4.
What meaneth, "Thou hast charged that we shall keep Thy commandments too much"? (ver. 4). Is it, "Thou hast charged too much"? or, "to keep too much"? Whichever of these we understand, the sense seems contrary to that memorable and noble sentiment which the Greeks praise in their wise men, and which the Latins agree in praising. "Do nothing too much." 1 ...But the Latin language sometimes uses the word nimis in such a sense, that we find it in the holy Scripture, and employ it in our discourses, as signifying, very much. In this passage, "Thou hast charged that we keep Thy commandments too much," we simply understand very much, if we understand rightly; and if we say to any very dear friend, I love you too much, we do not wish to be understood to mean more than is fitting, but very much.
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Terence, Andria, v. 34. "This Greek sentiment does not contain a word answering to that which is here read: for there, ?gan is used, which is nimis; but here sphodra, which is equivalent to valdè, very much. But sometimes, as we have said, we find nimis used, and use it ourselves, for what means valdè."--The Author. ↩
