Back in the 1800’s Richard Chenevix Trench, D. D., then Professor of
Divinity at King’s College, in London, would often lecture to his students
on Greek synonyms. He then compiled his lectures into a book, which was
published under the name, SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, Studies in the
Greek New Testament.
As background, Etymology is the branch of linguistics that studies the
derivation of words. Synonyms are two different words that are similar in
meaning. As Dr. Trench examined the history of words, he looked specifically
for words that were synonyms. What he attempted to do was to identify them
and demonstrate how they differed. Often times, the differences were very
subtle, but that only added to the intrigue.
In fairness, some have questioned Dr. Trench’s approach, claiming he gives
too much emphasis on literary work that is quite removed in time from the
Greek of the New Testament. As you know, words can change in meaning over
time. But this criticism seems childish to me. If two words are clearly
distinguished in the past, why would one assume that their distinction has
been obliterated over time. There may be some erosion of difference, but it
would be poor scholarship to assume the loss of distinction without
compelling reason. Besides, Dr. Trench exercised extreme caution and
reverence when drawing conclusions from his research. He clearly had no
hidden agenda. To me, such criticism is unfounded.
I would like to turn my attention to one of Dr. Trench’s lectures. By way of
introduction, consider this:
Words not normally thought to be similar can actually convey roughly the
same idea (synonyms). For example, we could use the words ‘drag’ and ‘draw’
in similar ways. I might ask you to draw me some water from a well. By that,
I mean to pull or drag the bucket up with the water in it. In this example,
draw, pull, and drag are somewhat describing the same act, and though not
necessarily used interchangeably, they are very similar. In this respect,
they are synonyms. Going a step further, I might ask you to see if you can
draw that child over to us. By this, I mean to allure the child over by
enticing him with, perhaps, some candy. Now, the word ‘draw’ is not so much
used of pulling a physical object, but ‘attracting’ the child with something
that would entice him to draw a little closer to us. If the child refused,
we could always drag him (hehe). With this in mind, let’s look at one of Dr.
Trench’s synonyms.
The Greeks had two words for dragging. They were SUR and ELK.
SUR is a very harsh word. It always conveys a dragging “by force,” and often
violently. SUR brings a meaning to a context. That is, if the context does
not indicate whether or not force is being used in the dragging, by using
the word SUR, the author must have in mind force and, perhaps, even
violence. The reason is simply because SUR, by itself, has no other meaning
than force. Not so with its synonym, ELK. For example, here is an example of
SUR:
“But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after
another, he dragged (SUR) off both men and women and put them in prison.”
(Acts 8:3)
You could actually use either word in this passage. SUR was chosen, which by
necessity denotes the force and determination by which Saul was carrying off
these believers to prison. The author is painting a picture of abuse and
inappropriate actions by Saul. Hence, the word SUR is used. But if the
context already has an air of abuse and violence, the author could use the
word ELK. But by so doing he is stressing something other than the force
being imposed. He may be showing that the one being dragged was not
resisting. ELK would paint a different picture. It would be used to capture
something other than the force or violence that the context itself implies.
Let’s return to my rather odd example above. I will substitute the Greek
words in order to demonstrate the difference they convey.
“See if you can allure or attract (ELK) that child over here with a piece of
candy. If he doesn’t come, we may need to physically drag (SUR) him over
here. In fact, once you entice (ELK) him over to us, I will then drag him by
force (SUR) until he gives us his money.” (Poor kid)
Thanks to these two mean guys, we can now see a slight difference in
drawing/alluring/enticing, and that of dragging. SUR will always have the
idea of force, while ELK is used to convey something else. ELK is quite
flexible and can be used in various contexts. SUR is one-dimensional; it’s a
harsh word.
The synonym ELK is noticeably different. ELK is a much more relaxing word
Force or abuse is not inherent in this word, like it is with SUR. ELK can
also, be used in other ways, like one being drawn to a parent’s love, or a
poor and hungry person being drawn to food. Plato was, for example, drawn to
Philosophy. When describing his interest or attraction to Philosophy, he
used ELK. SUR could never be used in any of these contexts.
Let’s go a step further.
The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew. But as time went on, the
Jews slowly began to succumb to the Greek culture. Soon, many Jews were
unable to read their Bible. So, about seventy scholars got together an
translated the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language. The result of
this endeavor was the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament).
This is a valuable piece of work because it helps Greek New Testament
students see how the Greek words were used in the years immediately
preceding our Lord’s birth.
Notice how the translators translate a phrase in Jeremiah:
“That is why I have drawn (ELK) you to myself through my unfailing
kindness.”
Since the idea of force or violence is far removed from this gracious act of
God, the translators avoided the word SUR. In fact, SUR can not be used in
this context.
But where I want to take us is to a couple of passages in the New Testament.
These passages beautifully illustrate the character of our Lord. They are
both statements from our Lord Himself and both found in John’s Gospel. They
are:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”
Can you guess which word would be used here? Bear in mind that we are born
spiritually dead. How else could we be drawn to the Lord, if not by force?
The word used here is ELK, not SUR! Here is how Dr. Trench responded to
this:
“But how does a crucified, and thus an exalted, Saviour draw all men unto
Him? Not by force, for the will is incapable of force, but by the divine
attractions of his love.” (Dr. Trench)
That is what the gospel is all about. It’s about the love of God. And this
love compels Him to reach out to all people. So, what is the coming
attraction? God’s love. Though not completely comprehended, it was this love
that drew us to Him.
It was this same John who wrote:
“We love… because he loved us first.”
Divinity at King’s College, in London, would often lecture to his students
on Greek synonyms. He then compiled his lectures into a book, which was
published under the name, SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, Studies in the
Greek New Testament.
As background, Etymology is the branch of linguistics that studies the
derivation of words. Synonyms are two different words that are similar in
meaning. As Dr. Trench examined the history of words, he looked specifically
for words that were synonyms. What he attempted to do was to identify them
and demonstrate how they differed. Often times, the differences were very
subtle, but that only added to the intrigue.
In fairness, some have questioned Dr. Trench’s approach, claiming he gives
too much emphasis on literary work that is quite removed in time from the
Greek of the New Testament. As you know, words can change in meaning over
time. But this criticism seems childish to me. If two words are clearly
distinguished in the past, why would one assume that their distinction has
been obliterated over time. There may be some erosion of difference, but it
would be poor scholarship to assume the loss of distinction without
compelling reason. Besides, Dr. Trench exercised extreme caution and
reverence when drawing conclusions from his research. He clearly had no
hidden agenda. To me, such criticism is unfounded.
I would like to turn my attention to one of Dr. Trench’s lectures. By way of
introduction, consider this:
Words not normally thought to be similar can actually convey roughly the
same idea (synonyms). For example, we could use the words ‘drag’ and ‘draw’
in similar ways. I might ask you to draw me some water from a well. By that,
I mean to pull or drag the bucket up with the water in it. In this example,
draw, pull, and drag are somewhat describing the same act, and though not
necessarily used interchangeably, they are very similar. In this respect,
they are synonyms. Going a step further, I might ask you to see if you can
draw that child over to us. By this, I mean to allure the child over by
enticing him with, perhaps, some candy. Now, the word ‘draw’ is not so much
used of pulling a physical object, but ‘attracting’ the child with something
that would entice him to draw a little closer to us. If the child refused,
we could always drag him (hehe). With this in mind, let’s look at one of Dr.
Trench’s synonyms.
The Greeks had two words for dragging. They were SUR and ELK.
SUR is a very harsh word. It always conveys a dragging “by force,” and often
violently. SUR brings a meaning to a context. That is, if the context does
not indicate whether or not force is being used in the dragging, by using
the word SUR, the author must have in mind force and, perhaps, even
violence. The reason is simply because SUR, by itself, has no other meaning
than force. Not so with its synonym, ELK. For example, here is an example of
SUR:
“But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after
another, he dragged (SUR) off both men and women and put them in prison.”
(Acts 8:3)
You could actually use either word in this passage. SUR was chosen, which by
necessity denotes the force and determination by which Saul was carrying off
these believers to prison. The author is painting a picture of abuse and
inappropriate actions by Saul. Hence, the word SUR is used. But if the
context already has an air of abuse and violence, the author could use the
word ELK. But by so doing he is stressing something other than the force
being imposed. He may be showing that the one being dragged was not
resisting. ELK would paint a different picture. It would be used to capture
something other than the force or violence that the context itself implies.
Let’s return to my rather odd example above. I will substitute the Greek
words in order to demonstrate the difference they convey.
“See if you can allure or attract (ELK) that child over here with a piece of
candy. If he doesn’t come, we may need to physically drag (SUR) him over
here. In fact, once you entice (ELK) him over to us, I will then drag him by
force (SUR) until he gives us his money.” (Poor kid)
Thanks to these two mean guys, we can now see a slight difference in
drawing/alluring/enticing, and that of dragging. SUR will always have the
idea of force, while ELK is used to convey something else. ELK is quite
flexible and can be used in various contexts. SUR is one-dimensional; it’s a
harsh word.
The synonym ELK is noticeably different. ELK is a much more relaxing word
Force or abuse is not inherent in this word, like it is with SUR. ELK can
also, be used in other ways, like one being drawn to a parent’s love, or a
poor and hungry person being drawn to food. Plato was, for example, drawn to
Philosophy. When describing his interest or attraction to Philosophy, he
used ELK. SUR could never be used in any of these contexts.
Let’s go a step further.
The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew. But as time went on, the
Jews slowly began to succumb to the Greek culture. Soon, many Jews were
unable to read their Bible. So, about seventy scholars got together an
translated the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language. The result of
this endeavor was the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament).
This is a valuable piece of work because it helps Greek New Testament
students see how the Greek words were used in the years immediately
preceding our Lord’s birth.
Notice how the translators translate a phrase in Jeremiah:
“That is why I have drawn (ELK) you to myself through my unfailing
kindness.”
Since the idea of force or violence is far removed from this gracious act of
God, the translators avoided the word SUR. In fact, SUR can not be used in
this context.
But where I want to take us is to a couple of passages in the New Testament.
These passages beautifully illustrate the character of our Lord. They are
both statements from our Lord Himself and both found in John’s Gospel. They
are:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”
Can you guess which word would be used here? Bear in mind that we are born
spiritually dead. How else could we be drawn to the Lord, if not by force?
The word used here is ELK, not SUR! Here is how Dr. Trench responded to
this:
“But how does a crucified, and thus an exalted, Saviour draw all men unto
Him? Not by force, for the will is incapable of force, but by the divine
attractions of his love.” (Dr. Trench)
That is what the gospel is all about. It’s about the love of God. And this
love compels Him to reach out to all people. So, what is the coming
attraction? God’s love. Though not completely comprehended, it was this love
that drew us to Him.
It was this same John who wrote:
“We love… because he loved us first.”