describe the satyrs and the god Pan. The connection of the word asham both with sin and

sin offering might easily suggest this form. There is probably an allusion also to the

"sin" of Samaria (Amos 8: 14), which was plainly the golden calf set up by

Jeroboam (I Kings 12: 30; Hos. 8: 5; Deut. 9: 21).

The Companion Bible gives as the meaning of asham, "It is a breach of commandment

done in ignorance, but when guilt is proved, requiring atonement". It appears to have

close relation to commandments, and cannot be predicated of those to whom no law is

given. The reader when reminded of the tragedy of Gentile ignorance revealed in such

passages as Rom. 1: 18-32, and Eph. 4: 18, 19 (see Volume XV, pp. 99-106 for fuller

treatment of this phase) will not consider this firstborn child of sin one to be treated

The next in the awful genealogy of sin is amal. Failure (chata) begat ignorance

(asham), and guilty ignorance begat weary, purposeless toil (amal). Sin has made life a

burden, work has been turned into weariness, why? Because it has missed the mark.

Labour that does not consistently and consciously aim at the glory of God must spend

its strength in vain.  Sin dominates the members of our bodies, and uses them as

instruments of unrighteousness. Only when freed from this dominion, only when we can

"serve in newness of spirit" can we entertain the hope that our labour shall not be in vain

(I Cor. 15: 58).  The book of Ecclesiastes is Scripture's commentary upon sin's

purposeless, wearisome toil.

Amal occurs 68 times and is translated as follows in the A.V.:  grievance,

grievousness, mischief, misery, pain, perverseness, sorrow, toil, travail, trouble, labour,

iniquity, and wickedness. With the exception of Hab. 1: 13 ("iniquity") and Job 4: 8

("wickedness"), all the other renderings stress the sorrow, toil and travail of that labour

which, having lost its true aim, gives to self and Satan that which belongs alone to God.

The old English word irk, which gives us irksome, is but the Runic yrk, work of labour,

and tells the same story. Neither time, space, nor the purpose of these articles will allow

us to give a similar analysis as that given under the word asham; this we may do

separately in subsequent issues. What is the next in this descent from sin? Job 15: 35

says, "They conceive mischief (amal) and bring forth vanity (aven), and their belly

prepareth deceit (mirmah)". So the frightful pedigree grows.

Aven.--Although the word aven is rendered in Job 15: 35 vanity, that is not the best

translation, and the margin reads, "or iniquity", and this is the true rendering. Whereas

vanity occurs but six times for aven, iniquity occurs 47 times, wickedness or wicked 7,

idol twice, affection and mischief three times each, and one occurrence only of the

following, evil, mourning, nought, sorrow, false, mourners, unjust, unrighteous, and vain.

While iniquity may be a truer rendering of aven than vanity, yet we must not bring our

modern idea of iniquity into the word. In Hos. 4: 15 Beth-aven is the house of idolatry

or vanity, and a play upon the word is found in Amos 5: 5--"Bethel shall come to