The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-29
.NGLISH REVISION.

II SOlOurnlnE OF the Inc time that the
children of Israel, children OF Israel dwelt
which they sojourned in Egypt, etc.
In Egypt, etc.-Ex. xii,
A great altar to see A great altar to look
They fought from From heaven fought
heaven: the stars in the stars. from their
against sisera.-Judses against sisera.
V, 20.
They left him in They left him vesy
great diseases. - III sick.
Chron. xiv. %.
The Lord is my Shep- Jehovah is my Shep-
| will dwell in the shall dwell in the
house OF the Lord for house OF Jehovah for
The way OF the Thc way Of the trans
treacherous is rugged. eressor is hard.
Prov. Kill, 10.
My bowels. my bow My anguish. my an
Exceeding in dyed at With flowing turbans
tire upon their heads upon their heads.
Eek. xiii. IL.
Careful examinations will show that the
new renderings are. as a rule, more faithful
TO the original text and more i'm accord
with present idiOms than heretofore, al
though many words and phrases are re-
tanned that might have been changed TO
the advantage of the ordinary reader, for
the one great object Of any revision should
be to gain the highest degree of accuracy
in phraseology that can be understood
clearly and definitely without recourse 10
a dictionary OF archaic and obsolete words.
The necessity for such revision is apparent
when one realizes the constant change i'm
the accepted or ordinary meaning OF words
in quite common use.
WORD MEANINGS CHANGED.
The revision that produced what is COM
monty called the common version was
the result Of numerous revisions during
many centuries, and Difference was paid
then. as II is now paid. to current forms OF
speech, but I'm the course Of 400 years many
words have become changed in meaning.
Professor Howard Osgood, a member of
the American committee, makes a special
point OF this in the Sunday School Times:
Prevent" then meant to go before. meet;
now IL means to hinder. Let then Signi-
fled to hinder; now IL means 20 permit.
Lust" then, as i'm German now. meant pure
pleasure. desire. JOY; now 1t breathes vile
passion. And so through a long list of
words. We do not take our shoe. 30 be
clouted. nor do we give cash clouts . the
poor. To fine. with us, is TO Impose a pen
to refine; while To impose a fine is, in the
Bible, 10 amerce.
ularly attractive because of its clean type
and evenly printed pages. The text is para
graphed. but alas; impertinent figures APP
pear to indicate the verses. Long contin-
ued custom and convenience for reference
and comparison. require the retention Of
these divisions, but why the figures should
the mind so continually Is incomprehensi-
BILE. when they might have been placed to
there Is ample space. Thus separated they
would have been useful without being OBJ
trusive.
TITLES o THE PSALMS.
The chapter figures are prominent. as
they should be. and upon each page are
figures indicating the scope OF that page.
thus: Page . begins with Chapter /, 26 Of
Genesis, and ends with Chapter ii, q. Upon
each page is given a heading. I'm "A single
line of black type. to indicate it's general
contents. Thus. Page a.: Judas inter
cessfon for Benjamin. Joseph makes him
sci, known." The Psalms only form an
exception, each Psalm having a title.
There Is obvious danger I'm such a plan.
but In carrying II out the revisers have
succeeded admirably. having scrupulously
adhered to their rule: Everything shat
might seem To- SAVIOR of questionable eX-
cgesis has been carefully avoided
proved. The English revisers often went
Co the opposite extreme OF unnecessarily
i Dnrs ps apRims each ih p' Verse This gave nrS" a a
heavy and tiresome look to certain pages.
Besides. the paragraphs were sometimes
not more accurately formed. than in the
old version by a paragraph sign.
Wherever the text falls into q poetical
of Lamech Gen. ~. $50; Noah (Gen. ix,
25-20; Isaac (Gen. XVII. 2l-2O, ESau tGen.
xxvii. Ss-4oJ. and Jacob Gen. Xviii.
Nv, i-lSD; Israelites Mum. xxi, l7-1S, 27-3);
Ralaam mum. Chs. 23-2D: Moses CDeut.
chs. ss-SS). Deborah ,JudGes On. 81. and
numerous others. All of the poetical books
including the lamentations Of jeremiah.
are in appropriate form. and therefore
more easily understood. The prophecies are
seldom marked by poetic form.
PUNCTUATION IMPROVED.
Great care and attention have evidently
been bestowed upon the punctuation. This
is always i'm great degree an arbitrary
matter with English writers, but In case no
a translation from an original that has no
such marks, and where the slightest dot
about a letter has special significance, II is
Internationally attended with difficulty.
There is still a redundance OF commas
especially: upon a single page examined.
thirty-one would better have been absent.
But the frequency OF the often absurd use
of the colon has I'm large part been done
away. for which We have reason to be
grateful.
A decided Improvement has also been
made I'm the use and character of the
marginal notes. which are much fewer i'm
number, only about one-siNth of those given
in the English revision. and. whenever
practicable. each is credited to its source.
Great care has also been bestowed upon the
references, I'm preparing the list of which
able scholars outside the mi rem
dered valuable aid. The aim has been 10
Illustrate and elucidate the meaning by
. referring TO other passages. which. either In