'Did ordain in their set office' (margin trust, so in four other

places) (1 Chron. 9:22).

'The men did the work faithfully' (2 Chron. 34:12).

'All His works (are done) in truth' (Psa. 33:4).

'He that speaketh truth ...' (false witness, in antithesis) (Prov.

'They that deal truly' (Prov. 12:22).

'Seeketh the truth' (Sym. reads aletheian) (Jer. 5:1).

'Great is Thy faithfulness' (Lam. 3:23).

'Betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness' (Hos. 2:20).

'We make a sure covenant' (Heb. amah -nah) (Neh. 9:38).

'They dealt faithfully' (Heb. emoo -nah) (2 Kings 12:15).

'Let not mercy and truth forsake thee' (Heb. emeth) (Prov. 3:3).

'As a liar, and as waters that fail?' (margin 'be not sure?') (Heb. ah

-man) (Jer. 15:18).

'The heart of the righteous studieth to answer' (Heb. gah -nah) (Prov.

We have given above a sample of the usage of the word pistis, with all

the Hebrew words which it translates in the LXX.  The meaning of the Hebrew

words, except gah -nah, is summed up in the words truth, or faithfulness.

The Hebrew words here quoted give us the familiar amen, which is translated

in the Gospels, 'Verily'.  It will serve no useful purpose to set out the way

in which pistis can translate gah -nah 'to answer', as the proof demands a

wider digression than space or time permit.  We feel that sufficient has been

cited to show the meaning of the word.

In the LXX of Habakkuk 2:4, instead of reading 'The just shall live by

his faith', it reads, ho de dikaios ek pisteos mou zesetai, 'the just shall

live by my (mou) faith'.  This word 'my' does not occur in all the MSS.  but

its presence is suggestive.  Those who thus translated the passage evidently

understood it to mean God's faithfulness, not merely the prophet's faith in

God.  The three quotations of Habakkuk 2:4 in the New Testament omit the

words 'his' of the Hebrew and 'my' of the LXX, and so do not decide the

reading either way.  The apostle uses the verse in two distinct ways, (1)

doctrinal, in Romans and Galatians where the righteousness spoken of is in

contrast to law and doing, and (2) in Hebrews, where the same verse is

brought forward to enforce the truth of 'living' by faith after being

justified.  This broad use of the passage therefore still leaves the primary

meaning and wording untouched.

Let us now turn to the New Testament.  Romans 3:22 is one of the verses

under consideration, but before we turn to that verse, we shall find earlier