by Lang » Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:33 pm
Oh, okay. I had thought that "some are for special purposes and some for common use" was referring to the wood and clay vessels, and "cleanse themselves from the latter" was referring to wood and clay vessels for common use.
But, according to you, "some are for special purposes and some for common use" refers to both golden and wooden vessels, and "the latter" would be referring to "vessels of wood and clay". Okay.
My portuguese Bible has these verses a little bit different.
"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and clay; some to honor, others to dishonor.
Insomuch that, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
Reading at first, for some reason, I always think that "some to honor, others to dishonor" is referring to wood and clay vessels, making a division between them. However, in the following verse of the portuguese version, it is said that "if anyone cleanses himself from these things (...)". "These things", in the plural, can't be referring to a special sect of the wooden vessels, as I had thought. It can only be referring to all wooden vessels.
"Give a hammer to a white, and he will build civilization;
Give a hammer to an asian, and he will build other hammers;
Give a hammer to an arab, and he will kill his wife;
Give a hammer to a nigger, and he will kill whites;
Give a hammer to a jew, and he will sell it to niggers."
J.M.