DR. YOUNG ON "TAH-VAL."
By Editor
WE have been examining and using "Young's Bible Concordance," and find it a help in many respects. It is well worth the attention of any student. In the "Publishers' Preface" there is noticed one characteristic which is of special value, as follows:— "It gives with each English word the Hebrew or Greek original word from which it is translated, with its literal meaning." This is a convenience to the scholar who wishes to know the original, when he has not a lexicon or concordance of the other language at hand. We found it of value on our late visit to Washington and Oregon. But we found some defects in it, chief of which is its definition of the Hebrew word tah-val. In preparing our pamphlet on Baptism we examined this word carefully, both in the lexicons and in its usage, and made a table, giving every instance of the use of the word in the Hebrew Scriptures, with its rendering in our English Version, and also in the Septuagint. Our conclusion as there expressed is that there is no idea of sprinkling in the word tah-val. It is once translated plunge, in Job 9:31; and dip in every other instance. The Septuagint renders it emolunan in Gen. 37:31, which word is rendered defile in the New Testament; in every other instance in the Septuagint it is rendered by bapto in some of its forms, which signifies only to dip. We were greatly astonished to find that Dr. Young translated it, "To moisten, to besprinkle." While it was in our thoughts to notice this most singular freak of a learned man's mind, we found in the Herald of Truth an article on the subject by Dr. J. B. Tombes, Baptist minister of Anaheim, Cal. Dr. Tombes has had good opportunities to be able to give a just criticism of Dr. Young's translation, or really, mistranslation, and he has well improved them as shown in his article. It is our intention to copy the article of Dr. Tombes as soon as the state of our columns will permit.