3:4.-" John himself;" this is undoubtedly a more correct translation than "the same John." The word which the Revisers render "food," in this verse, signifies literally "nourishment," " as meat " does in old English. In modern English the meaning of the word "meat" is narrower, and this is no doubt the reason which has led the Revisers to prefer the expression "food."
3:10.—"And even now."-This is more graphic than " now also." The latter seems to intimate that the ax had been laid at the root of the trees on some past occasion.
3:14. "But John would have hindered him." In the translation of 1611 we read, "But John forbad him." This latter rendering misses the force of the Greek Imperfect. But "would have hindered him" goes somewhat beyond the original expression. "Was forbidden" is most literal.
4:6.-"Lest haply thou dash thy foot." "Lest at any time" is a rather more literal translation of the Greek word. "Lest haply" has, however, the advantage of resembling the passage in the Psalm more closely. We there find merely, "Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." (Psa. 91:12.)
4:12.-" That John was delivered up." The word translated "delivered up" is the same that is used in speaking of the betrayal of Christ. The words, "was cast into prison" go far beyond the meaning of the Greek.
4:21.-"In the boat." The Authorized Version has "ship." In modern English we should scarcely say "ship," in speaking of a vessel used merely for fishing. The Greek word is of the most general import, and is the same as that employed in James 3:4.
4:24.-"Epileptic" is here substituted for "lunatic." The original word distinctly means "moon-struck."
5:10.-"They that have been persecuted." This is more exact than "they which are persecuted," and is also more intelligible. The beatitudes, or blessings at the beginning of this chapter, refer primarily to the Jewish remnant. Hence "they that have been persecuted" are the remnant at the close of the persecutions. (See for example Isa. 66:5).