Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1885 — THE NEW BOOK. [ARTICLE]

THE NEW BOOK.

Presentation to Christendom of the Revised Version of the Old Testament. Eminent Biblical Scholars and the Best Hebraists Finish a Noble Work. Great Care Taken to Preserve the Language of King James’ Translators. The first copy of the complete new version of the Holy Bible was presented to Queen Victoria on Friday, the 15th of May, •and at midnight of that day copies were delivered to the London press for comment The Committee of Revision was appointed by the Established Church Convocation the 6th of May, 187 J. Of the sixteen members then appointed only six survive. The revisers sat altogether 792 days of six hours. The whole work was gone over in session three times. The first time a bare majority carried an alteration. The alterations were then printed and circulated among the revisers, who had the advantage befcre the second revision began of suggestions by the American revisers. On the second revision a two-thirds majority was necessary to confirm the alterations. The third revision was devoted to objections and points reserved. As for the general result —says a cable dispatch— When the whole work Is examined it will be found that the revisers have on the whole been very conservative. The alterations in the Old Testament are much fewer in proportion than those made in the New Testament. There have been very few—merely verbal altera ions. The revised Old Testament is almost exactly the same length as the old one. There are important alterations in the arrangement of chapters, which are printed in paragraphs, so as to keep the consecutive sense, but are not divided into verses. Poetical passages are printed like blank verse. The first axiom of the revised translation was: “Cling to the pure native significance of the words.” This is a specimen of the blank verse: Create in me a clean heart, O, God, And renew a right spirit within me; Cast me not away from Thy presence, And take not Thy holy spirit from me; Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, And uphold me with a free spirit. Adam and Eve only take their names after 'the fall. Before, they are man or wife. No changes in diction are made in the first chapter of Genesis to aid or puzzle debaters on faith and science. The old account of the deluge is left as it was. The Mosaic books are but little touched. The Joshua miracle of the sun and the moon are left intact. Job is mainly printed in blank verse. “I know that my Redeemer liveth” stands, but the marginal note destroys all its significance in relation to the Messiah. “O, that mine adversary had written a book” becomes: “That I had the indictment mine adversary had written.” “Hast thou clothed his neck, with thunder?” changes to "with a quivering mane.” “Hell,” comments the Daily Telegraph, “is injudiciously dismissed,” and the Hebrew “shed” is substituted throughout. The Globe says: “Go to sheol” will now become a more pleasant phrase of the angry irreverent man. The italics of former editions yield to common type in the text. The psalms are divided. There are few important changes made in them, and those with piteously scrupulous care. The beautiful Psalm xxiih, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” remans untouched, as does the passage in Psalm xxiv. beginning: “Litt up' your heads, O ye gates;” but in Psalm xxxvii.: “The wicked man no longer spreadeth himself like a green bay tree,” but as “a green tree in its native «oil;” nor in Psalm xiv. is the king’s daughter said to be “all glorious within,” but “The King's daughter within the palace is all glorious.”

A well-known verse In Psalm xoii. now reads: ‘‘The days of our years are three score and ten, or even by reason of strength four-score years, yet is their pride but labor and sorrow, for it is gone and we tly away.” The Proverbs and Song of Solomon are arranged as poetry and tritlingly interfered with. A celebrated passage in Isaiah now reads: “As one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” The London Times, in a lengthy review of the new revision, says: The work of the New Testament Committee continued until the autumn of 1880; that of the Old Testament Committee until the close of 1884. The whole Bible after these twelve years’ labor appears in its revised English version at this time before the people of Great Britain and America. This revision is now a fact of history. Those who have labored in the preparation of it have carefully and conscientiously re-examined •every verse, sentence, and word; they now commend it to the English-speaking world. That it will meet unfavorable criticism—sometimes severe, sometimes thoughtless, sometimes from the conservative and sometimes from the progressive side—as a part of it has already met such criticism, they do not doubt. But they intrust it to the future, knowing that the book will live while the critics will die, and wishing only that their labors may contr bute in this generation or the coming ones to make the Scriptures clearer in their true meaning to all men of the English race. The Bible appears bound with the New Testament. The preface opens with a statement of general principles on which the revision has been conducted. The revisers have borne in mind their duty not to’make a new translation, but revise that already existing, and have departed from it only where it disagreed with the translators of Kill upon the meaning of a word or sentence. The terms of natural history are only changed where it is certain that the authorized version is incorrect. Where it is doubtful or there is an alternative, the rendering is given in the margin. In some words of frequent occurrence, the authorized version being either inadequate or inconsistent, changes have been introduced with as much uniformity as practicable; for instance, "Tabernacle of the congregation" has everywhere been changed to “Tent of meeting." In regard to the word “Jehovah” the usage of the authorized version is followed, the revisers not thinking it advisable to insert it uniformly in place of "Bord” or “God," which, when print--ed in small capitals, represent the words substituted. by Jewish custom for the ineffable name. Of technical terms from the Hebrew, one in three seems to have been generally introduced. The word ’’grove” (Judues vi., 28) has been replaced by “ashera,” with its plurals, "asherini” and “asherot i.” In the poetical books “sheol” replaces “hell,” which has been changed in the prose passages to “the grave” and “the pit,” with "sheor in the margin. “Of these readings, hell,” says the preface, “if it could be taken in its original sen«e, as used in the creeds, would be a fairly adequate equiv. lent for the Hebrew word, but it) a so commonly understood as the place of torment that to employ it frequently would lead to inevitable misunderstanding. In Isaiah, xiv., where “hell" is used in more of its original sense, the revisers have left “hell” in the text, putt ng “sheol’’ in the margin. “Abaddon,” which has hitherto been known /■ to English readers of the Bible only from the New Testament (Revelation ix., 2), has been introduced in three passages—once in Job and twice in 1 roverbs. The term “meat offering" has been changed into “meal offering," the form r term having ceased to be the generic name for ail food. A new plural—peoples—has been Introduced, although sometimes this becomes Gentiles when t>e contrast to the chosen people is marked. All headings of chapters have been dropped, as in the revised New Testament, and the text has been divided into paragraphs, but the chapter and verse divisions have been retained In the margin for convenience of reference. By this means the revisers have been enabled to rejoin Psalm x. to Psalm ix., and Psalm xiiL to Psalm xii., and to begin Isaiah lilt at chapter

lit, verse 13. The several days of the creation are made more prominent by breaks of a line between the verses. This expedient has enabled the revisers to make use of the dialogue form and to show the dramatic character of the song of sones, the first chapter of which, for example, is divided into seven speeches. Tne Psalms are definitely divided into five books, the last four beginning respectively at I'salms xlii., Ixiit, xc.. and cvit A sinking improvement is the printing of all poetical passages in poetical form. This has been done in the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and the Canticles. But the Prophets have been left in prose, however passionate their oratory. The songs of Lamech, Jacob, Minam, Moses, Deborah, and Hannah; the Psalms of Jonah and Habaxkuk, and David's lament (in fi'econd Samuel, i.) appear in versified ballad. The origin of Joshua’s miracle: “Sun. stand thou still upon Gibeon,” is indicated by its verse character. So, also, is the triumphal cry of Samson (Judges xv., 16). Examination of the more familiar passages and phrases discloses the fact that care was taken in preserving intact household words of the Old Testament. The old literary form has been held Bicred, .and the revisers cannot be charged with any pedantic straining after the original text; but not all the familiar objects of the Scriptures have escaped untouched. The high priest no longer casts lots for the scapegoat. He does so for Azazel. The summary for each day at the creation now runs according to the formula: "And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” “There was evening and morning, a second day,” a third day, and so on, giving a suggestion of successive stages with long intervals. The "apples of gold,” of Proverbs xxv., 11, are now encased in "figured work” of silver, not in "pictures." “Vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecclesiastes it, 17) has become “Vanity and a striving after mind.” “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them” (tsalms cxxviii, 5) has teen changed into “Happy is the man that hath tilled his quiver with them.” Reuben’s curse (Genesis xlix., 4), “Unstable as water thou shalt not excel,” now reads, "Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency.” The following changes also grate against associations. The authorized Genesis (chap, vi, verse 4): “There were giants in the earth in those days,” is revised: "The nepheline were in the earth in those days.” In the authorized version of Job xxxi., verse 35, "OI that one would hear me I Behold, my desire is that the Almighty would rnswer me and that mine adversary had written a book,” is revised, “Oh. that one would hear me. Behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that I had the indictment which my adversary hath written." The authorized Psalm viiL, verse 9: “For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels” is revised: “For Thou hast made him a little lower than God.” The authorized Psalm cxvl., verse 11: "I said in my haste, all men are liars." is revised; “I said when I made haste to escape, all men are a lie. ” Ecclesiastes xii., 13: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; fear God,” etc , has been revised to read: “This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard; fear God,” etc. Proverbs xiv., 9: "Fools make a mock at sin, but among the righteous there is favor,” revised, reads: “The foolish scorn the guilt offering, but among the upright there is good-will.” The above are nearly all of the passages in which a shock is given to old associations. In other passages there are found variations which cannot be called rash alterations. For instance, Isaiah, chap, lit, verse 13, in the authorized version reads: "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.” The revised verse reads: "Behold, my servant shall deal wisely; he shall be lifted up and shall be very high,” Isaiah Hit, 8, in the authorized version is: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." In the revised this reads: "He is despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hid their faces; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” The same chapter, verse 7, is changed to read: “He was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; as a iamb that he led to the slaughter,” etc. Same chapter, verse 8; “He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation?” is revised to read: "By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and who considereth his generation?" The Christology of the Old Testament is almost entirely unaffected by the revisers. The crucial passage, Isaiah vii., 14: “ Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,” remains unchanged, except that the margin suggests “the virgin is with child and beareth.” In the fifth commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” is rendered: “Honor thy f. ther and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the laid which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” The following are examples in which the actual work of revision is distinctly seen: Authorized vers on,. Genesis xxit, 14: "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” Revised version: “In the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Authorized version. Exodus xiv., 20: “And it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave ight by night to these.” Revised: "And there was the cloud and the darkness, and gave it light by night.” Authorized version, Job xxviii, 4: "The flood that breaketh out from the inhabitant, even the waters forgotten of the foot, they are dried up; they are gone away from men.” Revised: “He breaketh open a shaft, away from where men sojourn; they are forgotten of the foot that passeth by; they hang afar from men; they swing to and from.” Authorized version. Job xxxi., 35: “Behold my desire is that the Almighty would answer me.” Reviseds “Lo, here is my sign above; let the Almighty answer me.” Authorized version, Job xxvL, 18: “Beware lest He take thee away with His stroke.” Revised : “Beware lest thou be led away with thy sufficiency.” Authorized version. Psalm xii., 5: “I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.” Revised: “I will set him in safety at whom they mock.” Authorized version, Psalm Ixviii,, 4: “Extol him that rideth upon the heavens.” Revised: “Cast up a highway for him that rideth through the deserts.” Authorized version, Psalm Ixviii., 19: “Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits.” Revised: “Blessed be the Lord who daily beareth our burdens.” Authorized version, Psalm lirvlii., 30: “Rebuke the company of spearmen." Revised: "Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds.” Authorized version. Psalm Ixxxvii., 7: “As well the Bingers as the players on instruments shall be there; all my springs are in thee.” Revised: “As well the singers as they that dance; all my fountains are in thee.” Authorized version, Psalm exit, 5: “And let Him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil which shall not break my head.” Revised: “And let Him reprove me; it shall be oil upon the head; let not my head refuse it.” Authorized version, Isaiah x1.,3: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Revised: “The voice of one crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lo>d.” Psalms ii., 12: “Kiss the Bon,” remains, and references to entirely different versions are given in the margin. Similarly in Genesis xlix., 10: “Until Shiloh came,” is kept, but “Till he came to Shiloh” is noted as an alternative. In all these cases, as in many oihers, there seems to have l>een a strong minority among the revisers, which held out lor the alternative readings, and succeeded in putting them in the margin, whi< h contains most of the scholarship of the revision. The first verse in both the authorized versions is (he same. The first alteration occurt in the second verse, where, Inst' ad of “The earth was without form and void,” we read, “And’the earth was waste and void.” The text of the story of the creation is without other striking variations. The same may be said of the description of the fall and the flood. In the ten commandments are some verbal alterations, the most striking being that of the sixth: “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus xx., 13) becomes “Thou shalt do no murder." Deuteronomy, chap, xxxil. verse 5: "They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children.” Revised: “They have corrupted themselves; they are not his children ; it is their blemish.”

Victor Hugo, with hia family, has retired to his seat on the Island of Guernsey for the summer. The wife of Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Fairchild is a niece of Horatio Seymour.