Bible Commentaries

1 Corinthians 12:3 — ‘ because ye have been hitherto in ignorance of the matter .’ ἐν πν . θεοῦ ἐν πν . ἁγ . ] The Spirit of God, or the Holy Ghost, is the Power pervading the speaker, the Element in which he speaks. So Schöttgen, on Matthew 22:43 , quotes from the Rabbis, ‘ David saw, ברוח הקדש in the Holy Spirit.’ λαλῶν λέγει ] On the difference of meaning between λαλῶ , ‘to discourse ,’ ‘to speak ,’ and λέγω , ‘to say ,’ the former

1 Corinthians 4:21 — 21 .] He offers them, with a view to their amendment, the alternative: ‘shall his coming be in a judicial or in a friendly spirit?’ as depending on themselves. τί not for πότερον (as Meyer, De W.), but general, and afterwards confined to

1 Corinthians 6:12 — 12. ] Statement of the true doctrine of Christian freedom . πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν are the bona fide words of the Apostle himself , not, as some have understood them, the saying of an opponent cited by him. For (1) the sentiment is a true Christian axiom:

1 Corinthians 7:17 — exception, by way of caution, to the foregoing motive for not remaining together ( 1Co 7:16 ). The Christian partner might carry that motive too far , and be tempted by it to break the connexion on his own part ; a course already prohibited ( 1Co 7:12-14 ). Therefore the Apostle adds, But (q. d. only be careful not to make this a ground for yourselves causing the separation) as to each ( ἑκάστ . ὡς = ὡς ἑκάστ ., reff.) the Lord distributed (his lot), as (i.e. ᾖ κλήσει , 1Co 7:20 ) God has called

1 Corinthians 9:25 — 25. ] The point in the οὕτως , the conduct of the athletes in regard of temperance , which he wishes to bring into especial prominence for their imitation: as concerning the matter in hand, his own abstinence from receiving the world’s pelf ,

2 Corinthians 1:11 — συναγωνίσασθαί μοι ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ , it would seem as if μοι should be supplied; but he himself could hardly be said ὑπουργεῖν , though he well might ἀγωνίσασθαι . We must therefore understand the preposition either with Chrys., Hom. ii. p. 432, τουτέστιν , εὐχομένων πάντων ὑμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν , or as merely signifying coincidence with the purpose to be accomplished , as in μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου , Acts 27:7 , where see note. ἵνα ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων .… ] “Three constructions of

2 Corinthians 10:13 — those spoken of in last verse) will not (ever: will never allow ourselves to) boast without measure (lit. ‘ boast as far as to things unmeasured .’ εἰς with an adj. and the art. is used to signify the extent to which ; so Herod. vii. 229, κατεκέατο ἐν Ἀλπηνοῖσι ὀφθαλμιῶντες ἐς τὸ ἔσχατον : as ἐπί with the same denotes the direction towards which , as ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον κοσμοῦντες , … ἐπὶ τὸ μυθῶδες ἐκνενικηκότα , Thucyd. i. 21, without measure , scil. as they do who compare themselves

2 Corinthians 3:7 — seems strange that ἐντετ . λίθ . should he the predicate of διακονία ; but the ministration is the whole putting forth of the dispensation, the purport of which was summed up in the decalogue, written on stones. The decalogue thus written was, as in 2 Corinthians 3:3 , διακονηθεῖσα ὑπὸ Μωυσέως ) was (constituted) in glory (as its state or accompanying condition: the abstract as yet, to be compared with the glory of the other: the concrete, the brightness on the face of Moses, is not yet before

2 Corinthians 4:18 — invisibilia , nam multa quæ non cernuntur, erunt visibilia, confecto itinere fidei.’ Bengel. μὴ βλ ., not οὐ , perhaps because μή stands with participles in clauses of a subjective character, so στήκετε … μὴ πτυρόμενοι ἐν μηδενὶ …, Philippians 1:27-28 . Winer, edn. 6, § 55. 5. g. β , or rather perhaps, as ib. α , as hypothetic (see also Moulton’s note, p. 606. 1): τὰ οὐ βλεπόμ . would be the things which as a matter of fact at any given time we do not see , cf. οἱ οὐκ ἠλεημένοι , 1

2 Corinthians 8:18 — Commentators (Heumann, Rückert) have understood, ‘ the brother of Titus :’ the delicate nature of the mission would require that there should be at least no family connexion between those sent to fulfil it. This and the other are called in 2 Corinthians 8:23 , ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν , and were unquestionably Christian brethren in the usual sense. Who this was , we know not. Chrys., Theodoret, Œcum., Luther, Calvin, suppose Barnabas to be meant; but there is no historical ground for this, and we

Galatians 3:21 — 21 .] The Law being thus set over against the promises, being given through a mediator between two, the promises by the one God, it might seem as if there were an inconsistency between them. The nature of the contrariety must not (as De W.) be deduced

Ephesians 3:9 — his work , but internally to enlighten the hearers, referred to their apprehension : as when the Apostles gave witness with great power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, Acts 4:33 . On St. Paul’s mission to enlighten, see especially Act 26:18 ) all (no emphasis on πάντας , as Harl. “not the Gentiles only, but all men,” or as Mey. observes it would be πάντας (or τοὺς π .?) φωτίσαι ) what (the ellipse is supplied by εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι in ch. Eph 1:18 ) is the œconomy (see on

Colossians 4:11 — 11 . Ἰησοῦς … Ἰοῦστος ] Entirely unknown to us. A Justus is mentioned Acts 18:7 , as an inhabitant of Corinth, and a proselyte: but there is no further reason to identify the two. The surname Justus ( צדוק ) was common among the Jews: cf. Acts 1:23 , and Jos. Vit. 9, 65, 76. These alone who are of the circumcision (the construction is of the nature of an anacoluthon, οἱ ὄντες ἐκ π . being equivalent to ‘of those of the circumcision.’ We have a similar construction frequently in

1 Thessalonians 5:10 — of perspicuity with it. The construction of a subjunctive with εἴτε … εἴτε is not classical: an optative is found in such cases, e.g. Xen. Anab. ii. 1. 14, καὶ εἴτε ἄλλο τι θέλοι χρῆσθαι εἴτ ʼ ἐπ ʼ Αἴγυπτον στρατεύειν .… See Winer, edn. 6, § 41, p. 263, Moulton’s Engl. transl. 368, note 2. ἅμα ] all together: not to be taken with σύν , see reff.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 — κατέχων is placed before ἕως for emphasis, as in ref. Gal., μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα μνημονεύωμεν ) be removed (the phrase is used of any person or thing which is taken out of the way, whether by death or other removal. So in reff.: and Plut. Timol. p. 238. 3 (Wetst.): ἔγνω ζῆν καθ ʼ ἑαυτὸν ἐκ μέσου γενόμενος , Ter. Phorm. v. 9. 40, ‘ea mortem obiit, e medio abiit.’ See also Herod. viii. 22: and for the opposite, ἐν μέσῳ εἶναι , Xen. Cyr. v. 2. 26. Various erroneous arrangements and renderings

1 Timothy 4:6-11 — ὑποτιθέμενος , which certainly would not be used of the μέγα μυστήριον ) suggesting (or counselling, cf. Il. θ . 36, βουλὴν δ ʼ Ἀργείοις ὑποθησόμεθ ʼ, ἥτις ὀνήσει : Herod. i. 156, Κροῖσος μὲν δὴ ταῦτά τε οἱ ὑπετίθετο : … Palm and Rost’s Lex. sub voce, 2, c; and Ellic’s note here) to the brethren, thou wilt be a good servant of Christ Jesus, ever training thyself in (the idea of ἐντρέφομαι is not ‘ nourish oneself with ,’ but to grow up amongst, or to be trained in: cf. Eur. Phœn.

Hebrews 10:28 — 28 .] Any one having set at nought the (not, ‘ a ;’ see ch. Hebrews 7:18-19 , both for ἀθετεῖν , and for the difference between νόμος and ἐντολή ) law of Moses (we must not take this as a general assertion, as true of whoever in any way

Hebrews 6:14 — Surely (in reff., the editions vary between εἰ μήν and ἦ μήν , but the greater MSS. have εἰ μήν : in fact, ει and η are constantly interchanged by the copyists. The expression occurs in formulæ jurandi in several places in the LXX (as e. g. Ezekiel 33:27 , ζῶ ἐγώ , εἰ μὴν οἱ ἐν ταῖς ἠρημωμέναις μαχαίραις πεσοῦνται : see also ib. Ezekiel 34:8 ; Ezekiel 35:6 ; Ezekiel 36:5 ; Eze 38:19 ), so that it could not be an unmeaning expression to the Hellenistic ear. Bleek thinks it came from the Hebraistic formula

Hebrews 9:6 — clearly conceives of the whole system and arrangement as subsisting, but not in every minute detail. The arrangement was essential to the system: the failure of some of its parts, accidental to it. κατεσκευασμ . in allusion to the same word Heb 9:2 ), into the first (foremost) tabernacle (indeed) continually (i. e. day by day, at any time, without limits prescribed by the law: certainly, twice at least in every day, see Exodus 30:7 ff.) enter (on the present , see above. It must not, as in

James 3:13 — 13 .] Who is (cf. the similar question in Psalms 33:12 , τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ θέλων ζωὴν κ . τ . λ .; παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ κ . τ . λ .) wise and a man of knowledge (the same adjectives are joined in reff. It is not easy to mark the difference, if any is here intended. Wiesinger says, “