Q. 377, p. 299. Ecclesiastes 3 t. —God has made everything beautiful in his time (or season) both in the natural world, and in His providential dealings. The word translated world occurs very frequently, and means indefinite time, hidden time, long. It is most frequently translated eternal, or forever; it is found in this book seven times, 1:4; 1:10; 2:16; 3:11, 14; 9:6; 12:5. Many very competent authorities translate it “eternity.” “He hath set eternity in their heart.” The things which God has made beautiful in their season fail to satisfy the heart of man, he yearns for more than he finds “under the sun:” he has eternity in his heart: a belief in a future state is inseparable from his nature. The only other instance in which this word is translated “world” is Psalms 73:1212Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. (Psalm 73:12). “These are the ungodly who prosper in the world.” Substituting “forever,” we have “These are the ungodly who prosper forever,” i.e. continually as long as they are here. Instead of “So that no man can” some read “yet without any man being able to find out the work that God maketh” &c., &c. The works of God are unsearchable. Job 5:9; 9:10; 37:59Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: (Job 5:9)
10Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. (Job 9:10)
5God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. (Job 37:5); Romans 11:3333O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33). J. T.
Q. 585, p. 187. —Evil is either natural or moral. Natural or physical evil comprehends all the afflictions, adversities, trials, and bereavements which can happen to man in this life whether in mind, body, or estate. Of this sort of evil the Lord is sometimes said to be the Author. Job, when laboring under the pressure of loss of property, family bereavements, and above all a loathsome and malignant disease, was advised by his wife to curse God and die (by his own hand, I suppose). But he sharply rebuked her, and said, “What! shall we receive good at his hand and not evil? and in this he did not sin with his lips.” Thus Job evidently looked upon God as being the Author of all the calamities which befell him. Job 2:1010But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. (Job 2:10). In Hebrews 12:55And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (Hebrews 12:5) we find chastisement spoken of as coming from the hand of the Lord. Here it is a class of trials from without, but God acts in them; as a father, He chastises us. It may be that they come as in the case of Job from Satan, but yet the hand and wisdom of God are in them. Thus I may use a rod to correct my son. The rod, however, is but the instrument by which the chastisement is inflicted. My hand limits the extent of the punishment. W, T. H.
With regard to Amos 3:66Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? (Amos 3:6), Bishop Newcombe says ambiguity is avoided by translating it— “Shall there be evil in a city and Jehovah bath not inflicted it.” Whereas if the word “done” had been used God might seem to be represented as the Author of moral evil instead of judicial calamities. Moral evil is sin, and consists in rebellion against God, disobedience to His commands, rejection of His offered mercy and grace through His Son, in a word, doing our own will. This is lawlessness, and lawlessness is sin. Of this God cannot be said to be the Author, because it is that thing which He hates and abhors as being altogether contrary to His mind and will. The devil is the author and originator of all the sin in the world. Of him the Word says “he is a murderer from the beginning.” “He is a liar, and the father of it” (that is, a lie), or of him, (that is, the —liar). How, when, or in what state he came into existence we know not. But that he is not of the angels who kept not their first estate seems evident from the fact that they are reserved in chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day: whereas Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. According to Job 1 he is now in the heavenlies as the accuser hi the brethren, and we do not read of his being cast out until Revelation 12. Therefore the prevalent idea that he is a “fallen angel” appears to be unscriptural. W. T. H.
Ver. 11 ἀποκαταστήσει πἀντα “shall restore all things.” This being future, cannot refer to John the Baptist. This phrase means more than “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” (Luke 1:1717And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17)) which applied to John’s office as forerunner of Christ’s coming. It implies an entire restoration of the Jews to their ancient rights and relation to God. Ver. 12 has moreover no article before the word Elias; whereas (11:14) the Lord, speaking of the real Elias, uses the article. Again, αὐτός ἐστιν (Matthew 11:44Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: (Matthew 11:4)) is less than ὖυτος ἐστι (Matthew 11:1010For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (Matthew 11:10)), employed where John is positively meant.
Further, in Malachi 4:55Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (Malachi 4:5), there stands in Hebrew the definite article, which admits of none but the historical prophet Elijah. The Septuagint adds here Elijah the Tishbite, by which they show that they expected him. The Jews always waited, and the orthodox Jews now wait, for his appearing, before the final establishment of the Messiah’s kingdom, and their restoration. Justin Martyr declares to Typhon his belief in the coming of Elijah; and Augustine connects the conversion of the Jews with his appearing. Add to all, John the Baptist’s own words (John 1:2121And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. (John 1:21)) where he positively denies the idea of being the prophet Elijah. (Compare Luke 1:1717And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17)).
John the Baptist did not accomplish that which is foretold in Malachi 4 of Elijah. Elijah is to bring back (according to the Hebrew) the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest the Lord come and smite the earth with a curse.
John, then, was a type of Elias as alluded to; and has, as we clearly perceive, not fully accomplished the work assigned to Elias. He has, according to the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:1717And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17)) and Christ Himself (Matthew 11:4;174Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: (Matthew 11:4)
4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. (Matthew 17:4). 12) fulfilled the prophecy in part, but not exhausted it; for Christ speaks of Elias as yet to come: and his appearing with Moses (Matthew 17) in the transfiguration makes his coming the more probable.
Q. 339 (p. 265). Dr. Hale, in his Analysis of Chronology, says: “Moses states that all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which issued from his loins (except his sons’ wives) were 66 souls (Genesis 46:2626All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six; (Genesis 46:26)). If to these 66 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, we add Jacob himself, Joseph, and his two sons, the amount is 70: the whole amount of Jacob’s family which settled in Egypt.”
In this statement, the wives of Jacob’s sons, who formed part of the household, are omitted; but they amounted to nine; for of the 12 wives of Jacob’s twelve sons, Judah’s wife was dead (Genesis 38:1212And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. (Genesis 38:12)), and Simeon’s also, as we may collect from his youngest son Shaul being by a Canaanitish woman (ver. 2); and Joseph’s wife was already in Egypt. These nine wives added to the 66, give 75-the whole amount of Jacob’s household that went into Egypt: critically corresponding with the statement in the New Testament that Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his. kindred, amounting to 75 souls. The expression “all his kindred,” including the wives which were Joseph’s kindred, not only by affinity but also by consanguinity, being probably of the families of Esau, Ishmael, or Keturah. Thus does the New Testament form an admirable comment on the Old.”
That Moses is speaking of the actual descendants of Jacob, may be gathered from Genesis 46:6,76And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: 7His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. (Genesis 46:6‑7); Exodus 1:55And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. (Exodus 1:5); Deuteronomy 10:2222Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude. (Deuteronomy 10:22). Hence the sons’ wives are expressly excluded. Stephen, on the contrary, includes in his reckoning all the kindred of Joseph then in Canaan—66 descendants and nine wives: Jacob being mentioned separately.
The Septuagint gives 75 in Genesis 46 The difference between it and the Hebrew text may be referred to various causes. Origen, in his Commentary on Matthew, says that in the MSS. of the Septuagint, which was become the Bible of the Greek Christians, such alterations had been made, either by design or through the carelessness of the transcribers, as to make the ABS. materially differ from each other, and of course from the Hebrew Bible. Another cause may be, that the Hebrew MSS. which formed the basis of the Septuagint, were Alexandrian; while the MSS. from which our present Hebrew text was formed were Palestinian. Of these two classes of MSS., Davidson says, “As to the MSS. lying at the basis of the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch, they were in the hands of Jews who did not reside in Palestine. Their possessors and the transcribers belonged for the most part to Alexandria, or had been affected by its theology. In the progress of time there arose from these copies a text such as that which forms the basis of the two documents in question-a text with additions and explanatory glosses, betraying less care (as compared with the Palestinian MSS.) in regard to the letter of the sacred writings. The freer influences in which the persons in whose hands those MSS. were, lived and moved, led to innovations upon the text which the stricter Palestinian Jews would never have thought of.”
Of the Palestinian MSS. he says, “They had been in the hands of priests and learned men for the most part, who venerated their national literature, and guarded the text with scrupulous care from innovation. The use made of part of the text in the Temple service also contributed to keep them free from errors. Such Palestinian copies are the source of the Masoretic text.”
The additions and innovations upon the sacred text arose chiefly from the custom of writing notes in the margin of Hebrew MSS. which were in after copies transferred into the text: for example such phrases as “so it remaineth unto this day” and “so it is called unto this day “ frequently occurring after the names of places and cities, &c., mentioned by the sacred writers, seem to admit of no other explanation. And thus most probably the latter part of Genesis 46:2020And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him. (Genesis 46:20) in the lxx. may be accounted for. Someone in reading down the list of Jacob’s sons and grandsons, but seeing no mention made of Joseph’s children and grandchildren, probably supplied from memory a list of their names as a marginal note. This in course of time through carelessness or intention was transferred to the text, which would necessitate the alteration of the stun total in ver. 27 from 70 to 75.
That these numbers were tampered with seems evident from the fact that the text in Exodus 1:55And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. (Exodus 1:5), which is in close proximity to the chapter under consideration, and therefore less likely to escape the notice of the copyist who made the first alteration, reads 75; whereas in Deuteronomy 10:2222Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude. (Deuteronomy 10:22), which would be more likely to be overlooked by him, the Vatican reads 70 in agreement with the Hebrew. Again, the Septuagint does not agree with itself in Genesis 46:20, 2720And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him. (Genesis 46:20)
27And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten. (Genesis 46:27) as to the number of Joseph’s sons. In the former it gives 7 but in the latter 9, which would make a total of 77.
Now from the evidence adduced above it may be safely concluded that the latter clause in ver. 20 in the Septuagint is an interpolation and that the number in ver. 27, was altered to suit it. Therefore our English version is correct both here and in the Acts. That Stephen did not quote from the Septuagint is obvious from the extract from Dr. Hale.
See B. S. vol. 1. O. 419, p. 137. W. T. H.
Q. 377, 299. —Ecclesiastes 3:1111He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Another translation of this passage is the following: “He has made everything beautiful in its time; moreover he has placed (the) eternity in their heart; yet man cannot find out the work which God has we ked from first even to last.”
The word “world” in the Authorized Version is clam in the Hebrew; and has, according to Gesenius, the sense of remote time, eternity, of time past and of time to come; whence “from everlasting to everlasting” (Daniel 2:2020Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: (Daniel 2:20)). It is also used to denote the whole of a limited period of time (Exodus 20:1-61And God spake all these words, saying, 2I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:1‑6); 1 Samuel 27:1212And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever. (1 Samuel 27:12)). In Isaiah 45:1717But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. (Isaiah 45:17) it is translated “world without end.” This phrase seems to be an English idiom “world” being used in the sense of duration, and probably our translators used the word in this sense in Ecclesiastes 3:1111He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Gesenius says, “The word “(clam)”from its Chaldee and Rabbinic usage in the sense of the world, means worldly things and the love of them, as destructive to the knowledge of divine things,” and adduces this scripture-for it is the only one-as an example. He translates the verse thus: “God hath made everything beautiful in his time. Although He (God) hath set the love of worldly things in their heart, so that man understandeth not the works of God.” It is evident that this rendering savors more of the rationalist than the Hebraist. For where do we find in the Word. that God has set the love of the world in men’s hearts, so as to prevent them from understanding His works? Such a statement is contrary to the whole tenor of scripture, and flatly contradicts Romans 1:20,2120For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:20‑21).
The true sense seems to be that although God has set such an eternal principle in man, yet he is unable to find out all the works of God, (Ecclesiastes 8:1717Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. (Ecclesiastes 8:17)). The Septuagint gives nearly the same as the Hebrew text. The Greek equivalent to “clam” is αιων both in the Septuagint and the New Testament. Compare Daniel 7:1818But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. (Daniel 7:18) with Revelation 1:6,186And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:6)
18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:18), and Galatians 1:55To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:5), and also Isaiah 45:1717But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. (Isaiah 45:17) with Ephesians 3:2121Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21). W. T. H.,
Q. 339. (2) If J. K. M. will follow me very closely in the figures below, the seeming discrepancies in the passages referred to will soon disappear: Genesis 46
v. 8—Jacob—1
v. 9—Reuben and his 4 sons—5
v. 10—Simeon and his 6 sons—7
v. 11—Levi and his 3 sons—4
v. 12—Judah and his 3 sons and 2 grandsons—6
v. 13—Issachar and his 4 sons—5
v. 14—Zebulun and his 3 sons—4
v. 15—Dinah—1
See verse 15—Total 33.
v. 16—Gad and his 7 sons—8
v. 17—Asher and his 4 sons and 2 grandsons and 1 daughter—8
See verse 18—Total 16.
v. 18—Joseph and his 2 sons—3
v. 21—Benjamin and his 10 sons—11
See verse 22—Total 14.
v. 23—Dan and his 1 son—2
v. 24—Naphtali and his 4 sons—5
See verse 25—Total 7.
See verse 27—Grand Total 70.
Now note the difference in the wording of verses 26 and 27. Verse 26 says, “All the souls that came with Jacob which cline out of his loins were threescore and six,” add to this number Jacob himself, also Joseph and his two sons who were already in Egypt, and you then get verse 27 “All the souls of the house of Jacob which cams into Egypt were threescore and ten.” Now add again to these Jacob’s wife Leah, and her maid Zilpah, Rachel and her maid Bilhah, and Asenath, Joseph’s wife, all of whom are mentioned by name in Genesis 46, and you then get the total of threescore and fifteen spoken of in Acts 7:1414Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. (Acts 7:14). G. B.
We have inserted the foregoing the first part of which substantially agrees with the remarks of H. S. G. in our last number, and with those of W. T. H. above, but being in a tabular form exhibits the calculation clearly. With regard to the second part, there is nothing to show that Leah, Zilpah, Rachel and Bilhah came to Egypt. Rachel certainly did not, having died near Bethlehem (Genesis 35:1010And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. (Genesis 35:10), and the others—would seem to be excluded from Chapter 46:5,7. Is it not much more probable, as suggested by H. S. G., that the 75 of Acts 7:1414Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. (Acts 7:14), is made up of the 66 of Genesis 46:2626All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six; (Genesis 46:26), and his son’s wives mentioned in the same verse? Of his 12 sons, the wife of Judah was dead, from verse 10 the wife of Simeon would also appear to be dead, and Joseph’s wife was already in Canaan, leaving 9 to be added to the 66, making 75. Ed.