Offence

The verb to ‘offend’ (Lat. offendere, ‘to strike against’) means in AV either intransi- tively ‘to go astray,’ or transitively ‘to lead one astray.’ So ‘offence’ is either a ‘trespass,’ or the cause of trespass, a ‘ stumbling-block.’ Offend. The Heb. words are: (1) 'dsham or 'ashém, to ‘trespass’ or ‘be guilty,’ Jer 23 507, Ezk 2512, Hos 415181, Hab 111, Thus Hos 13! " When he offended in Baal, he died’ (RVm ‘When he became guilty {n Baal’; Cheyne ‘But he became guilty through the Baal’).

In 2 Ch 2813 the Heb. subst. ‘dshamah, which is twice tr. ‘trespass’ in the same verse, is once rendered ‘offend’: ‘we have offended against the Lord,’ RV ‘that which will bring upon us a t (RVm " guilt’) against the Lord.” RV changes Jer 38 into ‘be held guilty,’ and Hab 11! into ‘be guilty,’ leaving the rest unchanged. ἵν hatd@ ‘to miss’ (the way), ‘err,’ ‘sin.’ Gn 909 (‘ What have offended thee?’; RV ‘sinned against thee’), 401, 2 Καὶ 1814, Jer 87'8 (‘What have I offended against thee?

’; RV ‘sinned against thee’). (8) bagad to ‘act treacherously,’ only Ps 7315 I should offend against the generation of thy children’ (RV T had dealt treacherously with’). (4) habhal to ‘act foolishly,’ “become vain,’ only Job 3451 ‘I will not offend any more.’ (5) isha’ to ‘rebel,’ ‘ take offence,’ Pr 1819 ‘ A brother offended is varder to be won than a strong city,’ RVm ‘injured.’ In NT the two intrans.

verbs are (1) ἁμαρτάνω, Ac 258 ‘Neither against the temple, nor yet ae Cwsar, have I offended anything at all’ {τὶ ἥμαρτον, RV ‘have I sinned at all’); and (2) wraiw to stumble, Ja 910 32 (RV both ‘stumble’). ’ The transit. verb is σχανδαλίζω, occurring chiefly in Mt (539. 30 116 1921. δὴ 1512 1727 186.89 2410 9631.33) and Mk (417 63 942. 43. 45-47 1427.

2); also in Lk 7% 172 and Jn 651 161; and elsewhere only Ro 1421, 1 Co 814 bis, 2Co 112, AV always translates ‘ offend’; RV always ‘cause to stumble,’ except Mk 1429 where ‘ All ye shall be offended because of me’ is retained in text, with : — stumble’ in margin. RV omits the word in Ro 1421 with edd. Offence rarely occurs in OT. The only Heb.

words are: (1) mikhshol, 18 255) ‘That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord’(AVm ‘stumbling ’), and Is 814 “a rock of offence’; also in Ps 11916 the same subst. is trd ‘offend,’ " nothing shall offend them,’ AVm ‘ they shall have no stumbling-block,’ RV ‘they have none occasion of stumbling.’ (2) hét’ ‘error,’ ‘ain,’ so tr. only Ec 104. The NT words are: (1) duapria ‘error,’ ‘sin,’ only 2Co 117 @y, gin). @) παρά- πτῶμα @ ‘transgression,’ Ro 425 515 dis. 16. 17.

18. 20(RV always * trespass,’ the usual tr. of the word elsewhere in AV). (3) sperxers, lit. ‘a striking-against’ (wpor-xorrw), in its only occurrence, 2 Co 68, RV ‘ occasion of stumbling.’ Notice also the aa: ἀσρόσχοπος in Ac 2416 ‘to have always a conscience void of offence’ (ἀπρόσχοπον συνείδησιν); 1Co 1082 ‘give none offence’ (ἀσρόσχοποι γίνισθε, RV ‘give no occasion of stum- bling’); and Ph 110 ‘That ye may be sincere and without offence’ (aapéexere, RV ‘ void of offence’).

(4) πρόσκομμα, lit, ‘a thing to strike against’ (wperxerre), is ti offence” only in Ro 14” ‘It is evil for that man who eateth with offence’ (διὰ τροσχόμματοί). (5) σκάνδαλον, the biblical form of the late word σχανδαληθρον which signifies ‘the bait-stick in a trap.’ In LXX σκάνδαλον occurs as the tr.

of ddpht in Ps 502: of kegel in Ps 4913; of mdkésh in Jos 2313, Jg 23 877,18 18%, Ps 6922 1066 140° 1419; and of mikAshél in Lv 1914, 15 2531, Ps 119165, In NT it is found in Mt 184] (πάντα τὼ σχάν αλα, AV ‘all thin: that offend,’ RV ‘all things that cause stumbling’), 1623 187 er (AV cela ‘offence,’ RV ‘stumbling-block’ in 16%, ‘ occasion of stumbling’ in 187), Lk 171 (AV ‘offences,’ RV “occasions of seamibling "), Ro 983 (both ‘ offence’), 119 (both ‘stumbling- block"), 1413 (AV ‘occasion to fall,’ RV ‘occ.

of falling’), 1617 (AV ‘offences,’ RV ‘occasions of stumbling’), 1 Co 13 (both ‘stumbling-block"), Gal 511 (AV ‘offence, hy stum- bling-block ), 1 P 28 (both ‘ offence’), 1 Jn 210 (both ‘ occasion of stumbling’), Rev 214 (both ‘ stumbling-block Py It is unfortunate that ‘offend’ and ‘offence’ have lost their early meanings. As the note above shows, we have no good word to take their place.* ΤΣ we could have used ‘scandal’ and ‘scandalize’ as the Vulg. and the Rhem.

Version do, much of the force which we lose would have been retained. Thus in Rhem. NT, Mt 118 ‘ Blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me’; 134 ‘The Sonne of man shal send his Angels, and they shal gather out of his kingdom al ecandals’; 187-8 ‘Wo be to the world for scandals. For it is necessary that scandals do come: but The following quotations from early writers illustrate the use of both words in AV. Barrow, Sermons, vol. i. Serm.

1, ‘To offend originall signifies to infringe, that is, to stumble or hit dangerously upon somewhat lying across our way’ ; Rutherford, je oe No. lix. ‘He presumed that much ‘on your love that ye would not offend’ (axe gcnabile ἢ; Shaks. Meas. for Meas. 11. ii. 16, ‘He hath offended the law’; Milton, PL 410— Pers nL * Regardless of the bliss wherein he sat Second to thee, offered himself to die For man’s offence.’ And in geal (Hales’ ed. p.

15) the meaning is to lay a stumbling-block in the way, ‘A certain Presbyter laid it scrupulously to his conscience, how he durst venture himselfe among those de- filing volumes. The worthy man loath to give offence fell into a new debate with himselfe what was to be thought.’ For the theology see next article. J. HASTINGS.