; Luke 2.44, &c.
Male-child for man-child. Gen. 17.10, &c.
Interest for usury. Usury originally signified what is now
called interest, or simply a compensation for the use of money. The Jews
were not permitted to take interest from their brethren for the use of
money loaned; and when the Levitical law forbids the taking of usury,
the prohibition intended is that of any gain or compensation for
the use of money or goods. Hence, usury in the scriptures is what we
call interest. The change of signification in the word usury,
which now denotes unlawful interest, renders it proper to substitute interest
for usury. Ex. 22.25; Lev. 25.36, &c.
Hinder for let, Rom. 1.13; Restrain. 2 Thess. 2.7.
Number for tale, when the latter has that signification.
Ex. 5.8, &c.
Button for tache. Ex. 26.6, &c
Ate, in many cases, for did eat. Gen. 3.6; 27.25,
&c.
Boiled for sodden. Ex. 12.9; Lev. 6.28, &c.
Strictly for straitly. Gen. 43.7; Ex. 13.19; 1 Sam. 14.28.
Staffs for staves. It seems that staves, in the
translation, is used for the plural of staff; an anomaly, I believe, in
our language. The consequence is, in this country, it coincides in orthography
with the plural of stave, a piece of timber used in making casks, an
entirely different word, in modern usage. I have given the word its regular
plural form. Ex. 25.13; 40.20, &c.
Capital for chapiter, the top of a column; the latter being
entirely obsolete. Ex. 36.38; 38.28, &c.
Fortified for fenced and defenced. Fence, fenced,
are not now used in the sense which they generally have in the present version
of the scriptures. As applied to cities and towns, the sense is now expressed
by fortify, fortified. Deut. 3.5; Num. 32.17; Is. 36.1, &c.
Repent for repent him. The latter form is wholly obsolete.
Deut. 32.36; Ps. 90.13, &c.
Invite for bid, when the latter has this signification.
Zeph. 1.7; Matt. 22.9; Luke 14.12, &c.
Advanced for stricken, in age or years. Gen. 18.11; Josh.
13.1, &c.
Encamped for pitched, when applied to troops, companies, or armies;
but pitched used of tents is retained. Ex. 17.1; Num. 12.16.
Explore, in some passages, for spy out. Num. 13.16; 21.32.
Profane for pollute, in a few instances. See Is. 56.2, 6;
Jer. 34.16. To pollute the sabbath, to pollute the name of God,
are expressions unknown in modern usage.
Melted for molten, when used as a participle. Ezek. 24.11;
Micah 1.4.
Cover for shroud. Ezek. 31.3.
Border or limit, for coast. In present usage, coast
is never used to express the border, frontier, or extremity of a kingdom, or
district of inland territory. Its application is wholly or chiefly to land
contiguous to the sea. Its application in the scriptures is, in most cases, to
a border of inland territory. For this word I have therefore substituted, in this
sense, border or limit. Deut. 19.8; Ex. 10.14, &c. Its use in
most passages of scripture is as improper now, as the coast of
Worcester, in Massachusetts, or the coast of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania.
Creeping
animal for creeping thing. The word
thing signifies an event, as in the phrase, “after these things.” In
popular usage, it is applied to almost any substance, but its application to an
animal is improper, and vulgar. Indeed, such application often implies
contempt. Besides, this application makes no distinction between an animal
and a plant. A creeping thing is more properly a creeping
plant, than a reptile. Gen. 1.24, 26, &c.
Food for meat. In the common English version of the
scriptures, meat never signifies flesh only, but food in general,
provisions or whatever is eaten by animals for nourishment. Fruits, grass,
herbs, as well as flesh are denominated meat. Gen. 1.29, 30. But the
word is now used almost exclusively for flesh used or intended for food for
mankind. For this word I have therefore substituted food, except in a
few cases, where the plural is used, food not admitting the plural
number. But I have retained meat-offering, though composed of vegetable
substances. We have no word in use which can be substituted for it; and it has
acquired a kind of technical application, so to speak, which renders it
expedient to retain it. See Gen. 1.29, 30; Deut. 20.20; Matt. 3.4, &c.
Shun for eschew. Job 1.1, 8; 2.3; 1 Pet. 3.11. Shun
seems to be a more correct word to express the idea, than avoid; for a
person may avoid evil, without intending it; shun implies
intention.
Plant or herb, for hay. Prov. 27.25; Is. 15.6. Hay
is dried grass or herbs. The use of hay, therefore, in the passages
cited is improper. What a strange expression must this appear to be to a farmer
in our country. “The hay appeareth, and the tender grass showeth
itself.”
Provision for victual or victuals. In the singular
number, victual is now wholly obsolete; and its signification in the
plural is much more limited than that in which it occurs in several passages of
the scriptures, which extends to provisions in general, whether prepared for
eating or not. In present usage, victuals are articles for food dressed
or prepared for the table. When the word, in our version, is not thus limited,
I have substituted for it provisions. Gen. 14.11; Josh. 1.11, &c.
Treated for entreated, when it signifies to use, or
entertain. Gen. 12.16; Ex. 5.22.
Afflict, harass, oppress, distress, or a word
of like import for vex. This word has suffered a material change or
limitation, since our version of the scriptures was made. In that version, it
is equivalent to afflict, harass, distress , grieve,
in a general or indefinite sense; in modern usage, it is nearly synonymous with
irritate, a limited sense, I believe, not intended in any passage of
scripture, unless there may be three or four exceptions, in which I have
retained the word. Num. 25.17; 20.15; 33.55; Judges 10.8; Lev. 18.18, &c.
Afflict for plague. Plague, as used in our version,
comprehends almost any calamity that befalls man or beast. But used as a verb,
it is now too low or vulgar for a scriptural word. I have therefore used in the
place of it, afflict. Gen. 12.17; Ex. 32.35; Ps. 73.5, 14.
Multiply for increase. Multiply is properly applied
to numbers; increase to size, dimensions, or quantity. Hence, in some
passages of the present version, it is improperly used, and I have substituted
for it increase. Deut. 8.13. On the other hand, I have, when the sense
requires it, inserted multiply for increase. Hosea 10.1.
Killed for slew. In Daniel 3.22, we read that the flame of
the fire slew the men that threw Shadrach and his companions into the
furnace. This use of slew is improper, so much so, that the most
illiterate man would perceive the impropriety of it. Slay is used to
denote killing by striking with any weapon whatever; but we never say a man is slain
by poison, by drowning, or by burning. This distinction proceeds from the
original signification of slay, which was to strike. See Acts
13.28.
Diffuse. “The lips of the wise disperse knowledge.” Prov.
15.7. To disperse is to dissipate or scatter so as to destroy the thing.
This cannot be the meaning of the author. He meant to say, spread or diffuse
knowledge.
Careful, carefulness had formerly a more intensive sense,
that at present. Carefulness is now always a virtue; formerly it had the
sense of anxiety, or undue solicitude. Paul says to the Corinthians, “I would
have you without carefulness.” 1 Cor. 7.32. But certainly the apostle
did not mean to condemn the due caution now expressed by that word. The
distinction in the uses of this word is clearly marked in Phil. 4. verses 6,
10. In verse 6th the apostle writes “Be careful for nothing;” yet in
verse 10th he commends the Philippians for being careful. These apparent
discrepancies are easily removed by substituting anxious or solicitous
for careful, when it evidently has this signification. See Jer. 17.8; Ezek.
12.18, 19; Luke 10.41; 1 Cor. 7.32, 33, 34.
Furniture for carriage. The word carriage, in our
common version, signifies that which is carried, or in our present
usage, baggage; such things as travelers and armies carry for their accommodation.
It never signifies a vehicle on wheels, although I am convinced that it is thus
understood by men of good common education. I have substituted for it furniture,
judging baggage not to be a suitable word to be introduced into the
text. I have, however, inserted an explanatory note in the margin, Judges
18.21; 1 Sam. 17.22. If the word carriages, used Isa. 46.1, was intended
to signify vehicles, it is a mistake; it is not the sense of the Hebrew.
And if intended for loading, then the following words are improper.
Revive or vivify for quicken. The latter word in
scripture signifies to revive, to give new life or animate.
It is now used in the sense of accelerate. Quick is sometimes
used in scripture for living, as the quick and dead. I have , for
the verb, substituted revive or vivify, and for the adjective, living.
Ps. 71.20; Acts 10.42, &c.
Terrify or drive away for fray; the latter being
entirely obsolete, and not generally understood. Deut. 28.26; Jer. 7.33; Zech.
1.21.
Vomit for spew. Lev. 18.28; Rev. 3.16, &c.
Avenge for revenge. These words seem to have been used
synonymously in former times; but in modern usage, a distinction between them
is, if I mistake not, well established; revenge implying malice, and avenge
expressing just vindication. If so, the use of revenge, as applied to
the Supreme Being, is improper. I have therefore substituted for it avenge.
Nahum 1.2.
Deride for laugh to scorn. The latter phrase is nearly
obsolete. 2 Kings 19.21; Nehem. 2.19, &c.
Fornication. This word, in modern laws and usage, has acquired a
technical meaning more limited than its signification in the scriptures. For
which reason among others, I have generally substituted for it a word of more
comprehensive signification, generally lewdness.
Uncover, make bare, open, disclose, reveal,
for discover. The original and proper sense of discover is to uncover,
and there are phrases in which it is still used in that sense. But its present
signification most generally is, to find, see, or perceive
for the first time. In most passages in our version of the scriptures, it has
the sense of uncover, make bare, or expose to view.
In Micah 1.6, the Lord says by the prophet, “I will discover the
foundations” of Samaria. But surely the all-seeing God had nothing to find or
see for the first time. The sense of the word is to uncover, to lay bare. See
Prov. 25.9; Isa. 3.17; Lam. 4.22; Job 12.22; Ezek. 13.14, &c. Two or three
other alterations of this word would have been made, had the propriety of them
occurred to me in due season.
Ask, or inquire, for demand. The French original
of this word properly signifies simply to ask; but usage has, in some
measure, altered its signification in English. In our language, the word
implies right, authority, or claim to an answer, or to
something sought. Thus in Exodus 5.14, the inquiry made, implies an authority
assumed by the task-masters of Egypt, or a right to know the reason why the
Israelites had not performed their tasks. So Daniel 2.27; Job 38.3; 40.7. But
in 2 Samuel 11.7, David did not demand of Uriah, but simply inquire. In
Luke 3.14, the improper use of demanded is more striking. That the
soldiers should demand any thing from Christ is not to be supposed. So
Luke 17.20; Acts 21.33. But the most objectionable instance of the use of demand
is in Job 42.4, where Job, addressing the Supreme Being, says, “I will demand
of thee, and declare thou to me.” I have, in such instances, used ask or
inquire, which is the true sense of the original.
Would God, would to God. These phrases occur in several
passages in which they are not authorized by the original language, in which
the name of the Supreme Being is not used; but the insertion of them in the
version, has given countenance to the practice of introducing them into
discourses and public speeches, with a levity that is incompatible with a due
veneration for the name of God. In Job 14.13, the same Hebrew words are
rendered O that, the common mode of expressing an ardent wish; and I
have used the same words in other passages. See Ex. 16.3; Deut. 28.67.
God forbid, is a phrase which may be viewed in the same light as the
foregoing. It is several times used in the version, and without any authority
from the original languages, for the use of the name of God. The Greek phrase
thus rendered in the New Testament, signifies only “Let it not be,” or “I wish
it not to be.” I cannot think it expedient to suffer the phrase “God forbid,”
to stand in the text, for the reason assigned in the foregoing paragraph. And it
is to be regretted that a practice prevails of using it in common discourse. I
have followed Macknight in using for these words, By no means.
God speed. 2 John 10, 11. This phrase must originally have been “God
speed you;” that is, God give you welfare or success, or it is a mistake for good
speed. It could not have been the first, for then the whole phrase must
have been, “Bid him God speed you.” The fact undoubtedly is, the phrase was
originally good speed. In Saxon, good and God are
uniformly written alike; god, the adjective, we now write good,
and we write goodman, Goodwin, although the English write Godwin. In the
phrase used in scripture, which seems to have been formerly proverbial, the
Saxon god for good has continued to be written with a single vowel,
and the word being mistaken for the name of the Supreme Being, it came to be
written with a capital initial, God. The Greek word is a term of
salutation; the same word is used, Luke 1.28, in the address of the angel to
Mary, where it is rendered Hail, and in Matt. 28.9, All hail. But
God speed, as now used, is as improper as God welfare, God
success, or God happiness. In a grammatical point of view, nothing
can be mote absurd; it is neither grammar nor sense. And it is to be regretted,
that such an outrage upon propriety continues to be used in discourse.
Prevent. This word is many times used in the version, but not in
the sense in which it is now universally used. Indeed, so different are its
scriptural uses, that probably very few readers of common education understand
it. I have had recourse to the ablest expositors, English and German, to aid me
in expressing the sense of the word in the several passages in which it is
used. 2 Sam. 22.6; Job 3.12; and 30.27; Ps. 18.5, 18; 21.3; 59.10; 119.147,
148; Isa. 21.14.
Take no
thought. It is probable that this phrase
formerly had a more intensive signification than it has at present. In Matt.
6.25, 27, 31, 34, the phrase falls far short of the force, or real meaning of
the original. I have expressed the idea by Be not anxious. So in Luke
12.22, 26.
By and by. This phrase as used in the scriptures denotes immediately,
without an interval of time. In present usage, it seems rather to indicate soon,
but not immediately. Matt. 13.21; Luke 17.7; and 21.9.
Presently. This word in the scriptures signifies immediately.
Matt. 21.19.
Insane for mad. In our popular language, mad more
generally signifies very angry, which is not always its signification in
the common version. I have therefore, in some instances expressed the sense by insane
or enraged, words less likely to be misapprehended by our common people
than mad. John 10.20; Acts 12.15; and 26.11, 24; 1 Cor. 14.23.
Healed for made whole. When persons recover from sickness,
we never say they are made whole. This phrase is proper only when some
part of the body is broken. John 5.6. Whole is not the proper word to be
set in opposition to sick. It should be well or in health.
Matt. 9.12.
Conversation. This word, in our version, never has the sense of mutual
discourse, which is its signification in present usage. It now retains the
signification it had formerly, chiefly as a technical law term, as in
indentures. Its sense in the Bible comprehends the whole moral conduct in
social life, and I have used in the place of it manner of life, or deportment,
chiefly the former, as deportment, in ordinary use, is, perhaps, not
sufficiently comprehensive. When it occurs, however, it is intended to embrace
all that is understood by manner of life, or course of conduct.
Ps. 37.14; 2 Cor. 1.12; Gal. 1.13, &c.
Offend. I have, in some passages, substituted for this word, the
words, cause to sin, or to fall into sin. In other places I have
explained it in a marginal note.
Close vessel for bushel. Matt. 5.15, &c. There is now, I
believe, no vessel of the measure of a bushel, in common use. The Jews used
lamps, not candles, which such a measure would extinguish. I have, therefore,
substituted close vessel. Vessel is used Luke 8.16.
Agitate, or stir, for trouble. The application of trouble
to water or other substance, in the sense of stirring, is wholly
obsolete. John 5.4, 7; Ezek. 32.2; Prov. 25.26. Yet from the scriptures we
retain the phrase “troubled waters.”
Travail, with this orthography, is now used only or chiefly for
the labor of child-birth. In other senses, I have substituted for it labor
or toil. Eccl. 1.13; 2.23; 1 Thess. 2.8.
Hungry for an hungred. Matt. 25.35, &c.
Convicted for convinced. James 2.9. See also John 8.46; Jude
15.
Strain out a
gnat. Matt. 23.24. The words in our version
are “strain at a gnat.” It is unaccountable that such an obvious error
should remain uncorrected for more than two centuries. The Greek signifies to strain
out a gnat, as by passing liquor through a colander or a filter. It is not
a doubtful point. At may have been a misprint for out, in the
first copies.
Foresaw, in Acts 2.25, is a mis-translation. The sense is not saw
beforehand, but before in place, or in presence. I have omitted the
prefix, fore. The propriety of this is determined by the original passage.
Ps. 16.8.
Constrain, for compel. Matt. 5.41. Compel may or does
imply physical force; constrain implies moral as well as physical force,
and this seems to be the most proper word.
Froward, Ps. 18.26, appears to me improperly applied to the
Supreme Being. In its present signification, it seems to be not merely harsh,
but irreverent, and incorrect. I have therefore substituted for it, thou
wilt contend. See also 2 Sam. 22.27.
Earnestly for instantly. Luke 7.4.
Man for fellow. The latter word is several times
inserted in our version, without any authority in the original: it implies
contempt, which may have been felt, but a translator should not, I think, add
to the original what is not certainly known to have been the fact. I have in
the place of it inserted man. Gen. 19.9; Matt. 12.24, &c.
Body of
soldiers. The troops with which Claudius
rescued Paul, Acts 23.27, cannot be called an army, as the word is now
understood.
Many people are the words substituted for much people. Numb.
20.20; Mark 5.21, &c.
The door
shall be opened. Matt. 7.7. The word door
is not in the original, but is necessarily implied in the verb.
Staff. Matt. 10.10. The original Greek word is in the singular
number.
Master of
the house. Luke 22.11. The phrase, good
man of the house, is not warranted by the original, which signifies master
of the house. At the time the Bible was translated, it was customary to
call men by the title, good man, instead of Mr. It is seen on the
records of the first settlers in New England; but if it was ever proper in our
version, which can hardly be admitted, it is now improper.
Sat at meat. This phrase is improper on more accounts than one. The
ancients did not sit at table, but lay down or reclined on the left
elbow. I have retained the word sit or sat, however, but have
inserted in the margin an explanatory note. At meat, is obsolete, and I
have substituted at table or eating.
Foreign for strange. The latter word often signifies foreign
or not native, and in a few instances I have substituted for it foreign.
In doubtful cases, no change is made. Heb. 11.9; Acts 7.6. See Ezra 10.2; Acts
26.11; 1 Kings 11.1, 8.
Boat for ship. In the New Testament, the words
designating the vessels which were used on the lake of Tiberias, are generally
rendered ship. This is wholly improper. Those vessels were boats,
either with or without sails. No ship, in the present sense of this
word, could be used on a small lake. Besides, we have evidence from the facts
stated in the evangelists, that the vessels were small; otherwise they would
not have been “covered with the waves,” Matt. 8.24; nor “rowed” with oars, Mark
6.48. In Luke 5, it is said that both ships were filled with the fish taken in
a net, so that they began to sink. Surely these were not ships. In John
6.22, 23, these ships are called boats, which is the most proper
word, and that which I have used.
Go thy way,
he went his way. These and similar forms
of expression occur often in the version; but in the New Testament, and
sometimes in the Old, the words thy way, his way, your way, are not in
the original, which is simply go. The additional words were introduced
probably from the Hebrew phraseology, or in conformity to popular use; but they
are wholly redundant. I have not been very particular in rejecting the
superfluous words; but have done it in some instances.
Luke 9.61. The
words at home are redundant. The phrase in Greek is simply at my
house.
Scribe’s
penknife, Jer. 36.23. The translators have
omitted the word scribe or secretary, which is in the Hebrew. It
is supposed that in former times, no person had a penknife, but a secretary; or
the word pen was supposed to include or imply the word scribe. I
am surprised however that men, so careful generally to translate every Hebrew
word, should have omitted this. In the present age, the omission would
doubtless be a fault.
Safe and
sound. Luke 15.27. This is another
instance in which the translators have followed popular use, instead of the
original Greek, which signifies simply well or in health.
Living beings. Rev. 4.6, 7, &c. The word beast, in the low
sense the word has in present use, is considered to be very improper in various
passages of the Apocalypse. The word signifies animals or living beings; and I
have used the latter word as more becoming the dignity of the sacred oracles.
Passover for Easter. Acts 12.4. The original is pascha,
passover.
Men,
brethren. Acts 13.15, &c. The
translators have erred by inserting and between these words, which tends
to mislead the reader into the opinion that these are addressed as different
characters; whereas the sense is men, brethren, men who are brethren.
How that. These words are frequently used very improperly, where manner
is not expressed in the original. The original is simply that. This is
another instance of an inconsiderate use of popular phrases. 1 Cor. 10.1; 15.3.
A still more
objectionable use of popular language occurs in employing the past tense might
instead of may. When Christ asked the blind man what he desired to have
done for him, he replied, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” Mark
10.51. So Luke 8.9. “What might this parable mean?” This mode of
expression is still common among a certain class of people, who ask a stranger,
“Pray, sir, what might I call your name?” There are many examples of this
improper use of might, where the sense is more correctly expressed by
the present tense, may. See John 10.10.
The old word yea
is used, in some cases, where it is not warranted by the original; and when the
original authorizes some word in this sense, it would be better to substitute
for it even, indeed, truly, or verily. Yes
is used in the New Testament, in two or three passages, and I have introduced
it for yea, in several passages of both Testaments.
Deut. 20.18.
The present order of words in this verse may give a sense directly opposite to
that which is intended. The Israelites were directed to destroy the Hittites
and other heathen nations, to prevent the Israelites from adopting their
idolatries and vices; but the passage, as it now stands, is, that they, the
heathen, may teach the Israelites not to do after their own
abominations. Surely the heathen would not teach the Israelites to avoid their
own practices. By transposing not and placing it before teach, the
ambiguity is removed.
Holy Spirit. The word ghost is now used almost exclusively for
an apparition, except in this phrase, Holy Ghost. I have therefore
uniformly used Holy Spirit.
Demon. In the scriptures, the Greek daimon is rendered devil;
but most improperly, as devil and demon were considered to be
different beings. I have followed the commentators on the New Testament, in
substituting demon in all cases where the Greek is daimon. I
cannot think a translator justified in such a departure from the original, as
to render the word by devil. The original word for devil is never
plural, there being but one devil mentioned in the scriptures.
Hell. The word hell in the Old Testament, and sometimes
in the New, is used, not for a place of torment, but for the grave, region
of the dead, lower or invisible world; sheol in
Hebrew, hades in Greek. I have in most passages retained the word in the
text, but have inserted an explanatory note in the margin. In Ezekiel 31, I
have rendered the word grave in two or three verses, to make the version
conformable to verse 15.
Master. This word is frequently used in the New Testament for teacher;
doubtless in conformity with the popular or vulgar practice of calling teachers
of schools masters. I have retained the word, but have added an
explanatory note in the margin.
Provoke. This word formerly had, and sometimes still has, the
sense of incite, excite, or instigate. In modern usage, it
is generally used in the sense of irritate. This requires the
substitution of another word for it in 1 Chron. 21.1; Heb. 10.24; 2 Cor. 9.2,
in which I have used incite or excite. Ps. 4.8. The word only
is misplaced, and thus it gives a wrong sense. I have placed it next after thou.
Lord for Jehovah. When the word Lord is in small
capitals, it stands for Jehovah of the original. I have not altered the
version, except in a few passages, where the word JEHOVAH
seems to be important; as in Isaiah 51.22, where “thy Lord, the LORD,”
seem to be at least awkward, if not unintelligible, to an illiterate reader.
See also Jer. 32.18, where there is a peculiar propriety in expressing the true
name of the Supreme Being. See also Jer. 23.6, and 33.16.
Ezekiel 38.5. I
have followed the Hebrew in the names Cush and Phut.
Matt. 27.66. I
have transposed the words, in order to place the expression of security
directly before the means, that is, the watch or guard. This is in accordance
with the sense of verse 65. The word sure is not the proper word to be
used, but secure.
In 1 Thess.
1.4, I have introduced the marginal construction into the text, in accordance
with Macknight, and with the punctuation of Griesbach. See 2 Thess. 2.13.
On, upon, for in, into. In the present
version, in is often used in the Latin sense, for on, or upon:
so also into; as in the earth; into a mountain. Gen. 1.22;
19.30. This is not good English, according to present usage.
Against for by. 1 Cor. 4.4. By in this verse must
signify against, or the translation is erroneous. But by has not
that signification in present usage; I have therefore substituted against.
There are many
passages in which the translators have inserted and improperly, between
clauses which are in apposition, and ought not to be made distinct. In 1 Cor.
4.13, the words and are appear to give a sense not intended by the
apostle. “We are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all
things.” So stands the original; but by the insertion of and are, the
apostle is made to say not only that we are in estimation made as the filth of
the world, but that we actually are the offscouring of all things.
Testimony is substituted for record, the latter, in this
sense, being entirely obsolete.
Testimony is often substituted for witness, as modern usage
inclines to limit the application of witness to the person testifying.
Ye have
heard that it was said to them of old time.
Matt. 5.21, 27, 33. In our version the passage is, “was said by them.”
Dr. Campbell remarks that all the older versions have to; as the
Vulgate, Montanus, Erasmus, Castalio, Calvin, Luther and others; and I may add,
this is the rendering in the Italian of Diodati, and in the French version
published by the American Bible Society. That to is the true rendering,
seems to be probable, from the fact, that when the original is clearly intended
to express the sense of by, the Greek words are a preposition followed
by a noun in the genitive; whereas in the passages under consideration, the
noun appears to be in the dative, like other nouns after a verb, signifying to say
or speak. Examples in the same Evangelist may be seen in Matt. 2.15, 17,
23; 3.3; 4.14; 8.17; 12.17; 13.35; 21.4; 27.9; 22.31. The affirmation however
must be true, with either rendering; for what was said by one person,
must have been said to another.
Burden. Isaiah 13.1. The verb from which the Hebrew word is
formed, signifies to bear, and the noun, that which is borne or conveyed.
But in Latin we find examples of words signifying to bear or carry,
from which is derived the sense of speaking, of which fero is an
instance: Fertur, it is said. So from porto we have report.
I would suggest that, in like manner, the Hebrew word rendered burden,
may be rendered report or message; which, if correct, would be
better understood. I have retained burden in the text, but have
suggested this amendment in the margin.
Dodanim. Gen. 10.4. I have retained this name in the text,
although I am well satisfied it ought to be Rodanim. My reasons are
these:
1. The Hebrew Resh is easily mistaken for a Daleth,
as the letters have a near resemblance.
2. The most ancient versions of the Pentateuch have Rodanim,
particularly the Septuagint and Syriac.
3. It is not easy to give any probable account of Dodanim. The
name is evidently different from Dedan.
4. The sacred penman places this name among the sons of Javan,
(Ionia, Dan. 11.2,) which shows that the name belongs to Greece or Europe, not
to Africa; and the other names Elishah, Tarshish and Kittim belong to the south
of Europe; Elishah being probably Hellas, or interior Greece; Kittim, certain
isles in the Levant; and Tarshish, being Tartessus in Spain. I therefore infer
that Rodanim is Rodan, [Rhodanus] the original name of the Rhone,
with the termination of Hebrew plural nouns. If so, Rodanim signifies
the inhabitants of the Rhone or of Gaul, now France.
The translation
of the tenth chapter of Genesis, by the use of the word sons, instead of
descendants, has, in many instances, led to a misunderstanding of
several parts of the chapter. Many of the names of those called sons are
plural, and represent nations, or tribes, not individuals.
On the east
side of Jordan. Deut. 1.1, 4; 4.46. The
translations of the scriptures differ in the rendering of the Hebrew word for over,
beyond, on the other side. In the Septuagint and Vulgate, this
word, in the passages under consideration, is rendered beyond. In the
English and several other modern translations, the word is rendered on this
side; the translations being thus contradictory. This difference has
proceeded from the supposed place of the writer of the book of Deuteronomy; the
early translators supposing the writer of the passages cited to have been on
the west side of the Jordan; and the modern translators supposing the
writer to have been on the east side of that river. With regard to the
author of the book in general, there can be no question. But it is most obvious
that the first five verses of the first chapter, and the last six verses of the
fourth, were written by the compiler; those in the first chapter serving as an
introduction to the narrative of Moses, which begins at the sixth verse. That
Moses was on the east side of Jordan is certain; but is it not a strange
supposition that Moses, addressing the Israelites, should tell them repeatedly
on which side of the river he was? In the 47th and 49th verses of chapter
fourth, we are informed that the place was on the side of Jordan, eastward,
towards the sun-rising. As there is no question with respect to the fact,
and as the different translations mean the same thing, I have removed all
uncertainty on the subject, by using the words, on the east side of Jordan.
Red Sea. This appellation of the gulf of Suez, or Arabian Sea, has
been so long and generally used, that it may not be expedient to change it. It
was first used by the Greeks, and introduced into the Septuagint, from which
our translators have adopted it. It is probable that this gulf was formerly
called the Sea of Edom, from the Edomites who inhabited the country on
the east of it, which the Greeks called Idumea; and as Edom, in
Hebrew, signifies red, the Greeks translated the word red, and gave to
this gulf the appellation of Red Sea; a name of no appropriate
significancy, as applied to that gulf, for the waters of it are no more red
than the water of any other sea, or of the ocean.
Suf. Deut. 1.1. In this passage, the English translators
following the Septuagint, have rendered the Hebrew word Suf, Red Sea;
(not Zuph, as printed in the margin of our Bibles.) This word signifies sea-weed,
and this sense it retains to this day in some of the Gothic dialects. The same
word is used in Exodus, with reference to the Red Sea; but always in
connection with the Hebrew word for sea. In the first verse of
Deuteronomy, it is used without the Hebrew word for sea; and of course
the use of sea in our translation is not authorized by the original.
Now in the
fifth verse, we are informed that the Israelites were then in the land of Moab,
which was on the east side of the Salt or Dead Sea; two, three,
or four hundred miles from the Red Sea, and in a different latitude. The
Israelites then could not have been over against the Red Sea, commonly
so called. This would be like saying Albany is over against Pittsburg.
In the loose way in which the Bible is often read, especially those parts of it
which do not immediately concern our salvation, this mistake may have passed
unnoticed by most readers; though not by inquisitive commentators. But our
young people now study the scriptures with maps of Syria and Egypt. Let any
person inspect a good map of those countries, and first see the position of the
land of Moab, and then that of the gulf of Suez, and he will perceive at once
that the Israelites were not over against the Red Sea; and of course he
will be embarrassed, or inclined to question the truth of the narrative.
It may be that
the word Suf was intended for the Dead or Salt Sea. At any rate, by
introducing this Hebrew word into the English version, we are sure to be right,
and not expose the scriptures to the charge of error or apparent contradiction.
If the same
word in Num. 21.14, refers to the same place, it ought not to be rendered Red
Sea.
Cush for Ethiopia. Gen. 2.13. By following the
Septuagint, in rendering the Hebrew Cush by Ethiopia, the translators
have introduced confusion into the geography of the Bible; and laid the
foundation for many mistakes and much skepticism. I well remember that when I
supposed Ethiopia, here mentioned, to be the country now called by this
name, my faith in the authenticity of the scriptures was shaken; for I could
not conceive how the Euphrates and the Nile, whose sources are several thousand
miles distant, could both proceed from Eden. Yet so ignorant of geography were
the Greeks and Jews, that even Josephus expressly refers the river Gibon, which
“encompassed the whole land of Ethiopia,” to the Nile. But there is no
difficulty in determining this to be a great mistake.
Cush in Hebrew is in Chaldee Cuth, and the word in the
passage under consideration is undoubtedly the Cuthah and Cuth,
mentioned in 2 Kings 17.24, 30, the country from which Salmaneser drew
inhabitants to re-people Samaria, after the captivity of the ten tribes. It is
very probable that the Cossei mentioned by Pliny, Lib. vi.27, were the
inhabitants of the same country. This author informs us that the Cossei
inhabited the country eastward of the Susiani in Persia. He also
mentions the river Eulaeus, the Ulai of Daniel, the prophet; and says that this
river separates the Elymais from the Susiani.
In Isaiah
11.11, we read that the Israelites were to be recovered from Assyria, and from
Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar. Cush
is here named in connection with Elam and Shinar, as well as with Egypt; and
Ethiopia, now so called, cannot be intended by Cush, as the Israelites
were never dispersed into that country; at least, not to any extent, at that
period.
In Isaiah 37.9,
we find mention made of Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, or Cush, which must have
been the same country, as this king was making war upon the king of Assyria.
Now if Cush here mentioned was the modern Ethiopia, then the Ethiopians
of Abyssinia had made war upon Sennacherib, which cannot be supposed.
There was
another Cush, which is frequently mentioned in the scriptures. This was
in Arabia. Moses, when in Midian, near the Red Sea, married a woman called an
Ethiopian, but really a Cushite, one of that nation in Arabia, which
invaded Judea in the reign of Asa, with an immense army. These people or their
country are mentioned by the prophets in connection with Egypt and Midian. Gen.
10.6; Hab. 3.7; Is. 43.3. With Philistia and Tyre. Ps. 87.4. With the Lubims
and Libyans. 2 Chr. 16.8; Dan. 11.43.
Ezek. 29.10. “I
will make the land of Egypt waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene to the
border of Ethiopia.” This Ethiopia, Cush, cannot be the modern Ethiopia, for
Syene was at the extreme border of Egypt on the south, nearly contiguous to
Ethiopia, and if the word Cush had been intended for the modern Ethiopia, the
district of country here described would not have included Egypt, the country
to which the prophecy was applied.
In 2 Chr.
21.16, we read of Arabians that were near the Ethiopians.
We have then
clear evidence that the word Cush, in the scriptures, refers to two
countries, one in Persia, and the other in Arabia; neither of which was the
modern Ethiopia. Whether the word, in any passage, refers to the modern
Ethiopia, is a question that it is not necessary to discuss in this note.
The modern
Ethiopians are descendants of Arabians. This fact I can affirm from some
knowledge of their language, no small part of which is Arabic. The name
Abyssinia is modern. It is stated to be formed from an Arabic word habas
or chabas, to be black, and a derivative from this is said to signify a
mixed multitude. See Castel’s Heptaglot Lexicon. However this may be, the
modern Ethiopians are descendants from Arabians; but whether they bore the name
Cush, as being the offspring of the Arabian Cushim, or on account
of their color, is not a question of much importance.
To prevent any
mistake from a mistranslation of the name, I have uniformly introduced, into
the text of this work, the Hebrew Cush, except in one instance, Jer.
13.23, where the word refers to color only, without reference to place. The
word Cush is said to signify black, and if so, Ethiops, black
face, is a translation of the name. By introducing Cush into the text,
we are sure to be correct. But as no country except Abyssinia is now known as
Ethiopia, if the reader of the Bible understands Ethiopia as referring to that
country only, he will be many times led into error. Most of the passages of
scripture in which Cush is mentioned, certainly have reference to a
country in Persia, or to a territory in Arabia.
Shadow. There is an established distinction in the significations
of shade and shadow, which is entirely disregarded in our version
of the scriptures. Perhaps the distinction was not known in England, at the
time the version was made. Shadow is the obscurity made by the
interception of light by an object, in the figure or shape of the object. Shade
is a like obscurity without reference to figure. Shade is used when
protection only from the rays of the sun is intended. The farmer, to cool and
refresh himself, says, I will go into the shade of a tree--never into
the shadow. Hence, when there is no reference to figure, but to
protection only, the word shade should always be used. Hence the
impropriety of the phrase shadow of death. Death is the absence of life,
a mere negation of being. In the phrase, shadow of death, shadow is a
figurative word denoting total darkness, deep gloom, and for this idea, the
established usage now requires the plural, the shades of death. Shadow
in the sense of a faint resemblance is correct, as it has reference to form, or
figure. Col. 2.17; Is. 4.6; 25.4; Dan. 4.12; Hosea 4.13; Jonah 4.5, 6; Heb.
8.5; 10.1.
Of. In the use of this word, a great change has taken place,
since the present version was made. Its original signification is from;
but in present use in the scriptures, it is equivalent, in many passages, to concerning;
in many others, to by; in others, to from; and in some passages,
its signification is, at first view, ambiguous. Thus, to be sick of a
thing, is generally understood to mean, to be disgusted with it or tired
of it; but to be sick of a fever or of love, in scripture, is to
be affected by it as the cause. In the latter sense, I have substituted with
for of. Cant. 2.5; Matt. 8.14.
In numerous
passages, of has the sense of concerning. See Acts 13.29; Jude 3.
In many
passages, it signifies by. Acts 23.10; 2 Cor. 3.2.
In Matt. 2.15,
it must be rendered from. “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of
the Lord by the prophet.” What was spoken was from the Lord by
the prophet.
In many
passages, its meaning may be easily mistaken. Jer. 34.4. “Thus saith the Lord of
thee;” not Zedekiah’s Lord, but concerning thee. See also chap. 36.30,
and John 7.17, 18; 2 Tim. 2.2, and numerous other passages.
Of sometimes denotes belonging to, or apart of. 1 Cor. 12.15.
The
substitution of another word for of, in order to present the true
meaning at first view, is necessary in a multitude of passages. In many
phrases, however, the word continues to retain its original sense.
Tenses. At the time the present version of the scriptures was
made, the form of the verb which most of our English Grammars arrange in the
present tense of the subjunctive mode was in more general use than it has been
for the last century; thus, if thou be, if he be, though he have.
This form of the verb is most common in the version of the scriptures; but is
far from being uniformly used. The translators seem to have been guided by no
rule; and their discrepancies are numerous. James 1.26. “If any man among you seem
to be religious and bridleth not his tongue.” See Gen. 4.7; Job 35.6;
Deut. 24.3, 7; Gen. 47.6; Lev. 25.14; 6.2, 3; Prov. 22.27; 24.10, 11, 12; 1
Cor. 7.12, 13; John 9.31, and many other passages.
So familiar was
the subjunctive form of the verb to the translators, and so little regard had
they to any rule for using it, that in the New Testament they have usually
rendered the Greek indicative by the English subjunctive; as if thou be,
for if thou art. See Matt 4.6; 5.29,30, and numerous other passages.
In this
subjunctive form of the verb, no distinction is made between the present and
future time of an action. If thou be, may stand for if thou art
or if thou shalt be. And such is the fact in a multitude of passages.
More generally, the subjunctive form is really an elliptical future. Lev.
25.14. “If thou sell aught to thy neighbor;” si vendideritis, if thou
shalt sell. Matt. 7.9. “If thy son ask bread;” si petierit panem.
But so heedless of rules were the translators, that in the verse just cited
from Leviticus, they have in the second clause given the indicative, “If thou sell
aught, or buyest aught.”
This
subjunctive form of the verb in the present tense had, to a great extent,
fallen into disuse, in the days of Addison, who, with the best authors of that
and the next generation, generally used the indicative form of the verb to
express acts, conditional or hypothetical, in present time. I have followed
their example, as it is conformable to the most general usage of the present
age; and by using shall or will to express future time, have
attempted to render obvious a real distinction in time, which is not so obvious
in the subjunctive form of the verb. In the language of modern statutes, both
in Great Britain and in the United States, the practice is uniformly to use shall.
If a man shall trespass, if he shall be guilty of theft.
In the use of shall
and should for will and would, the errors of the version
are very numerous. Shall in the first person foretells, in the second
and third it promises, determines, threatens or commands. The phrases, you shall
go, he shall go, imply authority in the speaker to promise what the
person shall do, or to command him. Hence we never use such language to
superiors. No person says to his father, or to a ruler, you shall do
this or that. Such language is used only to inferiors or persons subject to
authority. Hence the extreme impropriety of such phrases as the following, Gen.
41.16, God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Neh. 4.20, “Our God shall
fight for us.” When Christ said to Peter, “Before the cock crow, thou shalt
deny me thrice,” he did not command him, nor promise, nor determine; he simply
foretold the fact, and therefore the word will should be used.
But the
translators, evidently, were guided by no rule; for they often vary the phrase,
using shall in one clause of a sentence and will in another. See
Deut. 7.12, 13; Luke 5.37; and 21.7; Ps. 37.4, 5, 6, compared with Ps. 41.1, 2,
3; See Ps. 16.10; and Acts 13.35, in which will is used in the former
and shall in the latter. A great number of similar discrepancies occur
in the version, and it is probable that in my attempts to correct them, some
have been overlooked. In Ps. 17.15, will is used for shall, “I will
behold.”
Equally faulty
is the use of should for would in many passages; but this fault
is less frequent than the use of shall for will. Heb. 8.4. “For
if he were on earth, he should not be a priest;” verse 7, “For if that
first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought
for the second.” John 13.11, “For he knew who should betray him.” Such
use of should is not good English, nor does it express the true sense,
as should implies duty, equivalent to ought. See Job 13.5; John
6.64, 71; Acts 23.27; 28.6.
Should is used for would, Ezra 10.5.
This improper
use of the auxiliaries renders the translation inaccurate in hundreds of
instances.
Plunder for spoil. The verb to spoil is susceptible
of different senses. In our version, it generally signifies to plunder, pillage
or lay waste; but in our popular use, it signifies to injure so as to
render useless, by any means. To “spoil a tent,” would not always
suggest to an unlettered reader the sense of plundering. I have
therefore, in some passages, substituted seize, plunder or lay
waste. Isa. 13.16; 33.1; and others.
Edom for Idumea. In two passages, our version has Idumea
for Edom, the Greek for the Hebrew. I have retained the Hebrew word, as
this will prevent the unlearned reader from supposing Edom and Idumea to be
different countries. Isa. 34.5, 6.
Lord of the
whole earth. In Micah 4.13, there is a
misprint in the present version; the word Lord in the last line being in
capitals, as if the original were Jehovah. This is a mistake. I have
inserted Jehovah in the former part of the verse, according to the
Hebrew, and Lord, in small letters, in the latter part.
Meeting. 1 Sam. 9.14. The importance of avoiding the use of words
and phrases of equivocal signification must be obvious. When I was examining
the proof sheets of this work, my grand daughter, fourteen years of age was
reading the passage above referred to; at the words “Samuel came out against
them,” she remarked that it was strange “Samuel should come out against Saul,”
when they were friends. Her first impression was, that the words express
enmity, as that is the most obvious signification of the phrase. I availed
myself of the suggestion, and inserted the word meeting before them.
Benjaminite. Benjamin, son of the right hand. What could have induced
the translators to reject a part of the last syllable, a component part of the
word, and write Benjamite? I have reinstated the rejected letters, and
added the usual termination.
In 2 Chron.
13.19, there a is mistake in the English, French and Italian versions, Ephraim
for the Hebrew Ephron, which I have corrected. The Septuagint is
correct.
In our version
of the scriptures, as in most British books, a very common error is to use
intransitive verbs in the passive form, as he is perished; they were
escaped; he is fled; the year was expired; they were
departed.
There is no
error in British writers so common and so prominent as this, borrowed probably
from the French, in which it is the established usage. Dr. Lowth noticed this
fault sixty or seventy years ago, but the practice continues.
The passive
form of the verb always implies the action of an agent. When a word is
spoken or written, the implication is, that some person has spoken or written
it. But when we say “The day was expired,” the question occurs, who
expired it? When it is said “counsel is perished,” the question is, who
perished it?
Escape and return are sometimes transitive and sometimes
intransitive. Return, when transitive, admits of the passive form. “The letter
was returned.” But the passive form of the verb when intransitive, is
improper, as, “If she is returned to her father’s house.” Escape,
though sometimes transitive, never I believe, admits the passive form.
It is
remarkable that the people of this country, at least in the northern states, in
which my observations have been most extensive, rarely fall into this error.
Even our common people uniformly say, he has perished, he has
returned, the time has expired, the man has fled.
I have
corrected this error in the present edition of the Bible; with the exception in
some instances of the passive form of come and gone, and
occasionally of one or two others, which seems to be too generally used and
well established, to be wholly rejected.
It has been
justly observed by Dr. Campbell, that the words kingdom of heaven and of
God, have different significations in the New Testament, which ought to be
distinguished. I have not altered the text, but have, in some instances,
inserted an explanatory note in the margin, corresponding with his ideas.
In the language
of our version, many small words are used, which, in my opinion, are
superfluous. In such a phrase as “go forth out of,” forth and out of,
are synonymous, or so nearly so as to render the use of both unnecessary. I
have in some cases retrenched a word in such phrases; and further retrenchments
may be made with advantage. The employment of many small words in this manner,
when not necessary to convey the meaning, serves to impair the force of
expression.
There are some
passages in which the construction is very awkward; and in a few instances, it
leads to a wrong signification. In such cases, I have transposed the clauses in
such a manner as to place together the parts of a sentence which are closely
connected in sense. See 2 Chr. 32.23; Ps. 4.8; Jer. 5.17; 32.30; John 19.16,
20; Luke 23.8; 32.53; Matt. 16.12; 14.9; Rom. 15.31; Deut. 21.8; Isa. 15.5;
John 1.45.
In the New
Testament I have altered the Greek orthography of a few names, and made them
conformable to the orthography of the Old Testament; as, that of Elias
to Elijah; Esaias to Isaiah; Osee to Hosea,
&c. This will prevent illiterate persons, who compose a large part of the
readers of the scriptures, from mistaking the characters. Every obstacle to a
right understanding of the scriptures, however small, should be removed, when
it can be done in consistency with truth.
There are many
verbal alterations which, it is believed, will appear so obviously proper, that
no explanation need be offered. A few other alterations would have been made
had the propriety of them occurred, before the sheets were printed.
Rom. 8.19, 20,
21. I have been perhaps over-cautious in retaining the present version of this
passage. It is obvious to me that the pointing of the Greek copies is wrong.
There should be no point between the last word in verse 20 and the first in
verse 21, and the word that should be substituted for because.
The mistake doubtless proceeded from considering the Greek oti as a
conjunction; a mistake that has been the cause of hundreds of errors in the
Vulgate. So in our version, Luke 1.45.
In no respect
does the present version of the scriptures require amendments, more than in the
use of many words and phrases which cannot now be uttered, especially in
promiscuous company, without violence to decency. In early stages of society,
when men are savage or half civilized, such terms are not offensive: but in the
present state of refinement, the utterance of many words and passages of our
version is not to be endured; and it is well known that some parents do not
permit their children to read the scriptures, without prescribing to them the
chapters. To retain such offensive language, in the popular version, is, in my
view, injudicious, if not unjustifiable; for it gives occasion to unbelievers
and to persons of levity, to cast contempt upon the sacred oracles, or call in
question their inspiration; and this weapon is used with no inconsiderable
effect.
Further, many
words and phrases are so offensive, especially to females, as to create a
reluctance in young persons to attend Bible classes and schools, in which they
are required to read passages which cannot be repeated without a blush; and
containing words which, on other occasions, a child could not utter without
rebuke. The effect is, to divert the mind from the matter to the language
of the scriptures, and thus, in a degree, frustrate the purpose of giving
instruction.
Purity of mind
is a christian virtue that ought to be carefully cherished; and purity of
language is one of the guards which protect this virtue.
I have
attempted to remove, in a good degree, this objection to the version. It was my
wish to make some further alterations in this particular; but difficulties
occurred which I could not well remove.