44. Ii. USAGE OF ENGLISH WORDS CHANGED

But in this section we are dealing with English words where the fall is not so great, but where the old meaning has gone out.

To take in, was the act of hospitality (Matt. xxv. 35), but it stands on the border line, and is used of what it more often is than is not, viz., to deceive.

Adventure, meant to go (Acts xix. 31. Deut. xxviii. 56).

Artillery, meant any instruments made by art; hence, weapons of any kind (1 Sam. xx. 40).

Assay, meant to attempt, to try (Job iv. 2).

By and by, meant immediately. This change is very important in the interpretation of Luke xxi. 9.

Charity, meant love; not from the Greek χάρις (charis), but from the old French charitet, which meant dearness. This dearness of affection has resolved itself into the mercenary act of giving money, which has passed into our word charity, which no longer, therefore, represents the Greek word charis.

Beeves, was the plural of beef, the Norman-French for an ox (Num. xxxi. 33).

Parasite meant, in Greek, a sacred granary; but it is a word which has sunk low indeed, seeing that in Shakespeare's time he was able to write:

"Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites,

Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,

You fools of fortune."

Yet in Greece, where it originated, parasite was once a highly respectable word. The original parasites were 'all honourable men; in repute alike for their learning and integrity.' They held positions of trust in Church and State, for which they had salaries and a table furnished them by the State. This latter fact led to their name, and ultimately to the downfall of the word. For long, however, the profession of parasite was an honourable one, and so great was the public confidence in them that a sacred granary, the Parasitism, containing corn for the service of the gods, was placed in their charge. Mural inscriptions recording the services of the parasites were placed in the temples, and some of them obtained the civic crown of gold. Presently, however, the word began to be used for those who fed at the expense of others. The hungry tribe sank yet lower in public estimation, and became the tondies and sycophants at great men's tables."—The Globe (London, Engl.), April 23, 1907.

Inn. again, is another example of a word which has seen better days. It is "now applied only to low places and the better sort of public-house in which travellers are entertained; it formerly signified a great house, mansion, or family palace." Yet, in London, it still retains some signs of its former grandeur in Lincoln's Inn, formerly the residence of the Earls of Lincoln, and Gray's Inn, once the mansion of the noble family of Gray. Clement's Inn takes its name from Clement, the Dane on whose burial place a church was subsequently built. Thavie's Inn was built by John Thavie in 1347. Clifford's Inn was denominated from Robert de Clifford, 1309; and Furnival's Inn, from Sir William Furnival, 1388.

Bonnet, was used of a man's head-dress (Exod. xxviii. 40), but to-day it is used only of a woman's (except in Scotland).

Carriages (Acts xxi. 15), was used of what was carried. To-day it is used of that, which carries.

Clouted, meant patched (Josh. ix. 5).

To ear, meant to plow (I Sam. viii. 12. Isa. xxx. 24). And earing meant plowing (Gen. xlv. 6. Exod. xxxiv. 21); and eared meant plowed (Deut. xxi. 4).

Earnest, meant a pledge, but of the same kind (2 Cor. i. 22. Eph. i. 14). A pledge might be of a different kind, and hence in that case it would not be an earnest. An earnest is to show that one is, as we say, "in earnest," or serious.

Fast, was used in the sense of near, or close by (Ruth ii. 8).

Libertine, was used originally of a class of freedmen among the Romans; but even in those days it came to be used (as now) of the licentious use of this liberty (Acts vi. 9).

Lusty, meant vigorous (John viii. 44. 2 Tim. iv. 3. 1 John ii. 16). Lust meant desire; but to-day it is used of one particular kind of desire.

Naughty, meant worth nought, worthless (Prov. vi. 12; xvii. 4. Jer. xxiv. 2). Now it is used to gloss over any evil, or evil of some special kind.

Nephew, was used of a grandson (Judg. xii. 14. Job xviii. 19. Isa. xiv. 22. 1 Tim. v. 4).

Occupy, was used of carrying on any business or trade. This usage is still preserved in the noun occupation (Luke xix. 13).

Penny, was used of any piece of money (Matt. xx. 2). Even silver money was called a penny. This usage is still preserved in our expression "to turn a penny." The word originally meant a little pledge or token, then any coin. Then it was used of a day's wage (Matt. xx. 2). In Luke x. 35 of two days' wage. Now, usage confines it to one particular coin, the twelfth part of a shilling. But that is not the usage in the New Testament.

Presently, meant immediately (I Sam. ii. 16. Prov. xii. 16. Matt. xxi. 19; xxvi. 53. Phil. ii. 23).

Publican, was the Latin publicanus, or tax-gatherer (Matt. ix. 10, &c.). To-day it is used only of a vintner.

Quick, is the Anglo-Saxon civic, alive, as opposite to being dead (Lev. xiii. 10, 24. Num. xvi. 30. Ps. lv. 15; exxiv. 3. Isa. xi. 3. Acts x. 42. 2 Tim. iv. 1. Heb. iv. 12. 1 Pet. iv. 5). To-day we use it in the sense of lively, as the opposite to slow.

Quicken, means to make alive (Ps. lxxi. 20; lxxx. 18; cxix. 25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 140, 151, 156, 159; cxliii. 11. Rom. viii. 11).

Quickened, means made alive (Ps. cxix. 50, 93. 1 Cor. xv. 36. Eph. ii. 1, 5. 1 Pet. iii. 18).

Quickeneth, means maketh alive (John v. 21; vi. 63. Rom. iv. 17. 2 Cor. iii. 6 (marg.). 1 Tim. vi. 13).

Quickening, means making alive (1 Cor. xv. 45).

Simple, meant one fold, without guile, open, actless. But because such an one says and does what more worldly-wise people would conceal, he is considered foolish. Hence the changed usage of the word. (See Ps. xix. 7; cxvi. 6; cxix. 130. Prov. i. 4, 22, 32; vii. 7; viii. 5; ix. 4, 13; xiv. 15, 18; xxi. 11; xxii. 3. Ezek. xlv. 20. Rom. xvi. 18, 19).

Simplicity, has a similarly changed usage (see 2 Sam. xv. 11. Prov. i. 22. Rom. xii. 8. 2 Cor. i. 12; xi. 3).

Sottish, meant dull, heavy, stupid (Jer. iv. 22), but because people are made so by intoxicants, it is used of dullness so caused.

Vagabond, meant a wanderer (Gen. iv. 12, 14. Acts xix. 13). Our modern usage testifies to the character of most wanderers.

Silly, is the Anglo-Saxon for inoffensive, harmless; but because persons who are such are regarded as an easy prey for designing persons, the word has come to be used of those who are easily duped. (See Job v. 2. Hos. vii. 11. 2 Tim. iii. 6).

It will be seen from these examples how important it is that we should have due regard to these changes of usage in our own English language.

As we have exactly the same phenomena in the Greek (as in all living languages) it will be necessary to consider this under our next heading.

1 This is why Latin is used in all scientific terminology, because, being a dead language, the meaning of its words is fixed, and cannot now be changed by flux of time, or by use.

iii. WHERE THE USAGE OF GREEK WORDS HAD BECOME CHANGED.

Greek being a living language, its words (like coins) became changed in usage.¹ Some words were thus changed by the Holy Spirit, and were purified as silver is purified in a furnace; and used in a higher, a better, nobler and a different sense from that in which man had ever used them.²

We will consider first the

(1) Changes of usage made by God, the Holy Spirit— ἀρετή (arctē). Man used this only of manhood or manly prowess, but the Holy Spirit uses it in the far higher sense of Divine glory and of what God could praise. The only occurrences in the N. T.: Phil. iv. 8. 1 Pet. ii. 9, 2 Pet. i. 3, 5.

ἦγος (ēthos) was used only of the haunt of an animal, but it came to have the moral meaning of custom, or character (1 Cor. xv. 33).

ἀγγέλος (angelos) was the Greek word for any messenger, also for a messenger of the gods. But the Holy Spirit takes it up, and purifies it, by using it as a messenger from God, and “the Angel of the LORD.”

χορηγέω (chorēgeō) meant simply to supply or furnish a chorus. But the Spirit uses it of the Divine supply of all his people’s needs (1 Pet. iv. 11).

ἐκκλησία (ecclesia) was used, by the Greeks, only of a town’s meeting of its citizens (Acts xix. 39). But the Spirit uses it of the assemblies of God’s elect.³ παράκλητος (paraklēlos) was used only of a legal assistant or helper. But Christ uses it of the Holy Spirit or “Comforter” within us that we may not sin (John xiv. 16, 20; xv. 26; xvi. 7). And the Spirit uses it of Christ as the Advocate with the Father if we do sin (1 John ii. 1).

σκάνδαλον (scandalon) was used only of a snare to catch animals; but in the New Testament it is used in

¹ Similar changes are taking place to day: χοῖνος (chronos), which, in Ancient Greek, meant time, is used in Modern Greek of a year; and κοινοῦ (kairos), which meant season, is now used of weather!

² See above, pp. 227-228.