The Mineral argus., 1885-05-28
EMENDING THE SCRIPTURES.
The New Revision Of the Old Testament
Finally Given to the Waiting Public
in London.
synopsis Of Changes Made In the Old Familiar
Text, and Sketch Of the Work Of
Revision.


LONDON, May 15-Copies Of the revised
version Of the Old Testament were given to
the newspapers ut midnight last night All |
the papers this morning contained extracts /
from the work. The Times says:
FINALLY an international work OF fourteen |
years has come to = close. The revised version /
and now the revised Old Testament will soon |
be published in all parts Of the English speak.
event e IN the history o. the English Bible since
the publication Of the King James translation In
l6l1. The,success Of the Old Testament may
more than million copies were cold ON the day
Of publicstion and mors than three o., million = ',
o. Ss. e. sse 81 r,Sevd and .
severely criticised for Il involves no changes OF
tho Hebrew text, NO older nanuscripts than the
81 the authorised version 10 most carefully pre-
served out Of regard for the conservative
isns%sse Of ~, the old version. Ali errors Of trans
latiOn, how evcr. have been removed. and the
revision will he pronounced by every competent
presents the results Of the combined labor Of .
large number Of the hest Hebraists and biblical
scholars Of ENGLAND and the United states. most
and semiuaries. II has, moreover, the asivant-
age Of the vast advances OF the last nifty years In
and aptiquif lea all Of which were but imper-
fectiv understood by the forty seven translators
Of King James. Tho new version Is not good
Improvement OF good version. The movement
for the presen. version was tnau2urated Nv the
OF Anglo saxon Chrtstcndom, May -. 1870 by
the adoption Of the following resolutions:
. =. .. the flss IT.. STEPS; v,.,.n o, IN.
authorized version Of the Holy Scripture
be undertaken: that the revision be so con-
inSs and such emen,arions as il may be found
necessary to insert In the text Of the authorized
version: that we do not contemplate any new
a-.r 1ues S.E hA mr. or anm
language. except where. in the Judgment of the
most competent scholars. such change IL neces-
LANGUAGE employed in the existing version be
closely followed: that II IA desirable that the
convocation should nominate = body Of IT'S own
members 70 undertake the work OF revision who
shail b. at liberty to invite the corporation OF
any eminent for scholarship. to Whatever nation
Sovsr.i the formation Of an American COMMITTEES
Of revision were taken almost immediately after
the organization Of the English committees. The
In England was held June ~. 1870. On the eth
Of July following the two houses Of con:
so%s American s diSine., s and to Bishop WiibeG.
force and Desn Stanley was assigned this task
The result the selection Of certain gentle-
likely to he regarded authorities In biblical
learning by the American public. and the sub.
%is:icn o. their nsmss 70 S', h nicStt snc
Stanley S wrote 70 DR. scS.s Who va. in the
facilitating communication between the English
and American divines and requesting him to
pre.snt the matter 70 Bishop potte, q New
the .sme subject bishop Wiiberiores addressed
mitted to the house Of bishops in New York.
Thai body decided to take Ofiicial part In the
they might. Final arrangements me for the American
commission were not made until the summer OF
1872. In the autumn the commission began tts
r...s.s N ls la an
English companies In beginning the work, they
passed forward with such1 activity that they
v ith their English breihern.
TINE BOOK ITSELF.
Tho Bible appears bound with tho New Tests-
ment. The preface opens with statement OF
the general principles on which the revision has
been conducted, The revtsers have horne In
mind their duty not to make new TRANSLATION,
but to revise that already existing. and have de-
parted from 1t only when It disagreed with tho
transiators OF 1911 upon the meaning Of word
or sentence. The terms Of natural history are
only changed when 1t Is certain that the author
txed version In incorrect. Where It IL doubtful,
or there is an alternative. the rendering is
frequent occurrence the authorized version
being either inadequate or Inconsistent. changes
have been introduced with as much uniformity
a. practicable. For instance: "Tabcrnacls Of
the congregation" has been everywhere changed
TO tent ~ meeting" In regard TO the word
Jehovah" the usage Of the authorized version
In followed, the revisers not thinking IL advts-
able to insert it uniformity in place Of Lord" o
represent the words substituted by Jewish GUS
tom for thd infalsbe name OF technical terms
from the Hebrew. or, in three seem To have
been generally introduced. The word Grove
Judges xviii has been replaced by "Ashera. :
with its piurals "Asherini and "Asheroth !
In the peetical books shool" replaces hell.
"the grove" and the pit" with "sheol" in the
margin. OF these renderings hell" SAYS the
preface, If II could he taken In its original sense
rs used in the creed. would he fairly adequate
equivalent for the Hebrew word. but 1t II 80
commonly understood as the place Of torment
that to employ IT frequently would lead to inev.
revisers have left hell in the text, putting
II sne to
Bible only from the New Test ament REV. u -.
has bsen introduced in three pa:saees-onoe In
MEAT 0RFHRING.
has been changed into meal Offering. the former
term having ceased to be the general name Tor
PRODUCED, although sometimes this becomes
IDENTITIES when the contrast to the chosen leO-
pie Ii marked. All headings Of chapters have
and the text has been divided into paragraphs.
but the old chapter and verse divisions have
been retained or the marxfn for convenience OF
reference. BY this means the revisers have been
enabled To reiotn psalm 4. to psalm H.. and
psalm xiii to psalm xii. and to begin
i.aih ~ At chapter ILL verse ID The ssvsra,
breaks Of . line between the verses. This sx.
pcdient has enabled the revisers to make use ii
character of the sone Of songs, the first chapter
Of which, for example, H. divided into seven
speeches. The Palms are definitely divided into
ct xiii, kill &c. and evil striking Improve
ment IL the printing Of all pOetical passages In
pocticai form This has been done In the Psalms,
have been left in prose. however passionate their
cutlery; the songs Of Lamech, Jacob. Miriam,
Moses, Deborah and Hannah the psalm Of Jonah