The Sabbath Commandment Definite.
We have promised to enable the reader to judge of Mr. Baird's reliability as a critic on the Hebrew. On page 11 he says:— “The Hebrew language has no article corresponding with the definite article the that we employ. ‘A seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,’ would be a perfectly literal rendering.” This is not a question of reasoning or argument, but of fact, and it may therefore be determined to a certainty. The above statement can only create a smile, or call forth an exclamation of surprise, from any one who is not entirely ignorant of Hebrew; and for such not a word is needed in refutation of it. It is as absurdly false as would be the assertion that the English word the is not a definite article. As the reader of English will want to be assured of the truth of this subject we will quote from a number of authorities, that every one may judge for himself. Gesenius, in his Hebrew Lexicon, giving the uses of the fifth letter of the alphabet, says of one of its uses:— “As the definite article, Eng. the; like the Gr. ὁ, ἡ, τό, in the insertion or omission of which the Hebrews and Greeks, and also the English and Germans, follow similar laws, for which see the usual grammars,” &c. If the English the, and the Greek ὁ, ἡ, τό, are not definite articles, then may Mr. Baird’s words be true. The Hebrew has but one article which is definite, a noun without the article being indefinite, except when rendered definite by the rules of construction. So the grammar of Gesenius says:— “The article is employed with a noun to limit its application, in nearly the same cases as in Greek, German and English; viz., when the subject of discourse is a definite object.” J. S. C. F. Frey, a Hebrew of repute, editor of an edition of Vander Hooght’s Hebrew Bible, and author of a Hebrew Lexicon in Latin, says in his Hebrew grammar:— “The Hebrews have but one article, expressed by Hay, with a pathach prefixed to the noun, and dagesh in the succeeding letter, as הַשָּׁמַיִם, the heavens.” Tragelles, in his valuable “Heads of Hebrew Grammar,” says:— “The article in Hebrew is formed by prefixing the letter ה to the noun, with pathach for its vowel, and dagesh in the next letter, thus, הַדָּבָר a word; הַדָּבָר the word,” &c. Prof. Green, in his Hebrew Grammar, which is now adopted in many schools, says:— “The definite article consists of ה with Pattach followed by dagesh forte in the first letter of the word to which it is prefixed, מֶלֶךְ a king, הַמֶּלֶךְ the king.” Nordheimer, who is scarcely second to any grammarian, says:— “The Hebrew definite ה, a fragment of the personal pronoun הוא is employed, agreeably to its origin, to direct particular attention to the noun to which it is prefixed. . . . Definite nouns are such as are already definite in their signification, or are made so by their construction or by receiving the definite article.” Against all this testimony we challenge Mr. Baird to produce one authority to sustain his assertion. A few words of explanation on the study of languages will enable the reader still further to judge of Mr. B.’s attainments in Hebrew. In the schools, students in Latin and Greek are exercised in the classics; but in this country, and generally with all Christian students, Hebrew literature is mostly confined to the Old-Testament Scriptures. For this reason, the Hebrew is not placed in a “college course,” but is confined to theological schools, where the object is to read the O. T. in the original. Therefore, the Hebrew Bible is the exercise book with classes in Hebrew. And as the Pentateuch is as simple in style as any part of the Scriptures, it is customary to commence in the first chapter of Genesis. And in the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis we twice find the Hebrew definite article. Therefore, allowing that Mr. Baird made his statement in all honesty, we are forced to conclude that in his study of Hebrew he did not get as far in the grammar as to the article, nor as far in his exercises as to the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis:— Now, if Mr. Baird is entirely ignorant of the Hebrew—if he knows nothing at all of the subject of which he so confidently testifies—his course is still worthy of the severest reprobation; for he has no right to testify in such an important matter, and to lead the people to stray from the precept of Jehovah, when he knows nothing of the subject; he has no right to declare that to be true of which he knows nothing. But, on the other hand, if he is not ignorant of the Hebrew, if he knows as much about it as he evidently wishes his readers to think he knows, then we know of no language with which to characterize his course. It evinces a degree of moral turpitude for which we would not wish to answer when the Chief Shepherd shall reckon with his stewards. That the reader may have the full benefit of the facts, we will quote a few passages, emphasizing the article to indicate its presence in the Hebrew original. 3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. Ex. 16 : 26. But on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath. 27. There went out some of the people on the seventh day. 29. Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30. So the people rested on the seventh day. 20 : 10. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. 11. And rested the seventh day. 23 : 12. On the seventh day thou shalt rest. 31 : 15. In the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest. 17. In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. 34 : 21. On the seventh day thou shalt rest. 35 : 2. On the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day [Heb., holiness], a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Lev. 23 : 3. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest. Deut. 5 : 14. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In each of the above passages the definite article is in the Hebrew; and thus the reader will see that “a seventh day” would not be a “literal rendering” of the commandment.—Waggoner’s Review of Baird, pp. 18–23.