Ancient of days (Hastings' Dictionary)

A common Syriac expression, used three times of the Divine Being in Daniel (7"- "■ ^), at first without the article (wrongly inserted by AV in v.*), and meaning simply 'old,' 'aged,' (see RV). The expression has no reference to the eternity of God, and does not bear upon the question of the date of the book, as if it carried a contrast to the New Divinities introduced by Antiochus Epiphanes.

It is a repre- •entation natural to the fearless anthropomorphism of the Bible, which never hesitates to attribute tc the Deity the form and features of man. The object is to convey the impression of a venerable and majestic aspect. P'i?l', ancient, is properly an Aram, word : in Heb. it occurs once only, in the late passage I Ch 4". A. S. Aglen. ANCLE (Ezk 47*) and ancle-bones (Ac 3').— This is the spelling of AV after Coverdale and Tindale. Camb. Bible and RV spell ankle. In old Eng.

the spelling is indifferent. Shaks. has even anckle. Besides the above, RV gives 'ankle chains' in Nu 31=" (AV 'chains'), and in IsS^^lAV ' ornaments of the legs '). J. Hastings. AND is used in AV both as a copulative and as a conditional conjunction. 1. As a copul. conj., the Oxf. Diet, points out the use of and to express the consequence, as Gn 1' ' God said, Let there be light ; and there was light ' ; Lk 7* ' I say unto one.

Go, and he goeth ' ; Mt 8' ' Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed ' ; Lk 10* ' This do, and thou shalt live.' Cf. Scottish Paraphrases 35^ — • My broken body thus I give For you, for all ; take, eat, and liva, Thus and is often more than a mere copula. It even has an adversative force in ' he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not' (Mt 21*'). 2. In middle Eng. and was used conditionally ( = if), a usage which Skeat and others believe to have been borrowed from Iceland. Cf.

Bacon, Essays, ' It is the nature of extreme self-lovers, as they will set an house on fire, and it were but to roast their egges.' Of this use of and Wright points to Gn 44', Nu S as examples. When and meant if, it was often spelt an, and was often strengthened by adding if. Hence we find and, an, an if, and if, a.\\ = if.

In AV we have Mt 24« (Lk 12") ' But and if (RV 'But if ') that evil servant shall say in his heart'; Lk 20« 'But and if (RV'Bnt if) we say' ; 1 Co 7'" ' But and if (RV ' But ii ) thou m.arry ' ; 1 P 3'* ' But and if (so RV) ye suffer.' Except 1 P 3'^ (dW €l Kal), the Gr. is always (av S(. J. Hastings.