Meaning
Of * Note: (1) In addition to the rendering of a number of prepositions, "of" translates the genitive case of nouns, with various shades of meaning. Of these the subjective and objective are mentioned here, which need careful distinction. Thus the phrase "the love of God," e.g., in 1Jo 2:5, 1Jo 3:16, is subjective, signifying "God's love;" in 1Jo 5:3, it is objective, signifying our love to God. Again, "the witness of God," e.g., 1Jo 5:9, is subjective, signifying the witness which God Himself has given; in Rev 1:2, Rev 1:9, Rev 19:10, e.g., "the testimony of Jesus" is objective, signifying the testimony borne to Him. In the AV "the faith of" is sometimes ambiguous; with reference to Christ it is objective, i.e., faith in Him, not His own faith, in the following passages in which the RV, "in" gives the correct meaning; Rom 3:22, Gal 2:16 (twice), Gal 2:20, RV, "I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God;" Gal 3:22, Eph 3:12, Phi 3:9 (cp. Col 2:12, "faith in the working of God"). In Eph 2:20, "the foundation of the apostles and prophets" is subjective, i.e., the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets ("other foundation can no man lay than ... Jesus Christ," 1Co 3:11). (2) In the AV of Joh 16:13, "He shall not speak of Himself," the preposition is apo, "from," as in the RV; the Spirit of God often speaks of Himself in Scripture, the Lord's assurance was that the Holy Spirit would not be the source of His utterances. So with regard to Christ's utterances, Joh 7:17, RV, "I speak from (apo) Myself:" and Joh 14:10. (3) In Joh 6:46, Joh 15:15, Joh 17:7, Act 17:9, the RV, "from" is to be observed, as rightly translating para (AV, "of"). (4) The following are instances in which "of" translates ek, or ex, "out of, from," Mat 21:25 (RV, "from"); 1Co 1:30, 1Co 15:6, 2Co 5:1 (RV, "from"); Jam 4:1. (5) In the following, peri, "concerning," is so translated in the RV (for AV, "of"), e.g., Act 5:24, 1Co 1:11, 1Jo 1:1 (the RV is important); cp. Joh 16:8. (6) Epi, "over," is so translated in Mat 18:13, RV; "concerning" in Act 4:9. (7) Huper, "on behalf of," is so rendered in 2Co 7:4, RV (AV, "of"); (8) For hupo, "by," see the RV of Mat 1:22, Mat 2:16, Mat 11:27, Luk 9:7, Act 15:4, 1Co 14:24, 2Co 8:19, Phi 3:12. (9) For other prepositions, etc., see +, p. 9.
