erred by the thought that to do so
you must read widely and consult many authorities. This is really not
necessary for the acquiring of an intelligent interest in the text of the
Greek Testament. With a good edition (with appended critical
authorities), whether that of Tischendorf or of Tregelles, and with
guidance such as that which you will find in the compendious _Companion
to the Greek Testament_ of Dr. Schaff, you will be able to begin, and
when you have seriously begun, you will not be, I am persuaded, very
likely to leave off.

ADDRESS IV
NATURE OF THE RENDERINGS

From the text we now turn to the renderings, and to the general
principles that were followed, both in the Old and in the New Testament.
The revision of the English text was in each case subject to the same
general rule, viz. "To introduce as few alterations as possible into the
Text of the Authorised Version consistently with faithfulness"; but,
owing to the great difference between the two languages, the Hebrew and
the Greek, the application of the rule was necessarily different, and the
results not easily comparable the one with the other.

It will be best then to consider the renderings in the two Testaments
separately, and to form the best estimate we can of their character and
of their subordination to the general rule, with due regard to the widely
different nature of the structure and grammatical principles of the two
languages through which God has been pleased to reveal His truth to the
children of men.

I. We begin then with the Revised Version of the Old Testament, and
naturally turn for general guidance to the Preface of those who were
engaged in the long, diversified, and responsible work. Their general
principles as to departures from the Authorised Version would appear to
be included in the following clearly-specified particulars. They
departed from the Authorised Version (_a_) where they did not agree with
it as to the meaning or construction of a word or sentence; (_b_) where
it was necessary, for the sake of uniformity, to render such parallel
passages as were identical in Hebrew by the same English words; (_c_)
where the English of the Authorised Version was liable to be
misunderstood by reason of its being archaic or obscure; (_d_) where the
rendering of an earlier English version seemed preferable; and (_e_)
where, by an apparently slight change, it was possible to bring out more
fully the meaning of a passage of