Bible Commentaries

Romans 5:12 — 12. ] This verse is one of acknowledged difficulty. The two questions meeting us directly are (1) To what does διὰ τοῦτο refer? (2) ὥσπερ , ‘like as,’ may introduce the first member of a comparison, the second being to be discovered; or may

1 Corinthians 7:16 — 1 Corinthians 7:13 , in hope that conversion of the unbelieving party may follow. Thus 1Co 7:15 is regarded as altogether parenthetical. But (1) this interpretation is harsh as regards the context, for 1Co 7:15 is evidently not parenthetical , and (2) it is hardly grammatically admissible (see below, for it makes εἰ = εἰ μή , ‘What knowest thou … whether thou shalt not save.…?’ Lyra seems first to have proposed the true rendering, which was afterwards adopted hesitatingly by Estius,

2 Corinthians 1:23 — 23. ἐπὶ .… ψυχ .] against my soul, ‘cum maximo meo malo, si fallo.’ Grot. φειδόμενος ὑμ .] sparing you , out of a feeling of compassion for you. οὐκέτι ‘ no more ,’ viz. after the first time: see Prolegg. to 1 Cor.

Galatians 5:2 — 2 .] ἴδε , not ἰδέ , in later Greek: see Winer, § 6. 1. a: it draws attention to what follows, as a strong statement. ἐγὼ Παῦλος ] ἄντικρυς ὑμῖν λέγω κ . διαῤῥήδην , κ . τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ προστίθημι ὄνομα , Thdrt. τὴν τοῦ οἰκείου προσώπου ἀξιοπιστίαν ἀντὶ

Galatians 5:8 — 8 .] The persuasion (to which you are yielding active; not your persuasion , passive. πεισμονή may mean either. Ellic. says: “As the similar form πλησμονή means both satietas (the state) and also expletio (the act), Colossians 2:23 ; Plato, Sympos. 186 c. πλ . καὶ κένωσις , so πεισμονή may mean the state of being persuaded, i.e. conviction, or the act of persuading, ‘persuadendi sollertia’ (Schött.): cf. Chrys. on 1 Thessalonians 1:3 , οὐ πεισμονὴ ἀνθρωπίνη … ἦν

Galatians 6:9 — 9 .] But (in our case, let there be no chance of the alternative: see Hartung, Partikell. i. 166) in well-doing (stress on καλόν ) let us not be faint-hearted (on ἐγκ . and ἐκ κ ., see note, 2 Corinthians 4:1 . It seems doubtful, whether such a word as ἐκκακέω exists at all in Greek, and whether its use by later writers and place in lexicons is not entirely due to these doubtful readings. See Ellic.’s note): for in due time (an expression

Ephesians 3:12 — 12 .] in whom (for the connexion, see note on last verse: in whom, as their element and condition) we have our boldness (not ‘ freedom of speech ’ merely, nor boldness in prayer : παῤῥησία is used in a far wider sense than these, as will

Ephesians 3:8 — to mind his own (not past, but present and inherent, see 1Ti 1:15 ) unworthiness of the high office, and resumes the context with an emphatic declaration of it. To me, who am less than the least (thus admirably rendered by E. V. Winer, edn. 6, § 11. 2. b, adduces ἐλαχιστότατος from Sext. Empir. ix. 406, and μειότερος from Apoll. Rhod. ii. 368 and Wetst. χερειότερος from II. β . 248, and other examples (Ellic. remarks that Thuc. iv. 118 must be removed from Wetst.’s examples, as the true reading

Philippians 1:18 — μαθητής , τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ πωλεῖν αὑτὸν προῃρημένος , and other examples in Wetst.) Christ IS PROCLAIMED (then these adversaries of the Apostle can hardly have been those against whom he speaks so decisively in Galatians, and indeed in our ch. Philippians 3:2 . These men preached Christ , and thus forwarded pro tanto the work of the Gospel, however mixed their motives may have been, or however imperfect their work): and in this ( ἐν ἀρεταῖς γέγαθε , Pind. Nem. iii. 56: οὐ γὰρ ἂν γνοίης ἐν οἷς | χαίρειν

2 Thessalonians 3:2 — 2 .] And in order for that to be the case, that we may be free to preach it. On ἄτοπος , Lünem. says, “it is properly used of that which is not in its right place. When of persons , it designates one who does or says that which is inappropriate

Hebrews 1:7 — Epistle. And as the words stand in the Greek, the arrangement and rendering of them is unquestionably as above (see this argued below). But here comes in no small difficulty as to the sense of the original Hebrew. It stands thus: after stating, Hebrews 1:2-3 , that God takes light for His raiment, and the heavens for a tent, and the clouds for a chariot, we read, עֹשֶׂה מַלְאָכָיו רוּחוֹה מְשָֽׁרְתָיו אֵשׁ לֹהֵט , Hebrews 1:4 . And it is usually contended that these words can only mean, from the context,

Hebrews 13:14 — Schlichting. Yet this is not altogether true. The heavenly Jerusalem, in all her glory, is not yet existing, nor shall be until the number of the elect is accomplished. Then she shall come down out of heaven as a bride prepared for her husband, Revelation 21:2 . This verse certainly comes with a solemn tone on the reader, considering how short a time the μένουσα πόλις did actually remain, and how soon the destruction of Jerusalem put an end to the Jewish polity which was supposed to be so enduring).

Hebrews 4:4 — 4 .] Substantiation of the last assertion . For he (God, not Moses, nor ἡ γραφή : see above on εἴρηκεν : see ch. Heb 13:5 ) hath spoken somewhere (see above on ch. Heb 2:6 ) concerning the seventh day (so in Hellenistic Greek constantly for the Sabbath: as e. g. in the title of one of Philo’s treatises, περὶ τῆς ἑβδόμης : and elsewhere: see Bleek. In 2Ma 15:1 , the Sabbath is called ἡ τῆς καταπαύσεως ἡμέρα )

Hebrews 5:12 — 12 .] For though (or, ‘ when :’ but in the presence of διὰ τὸν χρόνον , which gives the temporal reference, it is perhaps better not to repeat it) ye ought (see on Hebrews 5:3 , and ch. Heb 2:17 ) on account of the time (i. e. the length

Hebrews 5:3 — 3 .] And on account of it (the infirmity wherewith he himself is encompassed; not fem. for neut., as Bengel, altern.: nor is αὕτη , Matthew 21:42 , which he alleges, the slightest justification for such a notion) he must (not meaning, it is his appointed duty according to the law: but, it is necessary for him, a priori, on higher ground than, and before, the ordinance of the law. See on

James 4:14 — ‘belonging, as ye do, to a class which’) the ( event ) (or, matter , or content : the more general and indefinite, the better) of the morrow: for ( γάρ substantiates the ignorance just alleged) of what sort (depreciative, as in 1Pe 2:20 ) is your life? for ( γάρ refers to the depreciative force in ποία : ‘I may well pour contempt on it, for,’ &c.) ye are (ye yourselves: so that any thing of yours, even your life, must partake of the same instability and transitoriness.

1 Peter 5:6 — 6 .] Humble yourselves (on the medial signification of some verbs in the aor. 1 pass. in the N. T., see Winer, § 39. 2. The commonest example is ἀποκριθείς . Cf. also διεκρίθη , Matthew 21:21 ; Romans 4:20 , &c.) therefore (the same spirit as before continues through this and the following verses: the μέριμνα here, and the παθήματα , 1 Peter 5:9 , keeping in mind their

2 Peter 2:19 — promising them liberty (these are the great swelling things which they speak; holding out a state of Christian liberty, which proves to be the bondage of corruption) while they themselves are (all the while: ὑπάρχω , of previous entity: see on Act 16:20 ) slaves of corruption (cf. the same words occurring together in ref. Rom., αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ θεοῦ : which it is very likely St. Peter had in view: cf. ch. 2 Peter

Revelation 16:10-11 — 10, 11 .] And the fifth poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast (given to it by the dragon, ch. Revelation 13:2 . That is, on the spot where the power and presence of the beast had its proper residence): and his kingdom (those lands which owned his rule) became darkened (as in the ninth Egyptian plague, Exodus 10:21 ff., the darkness is specially sent over

Revelation 5:2 — 2 .] And I saw a strong angel (the epithet ἰσχυρόν is by no means superfluous, but corresponds to the φωνῇ μεγάλῃ below, which, as appears by what followed, penetrated heaven and earth and Hades. Compare ch. Revelation 10:1 ; Rev 10:3 and notes) proclaiming