The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-05-28
THE REVISION OF THE BIBLE.
Changes that Have Been made in the
Old Testament,

A despatch from London dated last q
night says: Copies of the revised YER q
SIGN of the Old Testament were given .
to the newspapers at midnight last y
night. All the papers this morning +
contain copious extracts from the :.
work. The new B BILE appears with
both of the Testament botind togeth- r
er. The preface opens with a state E
ment OF the general principles on
which the revision has been conduct
ed. The reviSerS have borne in mind :
their duty not to make new transla-
tion, but TO revise that already exist
ing and have departed from it only
where they disagreed with the trans
lators of 1911 upon the meaning of
word or sentence. The terms of natu
raj history are only charged where it
is certain that the authorized version
is incorrect. Where it is doubtful or
tn re is an alternative the rendering is
given in the margin.
In some words of frequent oc
curence, the authorized version being |
either inadequate or inconsistent, |
changes have been introduced with as
much uniformity as practicable.
For instance, Tabernacle of the con-
! gregation" has been every where chang
ed to "tent of meeting" In regard to
the word Jehovah" the usage of the
authorized version if followed, the re-
vlsers not thinking it advisable to in
sert it uniformly in place of Lord OF
"God,' which when printed in small
capitals, represent the words substitu-
ted by Jewish custom for the Ineffable
Name. The word grove" Judges vi,
23) has been replaced by ''aShera" with
| ~, MI nchorOfh
In the poetical books, "sheor replaces
'hell," which, has been changed in
prose passages to "the grave" and "ihe
pit" with "sheol" in the margin The
preface says:
Ofthese renderings hell, if it could
be taken in its original sense as use /
in the creeds, would be a fairly ada
quatelequivaIentf for the. Hebrew word
but it is so commonly understood as
the place of torment that to employ il
. frequently would lead to inevitable
misunderstanding.
In Isaiah, where shell, is used in
more of its origiualssense, the rivisers
! have left "help' in the text, putting
"sheop in the margin. "Abaddon,'
q which has hitherto been known to
English readers of the Bible only from
, the New Testament (Revelatiors tx
a ~, has been introduced in the paSSa-
ges-once in Job and twice in Pro
\ cribs. The term "mear Offering" has
been changed into meat offering" the
, former term having ceased to be the
, generic name for all food. A new
T plural been introdnr
q ed although sometimes this becomes
= Identities" When the contrast to the
: CHOSEN people is marked.
:, All the headings of chapters have
been dropped, as in the revised New
Testament and the text has been divid
ed into paragraphs, but the old chap
ter and verse divisions have been re
tanned in the margin convenience O
reference. BY this means the reViser'
C have been enabled to rejein Psalm x
: to Psalm 1x.' and Psalm xiii. to Psalm
1, xii, and to begin Isiah lii. at chapte
lii, verse IL.
No The several days of the creation ar
made more prominent by breaks of
line between the verses. This eXpedi
ent has enabled the reviser to max
use at the dialogue form and to SHOW
the dramatic character of tn
Song of Songs, the first chapter o
which, for ex lmple, is divided int,
seven speeches.
The Psalms are definitely divided
into five books, the last four beginnin.
respectively at Psalms xiii, kill, Xc
and evil. A striking improvement
in the printing of all poetical passa
IL ges in poetical form. This has beAl
r done in the Psalms, Proverbs, Jol
and the Canticles, but the Prophet
have been left in prose form. Tn
songs of Lamech, Jacob, Miriam, Mo
ses, Deborah and Hannah, the psalm
i of Jonah and Habakkuk, and David
y. Lament, in second Samuel, l., appea
t, in Yersified ballad. The origin o
0. Joshua's miracle, Sun, stand tho
n, still upon Gibeon," is indicated by it
IL verse character; so, also, is the trium
n phal cry of Samson Judges, XIV, Is
Y Examination of the more familia
is pas sages and phrases discloses tn
" fact that care was taken in preserN
lie ing intact household words of the Oh
d. Testament. The old literary form ha
Of been held sacred, and the reVlSerS car
e not be charged with any pedantl
ct straining after the original text; BIZ
lie not all the familiar features Of th
a Scriptures have escaped untouched
a The high priest no longer casts lot
a for the scape goat; he does so for Az
Is azel.
1. The summary of each days work g
ct the creation now runs according to tn
~ formula, "And there was evening an
a there was morning one day." ether
lie was evening and there was mornin
DIT a second day." and so on, giving
W suggestion of successive stages wit
it long intervals.
Ig Tne "apples of gold" of Provert
ns XIV, IL, are now encased in "fguTe
yunrlYO of Ci1uor not 6nIOfnrQC ~
Vanity and veXatiOn OF SpiT1
Ecclesiastes ii, ID has become Evan
ty and striving after wind"
fe "Happy is the man that has hi
eS culver full of them" (Psalms cxXvi
D, has been changed into Happy
the man that hath filled his quive
with them"
Reuben's curse, Genesis Xix, vers
as 4, unstable as water, thou shalt no
~ excel, now reads. "UDstable as waite
"a have not thou the excellency."
u The following changes also graf
Is against associations. the authorize
Is Genesis. chapter vi, verse 4. "Iher
81 were giants in the earth in thos
a. days" is revised: "The nephelim wer
Is in the earth in those days"
IL In the authorized edition Job XXX
= verse 30, "Gh, that one would hea
= me! Behold, my desire is that the Al
IS mighty would answer me, and tina
!, nine adversary had written book,
IL is revised: "Oh, that one would hea
me! Behold, my desire is that the Al
mighty would answer me. and that
had the indictment which my adver
!, sary hath written"
The authorized Psalm viii. verse
For thou hast made him it'll,
lower than the angels" is revised
For thou hast mad3 him little
n lower than God" The authorized
: Psalm cvxi., verse II, 81 said in my
= haste, alllmen are liars" is revised
81 said when made haste to escape
: all men are lie
Ecclesiastes XII, 10: Let US heal
1. L. IL kkr..k