||
                 ||||||||
                    ||                       How beautiful on the mountains
                    ||                       are the feet of those ... who
                    ||                       proclaim salvation, who say to
                                             Zion, "Your God reigns!"
          Pastor RALPH & GENE ANN WOOD                  --Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)
          E-mail:  randg.wood@encode.com
          FRESH MANNA, 14/05/1998 ........................ 2 TIMOTHY 2:15e4
          Be diligent to present yourself to God, "approved":-- a worker
          who has no need to be ashamed, CUTTING STRAIGHT the word of truth.
                                                     --2 TIMOTHY 2:15 (RLW)
             The interpretation of the very first word of 2 TIMOTHY 2:15,
          "SPOUDASON", gives us an excellent example of "cutting straight".
          The KJV translates "SPOUDASON" as, "Study"; modern versions, "Be
          diligent".  Hmm.  What -does- this word mean, in the Greek?
             When you begin "cutting straight" a passage of Scripture, the
          second thing to consider is the vertical dimension:-- what are the
          meanings of the words used in the original language?  I.e., what
          did the Holy Spirit inspire the Biblical writer to say?  Let us
          see how various resources help us learn what "SPOUDASON" means!
             N.B.:-- Do remember that the KJV, and related translations and
          resources, follow the "Textus Receptus", an early edition of the
          Greek New Testament.  Modern translations, and related resources,
          follow modern editions of the Greek NT, based on a broader range
          of Greek manuscripts.  Over centuries of copying by hand, the old
          Greek manuscripts came to differ somewhat from each other.  Thus,
          you will find places where old and new versions of the Bible just
          disagree on what the original Greek actually said.  When you find
          such places, we'd suggest the modern versions may be correct.  In
          2 TIMOTHY 2:15 however, the old and new editions of the Greek are
          identical; so that issue is not a problem here in this verse!
             What -is- a problem, is that this Fresh Manna is written for
          people who likely haven't studied Greek, and don't have the same
          resources a pastor would have.  The -good- news is that Strong's
          Exhaustive Concordance to the KJV overcomes this problem for you!
          We'll give this example in terms of the -book-; however, computer
          software, or Bible study Web site search engines, are quicker and
          easier to use, if you have them available.
             So, take your KJV Bible and look up 2 TIMOTHY 2:15.  You will
          find it begins, "STUDY to shew thyself approved".  Now, take your
          (KJV-based) Strong's Concordance, and look up the word, "STUDY".
          In Strong's, we find 3 verses listed where "study" is used in the
          KJV.  Beside the entry for "2Ti 2:15" is the number "*4704".  The
          asterisk tells us the word is translated -differently- in the RV;
          "4704" in italics tells us this word is listed in Strong's Greek
          Dictionary (at the back of Strong's Concordance), as Greek word
          number 4704.  Now, go to the back of the book, to the "Dictionary
          Of The Greek Testament" (i.e., the Textus Receptus, which the KJV
          follows).  Look up Greek word 4704.  You may not read Greek, but
          you -can- read the Arabic numerals!  Here, you will find that the
          infinitive form of this verb is, "SPOUDAZW", and that it means,
          "to USE SPEED, i.e. to MAKE EFFORT, BE PROMPT or EARNEST:--".  If
          you look at the related words, 4705-4710, you will find some of
          them mean, "prompt, energetic, earnest"; "more earnestly, very
          promptly"; "more prompt, more earnest"; "more speedily, sooner";
          "earnestly, promptly"; and "speed, i.e. ... despatch, eagerness,
          earnestness".  Sounds pretty "diligent", to me!
             If you used Bauer/Arndt & Gingrich's "Greek-English Lexicon",
          you'd find -it- shows that SPOUDAZW means:-- "(1) hasten, hurry;
          (2) be zealous or eager, take pains, make every effort".  I.e.,
          much the same as what Strong's Dictionary says this word means.
          And similarly, B/AG show those related words we mentioned above,
          as meaning, "eager, zealous, earnest, diligent, eagerly intent";
          "(1) with haste, with special urgency; (2) diligently, earnestly,
          zealously, strongly, eagerly"; "(1) haste, speed; (2) eagerness,
          earnestness, diligence, zeal; good will, devotion; effort".
             This is enlightening; but you have -other- resources available
          to you-- other translations made by other New Testament scholars.
          So, now, compare as many translations of this verse as you can,
          and see how -they- translate "SPOUDASON", in 2 TIMOTHY 2:15.
          Here are some examples:
                   ==============================================
                   Bible Version(s)          SPOUDASON
                   ----------------------------------------------
                   KJV ..................... Study
                   ASV, ROBERTSON's ........ Give diligence
                   NKJV, NAS, YOUNG's ...... Be diligent
                   DARBY ................... Strive diligently
                   RSV, NIV, GNB ........... Do your best
                   WEYMOUTH ................ Earnestly seek
                   BARCLAY's commentary .... Put out every effort
                   KNOX'S ENGLISH VULGATE .. Aim first at
                   ----------------------------------------------
             Here we see that all of these except the KJV, including those
          which are KJV revisions, translate the word, "SPOUDASON" in ways
          meaning, "Be diligent", rather than, "Read many books".  Sounds
          like the majority view is clearly in favour of "diligence"!
             Ok!  Now let's consult Bible commentaries!  Take as many good
          commentaries as you have, and see what they have to say about the
          meaning of "SPOUDASON" in 2 TIMOTHY 2:15.  Some don't mention it.
          Those which do, clearly take "SPOUDASON" to mean "Be diligent".
          Indeed, Guthrie even specifies, "SPOUDAZW contains the notion of
          persistent `zeal' which STUDY misses".  That sums it up.   --RLW
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