ELLIPSIS?
“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.'' (Luke 4:19, Recovery Version of the Bible)
Every Bible translator has to face the problem of ellipsis. Here is what Dr. E.W. Bullinger wrote on the subject in his unique book:
“El-lipī-sis, a leaving in ( en ) in, and ( leipein ) to leave .
The figure is so called, because some gap is left in the sentence, which means that a word or words are left out or omitted . The English name of the figure would therefore be Omission .
The figure is a peculiar form given to a passage when a word or words are omitted; words which are necessary for the grammar, but are not necessary for the sense. The laws of geometry declare that there must be at least three straight lines to enclose a space. So the laws of syntax declare that there must be at least three words to make complete sense, or the simplest complete sentence. These three words are variously named by grammarians. In the sentence “Thy word is truth,” “Thy word” is the subject spoken of, “truth” is what is said of it (the predicate), and the verb “is” (the copula) connects it.
But any of these three may be dispensed with; and this law of syntax may be
legitimately broken by Ellipsis.
The omission arises not from want of thought, or lack of care, or from accident, but from design, in order that we may not stop to think of, or lay stress on, the word omitted, but may dwell on the other words which are thus emphasised by the omission. For instance, in Matt. 14:19, we read that the Lord Jesus “gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.”
There is no sense in the latter sentence, which is incomplete, “the disciples to the multitude,” because there is no verb. The verb “gave” is omitted by the figure of Ellipsis for some purpose. If we read the last sentence as it stands, it reads as though Jesus gave the disciples to the multitude!
This at once serves to arrest our attention; it causes us to note the figure employed; we observe the emphasis; we learn the intended lesson. What is it? Why, this; we are asked to dwell on the fact that the disciples gave the bread, but only instrumentally, not really. The Lord Jesus Himself was the alone Giver of that bread. Our thoughts are thus, at once, centered on Him and not on the disciples....These Ellipses must not be arbitrarily supplied according to our own individual views; we are not at liberty to insert any words, according to our own fancies: but they are all scientifically arranged and classified, and each must therefore be filled up, according to definite principles which are well ascertained, and in obedience to laws which are carefully laid down.” (FIGURES OF SPEECH USED IN THE BIBLE EXPLAINED AND ILLUSTRATED,By E. W. Bullinger, D.D.)
An example of a correctly supplied word is Mat. 2:9:
“And after they heard the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which they saw at its rising led them until it came and stood over the place where the child was.” (Recovery Version of the Bible).
Now let's consider Luke 4:19 Recovery Version of the Bible. Not even one major Bible translation (that I am aware of) adds the words “the year of jubilee”(in italics, of course).
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord is already clear. There is no need to add any more words. This is more like an explanation, or rather an interpretation that has slipped, in italics, of course, into the text. The phrase “
the year of jubilee” of course can find its place in the footnotes, where it belongs.
The Bible itself provides examples of explanations:
Joh 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
Joh 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
Joh 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Joh 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.(KJV)
The difference is that, in the last 4 examples, the One Who added an explanation was the Holy Spirit.