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"completely." Atonement, in the Old Testament, is the translation of the Hebrew "chopher," a ransom, or a cover for sins. See Ex. xxix, 36, and forty or fifty other places. But it really means "at-one-ment," or “reconciliation," the result of the ransom or cover. In the New Testament the word occurs only once (Rom. v, 11), where it means "reconciliation," (Greek, xaraλλazýv;) but this meaning is now obsolete. The modern botch is used exclusively for a clumsy patch or job; but in Deut. xxviii, 27, it means "ulcer." Bravery, in Isa. iii, 18, signifies "splendor." Who recognizes in the camphire of Solomon's Song i, 14 and iv, 13 (which suggests camphor!) the sweet-smelling "cypress"? and who imagines that the caterpillar of the Old Testament is a locust with wings? The charger, in Num. vii, 13 and Matt. xiv, 8, is a dish, and not a horse; the ladder of Gen. xxviii, 12 is a staircase; the turtle of Solomon's Song ii, 12, and Jer. viii, 7, is not a tortoise, but a dove; and the nephews of Jud. xii, 14; 1 Tim. v. 4; Job xviii, 19; Isa. xiv, 22, are grandsons. The pommels of 2 Chron. iv, 12 have nothing to do with saddles, but are "globes resting on the summits of the columns. The word "quick" is almost always misunderstood in Ps. cxxiv, 3, "they had swallowed us up quick," as if it meant "rapidly." The passage means, "they had swallowed us up alive." Prevent, in Scripture means, "not prevent" (i. e., anticipate), and let means "not let " (i. e., hinder), so completely have these words turned over in signification. The latter is still used in law phrase as "hinder." Deal, in "tenth deal" (Ex. xxix, 40), means "part." Outlandish, in Neh. xiii, 26, means simply "foreign." Its modern meaning is "clownish." The fenced cities of Num. xxxii, 17, are "walled "

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cities, and the hold of Judges ix, 46; 1 Sam. xxii, 4, is a "stronghold." We use "peep " for the eyes almost altogether; but in Isa. viii, 19; x, 14, it is used of the mouth "the wizards that peep." The same word is translated "chatter" in Isa. xxxviii, 14. Intreat (which with us means "beseech") is used for "treat," as in Gen. xii, 16. Ensue (French, ensuivre) is read in 1 Pet. iii, 11 for "pursue." Evidently and comprehend are now used of mental conditions, but in the Bible we find them used of physical conditions. "He saw in a vision evidently" (i. e., clearly), Acts x, 3; comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure (i. e., grasped), Isa. xl, 12; so John i, 5.

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Conversation, in Scripture, never refers to speech, but always means "manner or course of life." Curious mistakes have been made even in the pulpit, by not observing this. Comfort, in the present use, signifies "soothing;" but in old English it had the force of the Latin confortare, and meant "strengthening." "Comfort one another with these words," in 1 Thess. iv, 18, is equal to "strengthen one another," etc. Damn and damnation are simply "condemn" and “condemnation," as in Rom. xiv, 23 and 1 Cor. xi, 29. "They shall dote," in Jer. 1, 36, is "they shall become foolish." In Zech. i, 21, the carpenters came to fray the horns, and the reader supposes that this must mean to plane" or "to saw;" but it means only "to frighten." Honest (Rom. xii, 17) and honesty (1 Tim. ii, 2) have not their present meanings, but are equivalent to our "honorable" and "honor." So modest (1 Tim. ii, 9) is our "moderate" or "seemly." Unction, in 1 John ii, 20, has the meaning of "anointing” (spiritually considered), while our modern use of unction is rather as 66 earnestness." Vocation (Eph. iv, 1)

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is the "calling" of God to be Christians, and not the trade or the occupation of life. Go to (as in James v, 1) is our modern "come," while "we do you to wit" (2 Cor. viii, 1) is the translation of two Greek words meaning, "we certify you." "We do you to wit" is, literally translated into modern English, "We make you to know." We might add another list of words whose signification has undergone a slight shade of change since King James's day, which the reader is almost sure to miss, but we have already surpassed our limits.

Since writing the above, Dr. Ezra Abbot has kindly sent me an additional list of examples, which I append. 1. Changes in Spelling. In the edition of 1611 we find aliant or alient for alien; clift for cleft; chaws for jaws; cise for size; fet for fetched (very often); flixe for flux (Acts xxviii, 8); grinne for gin; moe for more (repeatedly); ought for owed (Matt. xviii, 24, 28; Luke vii, 41); price for prize (1 Cor. ix, 24; Phil. iii, 14); rent for rend (often); then for than (constantly); utter for outer.

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2. Obsolete Words.- Bolled swollen, podded for seed (Exod. ix, 31); broided - braided (not broidered), (1 Tim. ii, 9); bruit = report (Jer. x, 22; Nah. iii, 19); neese, neesing sneeze, sneezing (2 Kings iv, 35; Job xli, 18).

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3. Words Obsolete in their Significations.-Artillery = bow and arrows (1 Sam. xx, 40); by and by immediately (Mark vi, 25; xiii, 21; Luke xvii, 7; xxi, 9); careful anxious (Phil. iv, 6); careless-free from care (Judges xviii, 7; and so carelessly, Isa. xlvii, 8, etc.); carriage baggage (1 Sam. xvii, 22; Isa. x, 28; Acts xxi, 15); coasts borders, territory (very often), to fetch a compass (Acts xxviii, 13); set a compass

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(Prov. viii, 27); convince ―convict (John viii, 46; James ii, 9); desire regret (Lat. desiderare), (2 Chron. xxi, 20); discover uncover (often); frankly freely (Luke vii, 42); instant— earnest and instantly earnestly (Luke vii, 4); liking —condition (Job xxxix, 4); with the manin the act (Num. v, 13); naughty- applied to figs (Jer. xxiv, 2); occupy―use; deal in trade (Exod. xxxviii, 24; Judg. xvi, 11; Ezek. xxvii, 9, 16, 19, 21, 22; Luke xix, 13); overrun-outrun (2 Sam. xviii, 23); painful, not " distressing," but hard, difficult (Ps. lxxiii, 16); proper-beautiful, goodly (Heb. xi, 23); purchase, not "buy," but gain, acquire (1 Tim. iii, 13); having in a readiness― being ready (2 Cor. x, 6); road (make a road) = raid (1 Sam. xxvii, 10); sometime or sometimes formerly; suddenly hastily, rashly (1 Tim. v, 22); take thought-be anxious (1 Sam. ix, 5; Matt. vi, 25); uppermost rooms-highest or most honorable places (Matt. xxiii, 6); usury-interest (Matt. xxv, 27); wealth weal, welfare (Ezra ix, 12; Esther x, 3; 1 Cor. x, 24); a wealthy place (Ps. lxvi, 12); the wealthy nation (Jer. xlix, 31); worship—honor (Luke xiv, 10); witty= wise, ingenious (Prov. viii, 12); tree-beam of wood, applied to a gallows, and especially to the cross. See the article Tree in the American edition of Smith's Bible Dictionary.

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THE PROPER NAMES OF THE BIBLE.

BY REV. CHARLES A. AIKEN, D.D.,
Professor in the Theological Seminary at Princeton, N. J.

Any complete revision of our English version of the Scriptures must bring under review its proper names. The conservative spirit which is pledged in connection with the Anglo-American Revision now in progress, must protect them from unnecessary change. The question, therefore, is not, What alterations can be justified to scholars? but rather, What are needed in carrying out the proper and declared aims of the undertaking?

Unlearned readers of our Scriptures, if at all observant, encounter inconsistencies and are perplexed by obscurities that ought to be removed. Nor can it be regarded as a forced construction put upon the demands of "faithfulness," if, within proper limits, the names of persons, peoples, places, etc., be made to conform somewhat more closely to their original cast. Bible names are often significant; and piety may be helped as well as knowledge, when the religious idea embodied in many of these names is more clearly conveyed through the improved form given to them. If this work were an essay in "spelling reform," the attempt would be made to carry out a rigorously consistent system of transliteration, even though the reader might need a new introduction to Jizchak and Ribhkah, and many a family or locality besides. A smile would be very likely to greet Binjamin.

CHANGES IN PROPER NAMES.-In many cases the familiar proper names of our old version, and our

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