Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-05-20

OBSOLETE SCRIPTURE WORDs.-Few
persons are aware of the number of
words in our common English Bible
which have been obsolete, and are Oft
en- unintelligible to those who read
them. While the great body Of King
James Version is plain and perspicu-
Gus, the following words might well be
displaced by others which all would
understand:
"God did tempt Abraham
XXTI, 1.
The usual meaning Of "tcmpt' is to
solicit TO evil. But God does not So
licit any man to evil. The meaning
is, "God tried Abraham"
''Thc lean hjne. Gen. Mi, 4.
This is tho plural Of tho old word
cowen (cow), as swine is the plural
Of so,cem sow
"Joseph died and is chested. p
Gen. I, 26.
Some copies have the above reading,
but the majority have, ''put in cof-
fin" The word chest was, by many
old writer's, sued for co0m. But, in
any sense, chest as a verb, is obsolete.
"Cofer," from the same root as coffin,
is used fguratively for treasure, par
ticularly money.
"in caring time. "--Ex. XNxIv, q.
Earring means pi0uShins Or HIking
in this place. Though much used by
old English writer's, it is obsolete in
this sense. 1t now means ''to shoot
forth ears"
They shall anserce him in a hun
dred shekelse" -Deut. XXII, 10.
The word here rendered ''amerce, "
means to punish By q fine, pecuniary
or Otherwise. 1t is nearly obsolete.
cashier continued on the seashore,
and abode in his breaches. "-Judges
V, II. ..-.F ,.l..+, ..35
The word signifies openings on the
sea- coast-the little creeks and bays.
"And Gideon smote the host, for it
was secure" -Judges VII, II. {
The old sense Of the word was acSth-
oft care or careless. The meaning
now is safe, as needing no care. The
passage should read "Gideon smote the
host army because it was careless"
1t could not have been routed if it was
safe.
"And a certain woman cast piece
Of milestone upon Abimalech's head,
and all to brake his skull. "--Judges
IN, SO. f...-@ ..'.
Some editions have it sail to break"
which alters the tense Of the verb.
This obsolete expression, "all to-" was
formerly used as an adverb, for entire
H. The effect, not the design Of the
act, is stated, and the passage should
read "The milestone entirely broke
Abimelech's skull"
"And that gear they yexed and
oppressed the children of Israel eight
cen years. Judges X, s.
How an oppression Of eighteen years
could be visited in one year, passes all
understanding. The phrase "that
year, obviously is synonymous with,
at that time. r r T. "
| The word soddsn occurs in the BIZ
BILE repeatedly. 1t is an old word for
boil. ..,.
''Davld feigned himself mad, and
scrab6led on the doors Of all the gate. .
In the margin Of the larger Bibles
this word is explained by, ale made
marhs,'' as by writing. Johnson's
definition of scrabble is, "to paw with
the hands - quite different thing from
making marks as by writing.
"It was at the very years end that
he poHed his head"
The old word, pole, from the French
| pole, signifies, to Top or cut off the
hair. The word is now obsolete.
"Jezebel tired her head" I'll
Kings Ix, 80 lisa. III, Is.
The word attire suggests the true
meaning. She probably dressed her
hair. r..
"He dwells in several house. p
II Kings XIV, 5.
The word severaL is not now used
for separate, except in legal docu-
ments.
"All that bear the 6ruu of thee"
-Nahnm III, 10. ...-
BauiI is an entirely obsolete ex-
preston for report or fame.
The above are selected from list
Of near one hundred different W rds in
the Old Testament open to the same OBJ
jcction.-N. Y. Chronicle. vs..
Is TIE WORLD A MISTAKE ?-One of
the saddest mistakes which good peo-
| pie have made is in supposing the
world to be a mistake. 10 these peo-
Ip'e-and their number is not small
the earth is but theatre of pain and
sickness, sorrow and death. Joy is
Elusive, pleasure a cheat, laughter a
mockery, and happiness thing i'm
possible, and not even to be looked for
on this side OF the grave. The per-
Torrance Of all duty is "taking up"
what they call "the cross!' They are
actually afraid to be happy, under an
overshadowing impression that they
have no right to be happy in this life.
They believe that there is something
intrinsically bad in the world they in
habit, and all the joy that proceeds
from it. They have an idea that the
moral evil which afflicts the human race
has struck in. All the suferings Of
the brute creation-their throes Of la
Dor, and sicknesses Of body, and pains
of death-are so many voices proclaim
ing the fatal failure Of Adam. HUI
man nature itself is an awful thing.
4 I'D