THE REVISERS AND THE EVIL ONE.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5252, 25 July 1885, Page 2

THE REVISERS AND THE EVIL ONE.

[MELBOURNE ARGUS.] Probably there is no question which excites more interest than the treatment of the word " hell" and the translation of the Hebrew word Shoel, the abode of departed spirits. In the New Testament the revisers carefully distinguished between Hades, which is identical with Shoel, and Hell, which answers to Gehenna, the of place torment. In the Old Testament no less than three renderings are given by the A. V.— "grave," " pit," and ' ' hell. " "Of these renderings, ' hell' would be fairly adequate if it could be taken in its original sense, as used in the creeds." The word hell, we may remark, is etymologically connected with hole and hollow, and originally meant the hidden or unseen place. "The word hell," continues the Preface, is "so commonly understood of the place of torment, that to employ it frequently would lead to inevitable misunderstanding. The revisers, therefore, in the historical narratives have left the rendering 'the grave' or 'the pit' in the text, with a marginal note ' HebSheol,' to indicate that it does not signify the place of burial ; while in the poetical writings they have most commonly put ' Sheol' in the text, and ' the grave' in the margin. In Isaiah xiv., however, where ' hell' is used in more of its original sense, and is less liable to be understood, and where any change in so familiar a passage which was not distinctly an improvement would be a decided loss, the revisers have contented themselves with leaving ' hell' in the text, and have connected it with other passages by putting ' Sheol' in the margin," We give the revised translation of a part) ofthis chapter of Isaiah

xiv. , verses 9-15 inclusive. It is not much altered :— "Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coining : it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth ; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All.. I they shall answer and say unto thee, art thou also become weak as we 1 Art thou become like unto us ? Thy pomp is brought down to hell, and the noise of thy viols ; the worm is spread unto thee, and worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the morning ! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst lay low the nations ! And thou saidst in : thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation in the uttermost parts of the north ; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds ; I will be like the most high. Yet thou shalt be brought, down to hell, to the uttermost parts of the pit." ■ . The revisers say that the name " ' Abaddon,, which has hitherto been known to the English reader of the Bible only from one passage in the New Tastament (Rev. ix. 11, ' his name in Hebrew is Abeddon, and in the Greek tongue he hath the name Apollyon') — has been introduced in three passages, where a proper name appears to be required for giving vividness and point." The change is interesting as touching the question of the personality of " the Evil One." It will be remembered that the revisers of the New Testament changed the petition of the Lord's Prayer into "Deliver us from the Evil One." We give the three passages as they stand in the two versions : — \ A. V. R. V. Job xxvi. 6. ■ Hell is naked before Sheol is naked behira, and destruction fore him, hath no covering. And Abaddon hath no covering. Prov. xv. 11. Hell and destruc- Sheol and Abaddon tion are before the are before the Lord : Lord: how much more How much more then the hearts. of the . then the hearts of the children of men ? children of men ! Prov. xxvii. 20. Hell and destruc- Sheol and Abaddon tion are never full ;so are never satisfied : the eyes of man are And theeyes of man never satisfied. . are never satisfied. With respect to these passages, it may not be amiss to say that on points like these the question is riot what we prefer, but what is right. The only object of the revisers was to make the translation as correct as possible. In matters of rhythm and sometimes of words, our individual likings are of more value.