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LITERARY NOTICES

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 3, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 36.

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LITERARY NOTICES.

THE HOLY BIBLE, CONTAINING THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, TRANSLATED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL TONGUES; BEING THE VERSION SET FORTH A. D. 1611, COMPARED WITH THE MOST ANCIENT AUTHORITIES, AND REVISED A. D. 1881-1885. NEWLY EDITED BY THE AMERICAN REVISION COMMITTEE A. D. 1901. Standard Edition. Thomas Nelson & Sons, 37 East 18th Street, New York.
The above is the title page of the most perfect translation of the Bible into English there is in the world.
When the Revised Version was made it was agreed that in all ultimate differences between the English and American Revisers, the English Revisers, who initiated the undertaking, should have the decisive vote. To even this up, it was proposed by the British Revisers that the American preferences should be published in an appendix in every copy of the Revised Bible for a period of fourteen years. This the American Committee agreed to, and also pledged themselves to give no sanction to any other edition of the Revised Version than those issued by the University Presses of England.
But when the Revised Version was published it did not seem best to the American Committee to arrange all its preferences in an appendix, because of a lack of time; and it was thought, too, that if only the more conservative differences were presented, the British Revisers would recognize their superiority, and adopt them. But this hope was not realized. The British Revisers dissolved their organization. The American Revisers preserved theirs, obtaining and collating criticisms till the expiration of the fourteen-year period. Then, fortified and encouraged by the best scholarship, they gave to the public the American Standard Revision.
Among its chief features of excellence are the following:—
1. The name “Jehovah” is substituted for the terms “LORD” and “GOD” printed in the Common Version and Revised Version in small capitals. There are numerous places where the beauty and strength of the passage is greatly enhanced by the change. There are lords many and gods many, but Jehovah is one.
2. The original words for “hell,” “pit,” “grave,” “Sheol” in Hebrew and “Hades” in the Greek, are given instead of the English for the place or condition of the dead. Where “Gehenna” occurs in the New Testament it is rendered “hell,” with the Greek word in the margin. This uniformity will greatly aid the English Bible student.
3. “An” and “a” are made uniform with the usages of the best English of America, as is also the use of “who,” “which,” and “that,” and “will” and “shall.”
4. “Holy Spirit” is uniformly used for “Holy Ghost.”
5. The word “demon” (plural “demons”) is used instead of “devil” (plural “devils”) where representing the Greek word “daimon” in singular and plural. “Diabolos” is always in the singular, and applies to Satan.
6. After “baptize” is placed “in” instead of “with.”
7. “Testament” is everywhere changed to “covenant.”
These, tho not all the changes by any means, are sufficient to show that the character of the changes made are all in the interests of clearness and uniformity of rendering. All archaic or obsolete terms are substituted by terms in current usage, such as “know” and “knew” for “wot” and “wist,” “drag” for “hale,” “boil” for “seethe,” “diminish” for “minish,” “astonished” for “astonied,” “grain” for “corn,” “since” for “sith,” “settings” for “ouches,” and similarly many others too numerous to mention. At the same time the dignified, solemn, clear, forceful style so permanently associated with the Bible is retained.
The paragraphing is better than in the R. V.; the verse numbers are better in the text than in the margin, and in no way interfere with the reading, and the punctuation is much more uniform.
It has center-column marginal references to parallel and explanatory scriptures, with various notes and readings in the margin.
It is printed in two general styles, in bourgeois and clear long primer type, and sold in various styles of binding at prices ranging from $1.00 to $10.00.
It is the translation of the Bible par excellence, and we hope it may come into general use.