which is Arabic. The name Abyssinia is mod In many passages, its meaning may b< be easiern. It is stated to be formed from an Arabic ly mistaken. Jer. 34. 4. r' Thussaittithee Lord word kabas or chabas, to be black, and a deriv o/thee ;" not Zedekiah's Lord, but concerning ative from this is said to signify a mixed mul thee. See also chap. 36. 30, and John 7. 17, 16 ; titude. See Castel's Heptaglot Lexicon. How 2 Tim. 2. 2, and numerous other passages. ever this may be, the modem Ethiopians are Of sometimes denotes belongingto, or apart descendants from Arabians j but whether they of. 1 Cor. 12. 15. bore the name Cush, as being the offspring of The substitution of another word for of, in the Arabian Cushim, or on account of their order to present the true meaning at first view, color, is not a question of much importance. is necessary in a multitude of passages. In To prevent any mistake from a mistransla many phrases, however, the word continues to tion of the name, I have uniformly introduced, retain its original sense. Tenses. At the lime the present version of into the text of this work, the Hebrew Cush, except in one instance, Jer. 13. 23, where the the scriptures was made, the form of the verb word refers to color only, without reference to which most of our English Grammars arrange place. The word Cush is said to signify black, in the present tense of the subjunctive mode and if so, Ethiops, black face, is a translation was in more general use than it has been for of the name. By introducing Cush. into the the last century; thus, if thou be, if he be, text, we are sure to be correct. But as no though he have. This form of the verb is most country except Abyssinia is now known as common in the version of the scriplures ; but Ethiopia, if the reader of the Bible understands is far from being uniformly used. The trans Ethiopia as referring to that country only, he lators seem to have been guided by no rule ; will be many times led into error. Most of the and their discrepancies are numerous. James passages of scripture in which Cush is men 1. 26. " If any man among you seem to be reli tioned, certainly nave reference to a country in gious and bridleth not his tongue." See Gen. Persia, or to a territory in Arabia. 4.7; Job 35.6; Deut. 24. 3. 7; Gen. 47. 6; Lev. Shadow. There is an established distinc 25. 14; 6.2, 3; Prov. 22. 27; 24.10,11, 12; tion in the significations of shade and shadvto, 1 Cor. 7. 12, 13; John 9. 31, and many other which is entirely disregarded in our version of passages. the scriptures. Perhaps the distinction was So familiar was the subjunctive form of the not known in England, at the time the version verb to the translators, and so little regard had was made. Shadow is the obscurity made by they to any rule for using it, that in the New the interception of light by an object, in the Testament they have usually rendered the figure or shape of the object. Shade is a like Greek indicative by the English subjunctive ; obscurity without reference to figure. Shade as if thou be, for if thou art. See Matt 4. 6 ; is used when protection only from the rays of 5. 29, 30, and numerous other passages. the sun is intended. The farmer, to cool and In this subjunctive form of the verb, no dis refresh himself, says, I will go into the shade tinction is made between the present and fu of a tree—never into the shadow. Hence, when ture time of an action. If thou be, may stand there is no reference to figure, but to protection for if thou art or if thou shall be. And such only, the word shade should always be used is the fact in a multitude of passages. More Hence the impropriety of the phrase shadow of generally, the subjunctive form is really an death. Death is the absence of life, a mere ne elliptical future. Lev. 25. 14. " If thou sell gation of being. In the phrase, shadow of aught to thy neighbor;" si vendideritis, if death, shadow is a figurative word denoting thou shalt sell. Matt. 7. 9. " If thy son ask total darkness, deep gloom, and for this idea, bread ;" si petierit panem. But so heedless of the established usage now requires the plural, rules were the translators, that in the verse just the shades of death. Shadow in the sense of a cited from Leviticus, they have in the second faint resemblance is correct, as it has reference clause given the indicative, "If thou sell aught, to form, or figure. Col. 2. 17 ; Is. 4. 6 ; 25. 4 ; or buyest aught." Dan. 4. 12 ; Hosea 4. 13 ; Jonah 4. 5, 6 ; Heb. This subjunctive form of the verb in the 8.5; 10.1. present tense had, to a great extent, fallen into Of. In the use of this word, a great change disuse, in the days of Addison, who, with the has taken place, since the present version was best authors of that and the next generation, made. Its original signification is from; but generally used the indicative form of the verb in present use in the scriptures, it is equivalent, to express acts, conditional or hypothetical, in in many passages, to concerning ; in many present time. I have followed their example, others, to by; in others, to from; and in some as it is conformable to the most general usage passages, its signification is, at first view, am of the present age ; and by using shall or trill biguous. Thus, to be sick of a thing, is gener to express future time, have attempted to ren ally understood to mean, to be disgusted with der obvious a real distinction in lime, which is it or tired of it ; but to be sick of a fever or of not so obvious in the subjunctive form of the love, in scripture, is to be affected by it as the verb. In the language of modem statutes, cause. In the latter sense, I have substituted both in Great Britain and in the United States, the practice is uniformly to use shall. If a with for of. Cant. 2. 5 ; Matt. 8. 14. In numerous passages, of has the sense of man shall trespass, if he shall be guilty of theft. In the use of shall and should for will and concerning. See Acts 13. 29 ; Jude 3. In many passages, it signifies by. Acts 23. would, the errors of the version are very nu merous. Shall, in the first person, foretells, in 10; 2 Cor. 3. 2. In Matt. 2. 15, it must be rendered from. the second and third, it promises, determines, " That it might be fulfilled which was spoken threatens or commands. The phrases, you n/the Lord by the prophet." What was spo shall go, he shall go, imply authority in the speaker to promise what the person shall do, ken vnsfrom the Lord by the prophet.
Page:Webster's Revision Bible.djvu/19
This page needs to be proofread.
xiv
INTRODUCTION.
xiv
