12. I. AS TO LITERARY FORM (CHAPTER BREAKS)

they are most useful for purposes of reference, we must be careful never to use them for interpretation, or for doctrinal teaching. They seldom accord with the breaks required by the Structure.¹ Sometimes they break the connection altogether; at other times they materially affect the sense. As examples, where the chapter-breaks interfere with the Connection and the Sense, we may notice Gen. i. and ii., where the Introduction (ch. i. 1--ii. 4) is broken up, and the commencement of the first of the Eleven Divisions (or, "Generations") is hidden. This wrong break has led to serious confusion. Instead of seeing in ch. i. 1--ii. 3 a separate Summary of Creation in the form of an Introduction, many think they see two distinct creations, while others see a discrepancy between two accounts of the same creation. The break between 2 Kings vi. and vii. should come after ch. vii. 2; that is to say, ch. vii. 1, 2, should be ch. vi. 34, 35.

The break between Isa. viii. and ix. is, to say the least, most unfortunate, dislocating, as it does, the whole sense of the passage.

Isa. liii. should commence at ch. lii. 13. This agrees with its Structure:

A lii. 13-15. The foretold exaltation of Jehovah's Servant, the Messiah.

B liii. 1-6. His rejection by others.

B 7-10-. His own sufferings.

A -10-12. The foretold exaltation of Messiah.

Isa. lii. 1-12 should have been the concluding portion of ch. li.

Jer. iii. 6 begins a new prophecy which goes down to the end of ch. vi.

Matt. ix. 35-38 should belong to ch. x.

John iii. should commence with ch. ii. 23, thus connecting the remarks about "men" with the "man of the Pharisees."

John viii. 1 should be the last verse of ch. vii., setting in contrast the destination of the people and that of the Lord.

¹ See Part II., Canon II.

c 2

'III. RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD

In Acts iv. the last two verses should have been the first two verses of ch. v.

We can quite see that Acts vii. is already a long chapter; still, the break between it and ch. vi. is unfortunate, because the connection between "these things" in ch. vii. 1 is quite severed from the "things" referred to in ch. vi. The same is the case in Acts viii. 1. Also in xxii. 1.

Romans iv. ought to have run on to v. 11. as is clear from the argument, as shown by the Structure.

In the same way Rom. vi. ought to run on, and end with ch. vii. 6, which concludes the subject. The commencement of ch. vii. 7, "What shall we say then?" would thus correspond with ch. vi. 1.

Rom. xv. 1-7 really belongs to ch. xiv.²

1 Cor. xi. 1 should be the last verse of ch. x.

2 Cor. vi. should end with vii. 1; for ch. vii. 2 commences a new subject, and leaves the "promises" of vii. 1 to be connected with the rehearsal of them in ch. vi.

In the same way Phil. iii. ought to end with ch. iv. 1 to complete the sense.

Col. iii. should end with iv. 1. Thus "masters" would follow, and stand in connection with the exhortation to "servants"; and ch. iv. 2 would commence the new subject.

In 1 Pet. ii. 1 the word "wherefore" points to the fact that this verse is closely connected with ch. i.

2 Pet. ii. 1, in the same way, concludes ch. i., and the "false prophets" are contrasted with the Divinely inspired prophets.

In 2 Tim. iv. 1 the force of the word "therefore" is quite lost by being cut off from the conclusion of ch. iii.

Rev. iii., as a break, ought to be ignored, as it quite dislocates the seven letters to the Assemblies.

Rev. xiii. 1 belongs to, and is the conclusion of, ch. xii. The break is thus actually made in the R.V., and the correct reading of the Greek MSS. followed shows the close connection of the words "and he (i.e. Satan) stood upon the sand of the sea," with ch. xii. 17, and also with ch. xiii. as containing the result of Satan's thus standing. ¹ See The Church Epistles, by the same author and publisher, p. 32, etc.

² See Part II., Canon VII, below.