THE BIBLE-NEW VERSION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12084, 13 August 1917, Page 8

THE BIBLE-NEW VERSION.

OLD TESTAMENT TRANSLATED ANEW BY JEWISH SCHOLARS. UNDER WAY 25 YEARS. Tho new English translation of the Okl Testament, which the Jewish Publication Society of America has had under way for twenty-five .years, has at' last come from the press, states the San Francisco "Chronicle.'' The new version is the product of a hoard of American Jewish scholars, headed at first by Dr Marcus Jastrow, and, after his death, by Dr Solomon Sehec.hter. prosidont of tho Jewish Theological Seminary of America. I'rofessor Max L. Margolis, formerly associate professor of the Semitic language and literature in the University of California, wa-s tho editor in chief. Tho translation, according to the, statement of tho society, was prepared in answer to the Jewish need of a modern English version of the Scriptures prepared by representative scholars of the faith, and also to embody the most recent results of scientific research, which has thrown new light on many passages that baffled the translators of the King James Bible, and the Revised Version. In the light of new discoveries, says the society, "there can be no doubt that the Revised Version is gradually becoming antiquated like the Authorised, which it .sought to supersede."

In translating the Scriptures from tho Masoretic Hebrew texts great care has been taken by the editors to consider the recent discoveries in assyriology, archeology, zoology and botany where they clear up former difficulties in interpretation.

For example, according to the editors, none of the previous English translators have been able to render correctly I. Samuel, 13-21, because the meaning for the Hebrew word "pirn" had been lost.

AH the previous versions read : " Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads." or to the Bame effect, although the preceding verses contain the contradictory statement that " there was no smith found throughout the land of Israel—hut all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man bis -share, and bis coulter, and his ax and his mattock."

But recently there were dug up in Palestine snmn ancient weights, each bearing its name in old Hebrew characters. One of thrm boro the word pun. As the others were already known to he the names of weights, so it appeared also thnt " pim " was'the name of a weight with a certain value, winch, by comparison with tho others wn s ascertained to be about two-thirds of a. shekel.

_ This discovery enabled the new version to depose of the old contradiction by rendering tho verge: " And the price of filing was a 'pim' for the mattocks, and for the coulter*, and for the forks, etc."

Throughout the Yorsrion appear many cvther examples of clarified meaning uUe to modern discoveries-. Aside, however, from the innumerable improvements in sense, tin's translation is notable as n new literarv version of the Scripture.,. Without'losing the flavour of the King , T{nnos Version universally acknowledged to bo a maal terpnoco of English diction, the Jewish translators have actually improved upon ,t in many ea*cs. And they have done one thing that ought to meet with universal approval because it brings his English version closer than ever hMore to the literary form of the Hebrew Scriptures.

They have rendered into tho form of verse, the books that ore poetry in the original, so that the English render may now read Job. the "Proverbs, Lamcntauons. tho Song of SongV as jvell a s the Psalms," i„ em Tho sam<t thing has been don* nth tho peator part of the prophetic hooks and with many other l passages thaf. are poetical in form in the Jorigv mol. So doing, however, the oi have not twisted tho phraseology in to 3oTSV°T ° uly by n ' i«£ division of th o clauses according to poetical iiilfs and m some cases by improved diction they have succeeded m giving the effect of blank verse.'

BLA.YK VERSE EFFECT. An example is J J Kings 1!); 25: " Ifast thou not heard? lion;* ago I ma do it. Tii undent timcf, I fashioned it: Aov have I brought- it to paAs f' 1 ', 1 ' 16 f lo »°: Ihnt fortified cities Should bo hud waste into ruinouß limp.." 11. .Samuel 23, 3-j. j B another: f Jho God of Israel raid, Tho TCock of Israel spoke to mo: Ruler over men shall he ° VCn 110 lhat ™ ! ° th iu tio foaT And as tho light of ti, o morning, when tho sun risoth. A morning without clouds; "When through clear shining after rain Ihe lender gra,*s springelh out of the. earth.

An example where later philological discovery has noi only mado tho translation more aecurato but has improved the poetical form, is in Job 3; IE where the new version reads:— " Whose confidence ia gwsamer, Aikl whose trust is a spider's web.'' .SIMILAR CHANGES.

A similar case occurs in Proverbs 2(5; 10, whoro a flat, loose statement in tho older versions has been trans* formed into a real npoihegm: A ma-Bte.r porforrneth nil. tliingfl: But ho that stoppeth a fool is as one' that stoppeth a. flood."

Another appears in the Song of iSoiTjJ-i, 4:1, whoro a doubtful word) translated as "appear" in tho King James Version and as "lie along the side of" in tho Revised Version, has ho'i-x rendered to bettor tho entire verse, as follows :■ — " Thy hair is os a flock of goats Thait, trail down from Mount Gilcad."

In the older versions tho fact that the meanings of two proper names had been mistaken for the names themselves, had dimmed the vivid picture in Isaiah 22: 5. "Kir" and "Shoa_" are proper names. A comparison with either of the older versions will show how much more vivid is this-:--

" For it is a day of trouble, and of trampling, and of perplexity, From tho Lord, tho God of hosts, in the Valley of Vision : Kir shouting and Shoa at the -mon.nl." A new version of Isaiah 8:TO. " Seek unto the ghosts and the familiar spirits, that chirp and that mutter," we ins to bring Shakespeare's

" mid the, shent-ted dead I'm squeak and gibber in thn Konvan streets.' -

M.nay of tho, older renderings that did not, make good or clear sen so have been bettered in this version. For example, in Jeremiah 51: 32, speaking of tho stemming of a city, tho K',iii|g James and Revised Versions have " And tho reeds they have burned with fire," which has no meaning hi ihecontext. But the clause in the now version, "And the castles they have burned with lire," has some, connection with the taking of a w-alled city. Another example is in Leviticus 19: 16. whoro tho older version read, " Neither shalt thou stand against tha blood of thy neighbour," the now version gives the traditional Hebrew interpretation, " Neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour." This has'a definite meaning, whilo the other is obscure. The opening lines of tho Book of Esther will show how it goes:

"Now it came to pas.s in the days of Ahusuerus this is Ahnsuorus who wigncd, from India even unto Ethi-

opia, over a hundred and seven and. twenty provinces—that in those days, when the King Ahasuonis sat on tho throne of his kingdom, which was in tS'hushan tho cnstlfc, i.u liia iiafrd v»*'■'.!l o? his reign, ho made a 'fenjit un 1(") all his princes and his servants; tha army of. Persia and Media, tho nohM4 and princes of the provinces being hefr*ro him, when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty, * many days, oven a hundred and fourscord days."