A Misconstruction by F. D. STARR

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · May 1, 1913

A Misconstruction

By F. D. STARR

F. D. STARR

THE claim is made with much confidence by some that a correct translation of Matt. 28:1, and the parallel texts in the other Gospels, would show the first day of the week to be the Sabbath. The verse reads thus: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.” It will be noticed that the word day in this text, as well as in all the other instances in which the expression “first day of the week” occurs, is a supplied word. The word week as here used, is from the Greek word sabbaton, usually rendered sabbath. It occurs, as will be noticed, previously in this same verse, and is there translated sabbath. Why should it not be translated sabbath in the second instance of its occurrence as well as in the first? The reason is simply this, that in Greek such words as adjectives and numerals must agree in gender, case, and number with the nouns they limit. To those who are acquainted with the English language only this seems rather incomprehensible. But in the original this is a very imperative matter. The noun sabbaton as here used, is in the neuter gender, plural number, and genitive case. The numeral mian that comes just before it, is in the feminine gender, singular number, and accusative case. So the noun and the limiting word do not agree at all, and some other word must be supplied. The word hemeran, meaning day, agrees exactly with the numeral mian in every respect. So the eminent scholars who translated the Bible have all correctly rendered the expression “first day of the week.” The Sabbath is that to which the week owes its origin, and in cases like the above, the rules of the language require that the word is to be understood as meaning week. Whatever English version is consulted, the same fact will be apparent. So it is also in translations in other languages. The German translation was rather obscure on this point, but more recently this translation has been revised, and the learned revisers translated the words in question “first day of the week.” They could not do otherwise, and be true to the work they were doing.

We might illustrate the subject by reference to Eph. 4:5: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” In the Greek language the word Lord is, of course, masculine, faith is feminine, and baptism neuter. So the word meaning one must be in three different forms to correspond with the nouns. Please notice variations. The passage reads thus: “Heis Kurios, mia pistos, hen baptisma” (One Lord, one faith, one baptism). It would not do at all to get these forms of the word one interchanged. It would be an outrage on language to apply the feminine numeral mian to Kurios, Lord, but no more so than to apply it to sabbaton in Matt. 28:1.

The same conditions prevail to a large extent in modern foreign languages. For instance, take the words of Jesus in John 14:6, as translated into German: “Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben” (I am the way, the truth, and the life). Way is masculine, truth is feminine, and life is neuter, and so three different forms of the article the are required; namely, der, die, and das. For one to insist on applying the feminine article die to the masculine noun way would likely subject the one so doing to considerable ridicule. It would be fully as improper as for us to say of George Washington that she was the father of our country. This same reason makes it utterly impossible to understand the Greek of Matt. 28:1 as conveying the idea of a new series of Sabbaths.

The word day is really necessary to a correct understanding of the text, and must therefore be supplied. Bible students are well aware that frequently such added words are indispensable to the translation, as the original terms and forms of expression imply much that is not expressed. Take, for instance, the added words in Acts 16:40. It was “the house of Lydia” into which the disciples entered. The words “the house of” are not expressed in the Greek, but the reading would be repulsive without them in English. The idea of entering into the house of Lydia had already been mentioned (Acts 16:15), and did not need to be repeated in the second reference.

A case somewhat similar is found in 2 Cor. 3:7. The language is elliptical as has been admitted by scholars. “But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious,” etc. The “ministration” was not written in the tables of stone, but that ministration and that old covenant were “concerning all these words” that the Lord spoke, and wrote on two tables of stone. Ex. 24:8. The meaning of the passage would be correctly conveyed by this rendering: “But if the ministration of death concerning that which was written and engraven in stones was glorious.” So the student of the writings of Moses would not need to misunderstand the language of Paul. Neither is there a chance to misunderstand and misapply the language of the evangelists in regard to Matt. 28:1 and similar texts if one will consider the facts in the case.

Forest, Idaho.