IN CHOOSING a word for a divine vocabulary it is a
translator's earnest wish to find one, in each case, which exactly covers
the original for which it stands. But, alas, this is not always to be had.
The next best thing is to make one. In a concordant version, if there
are several occurrences, all that is necessary is to choose the nearest
available word and use it consistently. The contexts will react upon the
word and mold it into a faithful equivalent of the original in the course
of time. Critics will object and find fault, but they do not remedy
matters by proposing a better one, so fulfill no useful end.
Yet there are some words which occur but seldom, either
in the Scriptures or outside, so that the exact signification is not
easily discovered. And even when we find it, no word covers the case. The
word apokaradokia, FROM-SKULL-SEEM, is one of the most baffling
examples. We have rendered it premonition, but not without a
presentiment that our choice would be criticized. But no critic, so far,
has suggested a better word, so the criticism has not resulted in any
advance.
The usual explanation offered is taken from the
elements FROM-HEAD, and pictures a stretched-out head as a sign of ardent
expectation. But the idiomatic meaning of a word can hardly be determined
in this way, especially as the element SEEM seems to be entirely left out
of the explanation. Besides, the thought of expectation cannot come from
the prefix FROM- because the word without this prefix, karadokia,
already means this.
A safer source of information is the Septuagint. One of
its later translators, Aquila, uses the word once in Psalm 36:7 as a
translation of the Hebrew causative of chul, TRAVAIL, where the other
translators have supplicate. He probably read the Hebrew as ichl,
WAIT. To take the word without FROM- and reason from this is not at all
satisfactory because the Greek apo-, FROM-, has a great variety of
effects in combination. The lexicons say that it "strengthens" the word,
but FROM-STEP means to step off, FROM-COVER, to uncover, FROM-SAIL, Sail
away from, etc. It is better to deal only with the compound. Aquilaused
the shorter word in Psalm 130:7 (Hebrew 129:5), for the Hebrew chld,
WAIT, and Psalm 39:5 (Hebrew 38:7), (mine age, AV) for the Hebrew chld,
TRANSIENCE. So even his work lacks the accuracy and uniformity which we
need in our investigations.
As we have two divine contexts, we can do better by
examining them microscopically than by bringing in much conflicting human
evidence. The following are the two passages as they now stand in the
CONCORDANT VERSION:
apokaradokia, FROM-SKULL-SEEM, premonition
Rom. 8:19 For the premonition of the creation is
awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God.
Phil. 1:20 in accord with my premonition and expectation, that in
naught shall I be put to shame
Let us classify it as I have done in my Logology. It
has to do with the intellect, the formation of ideas, and extends
thought into the future, and is closely related to expectation. But it
is, in some way, inferior to expectation, or we would have an anticlimax
in Philippians, just as if we had said "expectation and hope." It is not
usual to add a weaker word.
The most important point to observe is the fact that
the lower creation shares this with man. In Romans we would hardly expect
to find that the creation has expectation, because that is intelligent,
not instinctive. Are we not warranted in making it some natural longing
common to all animate creation? We know so little of animals, that we are
safer in following the Scriptures as to this rather than our own
experience. But do you think we can say that the animals are eager or
ardent in their thoughts of the future? They certainly never give any
indication of this so far as I am aware. Besides, this is more than
expectation, and would spoil Philippians. It seems much more likely that
we have to do with an intuitive, unintelligent, subconscious attitude
toward the future.
The question is, What shall we call it? If evil were in
store for the creation, we have three good words to express the thought,
presentiment, foreboding, and premonition. This is most significant.
Men are much more concerned about escaping evil than enjoying good. That
is why their vocabulary is so rich in one direction and lacking in the
other.
But there is a law of language which should come to our
help here. Where there are several synonyms without clear distinctions,
they soon tend to separate in usage, if not in sense. One is used for
the good, the other for the evil. If Shakespeare had translated the
CONCORDANT VERSION, then premonition would be used
in a good sense today. English needs such a word. It need not borrow it
from some other language as it usually does, for it has too many words of
the same meaning already. The central meaning of premonition is
correct, only it has fallen into bad company. I hoped to redeem it by
putting it in the best society, where no one can possibly charge it with
being bad. But it is not easy to regain a lost character. We must give it
time.
We hope that this account will help our friends to
sympathize intelligently with our efforts, and bear with what may seem
to be defects in our work. Always, there's a reason. The curse of Babel
still hangs over us. It cannot be set aside. But conformity to law and
time, will do marvels. The vocabulary of the CONCORDANT
VERSION, where it now comes short, is planned so as to
automatically correct itself. Indeed, it is a process, akin to the
purification of the Greek and Hebrew by its use in the Scriptures, which
we hope to accomplish. In a few hundred years such a version will be just
as venerable as any other and unbelievably more accurate. It is more
important, at present, that this word should be rendered uniformly, than
that it should be absolutely correct in usage. It can be converted to
the good if we will give it time. But if anyone knows a better, I will be
most pleased to place it in the version.
