Bible Commentaries

1 Corinthians 12:31 — powers, the Ap. must “besides point out” the “way” to this end (1 Corinthians 12:31 b ), the way to escape the perils besetting their progress (1 Corinthians 12:4 ff.) and to win the goal of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 12:8-13 ). Love is the path to power in the Church; all loveless abilities, endowments, sacrifices are, frpm the Christian point of view, simply good for nothing (1 Corinthians 12:1-3 ). [1956] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 — powers, the Ap. must “besides point out” the “way” to this end (1 Corinthians 12:31 b ), the way to escape the perils besetting their progress (1 Corinthians 12:4 ff.) and to win the goal of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 12:8-13 ). Love is the path to power in the Church; all loveless abilities, endowments, sacrifices are, frpm the Christian point of view, simply good for nothing (1 Corinthians 12:1-3 ). [1956] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 16:8-9 — 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 . “But I stay on in Ephesus until the Pentecost” τῆς πεντηκοστῆς ( ἡμέρας ), “the fiftieth day” from the 16th Nisan in the Passover Feast (see parls.). This suggests that P. is writing not very long before Whitsuntide; 1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 2:12 — translate “the Troad”; cf. Acts 20:5-6 , where we have ἐν Τρῳάδ , and εἰς τὴν Τρῳάδα used of the same place in consecutive verses. Troas would be a natural place of rendezvous, as it was the point of embarkation for Macedonia (see Acts 16:8 ); and here St. Paul had expected to meet Titus, who had been sent from Ephesus to Corinth, with an unnamed companion, as the bearer of 1 Cor. (see Introd. , p. 9). καὶ θὺρας μοι ἀνεῳγμένης ἐν Κυρίῳ : and a door was opened for me in the Lord . This

2 Corinthians 5:19 — should have to treat θέμενος κ . τ . λ . as a parallel clause to λογιζόμενος κ . τ . λ ., which it is not. μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς κ . τ . λ .: not reckoning unto them their trespasses , a parenthetical sentence explanatory of καταλλάσσων ; cf. Romans 4:8 (Psalms 32:2 ). καὶ θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν κ . τ . λ .: and had placed in our hands ( cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 , 1 Timothy 1:12 ; the verb is specially used of the Divine purposes) the Word of Reconciliation, i.e. , the Divine Message which speaks of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:4 — unclothed ( cf. 2Es 2:45 ) but clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up of life, i.e. , that the mortal body may, without passing through death, be absorbed, as it were, in the heavenly body which is to be superindued ( cf. Isaiah 25:8 ). The double metaphor in these verses from that of a house to that of a garment is quite in St. Paul’s manner. Stanley finds the explanation of both “in the image which both from his occupation and his birthplace would naturally occur

2 Corinthians 8:10 — 2 Corinthians 8:10 . καὶ γνώμην κ . τ . λ .: and herein I give my opinion, for this ( i.e. , that he should offer them an opinion rather than give a command in this matter, cf. 2 Corinthians 9:2 ) is better, i.e. , is morally profitable, for you, inasmuch as you

Galatians 1:8 — Galatians 1:8 . ἡμεῖς . Paul here associates with himself the colleagues Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, who had combined with him to preach the Gospel. He desires to impress on his disciples that the controversy is not between one teacher and another, but between truth

Galatians 6:11 — sympathy would now be quick to feel for the privation which the attack had entailed upon him. ἔγραψα : I write . The epistolary aorist is constantly used to denote personal acts of the writer at the time (2 Corinthians 9:3 , Ephesians 6:22 , Colossians 4:8 , Philemon 1:19 ; Philemon 1:21 ).

Philippians 2:11 — of Christ’s proper names. See Simcox, Lang. of N.T. , p. 49, and cf. Acts 2:36 , “Know assuredly that God made Him Lord as well as Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (so Hort); 1 Corinthians 12:3 , Romans 10:9 , 1 Corinthians 8:6 , where “One Lord” is parallel to “One God”. Hort (on 1 Peter 1:3 ) compares our verse with Philippians 2:2-5 . The invocation of one Lord is a bond of unity. The term “Lord” has become one of the most lifeless

Colossians 2:17 — Colossians 2:17 . This verse contains a hint of the fundamental argument of the Epistle to the Hebrews ( cf. esp. Hebrews 8:5 ; Hebrews 10:1 ). ὅ ἐστιν σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων . Whether ὅ or ἅ be read, the reference is to the whole of the ceremonial ordinances just mentioned. σκιὰ is “shadow,” not “sketch” (as Calvin and others). It is cast by the body,

2 Timothy 1:12 — ἣν αἰτίαν : i.e. , because I am a preacher of the Gospel. Cf. Galatians 5:11 . οὐκ ἐπαισχύνομαι : Non confundor. I am not disappointed of my hope , as in ref. πεπίστευκα … πέπεισμαι : The perfects have their usual force. For πέπεισμαι see Romans 8:38 and note on 2 Timothy 1:5 . τὴν παραθήκην μου is best taken as that which I have deposited for safe keeping . Cf. the story of St. John and the robber from Clem. Alex. Quis Dives , § 42, quoted by Eus. H. E . iii. 23, τὴν παρακαταθήκην ἀπόδος

2 Timothy 2:16 — φωνίας with λόγον . περιίστασο : shun, devita , “ Give them a wide berth ” (Plummer), also in Titus 3:9 . In these places περιίστασθαι has the same meaning as ἐκτρέπεσθαι , 1 Timothy 6:20 . In fact Ell. cites from Lucian, Hermot . § 86, ἐκτραπήσομαι καὶ περιστήσομαι , where the two verbs are evidently used as indifferent alternatives. Where περιίστημι elsewhere occurs (N.T.), viz. , John 11:42 , Acts 25:7 , it means “to stand around”. ἐπὶ πλεῖον , κ . τ . λ .: Those

Hebrews 1:1-3 — literature the place which the Transfiguration holds in the life of Christ. Former mediators give place and Christ is left alone under the voice “Hear ye Him”. With this writer, Jesus is before all else the Mediator of a better Covenant, Hebrews 8:6 . But ‘Mediator’ involves the arranging and accomplishing of everything required for the efficacy of the Covenant; the perfect knowledge of the person and purposes of Him who makes the Covenant with men and the communication of this knowledge

Hebrews 11:39 — Hebrews 11:39 . καὶ οὗτοι πάντες , “And these all,” that is, those who have been named in this chapter, “although they had witness borne to them through their faith,” as has been recorded (Hebrews 11:2-38 ), “did not receive the promise,” that is, as already said in Hebrews 11:13 , they only foresaw that it would be fulfilled and died in that faith. But this failure to obtain the fulfilment of the promise was not due to any slackness on the

Hebrews 13:5 — lead on to a warning against love of money: ἀφιλάργυρος ὁ τρόπος , “let your turn of mind [disposition] be free from love of money, content with what you have”. [ ὁ τράπος frequently in classical writers in this sense, as Demosthenes, p. 683, αἰσχροκερδὴς ὁ τρόπος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν . Other examples in Kypke. ἀρκεῖσθαι τοῖς παροῦσι was also commonly used to denote contentment with what one has. Examples in Raphel and Wetstein.] This contentment has the firm foundation of God’s promise;

2 Peter 1:2 — ff.; Robinson’s Excursus in Ephesians .) ἐπίγνωσις in this epistle corresponds to πίστις in the Pauline sense (Spitta, p. 522). In Romans 1:21 γνόντες is used of the imperfect knowledge of God possessed by the heathen world, and in Romans 1:28 he contrasts it with the Christian or perfect knowledge of God. ( καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει .) Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12 , Colossians 1:9 . “ ἐπίγνωσις , involving the complete appropriation of all truth and the unreserved

1 John 4:9 — the love of God because it is a manifestation of the divine nature, and the divine nature is love. ἐν ἡμῖν , “in our souls” an inward experience. Cf. Galatians 1:16 : ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοί . μονογενῆ , cf. Luke 7:12 ; Luke 8:42 ; Luke 9:38 . St. John applies the term exclusively to Jesus. It carries the idea of preciousness; cf. LXX Psalms 22:20 ; Psalms 35:17 , where יְחִידָתִי , “my dear life,” is rendered τὴν μονογενῆ μου . ἀπέσταλκεν . “hath sent

3 John 1:12 — Diotrephes. But evidently he was a stranger to Gaius and needed introduction and commendation. St. John gives him a threefold testimony: (1) that of the whole community at Ephesus ( ὑπὸ πάντων ); (2) that of “the Truth” (see note on 1 John 1:8 ): he fulfilled the requirements of the Gospel and exemplified its saving power; (3) that of the Apostle and his colleagues at Ephesus ( ἡμεῖς ): he has long been honoured by his community as an embodiment of the Truth ( μεμαρτύρηται ), and the Apostle

Revelation 18:1-3 — Revelation 18:1-3 : an angelic proclamation of Babylon’s fate ( cf. Revelation 14:8 ) in terms of Isaiah 13:19-22 ; Isaiah 34:14 (demons of the desert, the Mazzikin of Jewish demonology, familiar to Babylonian magic), Jeremiah 50:30 ; Jeremiah 51:37 , Zephaniah