John Paton: Leaning is Believing | Believe

When the great missionary John C. Paton was translating the Scriptures for his South Sea Islanders, apparently there was no word for “believe” in their native tongue. For a long while he was really baffled. One day a native came into his study and being tired out, flung himself down on a chair, rested his feet on another chair and lay back full length, saying as he did so something about how good it was to lean his whole weight on those chairs. Instantly Dr. Paton noted the word the man used for “lean his whole weight on.” The missionary had his word for “believe.” He used it at once and thereafter in translating the Scriptures. Try it for yourself and see, in any verse that uses the word “believe,” if this is not true. (Griffith Thomas).