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the whole of his teaching concerning justification by faith (in its threefold aspect, Rom. 1:,
Gal. 3: and Heb. 10:) upon one verse in the prophet Hebakkuk, we feel compelled to
cross the bridge provided by the LXX in order to discover the underlying meaning of
"faith" in the Hebrew of the O.T.
Pistis.
This word occurs about thirty times in the LXX; let us look at its usage. We will not
only give the English rendering, but the Hebrew word also, so that we may be more fully
qualified to arrive at a Scriptural conception of the word.
"Children in whom is no faith" (Heb. eh-moon*) (Deut. 32: 20).
"The just shall live by his faith" (Heb. emoo-nah) (Hab. 2: 4).
These are the only places where the A.V. renders the word "faith". As one of the
passages (Hab. 2: 4) is practically the one awaiting proof, we must search further before
we can feel that we are on sure ground.
"His righteousness and his faithfulness" (Heb. emoo-nah) (I Sam. 26: 23).
"Did ordain in their set office" (margin trust, so in four other places (I Chron. 9: 22).
"The men did the work faithfully" (II Chron. 34: 12).
"All His works (are done) in truth" (Psa. 33: 4).
"He that speaketh truth . . . . ." (false witness, in antithesis) (Prov. 12: 17).
"They that deal truly" (Prov. 12: 22).
"Seeketh truth" (Sym reads alētheian) (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. emeth) (II Kings 12: 15).
"Let not mercy and truth forsake Thee" (Prov. 3: 3).
"As a liar, and as waters that fail" (margin "not sure") (Heb. ah-man) (Jer. 15: 18).
"The heart of the righteous studieth to answer" (Heb. gah-nah) (Prov. 15: 28).
[* - All transliterations given as in the Englishman's Heb. and Chal. Concordance.]
We have given above a sample of the usage of the word pistis, with all the Hebrew
words which it translates in the 70: The meaning of the Hebrew words, except
gah-nah, is summed up in the words Truth, or Faithfulness. The Hebrew word 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 a 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 Hab. 2: 4, instead of reading "The just shall live by his faith", it reads
ho de dikaios ek pisteōs mou zēsetai, "the just shall live by MY 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 Hab. 2: 4 in the N.T. 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