This versus that

Some of you probably aren’t as crazy about various odd details concerning words as I am. I was fascinated noticing the usage of my/mine and thy/thine in the King James Bible – also O/Oh.

Thine and Thy.

“Thy” and “thine” are the singular possessive case of thou/thee (used as an attributive adjective before a noun). For example, thy seed, thy table, thine eyes, thine heart.

Thy = Possessive (usually used before a noun that begins with a consonant, as in “thy brother”)

Thine = Possessive (usually used before a noun that begins with a vowel or vowel sound, as in “thine eyes”; or in place of a noun, as in “this is thine”)

Examples

• In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
• in thy mouth, and in thy heart
• I will not take any thing that is thine
• Lift up now thine eyes
• What is that in thine hand?
• thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever (thine = that which belongs to thee)

Interesting – both thine heart and thy heart are used

“Thy heart” is found in 19 verses of the King James Bible – 14 in the OT and 5 in the NT.

All (19)

Old Testament (14)

• Genesis (1)
• Deuteronomy (4)
• 1 Samuel (2)
• 2 Kings (1)
• Proverbs (1)
• Ecclesiastes (2)
• Isaiah (2)
• Daniel (1)

New Testament (5)

• Matthew (1)
• Mark (1)
• Luke (1)
• Acts (1)
• Romans (1)

“Thine heart” is found in 103 verses in the King James Bible – 97 in the OT and 6 in the NT.

All (103)

Old Testament (97)

• Exodus (1)
• Leviticus (1)
• Deuteronomy (19)
• Judges (5)
• 1 Samuel (4)
• 2 Samuel (2)
• 1 Kings (3)
• 2 Kings (3)
• 1 Chronicles (1)
• 2 Chronicles (5)
• Job (5)
• Psalm (2)
• Proverbs (19)
• Ecclesiastes (2)
• Song of Solomon (1)
• Isaiah (6)
• Jeremiah (6)
• Lamentations (1)
• Ezekiel (8)
• Daniel (2)
• Obadiah (1)

New Testament (6)

• Acts (4)
• Romans (2)

Numbers of verses based on searching for “thy heart” and “thine heart” in the “Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)” at BibleGateway.com.

Mine and My.

“My and Mine indicate a type of right to something or any possession of anything.”

Usually (possibly) “my” is a possessive adjective (a form of the possessive case of “I” used as an attributive adjective; my car, my sweater) and “mine” is a possessive pronoun (a form of the possessive case of “I” used as a predicate adjective; the yellow sweater is mine, mine is the red car). Or, stated another way, “my” is a possessive adjective that comes before a noun, while “mine” is a possessive pronoun that can stand alone. However, this seems to be a more modern definition that does not always align with the use of “mine” in the King James Bible. Many dictionaries will likely say that “mine” used as a possessive adjective is “archaic.” In the KJV “mine” is used instead of “my” before a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h, or following a noun). For example, mine eyes.

Interesting – both mine heart and my heart are used

“My heart” is found in 180 verses of the King James Bible – 166 in the OT and 14 in the NT.

All (180)

Old Testament (166)

• Genesis (3)
• Exodus (4)
• Deuteronomy (5)
• Joshua (1)
• Judges (2)
• 1 Samuel (3)
• 2 Samuel (3)
• 1 Kings (7)
• 2 Kings (1)
• 1 Chronicles (5)
• 2 Chronicles (4)
• Nehemiah (2)
• Esther (1)
• Job (9)
• Psalm (57)
• Proverbs (9)
• Ecclesiastes (9)
• Song of Solomon (2)
• Isaiah (9)
• Jeremiah (14)
• Lamentations (3)
• Ezekiel (7)
• Daniel (1)
• Hosea (3)
• Zechariah (1)
• Malachi (1)

New Testament (14)

• Matthew (3)
• Luke (1)
• John (1)
• Acts (2)
• Romans (2)
• Philippians (1)
• Colossians (1)
• Hebrews (3)

“Mine heart” is found in 50 verses in the King James Bible – 48 in the OT and 2 in the NT.

All (50)

Old Testament (48)

• Genesis (1)
• Deuteronomy (2)
• Joshua (1)
• Judges (1)
• 1 Samuel (3)
• 1 Kings (2)
• 2 Kings (2)
• 1 Chronicles (3)
• 2 Chronicles (2)
• Nehemiah (1)
• Job (2)
• Psalm (8)
• Proverbs (1)
• Ecclesiastes (8)
• Isaiah (1)
• Jeremiah (7)
• Lamentations (2)
• Hosea (1)

New Testament (2)

• Acts (2)

Numbers of verses based on searching for “my heart” and “mine heart” in the “Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)” at BibleGateway.com.

O and Oh.

“O” is addressive, used at the beginning of a line to show a direct address to a person, object, or idea. Some call it “a poetic apostrophe.”

“Oh” is expressive, an interjection we use to express a bunch of different emotions, like a sense of surprise, excitement, or even disappointment.

“O” occurs over a thousand times in the King James Bible.

• “O Lord” occurs in 335 verses.
• “O Father” occurs in 3 verses.
• “O son of ...” occurs in 6 verses.
• “O man ...” occurs in 9 verses.
• “O men ...” occurs in 1 verse.
• “O foolish ...” occurs in 3 verses.
• “O wicked ...” occurs in 2 verses.
• “O righteous ...” occurs in 1 verse.
• “O king ...” occurs in 48 verses.
• “O prince’s...” occurs in 1 verse.
• “O woman ...” occurs in 1 verse.
• “O Zion” occurs in 6 verses.
• “O Jerusalem...” occurs in 16 verses.
• “O Samaria ...” occurs in 1 verse.
• “O Israel ...” occurs in 35 verses.
• “O Jacob ...” occurs in 11 verses.

“Oh/oh” occurs in 37 verses in the King James Bible, all in the OT.

Old Testament (37)

• Genesis (5)
• Exodus (1)
• Judges (2)
• 1 Samuel (1)
• 2 Samuel (2)
• 1 Chronicles (2)
• Job (9)
• Psalm (11)
• Isaiah (1)
• Jeremiah (3)

Numbers of verses based on searching for “O” and “Oh” in the “Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)” at BibleGateway.com.

Poke Salad Granny

 

Native Oak Flat Pokeweed, amongst other weedy vegetation

On the 20th (last Saturday), Kim and I went to the 48th Annual Poke Salad Festival in Blanchard, Louisiana. We enjoyed the drive through the country, seeing new places, and strolling by the antique cars & festival booths. However, the festival was not particularly “poke-salady.” It seemed to only be that in name, without any particular emphasis on poke salad. I guess I expected more would be done to relate the festival to the traditional Southern food. Or maybe we missed the poke salad booth?

Near one booth I saw 3 or 4 poke salad plants in some pots. Not sure why. Perhaps for sale? Probably not. Maybe for the ambiance? I noticed that the stems on these were brownish, not green or purple as I ones that I have always seen. I wonder if there more than one variety of poke salad?

Poke Salad (aka poke, pokeweed, poke sallet) is a traditional Southern dish which I am familiar with through my lifetime – though I have not eaten inordinate amounts of it. In addition to use as a food, various pages on the internet mention other uses which I have never seen. “Industrial” uses include making ink and dye from the juice of the berries. It has also been used in folk medicine. It has been recommended for the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis, as well as an emetic and purgative. The homeopathic company Boiron sells a pokeweed medicine for sore throat relief.

I have only eaten poke salad as cooked greens – usually “in-halfs” with other cooked greens such kale, mustard greens, or turnip greens (and parboiled first). How some other people say they eat it are: young stalks cooked like asparagus or okra; the leaves pan-fried in bacon grease, with onions, salt, and pepper; the berries for syrups, jams, and pie fillings. I know nothing of these uses and cannot recommend them for that reason. All parts of the pokeweed – root, stalk, leaves, and berries – contain toxins and should only be used by those who know how to prepare them.

Most East Texas folks (at least rural ones, I suppose) will find poke salad abundant, easy to identify – and free! Free food is hard to beat, and I have read that poke salad is extremely high in vitamin A. On the one hand, there is the story of a family in our community during the Depression. They leveraged poke salad as a survival ration. It is remembered that the husband/father picked it no matter how mature the plant. None of them died or got sick (that is, then, from eating poke salad). On the other hand, there is the story of the Baptist preacher who baptized me. Once he accidentally ate some raw poke salad, thinking it was spinach. He did not die, but ended up in the emergency room with severe stomach cramps.

What Is Poke Sallet?

The middle chapter of the Bible

An interesting urban myth that has developed about the Bible, is that the 118th Psalm is the middle chapter of the Bible.[i] For example, “Psalms 118: The Middle Chapter of the Bible” presents this idea. I am uncertain how that folks arrive at this figure, but am guessing it is somehow based on someone counting verses, and that dividing the total verses in the Bible (31,102) might land in Psalm 118.[ii] I suspect many people repeat this “middle chapter fact” without checking, after hearing it from a source they trust. Additionally, it makes for nice effect to note that it is the chapter between the shortest and longest chapters of the Bible. However, the numbers do not add up, and we should not repeat errors, no matter how interesting they may sound. 

Here demonstrated is the way I figured the middle chapter, so you can review it for accuracy. This includes counting each individual Psalm as a chapter division. The King James Bible is divided in 1189 chapters, 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New Testament. The middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 117, because it has 594 chapters before it and 594 chapters after it.

594 chapters before Psalm 117.

50           Genesis
40           Exodus
27           Leviticus
36           Numbers
34           Deuteronomy
24           Joshua
21           Judges
4              Ruth
31           1 Samuel
24           2 Samuel
22           1 Kings
25           2 Kings
29           1 Chronicles
36           2 Chronicles
10           Ezra
13           Nehemiah
10           Esther
42           Job
116         Psalms

594 chapters      - Genesis 1 through Psalm 116
1 chapter            - Psalm 117
594 chapters      - Psalm 118 through Revelation 22

33           Psalms 118-150

31           Proverbs

12           Ecclesiastes

8             Song of Songs

66           Isaiah

52           Jeremiah

5              Lamentations

48           Ezekiel

12           Daniel

14           Hosea

3             Joel

9             Amos

1             Obadiah

4             Jonah

7             Micah

3             Nahum

3             Habakkuk

3             Zephaniah

2             Haggai

14           Zechariah

4             Malachi

28           Matthew

16           Mark

24           Luke

21           John

28           Acts

16           Romans

16           1 Corinthians

13           2 Corinthians

6             Galatians

6             Ephesians

4             Philippians

4             Colossians

5             1 Thessalonians

3             2 Thessalonians

6             1 Timothy

4             2 Timothy

3             Titus

1             Philemon

13           Hebrews

5             James

5             1 Peter

3             2 Peter

5             1 John

1             2 John

1             3 John

1             Jude

22           Revelation

594 chapters after Psalm 117.

The middle chapter of the Bible is also the shortest chapter of the Bible. I do not consider it critical to identify the middle chapter of the Bible, but it is important not to repeat erroneous information.

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[i] Technically, Psalms 1-150 do not constitute chapters, but rather individual songs. However, for purposes of counting the numbers of chapters in the Bible, almost everyone includes them. It would be interesting, just out of curiosity, to check the middle chapter if the Psalms are excluded. 1189 - 150 = 1039, so the “middle chapter” counting only chapters and not Psalms will be the one that has 519 chapters before it and 519 chapters after it (519 + 1 + 519 = 1039).
[ii] I have not personally checked this count. This may be erroneous as well.

The implications of universal statements

The implications of universal superlative statements.

When I was a young preacher, I heard James A. Kirkland analyze the statement, “The American Baptist Association is the best/greatest association in the world.” (At the time, Brother Kirkland was a well-known leader in that association. That is the gist of how he said it, but over 40 years later, it may not be exact.)

Brother Kirkland said that making such a statement such as this implies three things, that the speaker:

• (1) knows every association in the world
• (2) has studied every association in the world
• (3) is qualified to determine which association is the best in the world

This principle applies beyond the illustration he gave. I have kept this in mind as a good way to analyze our thoughts and statements. When I or someone else says something like this, how much validity does it hold? Little, I’m afraid. This came to mind again a few weeks ago when I heard a sycophant of certain popular internet personality say that person has taught more people about the words in the King James Bible than anyone else ever did. I “suppose” he did not know everyone who has ever lived (since 1611), has not studied them all, and most likely would not be qualified to make that assessment if he had.

Let’s all be careful of ginning up too much excitement on magnificent matters of which we know much less than what we present it to be.

Ye Scholars, Hearken

𝔗𝔬 𝔶ͤ ſ𝔠𝔬𝔩𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔶𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔰 𝔪𝔶 𝔟𝔦𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔬ð𝔢𝔠𝔢:

𝔄𝔵𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔜 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔢, 𝔳𝔫𝔡𝔲𝔯ſ𝔱õ𝔡𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔙𝔙𝔶𝔠𝔩𝔦𝔣? ℑ𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲 𝔡𝔬𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔫𝔬𝔱, 𝔳𝔳𝔥𝔦 𝔡𝔬𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲 ſ𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔳𝔳𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔪𝔢 𝔳𝔳𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔳𝔢? 𝔜 𝔳𝔳𝔬𝔱 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔳𝔳𝔥𝔦 𝔜 ſ𝔠𝔥𝔲𝔩𝔡𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢 𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔢. 𝔙𝔫𝔡𝔲𝔯ſ𝔱õ𝔡𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲? ℑ𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲 𝔡𝔬𝔦ſ𝔱, 𝔤𝔢ſſ𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲 𝔳𝔳𝔬𝔬ſ𝔱 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔢 𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔢? 𝔙𝔙𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔳𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲, 𝔳𝔳𝔥𝔦𝔠𝔥𝔢 𝔳𝔳𝔢𝔢 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔫𝔬𝔱? 𝔙𝔙𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔳𝔫𝔡𝔲𝔯ſ𝔱õ𝔡𝔦ſ𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲, 𝔳𝔳𝔥𝔦𝔠𝔥𝔢 𝔳𝔳𝔢𝔢 𝔳𝔳𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔫 𝔫𝔬𝔱?

Transcribed in Roman type.

To yͤ ſcolere ayenes my biblioðece:

Axith Y thee, vndurſtõdiſt thou not VVyclif? If thou doiſt not, vvhi doiſt thou ſchevviſt me vvhat to knovve? Y vvot not vvhi Y ſchuldiſt herkne unto thee. Vndurſtõdiſt thou? If thou doiſt, geſſiſt thou vvooſt aboue alle? VVhat knovviſt thou, vvhiche vvee knovven not? VVhat vndurſtõdiſt thou, vvhiche vvee vviten not?

The reflection above gives vent to something on which I have thought much, but perhaps posted little, directly. It alludes to questions I want to ask every scholar who undertakes to oppose the normal use of the King James Bible by those of us who choose to do so. It includes the particular reference to the Wycliffe Bible because I first asked it in context of a video posted by Marke VVarde. Mark questioned what a preacher would do if he stumbled upon a group of Christians who insisted on the exclusive use the Wycliffe Bible. It provided a ready foil, a well-dressed strawman, and some hazy humour as he read from the Wycliffe Bible with an “English accent.” However, a little-known Bible that has not been read—even looked at—by more than a few in over 500 years provides little in common with a Bible that has been in constant use from its dawning to the present. Yet there always are scholars ready and willing to advance their “ignorance” as a hand-up offered to us “more ignorant” to solve all our problems and fulfill all our needs. Wherefore (“for that reason,” not “why”) I have built a very large front porch at the entrance a small house of two questions. Here they are:

1. If you cannot understand the King James translation of the Bible, why should I take your advice? 
2. If you can understand the King James translation of the Bible, why do you think I cannot?

He being dead yet speaketh

 Well, sort of.

Tyler Morning Telegraph, Thursday, October 4, 1945, page 8

The Bible Hunter

While researching Sacred Name Bibles, I ran across The Bible Hunter blog. The express purpose of the blog “is to list new, interesting and unusual Bibles.” You will find both peculiar and provocative stuff here. It is here I heard about the AKJV Yehovah Edition Bible, The Bridge Bible, Plain English Version, and The Refreshed American Standard Version.

The AKJV Yehovah Edition Bible is “a clarified version of the King James English Bible, arranged in the original book order and published in the original three sections of the TaNaKh (Old Testament), plus the New Testament.”

The Bridge Bible is an easy to read, easy to understand Bible translation for the 21st Century. It is the most dynamic Bible translation available [and] fills the gap between the biblical and contemporary world.

The Plain English Version is “designed for Indigenous Australians whose mother tongue is an Aboriginal language.”

The Refreshed American Standard Version is “emending of its Elizabethan English text in a ‘refreshing,’ rather than a full-scale revision, of the ASV toward conformity with current usage…”

I’m a sucker for odd lists of random stuff, so am right at home here! You may be, too.

Buy Dublin

Historical marker in downtown Dublin, Texas:

Sam Houston Prim (1863-1946) arrived in Dublin in 1891 with $680 worth of bottling equipment, purchasing property at the southeast corner of Patrick and Elm Streets to house his bottling works. Prim bottled Dr Pepper, along with other products, under an informal agreement until 1925, when he formally chose as a Dr Pepper distribution territory a 44-mile radius centered on Dublin—an area that remains as the company’s territory today. At the time of Prim’s death, Dr Pepper executives noted that he had bottled the soft drink longer than any other individual. The company has remained in operation since that time, making it the oldest Dr Pepper bottler in the world.

This marker (Number 15878) was erected by Texas Historical Commission in 2009. The marker is located on Elm Street by/in front of Dublin Bottling Works. Events after 2009 make the last sentence outdated.

Last Tuesday we made a visit to Dublin, Texas. It was primarily for research on A. N. Whitten, but we also did a little “sight-seeing” while there (including Veldhuizen Cheese Shoppe, Erath County Courthouse, a couple of cemeteries, Clairette Schoolhouse, and some beautiful old homes). One of the sad stories of Dublin, in my opinion, is the devastation reeked on “Dublin Dr Pepper” by the big bad ogre Dr Pepper Snapple Group.[i] Cast them away, I say, and (if you drink sodas) drink sodas from Dublin Bottling Works instead of Dr Pepper. You will support a small town and one of its enterprises.

More reading:

• Dublin 1891 Red Cola – “Dublin 1891 Red Cola is something I can easily recommend. If you’re Texan it’s worth drinking to support a great Texas soda company.”
• Dublin Dr Pepper or Bust: A Look at the Iconic Texas Factory – “Today the bottling plant still manufactures and sells seven different soda flavors made with real cane sugar.”
• Dublin Bottling Works – “Our tiny bottling plant in Dublin, Texas, serves customers throughout the Lone Star State and the entire world. We’ve been bottling sodas for more than 120 years at the oldest soda bottling facility in the State of Texas.”
• Dublin Dr Pepper – “Dublin Dr Pepper followed the original recipe, using cane sugar as the sweetener as opposed to newer high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).”
• Dublin Dr Pepper Responds to Texas Lawsuit Filed by Corporate Partner – “As the city’s largest private employer, Dublin Dr Pepper helps generate significant city and county tax revenue by hiring local employees and drawing more than 80,000 visitors to the community every year.”
• Dr Pepper deal leaves small-town Dublin with a bitter taste – “For decades, anyone entering the First National Bank of Dublin could get a free bottle of sugar-sweetened Dublin Dr Pepper. Not anymore.”
• The Dublin Citizen, January 19, 2012

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[i] Dr Pepper was (and I believe still is) the third-largest U.S. soda manufacturing company. When Dr Pepper stopped using cane sugar and replaced it with high fructose corn syrup, the Dublin plant kept using the original recipe. Its popularity – which the parent company tried to duplicate with the “knockoff” Heritage Dr Pepper (which used beet sugar rather than cane sugar). Apparently not satisfied with this solution, they later sued Dublin Dr Pepper and put an end to its existence, as well as their connection to “the oldest Dr Pepper bottler in the world.”

Old Liberty Elm and the Sacred Harp Gavel

At the Saturday session of the Texas State Sacred Harp Convention, President Donald Ross made a brief talk on the history of our state organizations and showed the gavel that was presented to the State Sacred Harp Association of Texas in 1911.

Text of the Gavel’s Inscription

Side 1:
Cut from Old Liberty Elm at Nacogdoches, Tex
Jan. 22 1911 Presented to
The State Association of S H Singers
Oct. 20 1911 by Jno W Miller

Side 2:
Under this Historic Elm the first protestant
sermon on Tex. Soil was preached 1835
Gen. Sam Houston held war council under it in 1836
Gen. R. E. Lee camped under this tree 1846

The original presentation of the gavel is recorded in the Sacred Harp Association of Texas minutes, Dallas, Texas, October 20, 1911, p. 17.

“W. T. Coston appeared on the stage and introduced Senator J. J. Faulk of Athens, Tex. who made a good talk to the members of the association and presented a Gavel to the association for John W. Miller who had cut this mallett out of the Ellem tree that stands at Nacogdoches. This tree has a state wide historical history in Tex. Senator Faulk gave the history of said tree and ask the association to reseave same and as long as the Sacred Harp association met and in case of its Desolation the gavel be presented to his son, John B. Miller and upon motion and second the Gavell was unanimously reseaved with this agreement that the Gavel be returned to John B. Miller at the abandon of the association.”

As I researched the Nacogdoches “Liberty Elm,” I discovered it may be the stuff of legends, but it had a definite recognizable history when it toppled in 1910. The Sacred Harp gavel was not the only gavel made from its wood. Gavels were made and presented to the Texas House and Senate.

In July of 1910 Mr. Dotson of Nacogdoches County presented a gavel to the House of Representatives. In the presentation he said,

“I desire to present to this body a gavel made of the wood of an historic tree at Nacogdoches situated on the bank of Bonita creek, known as the ‘Liberty Elm.’  This tree was of much importance in the history of Eastern Texas because under its branches transpired events that were of Statewide importance.

“In the early days Haydon Edwards was driven from his hut at Nacogdoches by Mexican misrule. After accumulating a force in Louisiana he came back to Nacogdoches and under this tree they declared their independence from the government of Mexico and instituted what is known in Texas history as the Fredonian Rebellion. Since which time this time has been known as the ‘Liberty Elm.’

“In the shade of this tree was preached the first Protestant sermon ever preached in Texas, and in the early days Sam Houston held his camp on Bonita creek and had his headquarters under this tree, where he mustered into service the soldiers of Eastern Texas that he used in the campaign against the Mexican government in the Texas-Mexican war. Tradition has it that Bowie, Fannin and Crockett used the shades of this tree as a camping ground when they came from the East to assist Texas in fighting for her independence. It has shaded the various people who have made the history of Eastern Texas famous. Under its boughs has stood that matchless old Texan, John H. Reagan, and the immortal Governor James Stephen Hogg.

“When Bob Lee came to Texas to participate in the war between the United States and Mexico, according to the testimony of old citizens, he camped under this historic tree. It has been the pride of Nacogdoches for many years. It had been fenced and protected, and from its historic traditions the younger generation were taught the principles of true patriotism and statesmanship. It has been considered by us as the cradle of Texas liberty. During last summer it was torn up by a storm, and I conceived the idea of having two gavels made to present one to each house as a memento from Eastern Texas of the sterling worth and integrity of her early citizenship that they may be kept as an inspiration for the younger generation.

“Mr. Speaker, I take pleasure in presenting to this House a gavel made from the old historic ‘Liberty Elm’ of Nacogdoches.

“At the conclusion of Mr. Dotson’s remarks, Speaker Marshall accepted the gavel on behalf of the House.”

Journal of the House of Representatives, Thirty-First Legislature, (Third Called Session), Austin, TX: Von Boeckmann-Jones Co., 1910, p. 14

According to the The Bonham News (Tuesday, April 19, 1910, p. 1), the “Old Liberty Elm” fell in April 1910. The (Stephenville) Tribune (Friday, November 25, 1910, p. 4) tells us “Judge Thompson” gave two gavels from the elm, one to the young men’s literary society and one to the girl’s literary society at Tarleton College in November of 1910.

In her story about “The ‘Liberty Elm’” in The Junior Historian (Volume 20, Number 6, May 1960, pp. 24-25), Ann Reed records that the F. R. Penman family acquired remnants of the tree. Initially a woodworker cut blocks on which paintings were made. Later Ed Ramsey, a carpenter made chairs from the wood for the Penman children. These chairs were later donated to the Old Stone Fort Museum, and may still be there today. Miss Reed’s assessment was that the stories of the elm toppled by a storm were apocryphal, and that it simply died of old age, April 8, 1910. The “Liberty Elm” stood “on the west bank of Banita Creek, east of the Southern Pacific freight depot, and just south of the brick warehouse near by” (Junior Historian, p. 24).

No doubt there is much meaning, mystery, and myth in the stories about the old Liberty Elm of Nacogdoches, Texas. For example, “the first Protestant sermon preached in Texas was preached under this tree” is a consistently related story. However, those who related the story are not agreed on whom the first sermon was by, and when. Some say Henry Stephenson (Methodist) in 1821, Sumner Bacon (Presbyterian) in 1828, while others say in someone else in 1835. Stephenson is known to have been in Texas as early as 1824, and was later the first Methodist minister  assigned to the Texas mission (1834). It is most likely that the “the first Protestant sermon preached in Texas” was not preached in Nacogdoches at all, but by Methodist minister William Stevenson to settlers who has crossed over the Red River into Texas near Pilot Point. This occurred around 1817. (A History of Early Methodism in Texas)

The Old Liberty Elm and the Sacred Harp Gavel tell intriguing tales and raise interesting questions. I wonder how much “sister wood” to the Texas Sacred Harp Gavel still exists, and, if so whether one possessor of it even knows of the other?

$3,000 tip

It's always nice to find heart-warming jewels of human interest stories tossed among all the trash on the internet:

Diner regular tips staff $3,000 on $39 check just in time for the holidays -- "When I was 7, I washed dishes and my mom cooked in a diner like this. We were dirt poor and didn't have money for Christmas."

The Seven Noahide Laws

As I go through life, I find an old dog really can learn new tricks (or new things). Somehow I’ve made it nearly sixty years never hearing of “The Seven Noahide Laws.” I ran across the term several months ago. Bet some of you never heard of it either! (They are also called the Seven Laws of Noah or Seven Noachide Laws.)

According to Wikipedia (and the Jewish Virtual Library), “The seven Noahide laws as traditionally enumerated are the following:”

• Do not deny God.
• Do not blaspheme God.
• Do not murder.
• Do not engage in illicit sexual relations.
• Do not steal.
• Do not eat from a live animal.
• Establish courts/legal system to ensure obedience to the law.

The seven laws consist of six that are negative (don’t do this) and one that is positive (do this). These seven laws or commandments are “considered by rabbinic [Jewish] tradition as the minimal moral duties required by the Bible on all men” (the sons of Noah). They are held to be derived from “divine demands addressed to Adam and Noah...and are thus regarded as universal.”

Not trying to put anyone under law – Cf. Romans 6:14 – just passing along information that interests me.

Traveling Texas - The Dead End Road

Traveling through Texas

A few ruminations on my travels through part of the heart of Texas:

Ecstasy. Buc-ees  had a framed copy of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” -- in shaped notes -- and a framed copy of “The Lord’s (Model) Prayer” -- in King James text. AND they have clean restrooms. What’s not to like?

Economy. Settlers from Kurten to Bastrop used great thrift in naming their courses of water -- Brazos Creek, Little Brazos River, Brazos River, Davidson Creek, Second Davidson Creek, Yegua Creek, Middle Yegua Creek, West Yegua Creek. Why waste time trying to come up with unique names?

Irony. Santa’s Wonderland in COLLEGE STATION had an efficiently working and well lit display of Longhorn cattle, while the Texas A&M “Howdy” sign didn’t work. Go figure!?

Coffee. Summer Moon Coffee in Austin, Texas custom roasts their beans with brick, fire and wood. Great idea. Great coffee.

Alphabetic biblical compositions

Preachers call them acrostics. So do Bible dictionaries.[i] They might be better described as abecedarian or alphabetic compositions. Most dictionaries define “acrostic” as “a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.” On the other hand, “abecedarian” means “arranged in alphabetical order” and “alphabetic” means “in the order of the letters of the alphabet.” (See Dictionary.com) These are better terminologies for these biblical poems that use a dramatic device related to the alphabet (rather than spelling words or phrases).

There are apparently a total of 15 alphabetic compositions in the Old Testament.[ii] Five are complete in conventional alphabetical order – Psalms 111, 112, 119; Proverbs 31:10–31; and Lamentations 1. Lamentations 2, 3, and 4 are complete, but with two letters transposed. Seven show partial alphabetic construction (Psalm 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 145 and Nahum 1:2-8). I find this device and subject intriguing; I have tried to find out where they exist, according to those who know the Hebrew language. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, given thusly in Psalm 119 in the King James Bible: aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, he, vau, zain, cheth, teth, jod, caph, lamed, mem, nun, samech, ain, pe, tzaddi, koph, resh, schin, tau.[iii]

There are a total nine songs in the Book of Psalms that show alphabetic composition. Psalms 111, 112, and 119 have the complete series of the Hebrew alphabetic, from א‎ (aleph) through ת (tau)‎.[iv] The King James Bible gives these alphabetic headings in Psalm 119 (see list above), which appear in clusters of eight verses. The Voice Bible gives an example of how this device might appear to an English reader in Psalm 25 (and also in Lamentations 1, Lamentations 2, Lamentations 3 and Lamentations 4).[v]

All the other alphabetical psalms are missing some letters. Psalms 9 and 10 are missing seven of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.[vi] Psalm 25 is missing two letters ו‎ (vau) and ק‎ (koph) and uses ר (resh) twice. Psalm 34 is missing ו‎ (vau). An extra (out of order) verse beginning with פ‎ (pe) is added to the end of Psalms 25 and 34. Psalm 37 is missing the letter ע (ain)‎. Psalm 145 is missing the letter נ‎ (nun). Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, and 37 are all missing certain letters of the alphabet.

Both Proverbs 31:10-31 and Lamentations chapter 1 use the entire Hebrew alphabet in order. Other the other hand, Lamentations 2 and 4 reverse (or transpose) the order of ע (ain) and פ (pe). Lamentations chapter 3 has 66 verses – 3 verses for each letter of the alphabet and the ain and pe are reversed as in chapters 2 and 4. (Interestingly, Lamentations 5 also has 22 verses, but no alphabetic arrangement.)

Thomas Renz says “The poetic features of Nahum 1 have long been a bone of contention.” In the mid-1800s, Pastor Gottlieb Frohnmeyer posited that Nahum used the order of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet from ב (beth) to ט (teth) in Nahum 1. Perhaps this had been noticed but little mentioned before, but Franz Delitzsch gave impetus to the idea in his commentary on the Psalms.[vii] This observation was taken up, studied, refined, etc., and it seems to that it is now generally agreed upon. S. J. de Vries writes, “Two things ought no longer be disputed: (1) Nahum 1 does indeed begin with an acrostic hymn...(2) this hymn reproduces only half the alphabet, ending with the letter ב, and it does this quite freely, without rigid conformance to the usual acrostic pattern.”[viii] Nevertheless, it is far from a settled issue that scholars agree that Nahum 1:2-8 is deliberately alphabetic. Renz calls Nahum 1:2-8 “a perfectly broken acrostic” – indicating a spiritual intent to not be fully alphabetic.

Observations

• The biblical alphabetic compositions are restricted to the writings known to the Jews as the Hagiographa (Psalm 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145; Proverbs 31:10–31; Lamentations 1–4), with the exception of the passage in the Prophets (Nahum 1).[ix] This suggests something of a poetic device that was sparsely used through the whole Bible. (Makes me wonder about the constant alliteration in some folks’ sermons!) Their scarcity makes their existence all the more notable.
• The purpose of the alphabetic compositions has been interpreted or explained in various ways – for example, poetic or artistic expression or a memory device. Since we believe in “God-breathed” scriptures, then we accept them as intentional and purposeful, even if we do not currently or fully comprehend the purpose.
• A number of commentators consider the incomplete alphabetic compositions to be errors that entered in the transmission process – that is, they were completely or perfectly alphabetic in origin but got messed up as they were passed down. On the other hand Benun, for example, asserts “that these disruptions are an original feature of these psalms and are placed purposefully as part of a sophisticated literary structure.” I don’t agree with all the ideas held by Benun, but I agree that these “disruptions” in the alphabetic structure were part of the original feature of the sacred writings. This agrees with the spiritual concept of inspiration and preservation of God’s word, as well as the human concept of careful workmanship of biblical copyists. Again, Benun asserts “…we find it very unlikely that such glaring mistakes, which disrupt the simple alphabetic pattern for most of the acrostics, could possibly have slipped by the careful Biblical scribes.”
• Translations like The Voice can illustrate what the alphabetic concept would have looked like to the Hebrew reader, but they struggle to translate accurately while keeping the alphabetic structure. Therefore, more literal translations have not tried to bring the device over into the receptor language. While accepting that the alphabetic device was inspired and useful in the original language, we can also understand that Bible students who read only in their native language can fully receive God’s word for them without seeing the alphabetic structure.

Disclaimer
Accept at your own risk (in other words, check out what I say). I make no claim to Hebrew scholarship, and am depending on those I perceive to have it. The old Philadelphia Baptist preacher Morgan Edwards wrote, “The Greek and Hebrew are the two eyes of a minister.” If so, I see through a glass darkly in one eye and am blind in the other.

Quotes

• “Acrostics occur in Psalms 111 and 112, where each letter begins a line; in Psalms 25, 34, and 145, where each letter begins a half-verse; in Psalm 37, Proverbs 31:10-31, and Lamentations 1, 2, and 4, where each letter begins a whole verse; and in Lamentations 3, where each letter begins three verses. Psalm 119 is the most elaborate demonstration of the acrostic method where, in each section of eight verses, the same opening letter is used, and the twenty-two sections of the psalm move through the Hebrew alphabet, letter after letter.” – J. A. Motyer, “Acrostic,” in The New International Dictionary of the Bible, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987, p. 12.
• “These anomalies have been the subject of much discussion among commentators, both ancient and modern, usually focusing on the question of the reliability of the text. Most scholars believe that these acrostics were once complete and that in their pristine form they contained the entire alphabetic sequence, but have since been badly damaged in the course of transmission. However, we find it very unlikely that such glaring mistakes, which disrupt the simple alphabetic pattern for most of the acrostics, could possibly have slipped by the careful Biblical scribes. This paper will attempt to show that the missing letters are in fact purposefully omitted, that their omission lies at the core of the psalms’ meanings and that no emendations are necessary.” – Ronald Benun in Evil and the Disruption of Order: a Structural Analysis of the Acrostics in the First Book of Psalms
• “I have argued that the acrostic features in Nahum 1 are there by design, that the alphabetic sequence only covers half the alphabet, that the irregularities are not as haphazard as they seem at first, and that the poem is bigger than the acrostic.” – Thomas Renz in A Perfectly Broken Acrostic in Nahum 1?

See also

• A Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Franz Delitzsch, New York, NY: Funk and Wagnalls, 1883, p. 205
• “A Perfectly Broken Acrostic in Nahum 1?,” Thomas Renz in The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, Volume 9, Article 23
• “Evil and the Disruption of Order: a Structural Analysis of the Acrostics in the First Book of Psalms,” Ronald Benun, in The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures (JHS) online
• Nahum (Historical Commentary on the Old Testament), Klaas Spronk, Netherlands: Kok Pharos, 1997
• “The Line-Acrostic in Nahum 1: New Evidence from Ancient Greek Manuscripts and from the Literary Analysis,” Klaas Spronk in The Impact of Unit Delimitation on Exegesis, Raymond de Hoop, et al., Leiden: Brill, 2009, pp. 228-240

Footnotes
[i]  E.g.: “…a literary device by which sets of letters (such as the first letter of a line) are taken in order to form a word, phrase, or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet.” – “Acrostic,” in Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary: New and Enhanced Edition, Ronald F. Youngblood, ‎Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1999, p. 15. But, note also, “In Byzantine hymn-poetry the term acrostichiswith which our word ‘acrostic’ is connected was also used of alphabetical poems, that is poems the lines or groups of lines in which have their initials arranged in the order of the alphabet.” – “Acrostic,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, Harrington, DE: Delmarva Publications, 2014
[ii] Some count Psalm 9 and 10 as one song in the Hebrew and therefore give the number as 14.
[iii] Modern transcriptions of the alphabet often vary from this spelling. (See Judaism 101, for example.)
[iv] Compared to “A” to “Z” in English, or Alpha to Omega in Greek.
[v]  This is not an endorsement of The Voice, but given as an illustration that one can see rather than just read.
[vi] “The initials of 9:1,3,5 are respectively 'aleph, beth, gimel; of 9:9,11,13,15,17 waw, zayin, cheth, Teth and yodh. Psalms 10:1 begins with lamedh and 10:12,14,15,17 with qoph, resh, shin and taw. Four lines seem to have been allotted to each letter in the original form of the poem.” – International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
[vii]  A Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Franz Delitzsch, New York, NY: Funk and Wagnalls, 1883, p. 205 (originally published in German in 1867)
[viii]  S. J. de Vries, “The Acrostic of Nahum in the Jerusalem Liturgy,” VT 16 (1966), 476–81. “It is now generally agreed by the vast majority of commentators that the acrostic covers only half the alphabet, from aleph to kaph, and that it encompasses only 1:2-8.” – “The Chimerical Acrostic of Nahum 1:2-10,” Michael H. Floyd, in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 113, No. 3 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 421-437
[ix]  Cf. Luke 24:44 for the divisions of the Old Testament: “And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me.”