The newest Oxford English Dictionary has just come out. It has more than 616.000 words and terms and costs $2.500 for its twenty volumes. To explain the meaning of words, it uses nearly sixty million words so that the price per word is not as expensive as it seems.
Since 1928 the first edition of the O.E.D. has been the ultimate authority on the English of the King James Bible. The English vocabulary is the world's largest and is growing at the rate of about 500 words a year.
English is the most versatile of all the languages. That means that you can say the same thing in more ways in English than in any other tongue.
Tice New Testament in the original was written in Greek. The very interesting thing about Greek is that it is the most specific of any language. We see then, the wisdom of God in giving us that important truth of the New Testament in a language that clearly and definitely expresses truth so accurately.
The Bible has been translated into mans, many languages and has brought its blessing into each one of them, but surely one of the languages most used of God has been the English language.
As students begin school this month, they will have more books than in any previous year. Perhaps the tremendous Oxford English Dictionary will not be available to most students, but it is interesting to know about is.
What is readily available is the dependable King James Bible and other good translations. Nothing will help the student more and in a lasting way than a daily reading of God's Word.
Another recommendation we make to any who are studying another language is to read the Bible in both languages together. Several languages have parallel translations of the New Testament. These are very helpful in learning both the new language and the truth of God at the same time.
Finally, we would suggest to all our readers the profit of reading the book of Proverbs. Why not select a month containing 31 days such as October or December and read for yourself one chapter each day? "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." Prov. 4:7. (See also 1 Cor. 1:30.) Ed.