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II. WHAT WORDS HAVE THE REVISERS INTRODUCED?

Of the above-named total number of words in the text of the Revised Bible, 70,772 —equal to nine per cent of the whole-have been introduced by the Revisers. In this Bible every one of those words is inclosed either by parallels or upright dashes, and its character, as an introduced word, is thus known at sight.

The total number of places having diacritical marks in the text is (O. T., 3o,955 ; N. T., 17,501) 48,456. In about 675 instances the marginal alternative renderings of the Version of 1611 have contributed to the alterations in the Revised text. Cases of this kind are indicated by a section-mark.

III. WHAT WORDS OF THE VERSION OF 1611 HAVE THE REVISERS EXCLUDED FROM THE TEXT?

For the purpose of comparing the Revised with the Common Version, it is not enough that the introduced words of the former be diacritically marked; the excluded words should also, and on the same page, be exhibited with equal distinctness. The latter class comprises 65,508 words. In this Bible every one of them appears in the foot-notes headed "Version of 1611," and its character, as a word excluded from the text, is thus known at sight.

Words disappearing from the text, besides being given in the foot-notes, will often be found as alternative renderings in the Revision margin.

When, to the facts given under the preceding inquiries, it is added that the Alternative Renderings found in the Revisers' Marginal Notes have, equally with the text, been compared with the Common Version and included in the marking, readers of this Preface will have a comprehension of the essential features of what is distinctive in the present edition of the Revised Version. They can, therefore, begin at once to use the work with profit and delight. There are other items, however, which, though of minor importance, may properly be brought to their notice.

1. The text of the Common Version used (with the approval of eminent Biblical scholars in this country) for purposes of comparison in the preparation of this volume is that of the "Cambridge Paragraph Bible of the Authorized English Version," edited by the Rev. F. H. SCRIVENER, M. A., LL. D., and published in the year 1873. DR. SCRIVENER states the object of his prolonged labor to be that "of supplying to scholars and divines their much-felt want of a critical edition of the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible," and he calls attention to the fact "that numberless and not inconsiderable departures from the original or standard edition of the Authorized Translation as published in 1611 are to be found in the modern Bibles which issue from the press by thousands every year." "Not a few of these variations," he goes on to say, especially those first met with in Cambridge folio Bibles dated 1629 and 1638, which must have been superintended with much critical care, amend manifest faults of the original Translators or editors, so that it would be most injudicious to remove them from the place they have deservedly held in all our copies for the last 240 years." The "Cambridge Paragraph Bible," as would be inferred from the foregoing, conforms to our "modern Bibles" whereever, in the judgment of its editor, they "amend manifest faults of the original Translators or editors," but where their variations are believed to be "for the worse," it restores the rendering found in the original edition as published in 1611.

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2. The Appendices of the two American Revision Companies have from the first been regarded by the scholarship of this country as of very great value. The synod of a leading religious denomination has within the present month, in dealing with

the subject of the Revised Version of the Scriptures, placed on record its conviction that, whatever may be the fate of the Appendices in England, they "will be in some way utilized for an American standard edition of the Revised Version." The verses which those Appendices designate as affected by the suggestions of the American Revisers are 1225 in number. It is manifestly desirable that, when he meets these passages in his reading, the student of the Revision should be able to distinguish them. In this volume the numeral of every such verse has an asterisk prefixed. An additional remark is here necessary. Each Appendix of the Revisers, it will be observed, begins with suggestions relating to "Classes of Passages." For the most part, the particular passages composing the "Classes" are not specified. In those cases the asterisk could not be made serviceable. This, however, does not lessen its utility where it does occur.

3. The marginal verse notation, properly employed in connection with the paragraph system of the Revision, involves what is widely regarded as a considerable inconvenience. It is very often impossible to tell where a verse begins. In this edition, the use made of the degree-mark entirely obviates that difficulty.

4. The words introduced by the Revisers are, in the Old Testament, about seven and two fifths per cent of the text; in the New Testament, about fourteen and one fifth per cent. In the whole Bible, as stated above, they constitute nine per cent.

5. The foot-notes of the entire Bible average 60 words each; those of the Old Testament, 49 words; those of the New Testament, 93 words. With these data in mind, the reader, on observing the bracketed numeral at the end of any footnote, will instantly know whether the amount of revisional change on that page exceeds or falls below the average of either of the Testaments, or of both combined. Accuracy in matters of this kind, as distinguished from random guessing, will not be without its influence in securing for the Revised Version its right place in the popular regard.

6. Fourteen entire verses have been cancelled by the New Testament Revisers. They are the following: Matt. xxii. 21; xviii. 11; Mark vii. 16; ix. 44, 46; xi. 26; xv. 28; Luke xvii. 36; xxiii. 17; John v. 4; Acts vii. 37; xv. 34; xxiv. 7; xxviii. 29.

7. Our remaining observations will relate to the Diacritical scheme exemplified throughout this work.

(1) The curve (whether before or after) is specially useful when found in connection with the numeral of a verse containing no words introduced by the Revisers, as it guards the reader against supposing that the passage is unchanged.

(2) Words substituted by the Revisers very often have positions in the text dif ferent from those formerly occupied by their superseded alternatives. The footnotes do not, therefore, invariably furnish the means of determining the precise order of words in the text of the Common Version.

(3) The reader's convenience is sometimes served, in the work of comparing the two versions, by marking one phrase against another, even though both contain the same word. It is quite possible that this might have been done much oftener with advantage, and that the rule of not allowing a common word to appear in the text and foot-notes has been observed with needless rigor. However, the matter is not of much consequence.

(4) Precision in exhibiting revisional alternations is sometimes sacrificed in order that the same word may not be marked in the text and appear also in the foot-notes. An example will illustrate the point. In Nehemiah vii. 19 the Revisers have substituted "spake of" for "reported," and "reported" for "uttered." The treatment of the verse in this volume shows "spake of" inclosed, and "uttered"

placed in the foot-notes, while "reported" has been left unmarked in the text, and a curve placed after the verse numeral to indicate a change in the order of the retained words. Instances of this method of marking are exceptional.

(5) While the words introduced by the Revisers are necessarily either additions or substitutions, it should be borne in mind that the two kinds of marks of inclosure employed in our diacritical work are not to be understood by a simple reference to that distinction. Upright dashes inclose only added words, but not all added words. Parallels, on the other hand, inclose all substituted words, but are not restricted to them. Where an added and a substituted word are conjoined, parallels inclose both; they also inclose all added words which, though introduced apart from substitutions, occupy the places of words excluded by the Revisers. Finally, parallels are in occasional instances somewhat loosely employed-in order to avoid using a curve after the verse numeral — in passages where there has been revisional addition and exclusion, but not strict alternation.

The labor which is here brought to a close has been a heavy one. Unceasing vigilance was required at every step as a condition of the degree of accuracy attained in its execution. That price was willingly paid; and the work is now commended to the favor of all who love the Holy Word and to the blessing of its Divine Author.

RUFUS WENDELL.

ALBANY, N. Y., July 13, 1886.

NOTE.- The "Explanation of Diacritical Marks and Foot-notes" employed in this volume will be found on the page facing the first chapter of the Book of Genesis.

I.

NUMERICAL SUMMARY.

BELOW is an explanation of the four numeral columns of the subjoined tabular statement. Column 1 gives the number of words in the text of every book of the Revised Bible.

The

aggregate is 792,444 words (O. T., 612,530; N. T., 179,914). Column 2 gives the number of words introduced by the Revisers into the text of every book. The aggregate is 70,772 words (O. T., 45,248; N. T., 25,524).

Column 3 gives the number of words excluded by the Revisers from the text of every book.
The aggregate is 68,508 words (O. T., 42,611; N. T., 25,897).
Column 4 shows what percentage (i. e., how many words in a thousand) of the text of every
book is composed of words introduced by the Revisers.

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1. The Bible contains 1189 chapters (O. T., 929; N. T., 260). The average length of a Revised Bible chapter is 666 words; of an O. T. chapter, 659] words; of a N. T. chapter, 692 words; of a Psalm, 293 words.

2. The average length of a Bible verse is 25 words; of an O. T. verse, 26 words; of a N. T. verse 228 words.

3. The text of the Old Testament is 77 per cent of the Revised Bible; the text of the New Testament is 22 per cent of the Revised Bible.

4. The Revised Bible contains 31,088 verses (O. T., 23,145; N. T., 7943). The number of verses which the Revisers have left verbally unchanged is 8166,- equal to

26 per cent of the total number. The verbally unchanged verses of the O. T. (=7295) are 31 per cent of its verses; those of the N. T. (=871) are 11 per cent of its verses. The 8166 verbally unchanged verses of both Testaments are numerically one in excess of the 222 verses of Ecclesiastes added to the 7943 verses of the N. T. Of the 8166 verbally unchanged verses 815 (O. T., 747 ; N. T., 68) have alternate renderings in the Revisers' Margin.

5. There are in the Revised Bible 866 verses (O. T., 589 ; N. T., 277) which, in the text, the Revisers have verbally changed only by the exclusion of some word or words. 6. There are 1051 verses (O. T., 797; N. T., 254) which the Revisers have verbally changed only by the addition of some word or words.

7. The words introduced into the text by the Revisers are equal in amount to one hundred and six average Bible chapters.

III.

THE WORK OF THE REVISION COMPANIES.

THE British Company of New Testament Revisers began its work on the 22d of June, 1870, and finished the same on the 11th of November, 1880. During that time it held 407 meetings.

The American New Testament Revisers began their work October 4, 1872, and concluded it October 22, 1880.

The British Old Testament Revision Company began its work June 30, 1870, and finished it June 20, 1884. It held 792 meetings of six hours each.

The American Old Testament Company began its work October 4, 1872, and completed the same at the close of 1884.

The Revised New Testament was published in May, 1881; the Revised Old Testament, in May, 1885.

IN THE TEXT.

CORRIGENDA.

Delete the curve before verse-numeral, Gen. x.'11;
xxxiii. 15; xlvii. 26, 30: Exodus ii. 3; Lev. vi. 4;
Deut. xxii. 23: Jer. xxxv. 4; Lam. iii. 13.
Insert the curve before verse-numeral, Lev. iii. 9;
xvi 6

Delete the curve after verse-numeral, II. Sam. xi. 19;
II. Kings xxiii. 12.

Gen. xiv. 17, inclose "vale" in parallels.

Prov. vi. 2, insert verse-numeral; xviii. 4, substitute upright dashes for parallels.

Rom. v. 12, insert section-mark (§) before “

ciliation."

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