Verse 27
"The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all his innermost parts."
"The word `spirit' here is from the literal Hebrew word `breath'; and it refers to that "breath of life" which God breathed into mankind in the person of Adam (Genesis 2:7)."[30] It is that which distinguishes man from an animal. "It is the equivalent of conscience, God's lamp, that searches out the innermost recesses of a man's heart."[31] This is a very important verse. "It stands alone in the Old Testament in its affirmation that the Divine element in human life is the conscience."[32]
No matter how wicked a man may be, there is still within him that conscience which came from God; and which, regardless of his sins, bears witness, in some degree, to what he should be instead of what he is. There is no way by which any man can utterly destroy that inner witness of God. Some radical commentators such as James Moffatt and Toy omitted this verse; but it is significant that it still stands in the RSV. Satan himself is unable to take it out of the Bible.
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