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The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Online

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PLAIN; PLAINLY

plan, plan'-li: In Genesis 25:27, the King James Version "plain" represents tam. If a contrast between the vocations of Jacob and Esau is meant, the Revised Version (British and American) ("quiet," margin "harmless") may be right. But elsewhere (Job 1:1; Psalms 37:37, etc.) the word means "perfect," and so probably here; the failings of the great patriarch did not detract from the general estimate of him (Matthew 8:11). In Ezra 4:18 "translated" (Revised Version margin) is better than "plainly read."

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.