In English the word `volume' is used:

of space occupied by a body, hence the volumeter, voluminous,

etc. and

a book of some fair proportion,

but only occasionally is it used in its original sense of the Latin volumen,

a roll, a scroll or a coil, fold, as of the coil of a serpent and the like.

The word comes twice in the Scriptures:

`In the volume of the book it is written of Me' (Psa. 40:7 and Heb.

The Hebrew word is megillah, the Greek kephalis.

Megillah is once translated `volume', the remaining twenty -one

occurrences being rendered `roll'.  When one remembers that all `books'

originally were in the form of a scroll, this will be understood.

Kephalis occurs but once in the New Testament.  It is, obviously, a

derivative of kephale `head', and as the knobs on the end of the rods around

which the scroll was rolled were called by this word, the word kephalis was

transferred by a figure of speech to the scroll itself.  If that is the

meaning of Hebrews 10:7, then it is expressing the important truth that

throughout the Sacred Volume, the Person and Work of Christ is the burden of

its message, and in this we gratefully concur.  There is, however, the

possibility that the word kephalis here should be translated as kephalaion is

in Hebrews 8:1.  Kephalaion means a `sum' and it must be remembered that the

ancients did actually `add up'; placing the sum of the addition at the top.

Consequently the word came to mean `a summary'.  Hebrews 8:1 has been

translated `this is the sum' (A.V.), `the chief point is this' (R.V.), `now

to sum up' (R.V. margin); `a crowning point' (Rotherham), and Coverdale `the

Most modern books of any size are provided with an index,

which is

usually placed at the end of the book, a table of contents in a

simpler form

often standing at the opening of the book.  Now a scroll cannot

be so readily

consulted as a book and so it was written not only `within' but

that which was written without being a summary of its contents.

`summary' could be called `The Volume of the Book', and to this

Hebrews 10:7

seems to refer.

The book of Job*, older than the writings of Moses, stands at the

beginning of revelation and sets out in dramatic form the conflict of the

ages; it is a summary in advance of the rest of the Scriptures.  So, the

`summary' of the Book, the abbreviated index and contents page of the

Scriptures takes the person and offering of Christ as its `pith', `chief

point' or `crowning point'.  Let us remember that Dispensational Truth

unfolds its gracious message as it unfolds the glories of Christ, for vain

indeed would be the revelation that told us sinners of the Gentiles that our

sphere of blessing was at the right hand of God, if it did not also reveal

that this exalted sphere was already occupied by Him Who is our Saviour and

*

See the book Job for further evidence on this point.