absolute sense. To one of the disciples the Saviour said, 'thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterward.' Was not the same true of the other disciples; and if true of them, may not the same be affirmed of the Jews? The Hebrew idiom takes this passage from the hands of those who would array it against the universal goodness of God.

The Hebrews made use of the term know in a sense somewhat peculiar. To know God,' is not only to recognize his existence, but to understand his true character. 'To know Jesus Christ,' is to acknowledge him as the true Messiah. 'To be known of God,' is to be regarded by him as his true worshippers. To be known by Christ,' is to be acknowledged by him as his true and faithful followers. The following examples will illustrate these statements.

Matt. xi. 27. No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.' John viii. 19. 'Ye neither know me, nor my Father; if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.' John xvi. 3. These things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me.' Gal. iv. 9. 'But now after ye have known God, or rather are known of God,' &c. Matt. vii. 23. I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.' Many of the personal acquaintances of Christ, who knew him as the Son of Joseph, did not know him, in the sense of that phrase now under consideration. So, on the other hand, the Saviour could have said to many of his personal acquaintances, 'I know you not, depart from me.'

This sense of know will reconcile an apparent contradiction, that has perplexed some biblical interpreters. In Matt. iii. 13, 14, John the Baptist is said to have declined the baptism of Jesus, by saying to him, 'I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?' Nothing is plainer than that John knew Jesus on that occasion. How then shall we understand John's language, as given by another Evangelist? (John i. 33.) I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with VOL. IX. 3

the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.' How could the Baptist know Jesus before his baptism, and yet not know him till the dove descended, after the baptism had taken place? The answer will be inferred from our subject. John was personally acquainted with Jesus before his baptism; it is probable that they had been acquainted from their infancy; John knew Jesus as an important personage, superior to himself; he regarded him as an eminent prophet of the Most High; but he did not know him, as the Messiah, till the sign, that was to indicate his Messiahship, had been given.

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On the same occasion on which John introduces Jesus as the Lamb of God, on whom he had seen the dove descend, he says to the multitude, there is one among you whom ye know not.' There is one among you whom you do not recognize as the true Messiah, is the sense of this passage..

I will add a few other passages having the same usage. Matt. xvii. 12. 'I say unto you that Elias has come already, but they knew him not.' They did not regard John as the Elias that was to come. John ii. 24. 'Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men.' He was not personally acquainted with all men, but he knew all men, as frail and treacherous beings, and he would not entrust himself in their power. John x. 14. I am the true shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.' I recognize my sheep and am recognized by them as their true and faithful shepherd. Rom. xi. 2. 'God hath not cast off his people which he foreknew." God had not cast off the Jews whom he had before recognized as his peculiar people. Which he foreknew,' does not convey the true idea. The Jews, his peculiar people, should not utterly perish; but when the fulness of the Gentiles should have come in, all Israel should be saved.

4. In Hebrew, a verb is often qualified by a repetition of its own form, in some of its inflections, or by some similar word. This idiom is not unfrequent in the New Testa

Speak the word only, and my servant
Literally translated, it would read,' only

speak with a word.' How can any one speak otherwise than with a word? 'With a word,' with us, would be redundant. In the original it was designed to qualify the verb speak. The author meant to say, 'only speak a single word,' and the cure will be effected. It is an acknowledgement of the great power of Christ. 'Speak and my servant shall be healed,' might have had the same meaning; but it would have lacked the emphasis which the centurion desired to attach to his language.

Matt. xv. 4. 'He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.' Literally, let him die with death., How else could he die than with death? In English this is not good language, neither is the translation, 'let him die the death,' any improvement. Let him surely die' is the true sense of the language.

Luke xxii. 15. 'With desire have I desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.' I have greatly desired to eat this passover, is the meaning of the passage. John iii. 29. The friend of the bridegroom rejoiceth greatly (literally, with joy he rejoiceth,) because of the bridegroom's voice.' Acts iv. 17. Acts iv. 17. Let us straitly threaten them,' is, literally, with threatening let us threaten. So in Acts v. 25. Why this idiom is sometimes translated and sometimes merely transferred, without any apparent reason for the difference, can be explained only by the translators themselves.

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The following examples are the same idiom, a little varied in form. Matt. xiii. 13. They, seeing, see not; and, hearing, they hear not. Seeing, ye shall see,' &c. Comp. Mark iv. 12; Luke viii. 10. The Jews were furnished with every means of understanding the doctrines of Christ; but the blindness of their minds, and the perversity of their hearts, would not permit them fully to comprehend and receive the divine message. Acts vii. 34. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people;' literally, seeing, I have seen; that is, I have clearly seen. Heb. vi. 14. 'Blessing, I will bless thee; and, multiplying, I will multiply thee.' I will greatly bless, and greatly multiply thee, is the meaning of the divine promise.

5. The Hebrews gave a causative meaning to many of their verbs, which affects the sense of many passages in the Old Testament. The same idiom appears, in some instances, in the New Testament.

Matt. v. 45. 'He maketh his sun to rise on the evil, and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.' He lifteth up his sun, is not far from a literal rendering of the first clause of this verse. 'He raineth on the just and unjust,' is the literal sense of the last clause. Make them sit down to meat,' Luke xii. 37, is more briefly expressed in the original. 'Recline them,' is the exact sense. So in Luke ix. 14. 'Make them sit down by fifties in a company,' may be abreviated in the same manner. The causative form suits our idiom better. He causes his sun to rise, he causes his rain to fall, cause them to sit down, &c. In view of the same principle, may we not say, 'Cause us not to be led into temptation; but cause us to be delivered from evil.' And may not Rom. ix. 13, read thus, Jacob have I caused to be loved; but Esau have I caused to be hated.' That God loved Jacob and hated Esau, admits of no rational credence: but that he caused the one to be held in high esteem, and the other to be less regarded, is obvious from their history.

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Doubtless many passages in the New Testament might be rendered more lucid by the application of this principle. The principle, however, may be abused. We must not separate too widely between God and his works. The Hebrews were accustomed to refer the operations of Nature and Providence more directly to the Creator, than we are accustomed to do; and we are in danger of perverting their Scriptures by making them conform to our modes of speech, and to the philosophy of modern times. The Hebrews never interpose the laws of nature,' between God and his works; and how much of the infidelity of modern times may be attributed to the misuse of that deceptive phrase, it would be well for sober minds to inquire.

6. The lack of adjectives among the Hebrews, led them to express the qualities of objects by other methods peculiar to themselves. I am the way, the truth and the life,' John xiv. 6, may be translated, 'I am the true and living way' or perhaps, 'I am the true way of life.' Cursing and bitterness,' Rom. iii. 14, means 'bitter cursing.' The light of the knowledge of the glory of God,' 2 Cor. iv. 6, is the light of the glorious knowledge of God.' 'Kingdom and glory,' 1 Thess. ii. 12, is 'glorious king

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dom,' Faith and verity,' 1 Tim. ii. 7, is true faith.' 'Life and immortality,' 2. Tim. i. 10, is the same as 'immortal life.' Throne of grace,' Heb. iv. 16, is 'gracious throne;' and 'throne of majesty,' Heb. viii. 1, is 'majestic throne.' 'The land of promise,' Heb. xi. 9, is the promised land.' Root of bitterness,' Heb. xii. 15, means bitter root.' 'Crown of life,' James i. 12, means 'living crown.' The reference is to the crown of leaves conferred on the victor in the Grecian games, which must soon fade and die. The Christian crown, on the contrary, was a living 'Stone of stumbling,' 1 Peter ii. 8, is a stumbling stone.' The spirit of glory and of God,' is a Hebraism for 'the glorious spirit of God.' 'Way of truth,' 2 Peter ii. 2, is another phrase for true way.' 'Lust of uncleanness,' 2 Peter ii. 10, is unclean lust.' 'Spirit of life,' Rev. xi. 11, is the same as 'living spirit.' 'Light of life,' John viii. 12, is 'living light,' one that will not grow dim and become extinct. Words of his grace,' Acts xiv. 3, is another form for his gracious words.' 'Spirit of holi ness,' Rom. i. 4, is the same as 'Holy Spirit.' Father of glory,' Eph. i. 17, means glorious Father.' Riches of the glory of his inheritance,' Eph. i. 18, would be better rendered, riches of his glorious inheritance.' 'The word of the truth of the gospel,' Col. i. 5, should be, the true word of the gospel.' The riches of the glory of this mystery,' Col. i. 27, would be better, the riches of this glorious mystery.' Through the faith of the operation of God,' Col. ii. 12, means, through the operating or energetic faith of God.' 'Bond of perfectness,' Col. iii. 14, is perfect bond.' 'The wine of the fierceness of his wrath, Rev. xvi. 19, means the wine of his fierce wrath.'

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In some instances where this idiom occurs in the original, the translators have given a true English version, and have not, as in the above examples, merely transferred the idiom into their version. The following are instances. In Luke iv. 22, instead of gracious words,' the original is, words of grace.' Instead of unjust steward,' Luke xvi. 8, the original is, steward of injustice.' So in Luke xviii. 6, it is, judge of injustice,' instead of unjust judge,' which is the English idiom. 'Sinful flesh,' in Rom. viii. 3, is flesh of sin.' 'Vile body,' Phil. iii. 21,

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