translated "death of the champion" but "death of Ben, or of the Son". Again, if he looks

for the word labben in the Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, he will not find

it, but he will find the term under the heading Ben "Son". We cannot therefore endorse

the statement that there is nothing about a "son" in either Psalm 8: or 9:, for most

readers will know that the word Ben "son" occurs in Psalm 8: Neither is it true that all

are agreed that muth can only mean "death" for the LXX does not so translate the word,

and these translators were nearer to the times of David than we are by over two thousand

years.  What the LXX saw in the words AlMuth-labben is made evident by their

rendering huper ton kruphion ton huion "concerning the secrets of the Son". There is

another Psalm where the LXX uses these words huper ton kruphion "concerning the

secrets" and that is at the foot of Psalm 45:, where the A.V. reads "Upon Alamoth". Do

these words strike any chord in the reader's mind? Remembering that originally there

was no division made between words, as now, let us put in English letters, the two

subscriptions to these two Psalms.

The subscription to Psalm 8: reads AlMuth-labben.

The subscription to Psalm 45: reads Alalamoth.

In both the Septuagint sees the word "secret". How is this? Alalamoth is considered

to mean "relating to the maidens", the word almah being the Hebrew for a maiden.

At the close of Psalm 48:, we have the words "unto death" which in the Hebrew

reads Almuth, but which this translation divides into two, al "unto" muth "death". The

LXX however considered it to be one word almuth, eis ton aionas "for ever", or "unto the

ages". The structure of Psalm 48:, (see "Companion Bible") places this passage in

correspondence with verse 8. Here is another instance where the word almuth "secrets"

has been wrongly divided to read al muth, "unto death".

How does it comes about that the word almuth can mean either "maiden" or "secret"

or "for ever"? The Hebrew root Alm means to hide or conceal, and gives us "secret"

(Psa. 90: 8), "hide" (Psa. 10: 1) and in the East in old time, a virgin (maiden, damsel or

youth) was called almah because of the concealed or retired state of the unmarried of

both sexes. "The virgins shut up in chambers" is an expression found in the Apocrypha.

From this same root comes the word translated "age" and "ever", being a period of time,

whose end or duration is hidden from view. It will be seen therefore that the rendering

"concerning the secrets of the Son" given by the LXX two centuries before Christ, has

much in its favour.