Far

1. 'Far' is often used in AV as an adj. qualifyin;^ 'country,' as Is 8' 'all ye of far countries' (px-prnj ^3); Zee 10» 'they shall re- member me in far countries' (D'ijrnij). Twice it • On the spelling Trench (Study of Word», SOI) may he quoted : When " fancy " was spelt " phant'sy," as by Sylvester, in his trunslation of Du Bartas. an<l other scholarly writers of the 17th cent., no one could doubt of it« identity with "phantasy," as no Greek scholar could miss it« relation with fa.rar.dc.' I qualifies other substantives, Dt 29" 'a far land' (.ijini px) ; Mk 13" 'a man taking a far journey' {ivOpunrot ixiSTjyUos, RV 'sojourning in another country '). Modern usage would probably require ' distant,' as Aldis Wright suggests. Certainly as an adj. 'far' was once used more freely than it is now: thus, Bp. Barlowe, Dialogs (1531), ed. of 1897, p. 35, ' Now to compare these fruites unto the actes of these Lutheran factyons, ye shal'. fynde a farre ditlerence.' In Mt 21^^ 25", Mk 12', Lk 20', where the Greek is aroi-qfUw and AV haa ' go into a far country,' RV more accurately trans lates 'go into another country.' But the same Greek is rendered by AV ' took his journey ' in Mt 25", by RV ' went on his journey ' ; and in Lk 15", where the Greek is more fully aircSr,fx.ri<r€r fls x'^P"-" ^oitpcii', AV renders ' took his journey unto a far cotintry,' and RV retains. 2. Notice the phrases : (a) thus far, Jer 48' 'Thus far is the judgment of Moab,' 51" 'Thus far are the words of Jeremiah' (both .ijn-ii'), and Lk 22" ' Suffer ye thus far ' (fus toiW-ou). (6) So/ar forth = ' to such an extent,' 1 Es 1" (Im ov). (c) Be it far from ox far be it from. This phrase, which comes from Wyclif (esp. ed. 1388) after Vulg. absit hoc, occurs eight times in AV of OT as the translation of liAlildh, a substantive formed from hdlal, to profane, with locative suffix, therefore lit. ad profanum ! to the unholy ! The passages are Gn IS-^"", 1 S 2*' 20' 22", 2 S 20'«'«' 23", Job 34"'. [Elsewhere the same Heb. expression occurs Gn 44'-", Jos 22=»24'«, 1 S 12" 14« 20', Job 27», where it is tr. ' God forbid ' (AV and RV) ; also (combined with ni.T) 1 S 24« 26", 1 K213 'the Lord forbid'; and (combined with o-nS.s) 1 Ch 11" 'My God forbid.'] In Apocr. the same Eng. phrase is found, 1 Mac 13' 'be it f.ar from me (a"? t^ ■yivoLTo) ; and in NT Mt 16-' ' Be it far from thee, Lord' ("IXew! (Toi, where dtbs -yivoiTo is understood, as RVm ' God have mercy on thee '). The Lord is 'far from the wicked' (Pr \S^), but He is 'nigh unto all them that call upon him ' (Ps 145") ; so the Psalmists frequently cry, ' Be not far from me' (22' "• " 27" 35^ 38" 71'^), for in His presence is fulness of joy (Ps 16"). St. Paul taught the Athenians that He is 'not far from every one of us' (Ac H"), yet it is by the blood of Christ that we are 'made nigh' (Eph 2"), so that we are encouraged and enabled to 'draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith ' (He 10-'). J. Hastings.