25:6. — “Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him.” The Authorized Version has, “Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” The word “cometh” is omitted in some of the best manuscripts. The rendering, “come ye forth to meet him,” shows that the “cry” is made by those who accompany the bridegroom, not by those who see him approaching.
25:8. — “Our lamps are going out” is unquestionably more correct than “our lamps are gone out.”
25:14. — “The expression” the kingdom of heaven “is not to be found in the original, as the italics of the Authorized Version spew us. “A far country “has been changed by the Revisers into “another country,” which is no doubt an improvement.
25:21. — “I will set thee over many things” is more literal translation than “I will make thee ruler over many things,” as the word used in the original does not necessarily imply the idea of ruling.
25:27. —The words “bankers” and “interest” may perhaps appear to some persons too modern, but they are certainly more correct than “exchangers” and “usury.” “Usury” always conveys the idea of unjust gain, whereas the Greek word means originally “produce” and has no evil signification.
25:32. — “All the nations” is somewhat preferable to “all nations,” which latter expression seems to include the whole of mankind, whereas we know from many passages in Scripture, that “the nations” here mentioned are merely the nations living on the earth at the time of the Lord’s coming. In this verse we have a strange example of the way in which the Authorized Version creates distinctions, where there are none in the original. The word for “separate” is the same as that for “ divide.” The Revisers have very properly translated “separate” in both cases. A still more striking instance of the same thing occurs in the 46th verse of this Chapter. The Greek word translated “everlasting” is precisely the same as that translated “eternal.” The use of two distinct English words greatly mars the sense of the passage. Here again the Revisers have made a similar correction.
26:3. — “The court of the high priest” is more literal than “the palace of the high priest.” In the 69th verse of this Chapter we read, in the Revised Version, “Peter was sitting without in the court.” Here the same Greek word is used, and it is evident that the rendering “court” is in this case more appropriate.
26:15. There can be little doubt that the rendering “they weighed unto him,” is more correct than “they covenanted with him.” This alteration makes the parallel between this passage and Zechariah 11:1212And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12) still more striking.
26:50. — “Do that for which thou art come,” Whether this translation is better than “Wherefore art thou come?” is not quite certain, as the Greek text may bear either interpretation.
26:53. — “He shall even now send me.” The Authorized Version has, “He shall presently give me,” using “presently,” in its older sense of “at present.”
26:58. — “The officers.” The word here used is quite different from that rendered “servant” in ver. 51. The Authorized Version has “servant” in both cases.
26:5. — “The sanctuary.” The Authorized Version renders this word “temple,” thus robbing the passage of its force, for the word here employed refers to the holy place, into which none but the priests might enter. The “temple” includes the courts round the building.
27:9. — “They took the thirty pieces of silver.” The margin here adds, “Or I took.” The original may have either meaning; but in the passage from which the sentence is quoted (Zechariah 11:1313And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. (Zechariah 11:13)) there can be no doubt that “I took” is correct.
27:34. — “They gave him wine to drink.” The Authorized Version translates “They gave him vinegar to drink,” but the Greek word certainly means “wine,” and is quite distinct from that employed in ver. 48.
27:44. — “Cast upon him the same reproachapter” This rendering is both clearer and more literal than “cast the same in his teeth,” the latter expression being almost obsolete, and no doubt unintelligible to many readers.
28:2. — “An angel of the Lord.” As the article is absent in the original, this translation is preferable to “the angel of the Lord.”
28:9. — The words, “As they went to tell his disciples,” are here omitted.
28:14. — “Rid you of care” is more definite than “secure you,” which would refer rather to escape from punishment than to escape from anxiety.
28:16. — “The mountain where Jesus had appointed them.” The Authorized Version has “a mountain,” but the presence of the article in the original is not accidental. What particular mountain is here referred to, we of course cannot tell; those in whose time the Gospel was written, must have known.
28:19. — “Make disciples of all the nations.” This means more than “teaching.” The Revisers have substituted “into the name” for “in the name,” as being a more correct translation. This agrees with what is said of baptism in Romans 6:33Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (Romans 6:3).
(To be continued)