………………..3. When the Verb Substantive is omitted.
The Hebrew having no verb substantive, this is generally expressed in italics
in the A.V. But inasmuch as it is absolutely necessary for the sense in English,
the R.V. has printed it in Roman type. (See preface to R.V.).
Gen. 1:2 —“Darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
Gen. 2:10 —Lit. “And there was a river going out of Eden.”
Gen. 3:6 —“And when the woman saw, that the tree was good for food,
and that it was pleasant to the eyes,” etc
Gen. 4:13 —“My punishment is greater than I can bear.”
Gen. 5:1 —“This is the book of the generations of Adam.”
Num. 14:9 —“Only rebel not ye against the Lord,
neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us:
their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not.”
These are the words of Joshua and Caleb to the people to encourage them to go up
in spite of the false report of the other spies.
Note first the marginal rendering of the word “defence.”
It is given (Hebrew) “shadow,” i.e., “Their shadow is departed.”
So in the R.V. the word “shadow” is treated as though it were a figure (Metonymy). The literal meaning of the word is departed from, as well as the literal rendering of
the preceding sentence. This is כִּי לַחְמֵנוּ (kee lachmenoo) “ for they are our bread.”
The A.V. correctly supplies the Ellipsis, i.e., our bread aptly represents their condition. What was their “bread”? It was manna. What was the manna like? It was most marvellous bread, for it was so hard that it had to be ground in mills, or beaten in a mortar (Num. 11:8); and yet its consistency was so peculiar that it melted in the sun! (Ex. 16:21). If it were not gathered every morning before the sun arose and the shadows departed, “when the sun waxed hot, it melted”!*
*Marvellous bread indeed!
A standing miracle, both as to the manner in which it was given,
and also as to its consistency.
Bread indeed, hard, and yet melting like ice in the sun.
The wicked spies had just said (Num. 13:31) that Israel could not go up against
the people of the land, for they are “stronger than we”: they were strong and hard.
No, replies Joshua, it may be they are strong, but so is our bread the manna—
so strong that it needs grinding and crushing, and yet, when the shadow goes from
off it, it melts away. Even so is it with them, as the words of Rahab testify (Josh. 2:11). The two spies whom Joshua afterwards sent heard the very same truth from the lips
of Rahab, which he, one of the two faithful spies whom Moses had sent, forty years before declared. She tells them:—“As soon as we had heard these things, Our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you.”
.
Thus, while the literal signification of the words gives no sense,
they point to the true figure; and then, in turn, the figure explains
the literal signification of the words, and the true meaning of the passage.
So that we may render it thus:— “Only rebel not ye against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they [are like] our bread; their shadow hath turned aside from off them, and Jehovah is with us; fear them not,” i.e., as when the shadow turns aside from off our bread, it melts away and disappears, so these enemies, hard and strong as they might be, would surely melt away before the Lord God, the Sun and the Shield of His people. In no sense could Jehovah be the shadow or defence of the people of the land against whom Israel was about to fight.
1 Sam. 19:11 —“ To morrow thou shalt be slain.”
2 Kings 6:33 —“Behold, this evil is of the Lord.”
2 Chron. 3:9 —“And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold.”
The verb is omitted to show that the emphasis is on the “nails” and their “weight”.
And what a wonderful emphasis it is! For in all the requirements for “the house of God,” the fir trees, the fine gold, the precious stones, the beams, the posts, the walls, etc., are mentioned; yet, the “nails” that held all together are not omitted.
Though they were small, yet God used them: though out of sight, they were necessary.
Psa. 33:4 —“For the word of the Lord is right.”
Psa. 99:9 —“For the Lord our God is holy.”
It is worthy of note that there are three Psalms which begin with the words:
“ The Lord reigneth,” viz., 93, 97, and 99. They each end with an inference to holiness.
Psa. 93:5 “Holiness becometh Thine house, O Lord, for ever.”
Psa. 97:12 “Give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness?.”
Psa. 99 The third Psalm, three times:
…………..Verse 3. “It is holy.”
…………..Verse 5. “He is holy.”
…………..Verse 9. “The Lord our God is holy.”
.
To those who have ears to hear, this plainly declares that when the Lord shall reign,
all will be holy; that when His kingdom comes, His name will be hallowed on earth
as it is in heaven. “In that day shall there be upon the bells (or bridles) of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord”s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be HOLINESS unto the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 14:20, 21).
“Her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord” (Isa. 23:18).
.
The cry of the living creatures (Rev. 4:8, etc.) is “Holy, holy, holy,”
and their call is for the judgments which will issue in the Lord’s reign,
which is celebrated in these three Psalms. Those who teach that the Cherubim
(or the Cherubs) are the Church fail to see that their chief function is to call for judgment!
Psa. 119:89 —“For ever, O Lord.”
The verb must here be supplied.
The verb in the parallel line answers to the verb here: —
……..“For ever [art Thou] O Lord;
………..Thy word is settled in heaven.
………..Thy faithfulness is unto all generations;
…….. Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.”
In the first and third lines, we have Jehovah.
In the second and fourth lines, we have what He has settled and established.
.
Ecc. 7:12 —“Wisdom is a defence.”
Isa. 43:25 —“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
We may take this in connection with Psa. 103:14.
“For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
Here the verbs are omitted to throw the emphasis on the persons, rather than on the acts. This points us to Jehovah in the former passage, and ourselves in the latter—His Deity, and our vanity—and to contrast His thoughts with our thoughts, His ways with our ways. God remembers our infirmities; but this is the very thing that man will not remember! Man will make no allowance for our infirmities. On the other hand, man will remember our sins. Let any one of us fall into sin, and many will remember it after many years: but this is what God says He will not remember!
“Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” He is Jehovah, we are dust! Hence our sins, which man remembers, God will forget; but our infirmities, which man forgets, God will remember. Blessed be God!
Isa. 44:6 —“I am the first and I am the last, and beside me there is no God.”
Ezek. 34:17 —“And as for you.”
The Ellipses of this passage may be thus supplied:
“And ye, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God (Adonai Jehovah):
Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
[Is it] a small thing to you [goats] to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the
deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And [is it a small thing that] my flock [i.e., my sheep] eat [or must eat] that which ye [goats] have trodden with your feet; and drink that which ye have fouled with your feet?”
The contrast is between the sheep and the goats.
Sheep never become goats, and goats never become sheep, either in nature or in grace. The Chief Shepherd knows His sheep here; He separates them now, and will eternally separate them from the goats in the coming day, when He shall “save his flock, and judge between cattle and cattle” (verses 20, 22, 23).
The characteristic of the goat alluded to here, is graphically set forth in a paper read before the Victoria Institute, Feb. 1, 1892, by J.W. Slater, Esq., F.C.S., F.E.S. He says, “The native flora & fauna of St. Helena have been practically extirpated by the goat. These young seedlings were browsed down as fast as they sprung up, and when the old giants of the forest decayed there were no successors to take their place. As a necessary consequence, the insects and birds disappeared in turn. The same “horned wretch” —fit type of evil — which, as Sir Joseph Hooker shows, has ravaged the earth to a greater extent than man has done by war, is now in the very same manner laying waste South Africa. To such an extent has the mischief already been carried, that a troop of the Colonial Cavalry on the march actually gave three cheers on meeting a tree!”
Have we not here a fit illustration of Eze. 34? And may we not see in ecclesiastical affairs around us (through the unfaithfulness of the shepherds) the ravages of the “goats” in treading down and laying waste, and fouling the pastures of the flock of God? The goats have turned our churches and chapels into places of amusement
and of musical entertainment, where they may have “pleasant afternoons,” and
“make provision for the flesh”; so much so that the Lord’s sheep are “pushed” and “scattered,” and scarcely know where to find the “green pastures” and the “living waters” of the pure Word of God and the Gospel of His grace! Thank God, the Chief Shepherd is coming: and, when He comes, though He will scarcely “find faith on the earth” ( Luke 18:8 ), He will “save His flock” and separate them from the goats for ever, and be their One True Shepherd.
Luke 2:14 — “Glory to God in the highest,”
i.e., Glory be to God in the highest.
Luke 22:21 —“ The hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.”
John 4:24 — “God is a Spirit.”
See under Hendiadys and Hyperbaton.
Acts 2:29 — “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David.”
Here the verb “speak” is the infinitive: lit., “to speak,” and “let me” is the present participle (ἐξόν, exon),* permitted or allowed. So that we must supply the verb substantive (ἔστω, esto), let me be:—“[let me be] permitted to speak freely unto you,
or I am, or may be, permitted, etc.”
* ἐξόν (exon) occurs only three times, of these the first (Matt.12:4) has ἦν (een),
was, after it; while in the other two places (here, and 2 Cor. 12:4) it stands alone.
In 2 Cor. 12:4 it seems plain that we must supply ἐστίν (estin), is; and so probably
we should do here.
1 Cor. 6:13 —“Meats [are] for the belly, and the belly [is] for meats.”
.
1 Cor. 15:29 —“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?”
This passage has been supposed to refer to a practice which, obtained even in those apostolic days of persons being baptized on behalf of and for the spiritual benefit of those who were already dead. As this practice thus receives a tacit approval, and yet is destitute of any historical evidence as to its existence, apart from this passage, various methods have been proposed of meeting the difficulty which is thus raised. Some have erroneously suggested that “the dead” refers to Christ: but they have done so in ignorance of the fact that the word is plural, as is clearly shown by the verb “rise.” Others (with Macknight) suggest the supply of the words resurrection of ” — “What shall they do which are baptized for the [resurrection of] the dead?” But this implies the omission of the very word which is most essential to the argument; and would be a form of Ellipsis seldom, if ever, found. There are a multitude of other explanations; but the true solution of the difficulty is (we submit) to be sought in punctuation, and in the correct supply of the Ellipsis.
We must bear in mind that there is no punctuation in the ancient manuscripts, beyond the greater pauses. All interpunctuation is purely human in its origin,
and we may be thankful that it is so seldom necessary to question its accuracy.
We have also to note the structure of the whole context, for this, like all other texts, must be interpreted in harmony with the scope of the whole passage, and with the design of the whole argument.
The following is the structure of 1 Cor. 15:12-58.*
* The first eleven verses are constructed as follows: —
……….D / 1- The apostle’s declaration.
…………….E / -1, 2 The Gospel he preached.
……….D / 3 The apostle’s declaration.
…………….E / 3-11 The Gospel he received.
.
.
….. A / 12. The difficulty stated (as to the fact). “How?”
…………B / 13-32. The difficulty met.
…………….. C / 33, 34. Practical application.
….. A / 35. The difficulty stated (as to the manner). “How?”
……….. B / 36-57. The difficulty met.
………………C / 58. Practical application.
.
.The structure of “B” (verses 13-32). The difficulty met.
….. B / a / 13-18. Negative hypothesis and its consequences.
……………..b / 19. Conclusion (positive) as to Christ’s in this life.
………… a 20-28. Positive assertion and its consequences.
……………..b / 29-32. Conclusion (negative) as to Christ’s in this life.
.
The structure of “a” (verses 13-18). Negative hypothesis.
….. a / c / 13. If no resurrection: Consequence—then Christ is not risen.
…………… d / 14,15. If Christ not risen.
……………………………………………….. ….. .{ Our preaching vain.
…………………Consequences:………. . ……{ Your faith vain.
……………………………………………………….{ We false witnesses.
.
……. / c / 16. If no resurrection: Consequence—then Christ is not risen.
….. ……… d / 17, 18. If Christ not risen.
……………………………………………….. ….. .{ Your faith vain.
…………………Consequences:………. . …… { Ye yet in sins …………………………………………………... .. { The dead perished.
.
.
The structure of “A” and “B” (verses 35-57). The difficulty stated.
.
….. A /e/ 35 Question: How are the dead raised up?
……. / f /35 Question: With what body do they come?
… .. B …. / f / 36-49 Answer to “f.”
……. . /e/ 50-57 Answer to “e.”
.
The structure therefore of this chapter shows that verses 20-28 (“a”) are placed, practically, in a parenthesis, so that this 29th verse reads on from the 19th verse,
and continues the argument thus:—
.“17 If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
..18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
..19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
..29 Else what shall they do which are being baptized?” *
*Alford (who arrives at a very different conclusion) points out that οἱ τιζόμενοι *
(hoi baptizomenoi) is the present participle and not the past, i.e., those who are being baptized. He observes: “ The distinction is important as affecting the interpretation.”
But here comes in the matter of punctuation.
In Rom. 8:34 we have a very similar construction, which,
if we treat it as 1 Cor. 15:29 is treated in the A.V. and R.V., would read thus,
“Who is he that condemneth Christ that died?”
But the question is made to end at the word “condemneth,”
and the Ellipsis of the verb substantive is supplied thus: —
“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died”
(or better, “Is it Christ who died?” See below). Now if we treat 1 Cor.15:29
in the same manner, it will read, “What shall they do which are being baptized?
It is on behalf of the dead if the dead rise not at all!”
From Rom.6 we learn that our circumcision is in Christ’s death, our baptism is in Christ’s burial.
“Buried with Him by the baptism of Him, (i.e., by His baptism-unto-death)”;
and if He is not raised, we cannot be raised, Rom. 6:4 (See above, pages 18-20). “Buried with Him in the baptism of him,” i.e., His baptism (Col. 2:11,12).
Therefore if Christ be not raised, we are not raised in Him,
and our baptism is for the dead.
Whenever we have the word νεκρός (nekros), dead, with the article
(as it is here in 1 Cor. 15:29), it always denotes dead bodies, corpses.
(See Gen.23:3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 13, 15. Deut. 28:26. Jer. 22:33. Eze. 37:19. Luke 24:5.)
On the contrary, when it is without the article it denotes the persons who are dead, dead people. (See Deut. 14:1; Matt. 22:32; Mark 9:10; Luke 16:30, 31; 24:46; John 20:9; Acts 10:41; 26:23; Rom. 6:13; 10:7; 11:15; Heb. 11:19; 13:20).
So that this is an additional argument why, if Christ be not raised, and we are buried with Him, then baptism is in the interest of those who are to remain dead corpses,
and not of risen ones, raised with Christ. This is the force of the word ὑπέρ (hyper). Like the English “for,” it denotes the object of interest, not merely the subject,
and ranges from mere reference to actual substitution, e.g.,
2 Cor. 8:23, “Whether any enquire about Titus”;
Matt. 5:44, “Pray for those who persecute you”;
Mark 9:40, “ He who is not against us is for us”;
2 Cor. 1:6, “Whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation”;
Phm. 13, “That he might minister to me instead of thee.” *
*See also Rom. 9:27; 2 Cor. 1:11; 8:23, 24; 2 Thess. 2:1; Col. 1:7.
“If Christ be not raised, well may those who are being baptized into Christ’s burial
be asked, “ What shall they do?” Truly, “It is for the dead.” For they will remain dead,
as corpses. In this life they “die daily” (verse 31); in death they perish (verse 18); and are thus “of all men most miserable” (verse 19).
“What shall they do who are being baptized? It is for the dead if the dead rise not at all!” It is to remain dead, as corpses, without hope of resurrection.
Thus, the expression, “baptized for the dead,” vanishes from the Scripture, and is banished from theology; for the assumed practice is gathered only from this passage, and is unknown to history apart from it.
.
1 Cor. 15:48—“As is the earthy [man, Adam] such [shall be] also they that are earthy; and as is the heavenly [man, the Lord] such [shall be] they also that are heavenly.”
This is clear from the verse that follows:— “And as we have borne the image of the earthy [man, Adam] we shall also bear the image of the heavenly [man, the Lord].” See Phil. 3:21.
2 Cor. 11:22 —“Are they Hebrews? So am I,” etc.
Eph. 3:1 — “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,”
i.e., “I Paul [am] the prisoner,” etc.
Phil. 4:16 —“For even [when I was] in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.”
2 Tim. 3:16 — “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable.”†
† See this passage also under the figures of Asyndeton and Paregmenon
With this we may take eight other passages, where we have the same construction: viz., Rom. 7:12; 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 Tim. 1:15; 2:3; 4:4; 4:9, and Heb. 4:13.
These nine passages may be taken together, and considered in their bearing on the translation of 2 Tim. 3:16 in the Revised Version, which is as follows:—
“Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable,” etc.
In each of these passages we have the very same Greek construction, and four of them are in the Epistles to Timothy. The A.V. translates all these nine passages in precisely the same way, and on the same principles. But the R.V. translates eight of them in one way (i.e., like the A.V.), while it renders one on quite a different principle.
Here are the passages, and the rendering as in the Authorized Version: —
….………………………………………Rom. 7:12
…………… ἡ ἐντολὴ…………………….ἁγία … …..καὶ ….δικαία
…………..The commandment …. is ……holy …….and just ………………………
.
….……………………………………. .1 Cor. 11:30
.. …. .. . . ..πολλοὶ …………………. ἀσθενεῖς ………καὶ ἄῤῥωστοι
.. .. .. .. .. .... many …… are …… weak …... .. and .. sickly. …………………………………….
.
……………………………………2 Cor. 10:10 …….
…………………ἐπιστολαί………….. .βαρεῖαι ..……..καὶ.….. ἱσχυραἰ
. his letters … are . weighty . …. and …powerful …………………………………..
.
…………………………………. 1 Tim. 1:15 and 4:9
…………….. … πιστὸς ………………….. ὁ λόγος …….. .καὶ …. .. πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος
………………... faithful …. is … …the saying .. .……and .worthy of all acceptation.
…………………………………..
.
…………………………………. 1 Tim. 2:3
…………….. … τοῦτο ………………….. καλόν …….. . καὶ ..…ἀπόδεκτον
……………. this …. is … . ….good …… ..and ..acceptable. ..…………………..
…………………………………..
.
…………………………………. 1 Tim. 4:4
…………….. ..πᾶν κτίσμα Θεου ………..καλόν .. καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον.……………….
. Every creature of God. .is good and ..nothing to be refused. …
…………………………………..
..
…………………………………. 2 Tim. 3:16
. πᾶσα γραφὴ Θεόπνυστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος
. All Scripture .is. given by inspiration of God ..and is profitable. ………….
…………………………………..
..
…………………………………. Heb. 4:13
. πάντα ……………………… .λυμνὰ ………….. .καὶ……….. τετραχηλισμένα
.All things ……… are ……..naked ……… ….and ….. …. opened. ………………………………
.
.……..……
Now the case stands thus. The Revisers have translated eight of these passages,
which we have cited, on the same principles as the A.V., i.e., supplying in italics the verb substantive “is” and “are” respectively, and taking the copulative καὶ, “and,” as joining together the two predicates. But when the Revisers come to the ninth passage (2 Tim. 3:16), they separate the two conjoined predicates, making the first a part of the subject, and then are obliged to translate the καὶ in the sense of “also,” when there is nothing antecedent to it. Thus: — “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable.”
Now, if the Revisers had translated the other eight passages in the same way, the renderings would have been consistent, whatever else they might not have been.
Rom. 7:12 would have been — “ The holy commandment is also just.”
1 Cor. 11:30 would have been — “Many weak ones are also sickly.”
2 Cor. 10:10 would have been — “His weighty letters are also powerful.”
1 Tim. 1:15 and 4:9 would have been — “The faithful saying is also worthy of all acceptation.”
1 Tim. 2:3 would have been — “This good thing is also acceptable.”
1 Tim. 4:4 would have been — “Every good creature of God is also nothing to be refused.”
Heb. 4:13 would have been — “All naked things are also opened,” etc.
But the Revisers do not translate them thus! And the fact that they render the whole of these eight passages as in the A.V., and single out 2 Tim. 3:16 for different treatment, forbids us to accept the inconsistent rendering, and deprives it of all authority. Without inquiring as to what the motives of the Revisers may have been, we are justified in regretting that this should be the passage singled out for this inconsistent and exceptional treatment, reducing it to a mere platitude. It is only fair to add that the correct rendering of the A.V. is given in the margin.
Phm. 11 — “ Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now [is] profitable to thee and to me.”
From “Figures Of Speech Used In The Bible” by E. W. Bullinger,
(Public Domain) pages 36-46. Adapted for website compatibility.
See original at link. Stream Download.
figuresofspeechinthebible.net © 2013-2022. All rights reserved. Material in public domain may be freely copied and distributed without charge for educational, non-commercial purposes. This website, and those referenced by this site as sources of public domain material, are to be referenced. Material that is not in public domain, and indicated as such, is the property of its rightful owner(s), and/or originator.