now consider the evidence that is forthcoming to justify one or other of the

divergent translations, namely, the inheritance which we have obtained or have

had allotted us in Him, or, as the Revised Version, Cunnington and Rotherham

would have it `we were made God's portion'.  When we turn to the original of

Ephesians 1:11, we find no word exactly equivalent to `obtain', and observe that

we meet here, for the first and only occasion, the word kleroomai, which is

explained in Dr. Bullinger's Lexicon as being in the middle voice, and meaning

`to acquire by lot, to obtain, to possess', but leaves the question still

unsolved as to who it is that obtains.  We have on other occasions expressed our

conviction that many a doubtful passage in the New Testament can be rendered

with certainty by referring to a parallel use in the LXX.  One such passage is 1

Samuel 14:42, where, in answer to the casting of lots between Saul and Jonathan,

`Jonathan was taken'.  The Greek kleroomai here, is the translation of the

Hebrew lakad `to take', in what is called the niphal or passive voice, `be

taken', not actively `to take'.  There are six occasions apart from 1 Samuel

14:41 and 42 where this word is used for being taken by lot:

`The tribe of Judah was taken ... and Zabdi was taken ... and Achan ...

was taken' (Josh. 7:16,17,18).

`The tribe of Benjamin was taken ... the family of Matri was taken, and

Saul the son of Kish was taken' (1 Sam. 10:20,21).

It seems impossible to resist this evidence.  Ephesians 1:11 teaches us

not that we have obtained an inheritance, but that we have been taken by God for

His inheritance!  Of this rendering Alford says: `This seems to me the only

rendering by which philology and the context are alike satisfied'.

We have already gained information by referring to the history of Israel.

Let us turn again and this time see what that typical people tell us concerning

the conception now set forth, namely, that instead of reading in Ephesians 1:11

that we have obtained an inheritance, we learn with amazement that we have been

taken for an inheritance, by the Lord Himself:

`And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their

land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine

inheritance among the children of Israel' (Num. 18:20).

This is blessing contrary to nature indeed.  The man that God would honour

the most, is to have, apparently, the least, but only apparently.  The tribes of

Israel may possess a portion of the land, but Aaron finds his part and his

inheritance in the Lord Himself.  This is not on all fours with Ephesians 1:11

but it is an approach.

All Israel have a portion of the land for their inheritance.

Aaron finds his portion and his inheritance in the Lord.

The Ephesian believer is taken one stage further, the Lord finds His

portion in the members of the Church of the One Body.

This, too, finds its counterpart in Israel:

`The Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance'

(Deut. 32:9).

We must not, however, make the mistake of insisting so much upon this

aspect as to deny that Israel did have an inheritance; truth out of proportion