The Testimony of the Pronouns.
By William N. Glenn
It is universally conceded that we have the Bible in the English language. It is true that the version in common use is the English of three centuries ago, and some forms of expression are somewhat out of date, and a few of the words convey different ideas from those attached to them when King James' translation was first published. But the general principles of construction of the language, and the relation of the parts of speech to each other, remain unchanged. For instance, the pronoun is used to represent a noun; and this rule always carries the idea that the representation is perfect; the pronoun signifies just what the noun for which it stands signifies—no more, no less. For example: Though Columbus discovered a continent, he died in poverty. It is clear that the pronoun "he" implies all that is implied by the noun "Columbus," and no more. There is no exception to this rule, whether the pronoun stand for a person, place, or thing; and there is no reason why it will not apply to Bible English as well as to that of other books. Example: "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." Isa. 25:9. There can be no disputing that "he," "his," and "him," in this example, are the exact equivalents of "God" and "Lord." With this recognized principle of the English language before us, let us examine a few texts of Scripture bearing upon man's nature. Gen. 2:7: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." Here the pronoun "his" represents "man," and must comprehend all that is meant by that term—no more, no less. Remember, he was man before the breath entered his nostrils and he became a living soul, and he was man afterward. There had been nothing added to him, only he was made to live and breathe, just as all living creatures do that live upon the land. See Gen. 7:21, 22. In Gen. 2:16, 17, it is recorded: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." In these verses the pronoun "thou" stands for "man," and must fully represent that term, including that which was formed of the dust, that which ate, and that which understood the command of the Lord. So we find all these characteristics of the man grouped together as a unit, and represented by pronouns of the singular number. Again, see chap. 3:17-19: "And unto Adam [earth] he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, . . . in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." All this was addressed to Adam—all there was of him—and the singular pronouns "thou," "thy," and "thee" stand, severally, for Adam—all there was of him—ending in death. The use of the pronouns in the account of man's creation and fall, unmistakably show that he is a unit by nature, and when he dies the whole being dies. The recognized rules of the English language regarding the use of this class of words will admit of no other construction. The inevitable conclusion is that any future life for man must be through a resurrection or translation, just as we are taught by the apostle Paul. See 1 Cor. 15:21, 22: "Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." And verses 51-53: "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." In all this there is harmony.