Bible Commentaries

Ephesians 2:8 — Ephesians 2:8 . τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι : for by grace have ye been saved . More exactly “by the grace,” i.e. , by this grace, the grace already mentioned. Grace is the explanation of their own salvation, and how surpassingly rich the grace must

Philippians 4:12 — “initiated”) to lose its technical sense. But the word probably implies a difficult process to be gone through. Cf. Psalms 25:14 : “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Vaughan), and Wis 8:4 , μύστις γάρ ἐστιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιστήμης . In later ecclesiastical usage ὁ μεμυημένος = a baptised Christian (an instructive hint as to the growth of dogma). See Anrich, Das Antike Mysterienwesen , p. 158. μεμύ . goes closely with the infinitives

1 Thessalonians 4:4 — wife as the σκεῦος of her husband; this in its turn views adultery primarily as an infringement of the husband’s rights or an attack on his personal property. Paul, however, closes by an emphatic word on the religious aspect (1 Thessalonians 4:6-8 ) of the question; besides, as Dr. Drummond remarks, “is it not part of his greatness that, in spite of his own somewhat ascetic temperament, he was not blind to social and physiological facts?” It is noticeable that his eschatology has

1 Timothy 1:19 — himself had suffered shipwreck at least four times (2 Corinthians 11:25 ) when he wrote this epistle. He had on each occasion lost everything except himself. For the construction, cf. περὶ τὴν πίστιν [ ἀλήθειαν ] ἠστόχησαν , 1 Timothy 6:21 , 2 Timothy 2:18 ; ἀδόκιμοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν , 2 Timothy 3:8 . περί with acc. is used in a somewhat similar sense in Mark 4:19 , Luke 10:40-41 , Acts 19:25 , Philippians 2:23 (the only instance in Paul outside the Pastorals) 1 Timothy 6:4 , Titus 2:7 . Hymenaeus and

1 Timothy 6:4 — 1 Timothy 6:4 . τετύφωται : inflatus est ( [290] , [291] 50 , [292] ); superbus est (Vulg.). See on 1 Timothy 3:6 . [290] The Latin text of Codex Claromontanus (sæc. vi.), a Græco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852. [291] Speculum [292] Cod. Frisingensis νοσῶν : morbidly busy (Liddon), languens (Vulg.), aegrotans ( [293] 50 ). His disease is intellectual curiosity about trifles. Both doting and mad after (Alf.) as translations of νοσῶν , err by excess

1 Timothy 6:5 — given a milder sense by Winer-Moulton, Gram . p. 126, “misplaced diligence or useless disputing”. [294] Cod. Frisingensis [295] The Latin text of Codex Claromontanus (sæc. vi.), a Græco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852. διεφθαρμένων τὸν νοῦν : cf. κατεφθαρμένοι τὸν νοῦν , 2 Timothy 3:8 , the acc. being that of the remoter object. Cf. , for the notion, τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης , Ephesians 4:22 , also 1Co 15:33 , 2 Corinthians

2 Timothy 1:6 — thee”. We are most fruitfully stimulated to noble action, not when we know other people think well of us, but when their good opinion makes us recognise the gifts to us of God’s grace. Faith, as well as salvation, is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8 . Except in this phrase (see reff. and Acts 28:20 ), αἰτία is not found elsewhere in Paul. It is common in Matt., Mark, John, and Acts. ἀναζωπυρεῖν : In both places cited in reff. the only occurrences in the Greek Bible the verb is intransitive: his

2 Timothy 2:10 — spiritual privileges with a view directly to the salvation of others, as well as of themselves. The absolute phrase as here is found in Matthew 24:22 ; Matthew 24:24 = Mark 13:20 ; Mark 13:22 ; οἱ ἐκλεκτοὶ αὐτοῦ in Matthew 24:31 = Mark 13:27 (?), Luke 18:7 ; ἐκλεκτοὶ θεοῦ in Romans 8:33 , Colossians 3:12 , Titus 1:1 ; ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς ἐν Κυρίῳ in Romans 16:13 . καὶ αὐτοί : they also (as well as I). It would be no Paradise to St. Paul “to live in Paradise alone”. Compare his supreme expression

2 Timothy 2:15 — ; but it is better explained as a workman who has no cause for shame when his work is being inspected . In any case, the word must be so explained as to qualify ἐργάτης naturally; and therefore it cannot be interpreted by a reference to 2 Timothy 1:8 ( μὴ ἐπαισχυνθῇς ), of the shame that may deter a man from confessing Christ. ὀρθοτομοῦντα : ὀρθοτομέω is found in reff. as the translation of ישׁר (Piel) direct, make straight, make plain . “He shall direct thy paths,” “The righteousness

2 Timothy 3:5 — that of the Gentile (see Sanday and Headlam on Romans 2:20 ). There is therefore no necessity to suppose with Lightfoot that “the termination - ωσις denotes the aiming after or affecting the μορφή ” ( Journal of Class. and Sacr. Philol . (1857), iii. 115). δύναμιν : the opposition between μόρφωσις and δύναμις here is the same as that between δύναμις and σοφία in 1 Corinthians 2:5 , or λόγος , 1 Corinthians 4:19-20 , 1 Thessalonians 1:5 ; see also Hebrews 7:16 . ἠρνημένοι : To deny a

2 Timothy 4:10 — occasion now in St. Paul’s mind. ἀγαπήσας τὸν νῦν αἰῶνα : See 1 Timothy 6:17 . It is just possible that Bengel is right in seeing an intentional deplorable contrast (“luctuosum vide antitheton”) between this expression and 2 Timothy 4:8 . εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην : Lightfoot ( Biblical Essays , p. 247) alleges other reasons for the supposition that Demas hailed from Thessalonica, viz. , He “is mentioned next to Aristarchus, the Thessalonian in Philemon 1:24 , and … the name Demetrius,

Titus 2:12 — ( instructing us, to the intent that, denying , etc., R.V.), not the content ( teaching us that denying , etc., A.V.) of the παιδεία . [319] The Latin text of Codex Claromontanus (sæc. vi.), a Græco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852. ἀρνησάμενοι … ζήσωμεν … προσδεχόμενοι represent three successive stages in the Christian life. The force of the aorist participle must not be lost sight of, though it may be pedantic to mark it in translation. ἀρνησάμενοι κ . τ . λ ., synchronises

Hebrews 1:8 — Hebrews 1:8 . πρὸς δὲ τὸν υἱός …, the quotation being from Psalms 45:0 in which the King in God’s kingdom is described ideally. The points in the quotation which make it relevant to the writer’s purpose are the ascription of dominion and perpetuity

Hebrews 12:5 — which every son must be subjected, ὂν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ … the emphasis falling on ἀγαπᾷ . ὃν παραδέχεται , “whom He takes to Him as a veritable son, receives in his heart and cherishes” (Alford). The word is similarly used in Polybius, xxxviii. 1, 8. [The same passage from Proverbs is cited by Philo (De Cong. Erud. gratia, p 544) who adds, αὕτως ἄρα ἡ ἐπίπληξις καὶ νουθεσία καλὸν νενόμισται , ὥστε διʼ αὐτῆς ἡ πρὸς θεὸν ὁμολογία συγγένεια γίνεται · τί γὰρ αἰκειότερον υἱῷ f1πατρὸς ἢ υἱοῦ πατρι ;

Hebrews 2:18 — Hebrews 2:18 . ἐν ᾧ γὰρ πέπονθεν .… He concludes this part of his argument by explaining the process by which Christ’s becoming man has answered the purpose of making Him a merciful and faithful High Priest. The explanation is “non ignara mali miseris

Hebrews 5:13 — unacquainted with the higher teaching, which is now λόγος δικ . ἄπειρος having no experience of, ignorant; as κακότητος ἄπειροι , Empedocles in Fairbanks, Phil. of Greece , p. 202. ἄπειρος ἀγρεύειν , Babrius, lxix. 2; ἄπ . τοῦ ἀγωνίζεσθαι , Antiphon, Jebb, p. 8. λόγου δικαιοσύνης , with teaching of righteous conduct the suckling has nothing to do; he cannot act for himself, but can merely live and grow; he cannot discern good and evil, and must take what is given him. Righteousness is not within the suckling’s

Hebrews 6:13 — secure, but that only by patient waiting can it be inherited. It is secure because God pledged Himself to perform it. The promise referred to in ἐπαγγειλάμενος seems to be that which was confirmed by an oath, and which is recorded in Genesis 22:16-18 , κατʼ ἐμαυτοῦ ὤμοσα κ . τ . λ . But Westcott prefers to consider that previous promises are referred to, as in Genesis 12:3 ; Genesis 12:7 ; Genesis 13:14 ; Genesis 15:5 ; Genesis 17:5 . The aorist participle ἐπαγγ . admits of either construction.

Hebrews 9:23 — that to which attention is to be given, the first clause introducing it. The statement is almost equivalent to “As it was necessary … so it was necessary” … The ὑποδείγ . are the tabernacle and its furnishings, in accordance with Hebrews 8:5 ; which see. τούτοις , viz. , the things mentioned in Hebrews 9:19 . αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ ἐπουράνια . If the copies were cleansed by material rites, realities being spiritual and eternal can only be cleansed by what is spiritual and eternal, cf. Hebrews 9:14

James 2:10 — single point”. γέγονεν πάντων ἔνοχος : While there are a certain number of passages in Rabbinical writings which are in agreement with this teaching ( e.g., Bemidbar Rabb. , ix. on Numbers 5:14 ; Shabbath , 70 b; Pesikta , 50 a; Horaioth , 8 b ; quoted by Mayor), there can be no doubt that the predominant teaching was in accordance with the passage quoted by Taylor (in Mayor, op. cit. , p. 89) from Shemoth Rabb . xxv. end: “The Sabbath weighs against all the precepts”; as

1 Peter 1:18 — 1 Peter 1:18 . Amplification of Isaiah 52:3 f., Δωρεὰν ἐπράθητε καὶ οὐ μετὰ ἀργυρίου λυτρωθήσεσθε ( cf. Isaiah 45:13 … εἰς Αἴγυπτον κατέβη ὁ λαός μου τὸ πρότερον παροικῆσαι ἐκεῖ . The deliverance from Babylon corresponds to the deliverance from Egypt. To these