Examples of corruption adduced by Bellarmine: First, Isaiah 9:6: “He will call Him.”
Examples of corruption adduced by Bellarmine: First, Isaiah 9:6: “He will call Him.”
§ 328. To the examples of corruption that Lindanus, Gordonus, and others have adduced in great number, we have responded in our lectures on Scripture and our notes on the more difficult passages of the Old Testament. Here we shall consider carefully only those five passages that Bellarmine, more moderate than the rest of the Papists in this question, suspects have been corrupted. (I) “Isaiah 9:6 [Hebrew v. 5] has 
, ‘he will call,’ though it is to be read 
, ‘He will be called.’ Therefore the Hebrew source does not flow purely everywhere.”
We respond. (1) If the vowel points are removed, it can be read yiqra and yiqqare. However, Bellarmine, Stapleton, Pistorius, and other Papists claim that “the vowel points were added by the rabbinic scholars.” (2) The Chaldean renders it in the passive—
; the Septuagint does likewise—
—as does also Jerome (bk. 3, on Isaiah). (3) Nevertheless they did not think that any corruption existed here. Rather, by an idiom of their own speech they expressed the idiom of the Hebrew language, and their consideration was not so much for the word itself as for the sense of the word. You see, they knew that among the Hebrews active verbs are often taken impersonally. Gen. 15:6: “He reckoned it to him as righteousness,” that is, “it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (as the apostle explains, Rom. 4:3). Gen. 16:14: “He called this well,” that is, “the well will be called.” Job 4:19: “They crush them according to the appearance of a moth,” that is, “they are crushed.” Job 7:3: “They have apportioned nights of misery to me,” that is, “have been apportioned to me.” (See Mercerus, commentary.) (4) This method of speaking occurs in the New Testament too. Luke 12:20: “They will require your soul,” that is, “your soul will be required.” (See also Luke 13:29; Rev. 16:15). (5) Furthermore, one could respond according to another Hebrew idiom, namely, that quite often the Hebrews translate an active verb of the third person singular without a definite nominative with a participle of the same verb supplied as understood. They call this manner of speaking 
“truncated speech.” Gen. 48:2: “Announced to Jacob,” that is, “someone announcing” [announced]. Exod. 10:11: “Drove them out”; add here an understood “expeller” or “someone driving them out.” Job 27:23: “Claps hands,” namely, “one who is clapping” [claps]. If you wish, see Mercerus’s commentary on Mic. 2:4: “In that day, will take up a parable against you,” namely, “a lamenter will take up,” which Pagninus has added. (Cf. Vatablus in his commentary on this passage.) (6) Finally, in the prophetic text one can add these words as understood: “God the Father will call Him,” namely, the same one who gave us this Son of His. Consequently, Junius and Tremellius retain the active.