Mother of St. Paul man set on fire by her boyfriend steals money from him, authorities say

pioneer press ^ | 10-26-11 | Maricella Miranda

[Tax-chick]

so they probably have difficulty discerning which are he’s and which are she’s among the actual people they encounter

Some societal subgroups are like that ... and from some of St. Paul's letters, it seems that was the case in his day, too.

[Mrs. Don-o]

What always bugs me,is

"all on earth Thy scepter claim."

I presume it's

all |claim | scepter

It's not a scepter (subject) doing the claiming.

But why would all claim a scepter? I mean, is it a missing scepter at the Celestial Lost and Found, and everybody's saying, "Hey! That belongs to me!" ??

And if that's the case, what's the theological significance?We're all claiming to be kings? ("And that Crown there looks like one o' mine, too"?)

That's what I want to know.

[Tax-chick]

Yes, “scepter” is the direct object: All claim what? All claim scepter!

This does seem to suggest that everyone wants the scepter, “Hey, I saw it first!” “Yeah, but I was closer, nyah nyah!” However, in context, it must mean that all are claiming to be under the scepter, to be ruled rather than to be ruling.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Maybe "claim" is more like "acclaim"?

"All acclaim your scepter" = "All cheer, praise your rule".

BUT...

"All claim your scepter" = "Gimme, it's mine! I RULE!"

Maybe it could all be fixed by an apostrophe:

All on earth Thy scepter 'claim."

Peace at last.

[Tax-chick]

Oh, excellent point. The apostrophe can be so powerful!