2973.—The Nearest Literal Translation
Which is the most nearly a literal translation of the Scriptures as regards thought or idea, construction of sentences, and words, the Authorized, Revised, or American Revised? W. M. C. The American Standard Revised is much more uniform than the Common Version. One can easily learn this by taking a Greek and Hebrew concordance and tracing the words through. He will find that original words are translated by fewer words in the Revised Version than in the so-called Authorized, and that fewer original words are translated by the same English word. The American Revised Version is more literal than the English Revised Version, and is also nearer to the Common Version. There are some exceptions to this, as in the translation of the word “Jehovah.” This is one of the excellent features of the American Revised Version. It gives us that word without translating it “Lord,” as do the other versions. Jehovah is the covenant name of our God. Inasmuch as He revealed Himself under that name, why not use it as He designed that His children should? 2974.—Till the Son of Man Be Come
Will you kindly publish in the SIGNS your explanation of Matt. 10:23, “Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man be come”? Does it refer to the coming of the end of the world? Does it refer to the transfiguration? Also in verses 27 and 28 of chapter 16? What scriptures throw light upon this question? E. C. R. The simplest explanation to us of Matt. 10:23 is this: Presumably Jesus sent out the twelve disciples as He later did the seventy. Of the seventy we read that He “sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself was about to come.” That is, they went before His face—He followed them. Was not this true of the twelve? He sent them out into cities where He would follow them, and the declaration was that they should not have gone over the cities of Israel until He Himself would follow them in those cities and manifest Himself to the people of Israel. They were to go and say that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He Himself was the King. They were to go as heralds of the King to that nation and that people; He Himself would follow them with His wonderful teaching and mighty work. It is possible, as some hold, that it may have referred to that nation and its destruction at the fall of Jerusalem because of their rejection of Christ, and in that became a type of the last day. As to Matt. 16:27, 28, that is explained by the transfiguration. The transfiguration scene was a miniature representation of the second coming of our Lord in glory. This Peter clearly shows us in the first chapter of his second epistle. He tells us he had not followed cunningly devised fables when he made known the power and coming of Jesus Christ, but that he saw Christ in His transfigured majesty and heard God’s voice from heaven proclaiming Him His Son. Jesus’ transfiguration was a faint foreshadowing of His second coming in glory. When He comes the second time, there will be two classes of His children: those who will be raised from the dead, represented by Moses; the other, those who will be translated without seeing death, represented by Elijah.