From that ancient version of the Scriptures, called the Septuagint, the Greek translation, used so largely by New Testament writers, and which was the first translation of the Scriptures ever made, we will present a few thoughts that may be helpful to the Bible student.
Eve, Zoe, Living, Life.—Concerning the mother of the race it is said that “Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” The margin has for Eve, “Living.” The Septuagint has Zoe, meaning life. This is the same word that we find in Luke 16:25, “Son, remember that thou in thy life receivedst thy good things.” (“Life” is really the correct word in this instance, as “time” does not occur in the original.) It is from this word Zoe that zoology, the science of animal life, is derived. The fact that mother Eve was called “Life,” makes the Scripture statement in Job 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble,” more significant.
We can not help contrasting this person, who was given the name “Life,” with another Being who took the same appellation, and who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” and of whom it was said, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” “Christ is our life.” In him we have life. It will be noticed that the name “life” was given to Eve after the fall. The life that comes to us through her can be but a brief existence, the same as she herself at that time possessed, but the life that comes through Him who is our life must be unending, as His life is also without termination.
The Cataracts of Heaven.—In speaking of the flood, in Gen. 7:11, it is stated that “the windows of heaven were opened.” The statement in the Greek is that “the cataracts [katarraktai] of heaven were opened.” Many have had opportunity to witness a cataract, or waterfall, and certainly must have been awestruck with the sight; but what a minute affair would even a Niagara be by the side of these cataracts of heaven that poured out from the sky their immeasurable volumes of water, and thus flooded the earth! It sometimes seems difficult to understand how the highest mountains could have been overflowed with water, but when we think of waters pouring down from the heights above with the volume of these immense cataracts, we can easily perceive that the results stated would very naturally follow, and the highest mountains on earth be covered.
The Separation of Abram and Lot.—Gen. 13:5, 6 states that the flocks and possessions of Abram and Lot were so numerous that “the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was so great.” A Greek term is used in this verse, the application of which throws light upon an expression found in John 21:25, which verse reads as follows: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” A great many inquiries are raised concerning this statement, and the imagination stretches itself out indefinitely to try to understand how this can be. Some can only think of books piled up as they are in a book depository, in one solid mass all over the globe as high as the sky, and that, even stored in this manner, still there would not be room enough on earth to contain these books. We will just notice that in the expression in Gen. 13:6, translated “was not able to bear them,” the same Greek term is translated bear that is rendered contain in John 21:25. We can easily understand the situation in reference to the herds of Abram and Lot—that there was not ground enough in the surrounding country to properly sustain these numerous animals, but no one would get the idea of cattle, and sheep, and horses literally packed together like a pile of stones or wood. There might be a few of these to the acre and still the land not be able to bear them. Just so the capacity of the world for making a proper use of inspired books is so limited that it could not contain or rightly apply all the voluminous history that might have been written concerning Christ’s work, and the Lord saw fit to have merely that amount handed down to us that was necessary and profitable for our use.
Abram’s Reward.—In Gen. 15:1 is the statement that the Lord said to Abram, “Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.” The Greek rendering of this is, “Fear not, Abram, I shield thee, thy reward shall be very great.” It will be noticed that in this chapter particular and definite promise is given to Abram of an heir, and of the inheritance for his seed. Of this inheritance Paul states in Rom. 4:13 that the promise was “that he should be the heir of the world.”
Purity of Heart.—In Gen. 20:5, 6 we have an account of the transaction in which the Lord rebuked King Abimelech for his course toward Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Abimelech stated that in the integrity of his heart he had done this. The Lord replies to him that he knew that he did it in the integrity of his heart, and he says, “I also withheld thee from sinning against me.” The Greek expression for “in the integrity of my heart” is “with a pure heart,” or “a clean heart.” It is the same expression as that used where the psalmist prays in Ps. 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” We may from this be encouraged to understand that there are those upon whom God looks as having clean hearts, for he said to Abimelech that he knew that he had done what he did with a pure heart; and this condition is introduced, as it would appear, in the case of a so-called heathen, and under circumstances in which most of us would doubtless have been quite free to condemn a man as having a very impure heart. The heart is seen and known by God alone, and the circumstances as well as the motives are often misunderstood by us. There is only One who knows the hearts of all men. Acts 1:24.