2 Corinthians 4:1-6, chapter 3. 2 Corinthians 7:1, chapter 5. Ephesians 5:1-2, chapter 4. Colossians 6:3, chapter 2. Psalms 42 and 43 were originally one, as appears from their structure and from seven manuscripts. Joel 2:28, ought to begin a new section or chapter. Nahum 1:15, ought to begin chapter 2. Job 40:1-14, ought to come in after chapter 42:6. Micah 5:1 belongs to chapter 4. Acts 22 begins in the middle of a sentence. By separating Matthew 19 from chapter 18 a parable is dissevered from the doctrine it was designed to illustrate. By the division of 1 Corinthians 11 from chapter 10, the apostle's exhortation to be followers of him is separated from the exhibition of his conduct proposed as a pattern, and makes it appear that he represents himself as a perfest copy of Christ in his life, and the following of his example as equivalent to that of following Christ, which was far from his spirit and his declarations elsewhere. There being therefore no scriptural authority for the division into chapters and verses, if in any case a different division will make a better sense it ought to be made. Thus take 1 Timothy, 3:15-16, "the Church" is declared to be "the pillar and ground of the truth." Now put a full stop after "Church of the living God," and throw "the pillar and ground of the truth," (or, as it should be rendered, "a pillar and a ground," and not (as Christ alone is) the pillar and the ground of the truth,) into verse 16, and then it will read: "A pillar and ground of the Truth, and without controversy great, is the mystery of godliness," a rendering confirmed by chapter 1:15 and chapter 4:9. It would be far better if in our ordinary Bibles the marks of division into verses, useful only for the convenience of reference, were transferred altogether, as is done in some editions, from the text to the margin. Mixed up as they are with the stops, and often interfering with them, they occasion perpetual confusion and apparently different meanings. This is increased by the frequent occurrence-and often as inappropriately-of another sign (,) to indicate a new paragraph and a different subject or train of thought. This sign too is only used in the Gospels and Acts, and to distinguish the inscriptions to the Epistles from the Epistles themselves, though these are both unreliable and unauthorized. But no marks of division found in our Bibles require more careful investigation on the part of preachers of the Word, and readers also, than those which point out what is parenthetical, that is, remarks thrown in by the way, as suggested by a word or thought, and which interfere with the continued argument or train of thought. This form of writing is particularly characteristic of the Apostle Paul, in whose writings are some things hard to be understood. Impressed vividly with some thought he turns aside to convey it to his readers, and then returns to the main subject precisely where he had left it, though to many of his readers the connection is entirely lost. What is the result of a vigorous elasticity of thought in Paul, yielding to the pressure of occurring ideas, without losing hold of his continuous argument, is abrupt and perplexing to many. They read him as if he wrote separate passages, and not coherent and cogent epistolary discourses. They confound the leading and the subordinate point, the passing reflection with the progressive discussion. Now, a proper division into paragraphs, and a proper use of the parenthetic mark, would greatly facilitate the right understanding of his and other Scripture writings. Thus in Romans, chapter 16, from verse 1 to 16 inclusive, is one long parenthesis in which the heart of the apostle runs out after friends brought vividly to remembrance, one after another, and then he resumes his closing exhortations. 2 Corinthians 3:17 should be marked off to the eye as a parenthesis, in order to make the sense clear. It is only an explanation suggested by the statement, that when the Jews shall turn to the Lord the veil shall be removed from their hearts. He anticipates and meets an objection that Jesus, being now in heaven, they could not turn unto Him, and adds the words: "Now, the Lord is that Spirit," or more exactly the Spirit, to show that he means turning to Him spiritually, as being one with that Holy Spirit whom he has sent to be our Comforter. "By the Lord I mean His Holy Spirit," or the Holy Spirit. This last is an instance of a parenthesis within a parenthesis, of which there are several in this apostle's writings. The larger parenthesis begins at verse 13 and continues to the end of the chapter. The contrast between the Jews who had "a veil on their hearts," and we all who behold "with open face," being interrupted, first, by his saying that the veil would be taken away from them also when they turned unto the Lord, and that, secondly by what he meant by turning to the Lord. There are also many Hebrew idioms and Syriac idioms requiring explanation, and admitting of apt and beautiful illustration, which demand the preacher's attention; and the use of soul for person; the peculiar use of ten and seven. There are also plurals in the original not noticed in any translation, which are nevertheless of great significance and importance, as in Genesis 20:3, the gods made me wander; Exodus, 2:4, these are thy gods, O, Israel; Ecclesiastes 12:1, remember thy creators; Genesis 35:7, gods appeared unto him; Psalms 49:2 let Israel rejoice in his makers; plural and singular titles of God, personal and essential sometimes separately used and often conjoined: (as in the great commandment "hear, O Israel, the Gods (plural) thy Jehovah (singular) is (nevertheless) ONE GOD,") all of which doubtless refer to the triunity of persons in one Godhead. T. S. |