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Pistis, ITS USAGE IN THE SEPTUAGINT
Paul's great teaching, justification by faith, is confessedly enshrined in the words of
Hab. 2: 4, "the just shall live by faith". This one verse is quoted in three different
connexions by the Apostle, viz., Rom. 1: 17, Gal. 3: 11, and Heb. 10: 38. The Hebrew
word that is translated pistis in the LXX of Hab. 2: 4 is emunah; this and the cognate
word amanah are so translated many times, and with the idea of faithfulness, and not
simply believing, e.g.:
"His righteousness and His faithfulness" (I Sam. 26: 23).
"Did ordain in their set office" margin = trust (I Chron. 9: 22).
"The men did the work faithfully" (II Chron. 34: 12).
"All His works are done in truth" (Psa. 33: 4).
"We make a sure covenant" (Neh. 9: 38).
The Hebrew text of Hab. 2: 4 reads as the A.V.: "the just shall live by his faith (or
faithfulness)." What that faith involved can be seen in Hab. 3: 17-19. The LXX
departs a little from the Hebrew and reads: "The just shall live by My faith (or
faithfulness)." The Apostle, who knew both the Hebrew and the LXX, omit both the
pronouns ("his" and "my"), and so can use the verse in three different contexts,
emphasizing one or other of the shades of meaning as the case demands.
"The just shall live by his and by My faithfulness" is a rendering which approaches
the dual teaching of Rom. 3: 22 and 26. "The faith of God" (Rom. 3: 3) is practically
synonymous with "the truth of God" (Rom. 3: 7), showing that Paul retained the O.T.
meaning of the word. Gal. 3: 22 uses the two expressions "out of the faith of Jesus
Christ" and "to them that believe": "in order that the promise out of the faith of Jesus
Christ might be given to them that believe." To translate this: "in order that the promise
out of believing in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe" is not good sense, to
say nothing of the demands of the context.
The context speaks of another possible source, ek nomou, "out of law" (Gal. 3: 21).
But righteousness cannot arise "out of law"; it can only arise "out of the faith of Jesus
Christ". His faith and faithfulness, not my belief in Him, is the great cause and
foundation of the glorious gift of the gospel. To put the law where God puts promise, to
substitute a legal righteousness where God puts one by faith, may indicate zeal, even as
Israel's similar action (Rom. 10: 2), but, as Gal. 3: 16-18 shows, it is contrary to
Scripture. Abraham's faith had no reference to Sinai and its covenant looked to Christ in
Whom the promises were made. It is the faithfulness of Christ as the true Seed both of
the woman (Gen. 3: 15), and of Abraham (Gen. 12: 7), and not His obedience to the law
and covenant of Sinai that is ever uppermost in the Apostle's doctrine.
Before passing on we will put the reader in possession of a list of all the occurrences
of the expression "the faith of . . . . ." in the N.T. so that all may "search and see"
whether what we teach is "so".
"Have faith of God" (margin), i.e. great faith (Mark 11: 22) (See parallels in Matthew
and Luke).