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'All the prisoners of the earth' (Lam. 3:34).
'prisoners out of the pit ... prisoners of hope' (Zech. 9:11,12).
The Hebrew word thus translated is asir, constantly rendered 'bound in
affliction or iron' or 'bound with chains', terms actually used by Paul as he
looked forward to his second ministry (Acts 20:23) in Colossians 4:3 and 18
and in Ephesians 6:20, where he speaks of 'conducting an embassy in a chain'.
It is easy to mislead a reader if a new translation of any word is put
forward without reference to its consistent usage, but only when every
instance has been clearly set forth without reserve, can a private
interpretation lay a claim to be heard by any who desire to maintain the
Berean spirit.
Soma. The third word is of doctrinal and dispensational importance.
We must consider the Greek word soma, translated in the Authorized Version
'body' 145 times, 'slave' once, and 'bodily' once.
Liddell and Scott say:
(1)
'The body as a whole, both of men and animals, but in Homer,
always the dead body'.
(2)
'The body as opposed to spirit and soul'.
(3)
'One's life in the flesh, existence'.
Then generally, 'any material, corporeal substance, the whole body or
mass of a thing, an animal body as opposed to plants, a single member when
spoken of by itself'.
This gives an idea of how the word soma was used in Classical Greek.
It may or may not be so used in the New Testament but that remains to be
seen.
The LXX uses the word soma many times, and it translates the following
Hebrew words:
'Carcase'
Heb.
peger
Gen. 15:11
'Persons'
Heb.
nephesh
Gen. 36:6
'Flesh'
Heb.
basar
Lev. 6.10
'Ear'
Heb.
ozen
Psa 40:6, in Heb. 10:5 'Body'
'Back'
Heb.
gav
Neh. 9:26
'Body'
Heb.
geviyyah
Neh. 9:37
'Body'
Heb.
guphah
1 Chron. 10:12
'Wealth'
Heb.
chayil
Gen. 34:29
'Families'
Heb.
taph
Gen. 47:12
'Body'
Heb.
nebelah
Deut. 21:23
'Body'
Heb.
sheer
Prov. 5:11
'Navel'
Heb.
shor
Prov. 3:8.
The only English words used here that are outside the category of a
body of flesh and blood, are the words 'wealth' and 'persons'. The reader
will recognize the word translated 'person' as the Hebrew word for 'soul',
while the word translated 'wealth' chayil, is translated a variety of ways,
of which 'army' 54 times, 'strength' 12 times, and 'substance' 8 times, gives
a representative set of examples. The rendering 'substance' is of particular
interest in this inquiry, and so we note that chayil is so rendered eight