In Adam. (3) - by Charles H. Welch

No. 3 - A re-translation of the words "Upon Muth-labben", as a preface to the study of Psa. viii. and Heb. ii.

The present article will be found in The Berean Expositor for May, 1951 (under the title “The Secrets of the Son”) (be-xxxvi Secrets of the Son), as at that time there seemed little hope that the present series could be published for several years to come. The subject is of great importance, and its inclusion as an integral part of this series seems necessary both for the completion of these studies and that new readers may have the benefit of the translation there given. We are sure that our readers will not look upon this as a piece of “vain repetition”. 

We have seen that the purpose of the ages as it pertains both to the church of the mystery, and to the people of Israel, follows a similar pattern. Both make a strange descent from which both must be delivered and transferred before the goal can be reached. While such a correspondence encourages us in our search, it does not answer the question “why?” Why should it have been necessary for those destined to inherit heavenly places, to come into life through him who is described as “earthy”? Why should it have been necessary, for those destined to enjoy all spiritual blessings, to come into life through him who was “natural” and not “spiritual”? If “flesh and blood” CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God, why were the heirs of glory ever “flesh and blood”? If all our hopes are centred in the second Man the Lord from heaven, why make us a part of the first man, who was but a shadow of Him that was to come? For the moment we take notice of that which presses itself upon us at every turn, namely the fact that the heirs of glory not only are associated with Adam and his creature frailty, but that Adam by his sin and disobedience has involved them all in death. This added disability demands added deliverance and will be considered in its place. For the moment we are considering the Divine programme, apart from the fall of man. We cannot read far on in this matter before coming either to the eighth Psalm itself, or to references and comments on it in the New Testament. As we shall be obliged to refer to its teaching as we proceed, let us give Psalm viii. and its N.T. quotations a study now. 

First, let us acquaint ourselves with the Psalm as we find it in the Old Testament. Those readers who use “The Companion Bible” know that the Psalms are distributed into five books, each book ending with a benediction and a double Amen, e.g. xli., lxxii., lxxxix., cvi. and cl. These five books corresponds to the five books of the law, thus: 

Genesis, Ps. i.-xli. This book concerns Man and                Promised Deliverer. 

Exodus, Ps. xlii.-lxii. This book concerns Israel and          redemption and kingdom. 

Leviticus, Ps. lxxiii.-lxxxix. This book concerns the            sanctuary. 

Numbers, Ps. xc.-cvi. This book concerns the                  Wilderness and the Overcomer. 

Deuteronomy, Ps. cvii.-cl. This book is the book of the      “Second Time” in which “He sent His word and              healed them”. 

It is beyond our present purpose to attempt an analysis of the Psalms, we are at the moment concerned with one Psalm, namely the eighth. Readers of The Berean Expositor who have read the series “Less than the least”, will know the high place both of esteem and affection that Dr. Bullinger must ever occupy in the mind of the present writer. He was partly responsible for some of the items that appear in “The Companion Bible”, and any criticism of that colossal work is only expressed in the interest of the Truth, for which Dr. Bullinger himself lived and died. We have elsewhere said, that where we may differ at any time from the conclusion of this beloved teacher, we are at that very moment most in agreement with the spirit of his work. He was a true Berean and never wished any reader to be a “follower”, but a “fellow” searcher of the Word.

The point at issue is the true place and true meaning of the words that appear in the title of Psalm ix., namely, “To the chief Musician upon Muth-labben”. It was the considered opinion of Dr. Bullinger that the words Muth-labben should be translated “Death of the champion”, and refer to Goliath. The reasons for this are set out both in the notes beside the title in the Psalm, and also in Appendix 65. As our research has led us to a different conclusion we will ask the readers’ patience while we present the materials out of which this new rendering has grown. We will subdivide our material under a series of sub-headings in order to avoid confusion. 

(1) The place that the words upon Muth-labben occupy. 

The ordinary reader may express some surprise at this heading, for his Bible, whether he read the A.V. or the R.V. places it at the head of Psalm ix. We believe, however, that many of our readers (who evidently are not “ordinary readers”!) are already in possession of the findings of Dr. J. W. Thirtle, of which the following is a summary: He observed that in the third chapter of Habakkuk and Isa. xxxviii. 9-20, we have two complete Psalms. The Psalm falls under three heads: (1) The Superscription; (2) The Psalm itself; (3) The Subscription thus: 

A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth           (Hab. iii. 1). 

The Psalm proper (iii. 2-19). 

To the chief singer on my stringed instrument                   (Neginoth) (iii. 19). 

Applying this principle to the book of Psalms, we find that Psalm iii. has a superscription, but that the words of Hab. iii. 19, instead of being used as a subscription to the Psalm, is transferred as a title of Psalm iv. These titles and subtitles are all restored to their true place in the “Companion Bible”, Psalm viii, reading: 

A Psalm of David. 

The Psalm itself (verses 1-9). 

To the Chief Musician upon Muth-labben. 

The words Upon Muth-labben being the subscription of Psalm viii., not superscription of Psalm ix. 


(2) The meaning of the words of the subscription upon Muth-labben. 

The reader may not be conscious as he reads the words “upon Muth-labben” that it is already assumed without proof that the word “upon” is of necessity a true translation of the Hebrew word employed. Al standing alone is often translated “upon”, but until we are sure that these two letters do stand alone, we are prejudicing the reader from the start. It seems that the Septuagint translators knew that AlMuth-labben came at the end of Psalm viii., for the word eis to telos “unto the end” are inserted. If the reader consults Young’s “Analytical Concordance”, he will find that the words Muth-labben are not 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 viii. or ix., for most readers will know that the word ben “son” occurs in Psalm viii. 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 xlv., 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, so let us put in English letters, the two subscriptions to these two Psalms. 

The Subscription to Psalm viii. reads ALMUTHLBN. 

The Subscription to Psalm xlv. reads ALALMUTH. 

And in both the Septuagint sees the word “secret”. How is this? Al Alamoth is considered to mean “relating to the maidens”, the word almah being the Hebrew for a maiden.

At the close of Psalm xlviii., 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, translating it eis ton aionas “for ever”, or “unto the ages”. The structure of Psalm xlviii., (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. xc. 8), “hide” (Psa. x. 1) and in the East in old time, a maiden, damsel or virgin, or youth, was called almah because of the concealed and 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. 


(3) The internal evidence of Psalms viii. and xlv. 

At first there does not appear to be any distinctive feature common to both Psalms, until we realize the way in which they are quoted in the epistle to the Hebrews. 


Hebrews i. & ii. 

A | i. 1, 2. God spoke once by the prophets. Now by       His Son. 

 B | i. 2-14. The Son. His glories. Better than angels. 

Quotation from Psalm xlv.

“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” 
A | ii. 1-4. God spoke once by angels. Now by the          Lord. 

 B | ii. 5-18. The Son. His sufferings. Lower than             angels. 

Quotation from Psalm viii.


“What is man . . . . . or the Son of Man?” 

With these evidences before us, we feel that the translations given “Death to the Champion” and “Concerning maidens” must give place to the ancient interpretation “The secrets of the Son” and “Concerning Secrets”, and we can read with richer and fuller understanding both the Psalms themselves and the quotations from them in Heb. i. and ii., and realize better than ever the truth of the Apostle’s claim to a fuller knowledge of the “Mystery of Christ” than had been granted to those who were before him. 

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(From The Berean Expositor, vol. 37, page 107).
http://charleswelch.net/BE%20Vol%2037%20Final.pdf

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The Goal of God. (I Cor. xv. 28).- (4)

by Charles H. Welch

No.4. “The End” (I Cor. xv. 24). 

The revelation of God’s purpose opens with a ‘beginning’ and in the N.T. reaches an ‘end’. The end “is not yet” but sometimes, to perceive the end of a thing enables one to go back and understand a little better the beginning. If the ‘end’ be the cessation of time, then the beginning will be the commencement of time, but to utter such a statement produces a feeling of frustration. What can be meant by a cessation of time? It may be perfectly true that our present mode of measuring time by the day, hour and minute, will cease; it may be perfectly true that the timepiece of our present system will become obsolete, but if life is to continue, if the redeemed of the Lord are not to cease to be, time, essential time, must abide, for unless we can use the words ‘now’, ‘then’ and ‘when, existence must cease. 

It is a well known fact that the book of the Revelation is in structural correspondence with the book of Genesis, but while the book of the Revelation is canonically the book of the end, one passage in the epistle to the Corinthians takes us much further. Let us give this passage the attention which the solemnity of the subject demands, and with the light we receive, we shall be better able to go back to ‘the beginning’ of Gen. i. 1 with hope of a clearer understanding of its import. 

The fifteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians is devoted to the fact and the outcome of the resurrection. It is not our intention to attempt an exposition of I Cor. xv., but in order to perceive the place which the section in mind occupies, we present the following analysis. The chapter, as a whole is divided into three parts. 

(1) 1-11. EVIDENCE and EVANGELISTIC importance of resurrection. 

(2) 12-34. FACT of the resurrection established. 

(3) 35-58. MANNER of the resurrection discussed. 

Taking the second and third section together, their relationship can be exhibited as follows: 

I Corinthians xv. 12 - 58.

A | 12. FACT. “How?” 

   B | 13-33. ADAM and CHRIST. Death destroyed.                          “When” 

      C | 34. AWAKE. 

A | 35. MANNER. “How?” “With what?” 

   B | 36-57. FIRST and LAST ADAM. Death swallowed                     up. “When?” 

       C | 58. BE STEDFAST. 

The passage we are about to consider is contained in section B | 13-33 and this is arranged as follows: 

I Corinthians xv. 13 - 33.

A | 13-18. FACT relation to doctrine. 
 B | 19. FACT present life. 
  C | 20-23. FACT purpose, from Adam to parousia. 
  C | 24-28. FACT the end. 
 B | 29-32-. FACT present life. 

A | -32, 33. FACT relation to practice.

This brings us to I Cor. xv. 24-28, the passage in point, and here we must call a halt, while we consider the terms used and their meaning and bearing upon both the goal of the ages and the opening words of Genesis. 


“Then cometh the end” (I Cor. xv. 24). 

“Then” refers to the preceding sentence ‘at His coming’, and in the structure we have noted that verses 20-23 extend from Adam to the parousia, that aspect of the Second Coming of Christ that pertains to all callings and spheres other than the hope of the dispensation of the Mystery. 

Parousia. This word is derived from para ‘beside’ and eimi ‘to be’ and so “to be present” in opposition to apousia ‘absence’ (Phil. ii. 12). Paul speaks of the coming of Christ in I Cor. xv. 23, and the coming of Stephanas in I Cor. xvi. 17, in both cases using the word parousia. In II Cor. vii. 6, 7 he uses the same word of the coming of Titus, and in x. 10 of his own bodily ‘presence’. So in Phil. i. 26 and ii. 12 he uses it of himself. The word is used altogether 24 times in the N.T., six occurrences speak of the presence of Stephanas, Titus or Paul, one passage speaks of the coming and personal presence of the man of sin (II Thess. ii. 9), one passage speaks of the coming of the day of God (II Pet. iii. 12), the remainder speak of the coming of Christ: 

(1) As the Son of Man (Matt. xxiv. 3, 27, 37, 39). 
(2) As the Lord (I Thess. iii. 13; iv. 15; v. 23; II Thess. ii. 1, 8; James v. 7, 8; II Pet. i. 16). 
(3) As Christ (I Cor. xv. 23; I Thess. ii. 19). 

(4) As “His”, without specific title (II Pet. iii. 4; I John ii. 28).

It will be seen that the parousia is used in the great prophecy of Matt. xxiv., and by Paul in his epistles written while the hope of Israel was still possible of realization, and by Peter, James and John, but that while he freely uses the word in the prison epistle to the Philippians, he never uses it of the coming of Christ as the hope of the church of the Mystery, another word epiphaneia taking its place. 

It may be as well if we take this opportunity of indicating the distinctive meaning of the various words that are translated “then” in I Cor. xv.: 

(1) Tote “Then”. This adverb of time is made up of to pote ‘the when’.                  There are but two occurrences, namely verses 28 and 54. 
“Then shall the Son also Himself be subject.” 
“Then shall be brought to pass the saying.” 

(2) Eita. This adverb of order or sequence; “then, afterwards”. There are 
     three occurrences of this word, namely in verses 5, 7 and 24. 
“He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.” 
“Then of all the apostles.” 

“Then cometh the end.”

The remaining occurrences of ‘then’ represent logical conjunctions: 
“If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain” (14). 

“Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (18). 

But these only come before us because the English word ‘then’ has to serve as a conjunction as well as for an adverb of time, but they have no bearing or relation with either tote or eita. 

When we read “Then cometh the end” we must remember as Weymouth notes in his margin: 

“Later on. The ‘then’ of the A.V. is only a correct translation in the sense of ‘next in order’. The Greek word denotes sequence not simultaneousness, as in Mark iv. 28 ‘after that the full corn in the ear’.” 

The END. Telos does not, as is commonly supposed, primarily denote the end, termination with reference to time, but THE GOAL REACHED, THE COMPLETION or CONCLUSION, at which anything arrives, either as ISSUE or ENDING. To illustrate or clarify this distinction: 

(1) The “end” of the pen with which I write these words is an iridium point on the nib, which being dipped in ink makes marks on a sheet of paper. That is the physical end. 

(2) The “end” telos of this pen however is to write. That is the purposeful end. 

The end or terminus of a journey may be Euston Station, but the end or purpose of the journey may be to visit a relative. When therefore I Cor. xv. 24 says “Then cometh the end”, it means that the goal of God has been attained. 

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(From The Berean Expositor, vol. 44, page 58).
http://charleswelch.net/BE%20Vol%2044%20Final.pdf

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