474 Life and Immortality. 
correct interpretation of the original? It is claimed that it 
does not. The word “ perish,” it is said, does not occur at 
all in the Hebrew text, nor is even the idea expressed. No 
such translation as “beasts that perish,” which appears 
twice in our version, is justified by the Hebrew, the words 
of the original implying “ dumb beasts.” The idea of per- 
ishing, in the sense of annihilation, does not seem to be 
implied. Let us take the Jewish Bible, which is acknowl- 
edged to be the best and closest translation in the English 
language, and examine it. Both in verses 12 and 20 of 
Psalms XLIX, where the passage occurs, the rendering 
reads: ‘“ Man ¢hafzs in honor, and understandeth ¢/7s not, is 
like the beasts ¢hat are irrational.” As an alternative read- 
ing for “irrational,” the word “dumb”’ is given in a foot- 
note. A somewhat similar reading is found in the Septu- 
agint, which, according to Brunton, runs as follows: ‘‘ Man 
that is in honor understands not; he is compared to the 
senseless cattie, and is like them.’ In Wycliffe’s Bible, 
which is a translation from the Vulgate, the passage is ren- 
dered: ‘A man whanne he was in honour understood not; 
he is comparisoned to unwise beestis, and is maad lijk 
to tho.” The “Douay” Bible, made by the English 
Roman Catholic College of Douay, and which is the 
version accepted by that branch of the Church in Eng- 
land, renders the passage: ‘‘ Man, when he was in honor, 
did not understand; he hath been compared to sense- 
less beasts and made like to them.” Numerous other 
translations might be adduced, and it is safe to say that 
scarcely any of them imply the idea of perishing in the 
sense of being reduced to nothing. Even supposing that 
the word “perish” is translated correctly, it does not there- 
fore follow that annihilation is meant. Take the tenth verse 
of the same Psalm in our authorized version: “For he 
seeth that wise men die, and likewise the fool and the brutish 
person perish, and leave their wealth to others.” Surely no 
sensible, intelligent person would construe this passage into 
