。
3§§}
--，,，，,，,，，
} -， … º ·• •- -·-·§§A ºg ſº, *
----ºſſ.ro，ae， ...-· -- ···-|- ··-， ， ·º "º º
ſº ſvºg ºz. * ， , ， ） – „.….: ' ′ '，... （ *·-----------· ·*、「」、。。、「」、。
ºs º（**） :'$.ºfga;*， *s*:'，ſkºº-º-º-·-... ）··.. ''º.Ř№ſººfſººr:*$%$§
ſº riſ： º ： * ， ！··
ſ ºſſºvº**®-ſº -， ->
º . '.$）， „ „” , ！·; ：：: ~~~）.
| .} ） \!\， .ſ · · · · -
w º
3.
.*.*.*.*.*
s: 3
. . .
2 * : *
.* * * * * * :
ºf ſº, º º
2 * * * *
|×
，
§.
* : * *
bj
-- : *
∞ √°.'，º
---*
wºwºt
g * *
º’ √
№ ： * * * * ， ！
*: º-º~e， ~º: .
& * * * *
• *, *.
----·*） :' .-
*…*…* --~~~ ~~ ºse“.¿№ ）
º • ** aſwºlae、。· · · * * ·--->…
----º £，·wº ：
t.-... （ ** . . . .-·2.），≤··|--
·-----w-ſ.º.º._（·· ſae``:， ’:’， ：-（--~~~~ … ….……….
¿*----！ ！ … …….… --
！”·---- » ， ， , ， ， ， ，！ *> *， ***∞ ·. . . . . .-
！！！！！！---- ſ.∞ √°.ſº：Fºſºţ，ſºsyº-3，3，…;·
--،*********（s）≡-·---- č.-ſae·.*…- …"， ， ， ， ----， ，·|-， ， ， ， ， …■
·（. . . . . .? - （T. „I· ſz： ， ：º ſº， …（…）ºz. .:..………:）… :（ ' ', . ，，----- ·ſaevae-ºffſMae'$', ）;
-（ ）* （ . ）·¿¿.*…*·--· ·，≤ ∞:***** ！！!！！$$$$
№ º- -* ·
ſº »（， ， ， ， ， , :-
！！&&&&&&&&&Źź
:,:ſº …}.
ſº
· · * * '..
ſºrºmae
“（***）
fa， ‹

: rrn vºnmºn mºrmyrmonymºrrºr
s # Tappan Presbyterial ASSOGiation
º f LAIE ERA FRY.
; Presented by HON. D. BETHUNE DUFFIELD.
: From Library of Rev. Geo. Duffield, D.D.
, $2/zozzº --------- -
2%’––– |
-- a |
º








Tº S
2 (~ 35T
.S & 3
**
A N N O T A T I O N S
O N TIP D
EPISTLES.
... ANN OTATIONS
ON THE
EPISTLES,
B E IN G A C O N TI NU ATION OF
MR. ELS LEY'S ANNOTATIONS,
AND PRINCIPALLY DESIGNED
FOR THE USE OF CANDIDATES
FOR.
%20lp QBrottº.
BY THE
Rev. JAMES SLADE, M.A.
LATE FELLOW AND TUTOR of EMI MANUEL COLLEGE, CAMBR1DGE, ¥
AN}) EXAMINING CH.APLA IN TO THE LORD BISHOP OF CII ESTER.
I N T JP O V O I, U M E.S.
VOL. II.
C A M B R I D G E :
Printed for the Author at the University Press;
AND SOLD BY F. C. & J. Riv INGTON, PAYNE & Foss, Rodw ELY. & MARTIN,
i.ONDON ; DEIGHTON & Sons, NICHOLSON & SoN, BARRETT, AND THorpt,
CAMBRIDGE ; PA R KER, OXFORD; Poo LE, AND BROSTER, CILESTER
AND T. BURNHAM, NORTHAMPTON,
1816.
CORRIGENDA TO VOL. II,
Page 69. I. 32. read of the world.—P. 80. l. 28. read contra
Judaeos disputare.—P. 164. l. 33. read Marsyas, and l. 34. read
Ant. xvii. 7. 10.—P. 170. l. 6. dele proper.—P. 236. l. 35. read
manipulus.-P.254.1.6. read cūm.—P. 257.1.17. read Hierosolyma-
—P. 348. l. 33. for tha read that.—P. 308. l. 13. for garland read
garment. — P. 314. last line but one, the words Regum est, in-
advertently copied from Hammond, have been erroneously introduced
as a part of the quotation.
T H E E P I S T L E
TO THE
EPH ESIAN S.
C H.A. P. I.
The Apostle, after saluting the brethren, praises God that he
had called them, according to his purpose, to the riches and
glory of the gospel; sealing them by the spirit of promise:
He then assures them of his fervent prayer, that God would
give them grace thoroughly to understand and to value the
nature of that heavenly dispensation.
V. 1–to the saints] To the disciples in general,
I Cor. i. 1.
—to the faithful] Those who kept the doctrine of
Christ free from the corrupt mixture of Judaism.
Locke. Wells. Qui hacterius in pio isto instituto
perseverårunt. Grot. Rather, ‘to the believers,’ Acts
x. 45. 2 Cor. vi. 15. 1 Tim. iv. 3. 10. 12. Gal. iii. 9.
Whitby. Mackn.
—at Ephesus, Basil is said to have intimated,
Eunom. II. 19. that the words év 'Eq,éaq did not occur
in the original copies, and that there was a blank
space after roſe ovativ: Yet, if such were his opinion,
it ought not to have weight against the concurring
testimony of all the MSS and Versions. But see
Lardner, who puts another construction on the words
of Basil, also Dr. Middleton in loc. From this,
however, and other circumstances it has been con-
WOL. II. $
2 EPHESIANS. CHAP. I,
jectured by Mill, &c. that this epistle was addressed,
not to the Ephesians, but to the Laodiceans ; and
this is is a proper place to notice the arguments on
either side,
I. In addition to the opinion of Basil, there is the
affirmation of Marcion the heretic, who lived in the
second century, mentioned by Tertulliam, Marc. v. 11.
But it is a solitary affirmation, and is not even
quoted as deserving of notice, for the words are—
quam (epistolam) nos ad Ephesios praescriptam
habemus, ha-retici verö ad Laodicenos. Yet it does
not appear, that this heretic actually altered the
inscription; it is only said—interpolare gestiit, c. 27.
from which it is clear, as Lardner observes, that his
own copy was addressed to the Ephesians. But
after all, his opinion would be of no great authority,
for he rejected the epistles to Timothy and Titus,
and is accused by Tertullian of having motoriously
vitiated and mutilated the sacred writings, c. 13.
Haer. c. 38. 2. From Chap. i. 15. iii. 2. iv. 21. it
seems that the Apostle was writing to persons whom
he had never seen, which was not the case with the
Ephesians; but the objections furnished by these
passages will be moticed as they occur in the epistle.
3. Wetstein says, what cannot be doubted, that
there are many expressions applicable only to Gen-
tiles. But his quotations, Acts xviii. 19. sqq. xix.
9, 10. 17. xx. 21. Rev. ii. 2–7. are far from proving,
that the majority of the brethren were not Gentiles.
4. It is probable, that most of the objections, raised
against this passage, have proceeded, directly or
indirectly, from Col. iv. 16. where it is supposed,
that St. Paul speaks of an epistle to the Laodiceams:
The expression however, in that verse, does not
warrant any such construction. It is not tºpds
\aoëticels or roºs év Aaoëlkeig, but rºv EK Aaoëucetas,
and it properly refers either to an epistle which
EPHIESIANS. CHAP. I. 3.
St. Paul had received from the Laodiceans, (accord-
ing to Theodoret, Cave, Michaelis, and others,) or to
some epistle of which the Laodiceans had a copy,
perhaps to this very epistle; a copy of which the
Ephesians might have been desired to send to the
Church at Laodicea, and so to Colosse. Hamm.
Wells. Mackm. Many have supposed that this
epistle, though primarily inscribed to the Church at
Ephesus, might be also addressed to other Churches
in the lesser or proconsular Asia, of which country
Ephesus was the capital. It is probable, from the
above-mentioned passage in the epistle to the
Colossians, that a communication of this kind was
injoined between them and the Laodiceams; and it
is reasonable to conclude, that in other parts also the
same mode would be adopted of circulating the Apos-
tolic letters.--Some have contended, that the words
kal Tigroſs év Xptatiº ‘Indow denote the members of
other communities to which a copy of this epistle
might be sent, I Cor. i. 2. 2 Cor. i. 1. Abp. Usher
conjectures, that a similar purpose was intended to
be answered by the lacuna mentioned by Basil; and
that the blank, left in several copies, was intended
to be filled up as occasion might require.—It may
be inferred, moreover, from Col. iv. 15. in which the
converts are desired to send a salutation to the
brethren in Laodicea, that the epistle to the Ephe-
sians was not immediately directed to the Laodiceans.
For the two epistles (to the Colossians and Laodi-
ceans) are supposed to have been sent about the
same time by Tychicus (Eph. vi. 21. Col. iv. 7, 8.).
and it is highly improbable, that the Apostle would
have desired the Colossians to salute the Laodiceams
in his name, if he had written to both of them at
the same time, and by the same messenger.
To these considerations it may be added, l. That
no early writer, except those above-mentioned, hints
* }
A «
4 EPHESIANS, CHAP. f.
at any omission of the words v 'Eqéag, and many of
the most antient Fathers expressly bear witness, that
the epistle was written to the Ephesians; as Ignatius,
in the first century; Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria,
Tertullian, Origen and Cyprian, in the second and
third centuries. 2. If we should read dyiots rols ovatv
kai triaroſs k. T. A., this, besides being scarcely Greek,
would make it a general epistle, which is disproved
by Ch. vi. 21, 22. 3. There are three several passages,
which shew that St. Paul was well acquainted with
the people to whom he was writing, Ch. i. 13. ii. 1, 2.
iv. 20–24, which was not his case with the Laodi-
ceans. 4. This letter was sent by Tychicus, as above;
and it is said in 2 Tim. iv. 12. “Tychicus have I
sent to Ephesus.” Upon the whole, therefore, it is
probable that this epistle was addressed, in the first
instance, entirely to the Ephesians; and afterwards
distributed, by Apostolic injunction, to other com-
munities.
Most of these arguments, with the addition of
many others, are stated at greater length by Lardner.
See also Whitby. Wolf. Doddr. Matthaei. Mackm.
Dr. Middleton. The opposite opinion is maintained
by Grotius, Mill, Peirce, Benson, Wetstein, Paley,
(and others cited by Wolf and Lardner,) who con-
clude that this epistle was directed to the Church of
Laodicea.
V. 3—in heavenly places] v Tols étrovpaviots. The
translation must depend upon the mode of supplying
the ellipsis, whether by Tóirois or xpijuaqt : If we
prefer the latter, which suits the context better, we
may place a comma after Twevaarikh, and take év in
the same sense which it has immediately before ;
thus making the one clause to strengthen and to rise
above the other, with all spiritual blessings, with
heavenly things,’ i. e. with heavenly hopes, promises,
EPHESIANS. CHAP. I. 5
and rewards. It must be observed, however, that the
other mode of supplying the ellipsis accords with the
usual import of the words év Tois étrovpavious in this
epistle, ver, 20. Ch. ii. 6. iii. 10. (Syr. Nºws
Rosenm.); the preposition év will have, in this case,
three different senses in the three successive clauses.
But many copies omit this preposition before Xptatio.
See Mill in loc. With all spiritual blessings, and
that not only in reference to our present state here
upon earth, but also in reference to our future state
in heavenly places, i. e. in heaven itself. Wells.
W. 4.—hath chosenj This must refer to the
Church in general at Ephesus, and not to any per-
sonal election to eternal life. See Rom. viii. ix. 1 Pet.
ii. 8. The Apostle thus insists on the election of
the Gentiles, because the Jews imagined that none
were elect but themselves, and that for them alone
the world was created. 2 Esdr. vi. 55–59. Whitby.
Doddr. It is necessary continually to bear in mind,
that it was one of the Apostle's main objects, to
remove these persuasions and prejudices of his
Jewish brethren, and to effect their entire union with
the Gentiles: Principally therefore with this view,
he applies to the Gentile converts at large, those terms
and descriptions, which the Jews, as a nation, arro-
gantly appropriated to themselves. See Wells in loc.
‘. 5.-the adoption] This also was claimed by
the Jews, as the peculiar people of God. Gen.
xxii. 7. Exod. iv. 22. Luke i. 54. Rom. ix. 4.8. And it
is applied to believers of all nations, Rom. viii. 23,
being synonymous with their redemption. Locke.
Mackn.
V. 7.—redemption] Col. i. 13, 14. Rom. iii. 24.
Whitby, on ver, 8. shews at great length the wisdom
6 EPHESIANS. Cli AP. f.
and reasonableness of our redemption by Christ :
But that verse may bear another interpretation ;
‘ which he hath made to abound towards us, (enrich-
ing us) with all wisdom and prudence.’ ‘Treptoſaevaev.
Conj. Hiphil. 2 Cor. ix. S. Wolf. Wells.
W. 9.-the mystery] Having been so long kept
secret. Rom. xi. 25. xvi. 25. The word is especially
applicable here, as containing an allusion to the
Eleusinian mysteries, so famous at Ephesus and in
other parts of the world. See Mackn. Pref. to Eph.
§. 7.
V. 10.—all things] Or “all men.” T& Travra for
Toës ºrdvras, 1 Cor. xi. 12. The following clauses, in
their most obvious sense, denote “angels and men,”
who were again united under one head by Christ,
into one great society, or Church. Heb. xii. 22.
Whitby. Doddr. divakepaxata giv, Trivets uíav kepax)y
#voa w, as Tóv dyyáNov 3rd Xplatov rois dv6poºrots avvaq-
6évrov. Schol. apud Matthaei. Others suppose that
the expression év Tols ovgavois signifies the Jewish
nation. In Luke xxi. 16. at Suvâues róv ovpavów are
the Jewish rulers. See also Heb. xii. 25–28. where
“ the heavens and the earth” are similarly inter-
preted. This sense agrees with Toº TAmpaşaaros,
which (as Gal. iv. 4.) may refer to the accomplishment
of the Jewish ages, as also with Ch. ii. 13–16. Col.
i. 20. Hamm. Locke. Mackm. Schl. Yet it may be
observed, that the former and more matural inter-
pretation does also imply the union of Jews and
Gentiles, (for it is to Trávra. . . . . td &T Tris 'yns,) and
is consistent with ver. 21. Ch. iii. 15. “Both all things
which are in heaven, as the several ranks of angels,
and all things which are on earth, as Jews and
Gentiles.” Wells. See also Nares on the ‘Improved
Version, p. 174.
EPIIESIANS. CHAP. . . 7
W. 11.-obtained an inheritance, Some render it
° are become his portion or possession.” So the Jews
were called, Deut. iv. 20. xxxii. 9. and their habita-
tions in the promised land were divided to them by
lot. Christians are so called, 1 Pet. v. 3. Hamm.
Locke. Wells. But this does not so well agree with
wer. 14. The Alexandrian and many other MSS
have &k\ſ&muev.
—after the counsel of his own will ;] This does
indeed express God’s taking such methods to answer
his purposes, as he knows will in fact be successful.
But it does not prove any thing like an overbearing
impulse on men’s minds, to determine them in such
a manner as to destroy the natural freedom of their
volitions, and so to prevent their being justly account-
able to God for their actions. Doddr.
W. 12. —who first trusted] i. e. the Jews, say
most of the commentators, who were taught by their
prophets to look for the Messiah, and “waited for
the consolation of Israel.” Luke ii. 25, 38, &c. Others
truly observe, that the phrase éArt{ew év Tuvi must
imply not merely the expectation of a person, but
an actual belief and trust in him, an embracing of
his doctrine, Matt. xii. 21. Joh. v. 45, and therefore
they conclude, that St. Paul is merely alluding to
those, who had long been converted to Christianity.
Hamm. Wells. Schl. Though the Apostles and most
of the early converts were Jews, Luke xxiv. 47.
Acts i. 8. ii. 41. iii. 26. yet this is scarcely sufficient
to authorize the expression toºs TpoºrtkóTas, as de-
scriptive of the Jewish believers in general, in op-
position to the Gentiles ; and the Ephesians, whom
the Apostle addresses in the following verse, were
partly Jews. Toonxturótas] ow yop 3rd to diroakuptmaat
To's 'ſovčaſovs ék\{0mwev jaeis, dAN' àvočev iſ k\ma is juſºv
Tpotéptoro, Schol. ut suprā, Qui priores inter gentes,
8 EPHESIANS. CHAP, H,
speravimus in Christo. Hardy. St. Paul might use
the term We, in this sense, as being kat' ééoxºv the
Apostle of the Gentiles.
V. 13.−were sealed] Chandler tells us, that the
initiated into the mysteries of Diana received from
the priests a sacred seal or ring, with the figure of a
he-goat, as the mark of initiation. And it is well
known, that the servants in the temples of particular
Gods, and even the worshippers, had marks on their
bodies, by which they were distinguished. Mackm.
Non exträ signati estis in cute, quomodo Judaei cir-
cumcisi,et Graeci idolorum punctis notati, sed intus
Spiritu Sancto, quem Deus per Christum promiserat.
Hardy. But whether these ideas were in the Apos-
tle’s mind, is uncertain, it is not necessary to exceed
the common import of the figure. Rom. iv. 11. 1 Cor.
ix. 2. See also 2 Cor. i. 22. which is exactly parallel
to the present passage.
W. 14.—of the purchased possession,] The re-
demption of life. Whitby. Usque ad redemptionem
salutis. Bos. But there is no occasion to deviate
from the usual signification of trepito(mats. The verb
Treptºroteiv commonly implies to acquire by right or
purchase,” or * to preserve by rescue of any kind,”
Gen. xii. 12. xxi. 18. xxxvi. 6. Acts xx. 28. 1 Tim.
iii. 13. and consequently trepitotijo is denotes a pro-
perty acquired by any valuable consideration, 1 Thess.
v. 9. 2 Thess. ii. 14. Hebr. x. 39. I Pet. ii. 9. In
Malach. iii. 17, the word answers to the Hebrew
Hºp ‘ peculium.” The phrase, therefore, eis &roXº-
Tpoortv Tris Tepitoungeos, may signify, * for the final
deliverance of the people whom he hath purchased
(by his blood).” Thus Dr. Wells : “For the redemp-
tion of the purchased possession.” Koppe supposes
that Tſis Tepitotijaeos is put for Triv reptºroinfleiaav (thus
EPHESIANS. CHAP. ſ. 9
&rary/exías ver, 13.) Hamm. Wolf. Doddr. Parkh.
Schl. Rosemm,
W. 15.-after I heard] This is one of the expres-
sions adduced to shew, that the Apostle is writing to
persons with whom he is not acquainted. But he
abode in Ephesus three years. Acts xx. 31. The
argument, however, against this epistle being addres-
sed to the Ephesians, derives from this circumstance
little, if any, support. Hammond would translate
dkova as ‘having understood :' But this would not
obviate the objection, because in this sense it must
signify ‘having understood by hearing.” Doddridge
remarks truly, that the Apostle had probably received
many reports of their faith and conduct, since his
abode with them, which was five years ago. And he
uses similar expressions to the Thessalonians, whom
he had converted, 1 Thess. iii. 4. 6. also to Philemon
his own convert, ver. 4, 5. Mackm. Locke.
—of your faith] Westram in Dominum Jesum
adhuc integram esse fidem, nec corruptam per falsos
magistros, mec turbatam per mea wincula. Hardy.
W. 17.—the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Joh.
xx. 17. From this it has been inferred, that Christ
was not God. It may be properly inferred, that
Christ had a nature inferior to the divine ; but here
is no argument at all against his two-fold nature.
V. 18. – understanding I kapºtas. Mill. Wells.
Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb. ‘pattéetv Tiju ºld votav est
apud Josephum, Ant. VIII. 5. 3. Et quemadmodüm
ipse Paulus, c. Iv. 18. dixit égkortoněvows tº 8tavotº, et
Josephus, Amt. VIII. 2. 2. Tā 8tavotº Tetvq?\ouévov, ita
yox 8tavotas optimè convenit verbo parſelv, Krebs, in
loc. et in cap. Iv. 18. Some would refer Öq,0aXads to
êºm ver, 17. Or it may be what grammarians call the
accusative absolute. Ita Wetst, ex Ov. Met. xv. 63.
10 EPHESIANS. CHAP. H.
et quae natura negabat
Visibus humanis, oculis ea pectoris hausit.
V. 19–his mighty power] Especially in raising
the dead, of which the resurrection of Christ is a
certain pledge. Grot. Hamm. Whitby. See Bp.
Pearson on the Creed, p. 256. Also in enabling us to
attain a spiritual resurrection from sin. Wells. Schol.
ut suprā.
W. 20–right hand] In allusion to Psal. cx. 1.
See Dr. Jackson's Works Vol. III. Book XI. Heb. i. 3.
Also Bp. Pearson on the Creed, Art. vi.
—heavenly places, This does not, as Locke
supposes, signify the Church, but the habitation of
God. Mackm.
W. 21.—principality, and power, &c.] There
does not seem to be any clear or settled difference in
the sense of these words. The object is to shew,
that Christ is exalted above all created power, by
whatever name it may be called, and whether human
or angelic, whether present or to come; or, as some
say, above all rulers, the abstract being put for the
concrete, as Luke xii. 1 1. &c. Emphatica haec ver-
borum congeries, idem ferè significantium, de eximiis
angelorum classibus intelligi videtur, quorum hac
sunt nomina apud Hebraeos, ex nominibus dignitatum
imperii Persici desumpta. Hardy.
W. 23.—that filleth all in all.] All persons in all
places. Doddr. All his members with all, their
spiritual gifts and graces. Whitby. Mackn. And the
commentators in general have taken TAmpovuévov in
a middle sense : But the sentence may be construed
very intelligibly without such an assumption. Christ
is the head, the Church is his body; so then the com-
EPHESIANS. CHAP. II. | 1
pletion of the Church will be the completion of the
body of Christ: We may therefore translate thus,
* He is head in the Church, which is his body, being
(when fully gathered together) the completing of him,
who is (or will them be) all in all complete' (i. e. per-
fectly complete), every species of dominion and
authority being made subject to him. This agrees
with the construction of +d ºrdvra év Taat in 1 Cor.
xv. 28. Hammond, after Chrysostom, adopts the
passive sense of the participle. And Rosenmüller,
though he differs, has this remark—est autem. TAn-
povačvov medium, quum esse deberet activum.
C H. A. P. II.
A description is given of the natural corruption of both Jews
and Gentiles, as also of the glorious scheme of redemption
by which they are to be saved. The Gentiles, moreover,
are especially reminded of the peculiar value of the gospel
to them, in bringing them to the knowledge of God, and
wniting them with his people.
W. 1.-hath he quickened, Thus most of the
commentators supply the ellipsis, connecting this
with wer. 5. and so it agrees with Col. ii. 13. Some
refer it to the last verse of ch. 1. taking the parti-
ciple there in an active sense, “ you hath he filled,’
Mackn. Rosenm. It may be possible to commect this
clause with ver. 18. of the foregoing chapter, eis T3
etőéval Juás, ris éa Twn éAtris K. T. A. . . . . kal Juás ‘Even
you, who were dead in sin,” your moral energies
being entirely overcome and destroyed by it, as the
body is by death. Knatchbull refers it to ver. 19. of
I2 EPHESIANS, CHAP. II.
the same chapter. But the English translation
appears to give the most natural sense.
V. 2.--to the course] Ut est vita hujus mundi.
Beza. Juxta mundamitatem hujus mundi. Syr. atov
nempe, sic ut Latinorum avum, vitam et vivendi
rationem denotat, quod Phavorinus etiam annotavit,
et ex Homero adstruxit. Cf. Suicer. in aidy. Wolf.
See Gal. i. 4.
—of the power of the air, i. e. of the aerial or
demoniacal kingdom. This refers to a Jewish tra-
dition, that the air was inhabited by evil spirits, a
motion which, as Mede observes, (Disc. on 2 Pet. ii.
4.) the Apostle seems to approve. Thus Ign. ad
Ephes. S. 13. Šv à Tâs TóNeuos katap'yeitat deptov Kal
&rt'yetov Trvevuártov. Satan is held to be the chief or
prince of these demons. Dr. Harwood and others
interpret this of Jupiter, to whom the heathens very
frequently gave similar appellations : But this sense,
to say no more against it, does not agree with the
following clause.—évépyóvvros has a peculiar force,
because demoniacs are called évépyojuevot. Doddr.
Grot. See also Wetstein, who concludes his learned
note with this remark: Paulus ita loquitur ex prin-
cipiis philosophiae Pythagoreae, quibus illi, ad quos
scribit, imbuti erant; non autem ut partem doctrinae
à Christo sibi revelatae, et omnibus credendaº, tra-
deret. The Apostle, however, does not intimate any
disapprobation of the doctrine.
V. 3. Among whom With whom. Mackm.
which answers better, if by juels we are to un-
derstand the converted Jews. But Doddridge applies
it to all Christians; Hammond and Wells, with
greater probability, to the Gentile converts.
—by nature] i. e. truly and indeed, say the
Fathers. Suicer. Grot. Whitby. Limborch. Theol.
EPHESIANS, CHAP. II. 13
III.4. §. 7. Others interpret pſaet by habit,” as it
does sometimes signify. But there seems no good
reason why we should reject its more literal accep-
tation by natural corruption, owing to the fall of
man. Wolf. Doddr. Dr. Wells, in adopting this
sense, has a very judicious observation : “I think
that rule, of taking words in their most natural and
proper signification, where it may be done, ought to
be followed.” This accords with the well-known
passage in Hooker, “I hold for a most infallible rule
in expositions of sacred Scripture, that, where a
literal construction will stand, the furthest from the
letter is commonly the worst.” Eccl. Pol. v. 59.
V. 5.-hath quickened. Not only by giving us a
new birth and renovation of heart, but an assurance
also of eternal life. Joh. xiv. 19. Rom v. 10. Whitby.
V. 8.—are ye saved orea wouévot have been
brought into the way of salvation.” Rom. xi. 26. Toºro
(sc. Tpayaa) may refer to Tris Tía Teas, or rather to
the whole preceding sentence. See Bp. of Lincoln's
Ref. Calv. Ch. 1. p. 38. 6th. ed.
—not of yourselves ;| The justification of the
sinner (that state of pardon and reconciliation, in
which he has to work out his final salvation,) is
entirely owing to the grace of God through faith.
See Bp. Sherlock on this verse, Vol. II. Disc. III. et an
ydp 6 6.e0s égovXà9m ëld Tris Tia Tews atogal, épévév čvár-
pakros m a Tovëm mudºv. Trós 36 kai Tàu dpx|v etxouev Tua-
Teja'at, et an étnv606Tmore Geós; Schol. apud Matthaei
W. 10-created] Haºc est nova creatio, 2 Cor. v.
17. Gal. vi. 15. Grot. Wells. Populus Israeliticus
dicitur kraua Beow, Deut. xxxii. 6. Isai. xliii. 21.
xliv. 21. quia Deus Israelitas ex singulari favore
Selegit, ut esset ejus peculiaris populus. Rosenm.
14 EPHESIANS. CHAP. If,
—hath before ordained] For which God hath
before prepared us. Wells. Doddr. Mackm. But this
ellipsis is not necessary, for oſs (Att. pro &) can be
governed by Tpon Tołwagey, which verb is used in the
same sense, Rom. ix. 23. The meaning may be, ‘ In
which he hath from the first fitted us to walk,” or,
* In which he hath foreordained that we should be
fitted to walk.” Praeparavit, tum praescribendo for-
mam operum, tum dando spiritum, qui ad optima
quaeque nos agat. Grot.
V. l I.-are called uncircumsion] i. e. umcircum-
cised, Rom. ii. 26. iii. 30. iv. 9. 2 Cor. v. 21. by those
who were Jews according to outward profession.
W. 12.- having no hope, i. e. after this life,
1 Thess. iv. 13. Whitby.
—without God] Without the true God, serving
Tois an ‘pſaei obot 6eois. Gal. iv. 8, oi ydp 'Iověaiot,
et kal Tpogéºpovov, d\\' #3earav Tóv dAn67 Geóv. Schol.
ut suprā. See also Elsner.
W. 13–far off—nigh] In allusion to the Jewish
custom of allowing different degrees of approach
to the presence of God in his tabernacle or temple,
according to the character of the worshipper. Levit.
x. 3. Psal, lxv. 4. cxlviii. 14. Whitby.
V. 14.—the middle wall] This refers to that
partition wall in the temple, which separated the
court of the Gentiles from that into which the Jews
entered, on which was written “ that no alien might
go into it;” it being, saith Josephus, (Ant., XII. S.
Bell. Jud. v. 5.) a sanction of Antiochus, undevi čov
&\\opºxy eſs Töv Tepiſłoxov etatéval Tov tepov. Hamm.
See also Joseph. Ant. VIII. 33. Štexºv Tów vady k. T. A.
apud Krebs. and Jennings's Jewish Antiquities,
Vol. I. 146. II. 42. ed. 1808.
EPHESIANS. CHAP. II. i5
V. 15.--the enmity. This was mutual between
the Jews and Gentiles. Esth. iii. 8. Acts x. 28. Tac.
Hist. v. 4. The ritual law kept them at an irrecon-
eilable distance from each other. Mackn. Locke.
W. 16.—the enmity] The enmity here is that
between God and his creatures, both Jews and Gen-
tiles. Wells. Doddr. Mackn. ºv dyTó nempe atavoº,
ut rectè accepit Syrus. Rosenm.
W. H.9.—strangers and foreigners, éévot stran-
gers’ is opposed to ava Toxiral fellow-citizens ;’
and Tapotkov sojourners, or inmates,’ to oticelot ‘ the
actual inhabitants, the acknowledged household of
God. The Jews called all people strangers: In
the new Jerusalem all have equal privileges. Whitby.
Mackn. Gal. iii. 28.
—with the saints, i. e. with the Jews. Hamm.
Töv dupi Töv A6padu. Schol. ut suprā. Aads €eoû,
k\mpovoufa esov, Tſiri' by. Rosenm.
W. 20.-prophets, Teachers of the Christian
Church. Grot. Mackn. Schl. See Ch. iii. 5. Those
under the old covenant. Joh. v. 39. Whitby. Doddr.
The former is probably the Apostle's meaning.
—corner stone; Qui kepax) yovías, Matt. xxi. 42.
Psal. cxviii. 22. Ipsa vox drºponytovíatov est in Graeco
Esai. xxviii. 16. Grot. Beza enquires, “ ubi autem
Petri primatus?”—It is observed by Lord Shaftes-
bury, that the Apostle accommodates himself to the
taste of the Ephesians, who were extremely fond of
architecture, by frequent allusions to buildings, and
to the majesty, order, and beauty, of which their
temple, consecrated to Diana, was so celebrated a
master-piece. Comp. Ch. iii. 17, 18. iv. 6. 29. But
many allusions of this kind are to be met with in
other epistles, particularly in 1 Cor. iii. 9–17. vi. 19.
16 EPHESIANS. CHAP. III.
2 Cor. v. 1. vi. 16. Comp. 1 Pet. ii. 4–8. Doddr. The
Apostle, as is not unusual with him (see 1 Tim. vi.
19.), has here introduced a new figure, though the
construction of this verse depends entirely on the
preceding.
CHAP. III.
St. Paul enlarges upon the nature and extent of his Apostolic
commission: He then desires the converts not to be dis-
couraged by his imprisonment, and concludes with a fervent
prayer for their spiritual advancement, and a doxology to
God.
V. I.-the prisoner] Most of the critics suppose
an ellipsis here, and supply it by the verb eiuſ q.d. §ºyd;
et at 6 Ségulos. Beza. Whitby. Elsmer. Wolf. Doddr.
Mackm. Rosenm. Others prefer a parenthesis (Grot.
Hamm.), though they are not agreed as to the extent
of it. It might be continued, as some think, even
to ver, 1. of the next chapter. Michael. Pyle. &c.
Dr. Middleton very ably contends, that the sub-
intellection of eiut is not admissible here, and he
agrees with those commentators who carry on the
parenthesis to ver, 14, in which the words roſtov
x4ply are repeated, and observes (with regard to its
being extended to the next chapter) that the solemn
doxology, with which the present chapter concludes,
forbids us to imagine that the sense is still in-
complete.
W. 2. If ye have heard] This has been alleged
as another objection against this epistle being in-
scribed to the Ephesians, who had certainly heard
of the Apostle’s conversion: Yet, the particle cºye
EPHESIANS. CHAP. III. 17.
does not always imply a doubtful condition, but
sometimes an affirmation, since, seeing that,' Ch. iv.
21. Wide Hoogev. It seems to have the force of the
Latin si, when used with an indicative—Si potuit
manes arcessere conjugis Orpheus, AEm. VI. 119. “If
Orpheus could (as doubtless he did) &c.” And
thus siquidem. Steph.-Quandoquidem intellexistis.
Rosenm. Dr. Wells renders the particle forasmuch
as, and observes that our English if has frequently a
similar sense. See also Locke. Whitby. Doddr.
W. 3.−the mystery; J See Ch. i. 9. ii. 19. where
he writes “a few words” concerning it.
V. 5.--now revealed. It was in general made
known, that in Abraham all the families of the earth
should be blessed, and that Christ should be a light
to the Gentiles; but it was not made known to the
Jews, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs with
them of the same salvation and celestial inheritance,
that the wall of partition should be broken down :
The Jews expressed their astonishment at these
truths. Acts x. 45. xi. 18. Gal. ii. 14. Whitby.
W. 8–less than the least] This does not convey
the full meaning of éAaxtotórepos, which is a com-
parative of a superlative, and signifies by far, or
beyond measure, the least.” Thus uáA\ov reptagóre-
pov, Mark vii. 36. Met{6Tepos, 3 Joh. ver, 4. éAaxta Tó-
Taros. Sext. Empir. ix. 627. Wetst, ubi plur. The
Apostle alludes to his former persecution of the
Church.
—unsearchable riches] In this, as in several
other expressions, Chandler supposes a tacit allusion
to the priests of Diana, who were guardians of the
immense riches and of the mysteries of her temple.
Mackn.
V () L. II, F.
18 EPHESIANS, CHAP. III.
W. 9.—fellowship] Most of the MSS and Wer-
sions and many of the Fathers for koivovía have ot-
kovoata, which certainly appears to be the true
reading. Mill. Whitby. Wells. Wetst. Matthaei.
Griesb. And, at the end of the verse, many omit the
words ºud 'Ingoº Xploroj. Mill. Wells. Griesb.
But see Matthaei, War. Lect. and Nolans’ “Inquiry,’
p. 390.
—beginning of the world] Or from the ages.’
ver. II. Rom. xvi. 25.
—who created] Most critics understand by kT/-
oravr, the original creation of the world, others how-
ever refer it, not without reason, to the new creation,
as in Ch. ii. 10. 2 Cor. v. 17. Grot. Locke. Rosenm.
Who, as he created all things at first by Jesus Christ,
so hath now wrought this great work of new creation,
of regenerating the Gentiles. Hamm. Thus Wells,
Doddr. Hardy.
V. 10–wnto the principalities] The natural
sense of this passage is so apposite, that there seems
mo occasion to seek further ; * That the manifold
wisdom of God's dispensation may be unfolded, by
the Christian revelation, to the different orders of
angelic beings, who are represented by St. Peter as
desirous to look into these things, 1 Pet. i. 12.
Grotius shews, at great length, the troAvtoucíAn aroqta
Too Geov, in his various dispensations to the Jews
and Christians.
W. 11. According to the etermal purpose] kard
Tpó6eo tv Tów duévov. • According to the order and
disposition of the ages.” ver. 9. Hamm. Locke. Whitby.
Pyle. Mackm, But the common interpretation is
very defensible. Wells. Hardy.
W. 13.—faint not Be not discouraged. Hamm.
EPHES I ANS. CHAP. III , 19
—tribulations] Ob hac wincula et mala quae fero.
Grot.
—which is] fºrts here is connected with the
latter substantive 36%a, of which see many instances
in Wetst. Thus Phil. i. 28.
W. 15. Of whom Doddridge would refer the
pronoun to Christ, but it accords better with the
context and with the general language of scripture
to refer it to the Father. Whitby. Ita Schol. apud
Matthaei. The Alexandrian and many other MSS
omit the words Too Kuptov nadv'Ingo9 Xplotov, ver, 14.
Grot. Mill. Wells.
W. 16-riches of his glory. His glorious riches
Whitby.
—the inner man ; Rom. vii. 22. 2 Cor. iv. 16.
W. 17.—rooted and grounded] Here are two
different metaphors, which are again used in Col. ii.
7. Sic Lucian. Salt. 34. pigal kai 6ewé\to Tris 6px?ideos.
BOs. Wolf. Wetst.
V. 18.-the breadth, &c.] These are properties of
a building, and are applied to the church as a temple,
in allusion, as Chandler observes, to the temple of
Diana: It was built, according to Pliny (Nat. Hist.
xxxvi. 14.), on marshy ground, and therefore un-
common pains were taken to secure a proper foun-
dation for it. Its length was 425 feet, and its breadth
220. It was supported by 107 pillars, each of them
60 feet high : It was built at the expence of all
Asia; and 250 years, were spent in finishing it. With
this magnificent fabrick the Apostle here, as in Ch. ii.
20–22. tacitly compared the vastly nobler fabrick of
the Christian Church. He mentions all the different
dimensions of a building, breadth, length. height,
B 2
**
20 EPHESIANS. CHAP. III.
and depth; the latter applying to the foundation.
Mackn. Others have referred to Job xi. 7 sqq.
W. 19.--to know] As far as it can be known—to
experience.
—with all the fulness of God.] With spiritual
gifts and graces. Ch. iv. 8, 10. Whitby. Wells. The
Spirit of God dwelling in you, and filling you as a
temple. I Cor. vi. 19. Ita Schol. iva TeXetws avrov
Évoucov 8éânaţe.
W. 20.—above all] The position of Jºrép Travra
opposes this construction, as does also the pronoun
&v, which, being in the genitive case, cannot refer to
Travra, but to éketvov understood after JTepektreptago0.
(A genitive follows Teptagov, Matt. v. 37.) Rosen-
müller supposes an ellipsis, which he supplies by
aăXXov: But it seems unnecessary. It is not impos-
sible, that the true reading may be that of the
Clermont and other MSS. to 8é ºvvaaévº Távra Totna at
k. F. X. Vulg. ‘To him that is able to do all things
exceedingly beyond what we can ask, or think.” And
thus Castellio–Gui potest omnia longè longèque
copiosius facere, quám nos poscere et cogitare.
W. 21–all ages, yewed is here used for a period,
or succession of time, as eis yeweds yeweſov, Luke i. 50.
—world without end.] Tov attovos Töv aidſvov,
‘etermity, the age of ages kat' &ox#v. But in some
MSS and Versions the words too atóvos are wanting.
Blackwall and others have expatiated on the extraor-
dinary force and sublimity of this passage.
21
C H A P. IV.
The Ephesians are exhorted to unity and love ; they are cau-
tioned against the impure practices of other Gentiles, and
are injoined to put off the old man, and to put on the new
man, in all holy conversation and godliness; especially ex-
ercising the virtues of mutual forbearance and affection.
W. 2–ſorbearing] SINCE there is no copulative
between meekness and long-suffering, we may con-
nect the latter with the following clause, which
prevents the soloecism that would arise from con-
necting avexdaevot with juás, Blackw. Doddr. Others
understand éaré. But there is no good reason why
all these substantives should not be connected with
dvexãuevot. Ita fecit constructionem, quasi dixisset
non reputatna at sed Tepitrateize. Frequens Paulo
respicere ºrd vooſaevov. Grot. Elsmer adduces many
instances of the kind from heathem writers.
V. 5.—one faith, Wain is the inference of the
Papists, that this one faith must be either theirs, and
then we cannot be saved without it, or ours, and then
they cannot be saved; for this one faith, into which
all Christians were baptized, contains neither the
doctrines in which the Papists differ from us, nor
those in which we differ from them; only the Apos-
tle's creed, which (though not certainly drawn up
by the Apostles) the whole church of Christ, for
many centuries, received as a perfect system of all
things necessary to be believed in order to salvation;
as I have fully proved, “Treatise of Tradition,”
part II. Ch. vii. § 4–8. Whitby.
V. 6. One God] The Socinians have employed
this text in their defence. But, as Whitby observes,
22 EPHESIANS. CHAP. IV.
we deny not that God the Father is one God over
all, or that there is one who is both one God and the
Father ; only we add, that there is also one, who is
one God of the same essence, and the Son ; and so
also we say of the Holy Spirit; and that, as the one
Lord and the one Spirit here do not exclude the
Father from being both Lord and Spirit, so neither
doth the one God and Father exclude the Son or
Holy Spirit from being God, only from being God
the Father—Malachi used the same argument to per-
suade the Jews to unanimity and love, Ch. ii. 10.
Mackn.
W. S.—captivity captive, Psal. Ixviii. 18. A phrase
used in the Old Testament to denote a conquest
over enemies, especially such as had before been
conquerors, Judg. v. 12. 1 Kings viii. 46. 2 Chron.
xxviii. 5. 11, 17. Numb. xxi. I. Deut. xxi. 10. Whitby.
The Psalm immediately applies to God’s victory over
the Egyptians, and the spoils with which he had
enriched the Israelites; but it is also prefigurative
of the triumph of Christ, who, by his ascension,
completed the victory over Satan and his angels, and
led those captive who captivate mankind. I Pet. iii.
22. Col. ii. 15. What is here translated gave gifts,”
is, in our Bible version, received gifts.” The Hebrew
HPh signifies both to give and to receive. Thus
Anwaa has sometimes nearly the sense of 36pov. Scap.
The Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic versions agree with
that of the Apostle—There is a supposed allusion to
the custom of kings and generals, who, after a victory
or other important event, distributed gifts, or gave
entertainments to their soldiers and subjects. Judg.
v. 28–30. 1 Chron. xvi. 3. 1 Kings viii. 65. Limborch
III. 25. § 2. Hamm. Whitby. Doddr. Mackn.
V. 9-lower parts] Bp. Pearson (on the Creed,
p. 229.) has shewn how very precariously this is
EPHESIANS, CHAP. IV. 23
urged as a proof of Christ's descent into hell; the
phrase being such as other scriptures lead us to refer,
either to his incarnation, Psal. cxxxix. 15. or his
descent into the grave, Comp. Psalm lxiii. 9. Matt.
xii. 40. Doddr. Beza. Whitby. Wolf. Rosenm. The
latter of these two senses is usually adopted, as
agreeing better with the phrase karátepa uépm, but the
former is more suitably contrasted with the ascension
of Christ, and in fact comprehends the latter: It is
also confirmed by Isai. xliv. 23.
V. 10-all heavens, Heb. vii. 26.
—might fill] Christus est T\ſpoua. Wetst. Ut
impleret omnes, mempe fideles, donis suis. Grot.
Mackm. That he might fully accomplish the gospel
scheme, in all its parts.
V. ll.—evangelists :] Probably those who assist-
ed the Apostles (Acts xxi. 8. 2 Tim. iv. 5.), not being
ordained to any particular Churches, but going about
from one to another, as occasion required, confirming
the doctrines of the Apostles. Euseb. v. 9. Hamm.
Schl. Rosenm.
—pastors and teachers ; } These were, in the
first ages, men of extraordinary gifts, as is evident
from this very place, “He gave gifts unto men.” See
1 Cor. xii. 28. xiv. 6. 26. Rom. xii. 6, 7. The pastors
appear to answer to at Kv3epvijaeis, 1 Cor. xii. 28. and
to ot Tpoia'tawevot, Rom. xii. 8. Whitby.
W. 12–the ministry, 8takovta may apply to every
office, Acts i. 17. xiii. 1, 2. vi. 4, 2 Tim. iv. 5. I 1.
I Cor. xii. 5. Mackn. Rosenm. Dr. Wells interprets
it, ‘For the work of the ministry proper to each. Est
hic trajectio, nam genuina constructio fieret cis épyov
8takovias, Tpós Tov kataptiouov Tóv dyiwy. Ita Wers.
AEthiop. Hardy.
24 EPHESIANS, CHAP. IV.
W. 13–the measure of the stature] uérpov Atkias
is put for Atktav, “Unto the full stature (or age) of
Christ’s perfect church,” (i.e. unto a right under-
standing of the gospel, and such a perfection also of
holiness as is required by it. Wells.); the figure
being carried on from âvěpa TéAetov : And thus viſtriot
ver. 14. See Ch. i. 23. For the use of TéAetos durip,
see Xen. Cyrop. passim. The two phrases are op-
posed in the same figurative sense by Polybius.
Hist. v. 29. Attoravtes 36 as Tatēip vntiq, xpija'aobaº
Tô Đixtºrto. . . . . sipov TéAetov čvépa. Raphel.
W. 14.—tossed—and carried] Like a ship by the
waves and winds. Wide Elsner.
—the sleight] kugeta' Tavoup'yta. Phav. Alluding
to the cheats and circumventions of gamesters, by
loading the dice (kºovs). Hamm. Rosenm. &c.
— lie ºn wait] Tpós tºv ué006etav Tris TAdvns
* for the machination of deceit.” Augustin. apud
Elsner.
V. 16.—the whole body, i. e. the Church, con-
sisting of various members, each adapted to a pe-
culiar office. Ch. i. 23. 1 Cor. xii. 15–17. 26. There
is in this verse a pleonastic expression, which may
cause a little ambiguity; “The whole body &c. . . . .
maketh increase of the body :” But it is literally true;
the Church, by its unity and energy, under the power
and assistance of Christ, effectuates the increase of
the Church, contributes to its own extension and
support. See a similar repetition, 2 Tim. i. 18. Gavrov
might have occupied the place of toº adjuatos, but
then there would have been an immediate recurrence
of the same pronoun. Troteira, has the reflective
sense of the middle verb, ‘ causeth its own increase.”
The Alexandrian MS and several Versions read
ëkáatov wéxovs. Haec tota allegoria partim a structurá
EPHESIANS. CHAP. IV. 25
corporis humani, partim ab a dificiis, et eorum ap-
tatione, sumpta est. Hardy.
W. 17.—vanity.] This word has often a reference
to idolatry, Acts xiv. 15. Rom. i. 21. And the Ephe-
sians were motorious for idolatrous practices of every
kind. But it may here be taken in a more general
sense, as Psal. xxxi. 6. Prov. xiii. 1 1. &c. Doddr.
Schl. In Idolotatriá, et vivendi genere dissoluto.
Hardy.
W. 19.-with greediness.] Even beyond the
bounds of matural desires. Locke. Hamm. Whitby.
Wells. Elsmer. Suic. Id libidinem atque luxuriam.
Jerome. Others, however, not unreasonably suppose,
that the passage alludes to their making a gain of
their lusts. Grot. Schl. Rosenm. See Ch. v. 3. 5. In
avaritiam. Vulg. -
W. 20. —learned Christ; From this passage it
has been thought, that some of the earliest preachers
of the gospel neglected to inculcate the duties of
morality: But the Apostle might only mean, “You
by Christianity have learned other things.” Wells.
Some commentators point thus, Juels ēē owk off ros.
suděete Töv Xplotów. This abrupt, but emphatical
mode of expression occurs, Luke xxii. 26. Beza.
Bowyer. Mackn. Yet there is no occasion for de-
parting from the usual construction.
W. 21. If so be] See Ch. iii. 2.
W. 22. That ye put off.] &ró6eaflat may be con-
nected either with the words immediately preceding
(Doddr.) or with ver, 17. The allusion is to putting
off a garment, Gal. iii. 27.
—the old man, By the old man is meant that
26 EPHESIANS. CHAP. IV.
that corrupted state of nature, which we derive from
the old or first Adam ; by the new man, that state of
regeneration, or grace, wherein we are placed by
faith in Christ, the second or new Adam. Wells.
V. 25.-lying, to pejóos, the whole system and
practice of lying,’ which the heathen philosophers,
as Whitby shews, tolerated and encouraged. Hoc
adversus eos dicit, qui, ut gratias captarent Judae-
orum aut Gentium, alia dicebant quâm sentirent.
Hardy.
W. 26. Be ye angry] i. e. according to a common
form of speech, when (or if) ye are angry, sin not,
let it not be carried to a sinful extravagance, Matt v.
21–24. Ita irasciminiut ne peccetis. Castell. Anger
is a matural and invincible passion, implanted for
wise purposes in the human breast: It is sinful,
1. When it is conceived upon slight and inadequate
provocations. 2. When it continues long. See
Paley's Moral Philosophy, vol. 1. B. III. 7.
—sun go down] Thus the Pythagoreans, after
quarrelling, sought reconciliation before sun-set—
Tplv ji Toy #Atov ðval, tas Šešlds éuſłóAAovres dAAñAois,
kai da Tagáaevot 8teXiſov'ro. Plutarch. de fratr. amor.
p. 488. ed. Francof. Hamm. Kypke, &c. iva un XaXe-
TøTépav Tiju Tupdv m vöö 8td Töv čvvotóv ćpyáanta, ºs
étrº TAéoy Juás ékuatvetv. Schol. apud Matthaei. Locutio
Hebraica proverbialis, de eo quod protrahendum mon
est ad vesperam, quae erat tempus solennis pre-
cationis. Solis etiam occasus apud Judeos, initium
erat diei, quare si quem irascentem nox occuparet,
is iram retinebat usque ad alterum diem. Hardy.
W. 27—the devil.] Some would render tº 3a/36A9
‘ the calumniator or accuser,’ q. d. give not an
enemy occasion to speak reproachfully of our reli-
EPHESIANS. CHAP. IV. 27
gion, by the instance of your malicious temper; or
thus, do not lend a willing ear to the slanderer.”
But the use of the article favours the common accep-
tation; and, though Satan may incite to all sin, yet
is he supposed, in a peculiar degree, the instigator
of malice and revenge. Whoso is angry, saith the
Jews, “omnes species gehennae ei dominantur.”
Buxt. Floril. p. 135. Whitby.
W. 28.—steal no more :] Whitby and Wolf shew,
that among many of the heathens stealing was not
forbidden.
—working] 1 Thess. iv. 11, 2 Thess. iii. 11. Ita
Phocyl. 142. apud Wetst.
y / asº. e 3. 5 Af
épyd'ev, wox66v as éé tätov BioTeiſans,
sº 3/ y W *
Tás ydp &epºyos dump @et k\otiatov diró Xeiptov.
W. 29.-corrupt. This may denote every species
of evil discourse, but especially all kind of obscenity.
Ch. v. 4. Tillots. Serm. 160. Elsner. Kypke. Doddr.
Mackn. dAN et Tis & yatos (sc. A6-yos), Škºropewéa 6a,
K. T. A.
W. 30. And grieve not] Passions and actions are
often metaphorically attributed to the Deity, by
which it is only meant, that he will act in regard to
us, as men do when under the influence of such
passions. We cannot suppose, that the Holy Spirit
of God is capable of suffering actual grief, but that
he will deal with those, who sin against him, as men
do when they are grieved, i.e. he will forsake them,
and give them over “ to a reprobate mind.” To
grieve the Spirit, then, is to oppose his dictates;
therefore they may be opposed. See Rom. viii. 13.
1 Thess. v. 19.
—are sealed] Ch. i. 18, 14,
28 - EPHESIANS. CHAP. V.
—the day of redemption.] i.e. of the resurrection.
Rom. viii. 23.
C H A. P. V.
The Ephesians are exhorted to walk in love, and to cleanse
themselves from those impurities which are the works of
darkness, and are disgraceful to the children of light. Care-
fulness—and temperance—and spiritual worship are in-
joined—and lastly, the duties of husbands and wives, which
are illustrated by an explanation of the corresponding
mystery betwixt Christ and his Church.
V. 2.—an offering and a sacrifice] WHITBY shews
that these words denote an expiatory sacrifice, and
therefore are an evidence of the doctrine of atone-
ment. Levit. i. 4. (Ainsworth in loc.) ii. 1–9. iv. 31.
xiv. 20. Job i. 5. xlii. 7, 8. Tooapopd videtur sacri-
ficium eucharisticum ; 6vata propitiatorium. Hardy.
A sacrifice of sweet-smelling savour was, in Scrip-
ture language, such as God accepted and was
pleased with. Gen. viii. 21. Locke. In warm eastern
climes, nothing is more refreshing than fragrant
odours; hence the figure is borrowed. Mackm.
W. 3–covetousness, Possibly St. Paul might
here, as in Ch. iv. 19. 1 Thess. iv. 6, have especially
in view those persons, who make a gain of lustful
practices and procurations. Rosenm.
—let it not be once named] Let not the com-
mission of such faults, in any the least degree, give
occasion to their being, named ; or thus, Let not the
very name of them be heard without indignation.
See I Cor. v. 1.
V. 4.—foolish talking, nor jesting,j The com-
EPHESIANS. CHAP. V. 29
mentators in general interpret the words uopoxo~yta
and évrpattexta of obscene discourse and doubtful
meanings; they are applicable, however, to all
improper levity in conversation—ommis obscana
dicacitas, et in dicendo scurrilitas. Schl. Elsner.
Wetst. Wolf.
—giving of thanks.] evyaptoria may signify ur-
banity of language, in opposition to the words pre-
ceding. Thus Xen. Cyr. II. 2. 1. évyaptatóTato Adºyot.
Hamm. Schl. Rosenm. But the ordinary sense of
the word is not irrelevant, and may be defended from
ver. 19. Col. iii. 15. 17.
V. 5.--who is an idolater, The relative 6s, as
well as the verb éxel, might be supposed to refer to
each of the preceding nouns (Rosenm.), but then
this would not agree with the parallel passage in
Col. iii. 5, where eiða-AoAarpeta is applicable to TXeo-
vešta only. If then etëoxoxdrpms should here be
referred to TAeovékirms alone, it is reasonable to infer,
that the latter word differs in sense from the two
preceding, and therefore alludes not to carnal desires,
but to avarice, wer. 3. And indeed a covetous man
may with greater propriety be called an idolater,
because he places his dependence on money, as the
sole foundation of his comfort and subsistence: But
this is not true of the Trépyos # drá9aptos, with
respect to their sensual gratifications; they may seek
pleasure in their lusts alone, but they do not depend
on them as a means of refuge and support.
—of Christ and of God..] Dr. Middleton very
learnedly defends the opinion of Mr. Granville Sharp
on this passage, who contends that Xplatov and
€eov refer to the same person, row being the predi-
cate of both. Whenever the article is not repeated,
30 EPHESIANS. C11AP. V.
the same person is alluded to under each member
of the sentence, in every construction of this kind.
Thus we have tº 666 kal Tarpt, ver. 20, and thus
Plut. Wit. Cic, ed. Basl. p. 68. 6 Juds kai k\mpovéuos
(the article having the force of 3 div) he who is the
son and heir.” Also Philo Jud. p. 309. ed. 1640. 6
Kºptos kai eeds. . . . evepºyétºs éa Ttv, and Suidas (voce
Xpta Tös) Xpta Tós 6 Kūptos kai €eós juſov. But not
only the principle of the rule (Part I. ch. III. Sect. Iv.
§ 2. on the Greek Article.) and the invariable prac-
tice in the New Testament, with respect to eeds and
all other attributives, compel us to acquiesce in the
identity of Xplatou ka? 0600, but the same truth is
evinced by an examination of the Greek Fathers,
so ably executed by Dr. Wordsworth : On the sub-
ject of this celebrated controversy he avers, p. 132,
“I have observed more, I am persuaded, than a
thousand instances of the form 6 Xplotós kai eeds
(Eph. v. 5.), some hundreds of instances of 3 uéyas
€eós kal oratºp (Tit. ii. 13.), and not fewer than
several thousands of the form 0 €eós kal owtºp (2 Pet.
i. i.), while in no single case have I seen (where the
sense could be determined) any one of them used
but only of one person.”
V. 6-deceive you] Whitby shews by several
remarkable passages, that the vices here condemned
were allowed and encouraged by the heathens. Cic.
Orat. pro Cael, 12. 18. 20. &c.
V. 8–children of light;] See Rom. xiii. 12. Also
Matt. v. 14—16. Joh. i. 9.
V. 9.—of the Spirit] Many Greek copies, and all
the Latin and Syriac, read roo poros. Whitby. So
Grot. Mill. Wells. Griesb. Toº Tvcıſuatos, Wetst.
Matthaei.
EPHESIANS. CHAP. W. 3}
V. l I. --have no fellowship] an avºykowaveire.
Chandler observes, that the Greeks used this word
to denote a participation in their religious rites
and ceremonies.” Wherefore, by this precept, the
Ephesians were forbidden to enter into any of the
heathen fellowships; and this sense is confirmed by
the following verse. Mackm.
—unfruitful] i. e. mischievous. Thus to a ka94-
kovta. Rom. i. 20. Pyle.
—of darkness, The Eleusinian rites and myste-
ries were performed by the initiated in the night-time.
Mackm. But darkness may here further imply an
opposition to the light and purity of the gospel.
W. 12.—in secret.] In their mysteries, which
therefore were called dróðnta ava Tripta, none being
permitted to divulge them, upon pain of death.
Hence even the word ava Tºptov hath its name, say
grammarians, from uſew to atówa ‘to stop the mouth.”
Whitby. The Apostle insinuates, that the mysteries
were not, as they were reputed, too sacred, but too
infamous to be mentioned. Saur. Serm. VIII. p. 198.
Doddr. f
W. 13.-doth make manifest] Thus most of the
commentators. Wolf, however, remarks upon the
improbability of the participle being used in an
active sense, when the verb occurs in a passive
sense immediately before; and he agrees with
Elsmer, who supposes the Apostle to mean that the
evil deeds, which are reproved and made manifest,
are changed into good, i. e. that the children of
darkness, having their abominations exposed, become
children of light. But this would be too much to
say of them all. Some take Tāv as an accusative;
as if it were written to ydp Tav ‘pavepoſuevov, ‘ that
which makes every thing manifest ;’ and this, if it
3.2 EPHESHANS. CHAP. V.
were allowable, would make good sense. Whatever
be the grammatical construction, the import of the
verse appears to be as follows; “But all these
things, being proved (or brought to the test) by the
light of the gospel, are made fully manifest, for it
is the property of light to make every thing mani-
fest.” The same sense may perhaps be deducible,
by way of inference, from the passive construction
of the participle. In two copies the latter clause is
omitted; also by Chrysostom, in his interpretation.
Matthaei. Griesb. It certainly has the appearance
of a gloss—Rosenmüller refers to Matt. v. 14. and
interprets rather arbitrarily—quicquid enim mani-
festum sit, lumine quodam collustratur.
V. 14.—Awake] &yeipe. Griesb. This passage is
supposed by some to be an allusion to Isai. xxvi. 19.
or lx. 1. by others, after Epiphanius (Grot.), to be
taken from an apochryphal book ascribed to Jeremiah.
It is to be understood, say the Fathers, metaphori-
cally, of a sleep and death in trespasses and sins.
Whitby. Heumannus (Paec. tom. II, lib. II. p. 390.)
verba Štó Aéryet esse vult pro Štó XéºyeTat, et existinat
Paulum respicere ad tres versus cantici, in ecclesis
tumc pio decantari soliti: -
éyetpat 6 kaðeſ&ov, -
kai dvdata ék Töv vekpów,
étiqlava et a ot 6 Xptatós.
Paulus in ver. 19. psalmos, et hymnos, et odas
spirituales nominatim commendat. Sic Storrius et
Michaelis Rosenm. Others suppose that n Ypaqº) is
understood before Xéyet. See Jennings's Jewish
Antiquities, vol. H. p. 251–253. ed. 1808.
W. 15-circumspectly, Tós may be joined with
dºptſłós. ‘Take heed how correctly ye walk.” Thus
EPHESIANS. CHAP. V. 33
røs Svakoxós with what difficulty.” Mark x. 23.
See Hamm.
W. 16. Redeeming] i. e. gaining time, as a debtor
or criminal would do in the day of danger, with a
view of warding off his punishment. So Dan. ii. 8.
Thus the Scholiast: kalpöv Vuels ēśayopéete, Tovtéo Tuv
witépéeauv 6mpaq'6e, Staake3daal Tº dvaſłoxn Too Kapoo
a kotrouvres to trap Juſov Çntoſuévov, ‘you hunt after
delays, seeking, by a protraction of the time, to get
rid of what was asked of you.’ Hamm. Grot. Locke.
Whitby. Mackm. Doddridge, however, observes
that the word is capable of a more extensive signifi-
cation ; he interprets it, “ endeavouring to recover
and buy back, as far as possible, what has been lost:”
(So the French—racheter le tems. Saur.) Purchase
the opportunity’ (viz. of gaining over the heathens),
by judicious concessions and by a virtuous example.
Dr. Middleton on Col. iv. 5. The phrase “evil days”
relates to times of calamity or persecution. Gen. xlvii.
9. Psal. xxxvii. 19. Ephes. vi. 13. and therefore the
sense may be, ‘Gain, with diligence and prudence,
every possible opportunity, which the troubled state
of the times will afford.’ Quaerite opportunitatem
sanctè vivendi et alios emendandi; hoc enim, quo vi-
wimus, tempore multa Sunt virtutis impedimenta. Schl.
V. 18.-drunk with wine, Prov. xxiii. 30. (Lxx).
Here, as it is generally remarked, is an allusion to
the Bacchamalian orgies, of which drunkenness
formed an essential part : The air was rent with
lewd songs and extravagant vociferations.
—wherein is excess; Which leads to the most
abandoned and profligate excess. Thus dadºra's,
Luke xv. 13. 30. Töv &garov nequam.' Aul. Gell. VII.
11. Mota insania vimo. Ov. Met. III, 536. Cic. Tusc.
III. S. Hamm. Whitby. Mackn. Schl.
W O L. II. C
34 EPHESIANS. CHAP. W.
V. 19–psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs,"
Perhaps the different meanings of these words, as
intended by the Apostle, may be thus most simply
explained. I. Maxpºols (à NºxNew to sing to a harp,’
or other instrument) denoting the psalms of David,
properly so called. 2. Juvois (ab iſèew ‘to celebrate’)
effusions extemporaneously suggested by the Spirit.
Acts xvi. 25. 3. 63ais (ab detēeiv) divine songs, com-
posed in honour of the deity. Exod. xv. Deut. xxxi.
19. Rosenm. See Beza. Hamm. Cantillationi ebriorum
opponit hymnos spirituales. Wetst. Bp. Bull sup-
poses the phrase XaXojvºtes éavroſs to allude to a
practice, among the early Christians, of singing
hymns alternately to Christ; and thus, he observes,
it corresponds with the expression of Pliny in his
letter to Trajan, “carmenque Christo quasi Deo
dicere secum invicem.” Epist. x. 97. Quibus signifi-
cari videtur modus alternatim cantandi, qui usque
hodie in ecclesiis frequentatur. Prim. et Apost.
Trad. C. I. S. 12. Hence appears the antiquity of the
custom of singing in Cathedrals, and of reciting in
our Parish Churches, alternate verses of the Psalms.
See Dr. Wells.
W. 20. Giving thanks] In the festivals of Ceres
and Bacchus, the heathems used to sing hymns in
honour of these supposed divinities, in which they
thanked and praised them for their benefits to
mankind. Hence they dignified Bacchus with the
name of Liber pater. To this custom the present
verse is opposed. Mackm. after Chandler.
—for all things] For all men. Barrow, Vol. 1.
p. 257. Whether this be the true sense of the passage
or not, it is a generous and noble thought, which is
strongly expressed in that excellent form of general
thanksgiving in the English Liturgy. Doddr. The
common translation may include this.
EPHESIANS, CHAP. V. 33
W. 21. Submitting] Those Christians, who had
any kind of civil contract with unbelievers, might
fancy themselves absolved from their allegiance :
The Apostle therefore corrects this notion. Comp.
I Cor. vii. 10–24. 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2. If then, in such a
case, the relative duties of life were strictly enjoined,
how much more are Christians required to practice
them towards one another. Doddr.
W. 23.—saviour of the body..] The husband is
bound to support and protect the wife, (who may be
regarded as a body of which he is the head,), just as
Christ supports and protects the Church, which is
his body.
W. 26.—of water] i.e. by baptism. There is also
an allusion to the oriental custom of purifying
females by the bath. Doddr. Elsmer. And the follow-
ing verse alludes to the hiding, or removal, of their
blemishes and imperfections of every kind. See Bos.
—by the word ; ) Of the gospel, which is often
said to purify, Joh. xv. 3. xvii. 17. Tit. iii. 5. Heb.
x. 22. 1 Pet. ii. 22, 23. Beza. Locke.
W. 27.—holy, and without blemish..] For a com-
mentary on this verse, Dr. Wells refers to Bp.
Pearson on the Creed, Art. Ix. p. 345. “As the
Church is truly holy, not only by holiness of insti-
tution, but also by a personal sanctity in reference to
these saints (i.e. such as are properly so called) while
they live; so it is also perfectly holy, in relation to
the same saints glorified in heaven. And at the end
of the world, when all the wicked shall be turned
into hell, and consequently all cut off from the com-
munion of the Church ; when the members of the
Church remaining, being perfectly sanctified, shall
be eternally glorified, then shall the whole Church be
c 2
36 EpHESIANS. CHAP. V.
truly aud perfectly holy. Then shall that be com-
pletely fulfilled, that Christ shall “present unto him-
self a glorious Church,” which shall be “holy and
without blemish.” Not that there are two Churches
of Christ, one in which good and bad are mingled
together, another in which there are good alone; one
in which the saints are imperfectly holy, another in
which they are perfectly such ; but one and the
same Church, in relation to different times, admits or
not admits the permixtion of the wicked, or the im-
perfection of the godly.”
V. 30–of his flesh, &c.] This phrase being not
only used to express an intimate relation, Gen. xxix.
14. Judg. ix. 2, but containing the very words which
Adam used concerning Eve, Gen. ii. 23, shews that
the Apostle had his eye upon the mystical sense of
the production of the woman from the man, of which
the Jews speak. Whitby.
V. 32–a great mystery :] Or, this mystery is
great:” This union of Adam and Eve, as relating to
Christ and his Church, is a great mystery, containing
important truths and illustrations, which for ages
were imperfectly understood. Whitby shews, at
length, that the Jews attached a spiritual sense to
the formation and marriage of Eve, as prefiguring
the union of the Messiah with his Church. Ita Schol.
in ver. 31. kata\et\ret] Töv ydp āva tratépa kai Tºv Karao
unTépa kataxitºv, Tn ékk\matº avviſ p0n' katéAttre dé
Töv Tatépa, Tó Tris Švav6ptotijoſeos Aóryp’ as yop Geos
dxºplatos kai TpoaekoWXij6m Tº ékk\maſq Kai yetyövaaw
oi čo eis truegua €v' & 'yap kox\duevos tº Kupiq, êv Tved-
wd eativ.–Pyle, however, doubting the antiquity of
these Rabbinical doctrines, supposes that the Apostle
is only adducing a comparison, for illustration. (But
the word ºvatipuov will hardly admit of this interpre-
EPHES I ANS. CHAP. VI. 37
tation.) He adds, that the Vulgar Latin translator,
having ignorantly and ridiculously rendered avoriptov
wéya by a great sacrament, the Romish Church
have from thence, as ridiculously, made marriage a
SaCI'ament.
C H. A. P. VI.
The relative duties of children and parents, servants and
masters, are explained and inculcated. The converts in
general are cautioned against the attacks of their spiritual
enemies, and are injoined to put on the whole armour of
God. The Apostle informs them, that Tychicus is com-
missioned to comfort them in their distress for his sake, and
concludes with a benediction.
W. 1.-in the Lord :] THAT is, say (Ecumenius
and Theophylact, as far as their commandments
agree with the will of God. Whitby. For the Lord's
sake, in compliance with the authority of Christ.
Wells. Doddr. Hardy. Rºsenm.
W. 2. —with promise,] With a special promise ;
for that which is annexed to the second command-
ment is rather a general assertion, (belonging to all
the commandments,) than a special promise. Grot.
Whitby. This, however, is not only the first, but
the sole commandment with a special promise.
Hammond therefore interprets thus ; “Which is the
first commandment of the second table, and that with
a promise annexed to it.” The promise is here
given in the very words of the Lxx, the latter part
being omitted, as belonging rather to the Israelites,
than to the Christian world at large.—evrox.) Tpdºtn
3S EPHESIANS, CHAP. W I.
videtur esse primarium praeceptum, unum e praecipuis,
vel ad fructum vel ad necessitatem observandi. Cf.
Matt. xxii. 38. Mar. xii. 28, 29. Rosenm. Schl. And
probably this is the true sense of the phrase. The
fifth commandment is of peculiar importance, as
tending, by the injunction of early discipline, to secure
an obedience to all the rest. See also Barrow’s ‘Ex-
position on the Decalogue.”
V. l I.-the whole armour] Macknight supposes
this to be an allusion to the armour which was
“fabled by the heathen poets, to have been fabricated
by the gods, and bestowed on their favourite heroes.”
He further very appositely shews the great superiority
of the Christian panoply.
V. 12. —we wrestle] Rather, our struggle is not
with men; it cannot, as some think, literally mean
wrestling, for in that the combatants were not only
without armour, but naked. (The Latins thus extend
the use of lucta—“ equo luctari.” Sil. Ital. Iv. 240.
Wide etiam I. 174. cum not. Drakenborch.) Unless
indeed the Apostle, as is not unusual with him, Ch.
ii. 20. iii. 18. 1 Tim. vi. 19. &c. introduces another
figure.
—spiritual wickedness] Td Twevuatuca Tris Tovmptas
may be put, by a common Hebraism, for td Tvetuata
Tövmpa, ‘Wicked spirits,” who were supposed to in-
habit the upper regions of the atmosphere. Ch. i. 21.
ii. 2. Jude ver. 6. Hamm. Elsner. The Apostle,
under these various denominations, may intend only
to shew, that evil angels and powers of every descrip-
tion are leagued in battle against us.
V. 14–with truth,j. In veritate doctrinae evan-
gelicae. Particula Św redundat, ex idiotismo Hebrae-
orum. Hardy,
EPHESHANS. CHAP. W I. 39
—the breastplate of righteousness :] It is not to
be doubted, but St. Paul took the hint of this figu-
rative armour from Isaiah lix. 17. “He put on
righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of
salvation upon his head.” Wells.
W. 15.—with the preparation] This passage has
occasioned great perplexity. Some understand by
“Towagia a firmness of footing,’ which the caliga,
or military shoe, would give, being armed with a
spike for that purpose. (Juv. Sat. 111. 248. xv.1. 24, 25.
ed. Rupert.) This sense is supported by Ezra, ii. 68.
iii. 3. Zech. v. 11. (comp. Dan. xi. 7. 21. Parkh.
Rosenm.) The shoe, however, was also for defence,
viz. against the sharp stakes and gall-traps which
were laid in the way; and étouaa (a may properly
comprehend all the purposes for which the shoe was
found of use ; and, as applied here to the gospel of
peace, it may demote that mild and moderate and
peaceable demeanour, which was of so much im-
portance in protecting the early Christians from the
fury and malice of persecution.—Potest tamen tot-
wagta too evayyektov etiam esse apparatus evangelii
vel doctrinae Christianae ; si habeamus eam semper
in promptu, in memoria. Rosenm. See the con-
clusion of the following note. -
W. 16. Above all, Rather over or upon all. Doddr.
Mackm. Much trouble has here been taken to
rescue the Apostle from a charge of incongruity.
A shield, it is said, cannot quench. The inconsis-
tency, however, is in the English translation, not in
the original. The verb g|3égat (like the Latin ex-
tinguere) does not signify merely to extinguish by
water, but often ‘ to put out” by any means what-
ever. Thus Hom. II, p. 381, karég|3ea's 6eatríðaes trip,
40 EPHESIANS. CHAP. VI.
where the fire is represented as put out, not by water,
but by the power of Vulcan. A firebrand received
upon the shield of a soldier, to which the figure
here alludes, would fall to the ground and soon
cease to burn. Some imagine, that the shields them-
selves were made of such materials as had power to
extinguish; others, that they arrested the progress
of the dart, which was then put out by the soldier.—
In hoc et similibus locis explicandis non est argu-
tandum in singulis verbis. . . . proinde non quaerendum
est, cur sinceritas comparetur cum cingulo, pietas
cum thorace, firmitas cum ocreis, &c. Rosenm. ad
ver, 17. See also Elsner, Wolf, and Kypke on this
verse, and Wetst. Vol. II. p. 306.
V. 18.-always] év Tavt. Kapò, SC. Travtore, Luc.
xviii. 1. &&axet'irros, 1 Thess. v. 17. Grot.
—prayer and supplication.] The words Tpogeiſyn
and 3émats are often used synonymously. When
they are joined, the former may imply a general
address to the Deity, and the latter a supplication
for relief in some particular exigency—Señorets &vt.
Toj čvéetas. Harpocrat. apud Schl. Others under-
stand 8émals of deprecation. Hardy. Mackn. See
| Tim. ii. 1.
—in the Spirit, Non voce tantùm, sed et animo,
et affectu cordis fervente. Hardy. Šv Tveiſuari (with-
out the article) may here be the same as év tº kapčíg
Jaſov, Ch. V. 19. Wells.
—watching] Acts i. 14. Rom. xii. 12.
V. 19.-utterance] A door of utterance, Col. iv. 6.
This is a Rabbinical phrase, “the opening of the
mouth signifying an occasion of speaking, and a confi-
dence in speaking.” Buxt. Lex. Talm. p. 1872. Whitby.
Doddridge supposes an allusion to the Apostle's
impediment, 2 Cor. xii. 7. Gal. iv. 14. The phrase
EPHESIANS, CHAP. VI. 4]
a.
r
2.
l
G
l
t
O
l
C * tº \ P t * 5 p.
Cor. Vl. 1 1. To GTówa mutov avéwºye T
W. 20.—in bonds.; It was customary to fasten
the prisoner's right arm to the left arm of the soldier
that guarded him. St. Paul was suffered to dwell
with his keeper alone, Acts xxviii. 16. He may allude,
in this verse, to the general custom of regarding the
person of an ambassador as sacred (Philem. ver, 9.)
—alias legati, jure gentium sancti et inviolabiles, in
vinculis haberi non poterant. Wetst. Sic 2 Cor. v. 20.
WTrép Xptatov oùv Tpeaſºevowev. Elsner.
W. 21.- Tychicus, Acts xx. 4. Col. iv. 7. 2 Tim.
iv. 12. Tit. iii. 12. This verse proves, that the
epistle was written (primarily at least) to a par-
ticular Church. Mackn.
W. 24.—in sincerity.] §y dºpóapata in incorrup-
tion,” evincing the sincerity of their love by an
unblameable life.—Continuing constant in their love
to Christ, not corrupted out of it by any of the baits
or seductions of these times. Hamm. Without
mixing or joining any thing with him in the work
of salvation, thus corrupting the simplicity of the
gospel. 2 Cor. xi. 3. Gal. v. 2. Locke. Whitby. Wells.
Both these senses may be included.
—Amen.] The word duriv, as well as the subscrip-
tion, is spurious. Griesb.
T H E E P I S T L E
TO THE
PHILIPPIANS.
-º-
C H. A. P. I.
The Apostle, after his general salutation, expresses his ardent
affection for the Philippians, and prays for their spiritual
advancement. He desires them not to be discouraged by
his imprisonment, and eaplains how it had even furthered
the cause of the gospel, notwithstanding the fury of his
enemies in the mean while. He then states his views of life
and death, and exhorts the brethren to courage and con-
Jidence.
V. 1.—the bishops] THE import of this word has
been much questioned. Hammond supposes, that
the epistle was addressed to several cities of which
Philippi was the metropolis, Acts xvi. 12. and that
this salutation was intended for the president of each.
But such an hypothesis does not suit the numerous
particularities in this epistle; and we may therefore
follow Whitby, who agrees with the Fathers in con-
cluding, that the bishops here mentioned were no
others than the presbyters, who presided over parti-
cular assemblies of Christians. Comp. Acts xx. 17.28.
étriakóTovs, Toys Tpeaſºvtépovs Kaxet' duºpórepa eixov kata
Töv Tolſtovkapov ráðváuata kai éttakoto be Tpeofºrepot
éAéryovro. Schol. apud Matthaei. Suicer, Schleusner,
and others observe, that there was no distinction made
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP, I, 43
between presbyters and bishops, till after the Apos-
tolic age : Yet this is too general an assertion.
The words étriakotros and Tpeaſºvrepos being often
used synonymously, do not prove that there was
no authority in the Church analogous to that of
a bishop in subsequent times. See 1 Tim. iii. 1.
v. 22. Tit, i. 5. Bingham adduces Ignatius, Clemens,
and others of the most antient Fathers, in support
of the early origin of episcopal jurisdiction. Eccl.
Ant. B. 11, c. 1. gº
“This indiscriminate use of terms, says a learned
defender of our Church, is far from proving an
identity of office. The respective character of Apos-
tle, Bishop, Elder, and Deacon, are sufficiently distin-
guished from each other, although some ambiguity
accompanies the names by which they are designated.
The term Presbyter, it should be remembered, is
momen generale, including Bishops as well as mere
Presbyters. (Just as, in the Collect for the Clergy
in our Liturgy, the two inferior orders, Presbyters
and Deacons, are comprehended under the common
name of Curates. Wells.) Every Bishop is a Pres-
byter, but every Presbyter is not a Bishop. Even
the Apostles were sometimes called Presbyters (1 Pet.
v. 1. 2 John I. 3 John I.) The true distinction
seems to be, that the Bishop is a Presbyter with the
powers of ordination, and supreme Church-govern-
ment. And with regard to the application of the
term Bishop to mere Elders or Presbyters, which
constitutes the chief ground of the difficulty under
consideration, that circumstance may be satisfactorily
accounted for, without confounding the orders in
question, by referring to the state of the Church
during the Apostolic age. The episcopal order, in-
volving the powers of ordination and Church-govern-
ment, was them blended with the Apostolical office. . .
Now, as the Churches were much dispersed, they
44 PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. i.
could but rarely enjoy the presence of the Apostles;
and, in the absence of these their chief governors,
the immediate care of them maturally devolved upon
the Presbyters or Elders, as the highest order upon
the spot; subject, however, to the superintendance
and controul of the Apostles, who, though absent,
maintained their episcopal authority. The subor-
dinate government, thus devolving upon Presbyters,
may reasonably be supposed to have occasioned
them to be sometimes called Overseers or Bishops,
though they are oftener denominated by their appro-
priate title. But in no instance do they appear to
have exercised the power of ordination, which is the
peculiarly distinguishing character of episcopacy.”
See a treatise on the Claims of the Established
Church. p. 23–25. Lond. 1815. In the fourth Chap-
ter of this excellent treatise, the learned author
shews, from the state of the Church in the age
immediately succeeding that of the Apostles, that
the Church formed by them was an episcopal Church;
and he refers to the following works for additional
information. Potter’s Discourse on Church Govern-
ment. Daubeny's Guide to the Church. Primitive
Truth and Order vindicated by the Rt. Rev. John
Skinner, Senior Bishop of the Scotch Episcopal
Church. Hobart's Apology for Apostolic Order. A
New Analysis of Sacred Chronology, Part Ix. Sketch
of the Constitution of the Christian Church, by Dr.
Hales. Sikes’s Discourse on Parochial Communion.
Barwick’s Treatise on the Government of the
Church.
—deacons :] The deacons held a subordinate
office in the Church, attending the sick, distributing
alms, assisting at the Eucharist, &c. See Bingham,
B. II. c. 20. *
W. 3.-every remembrance] Peirce would render
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. I. 45
it, “ For all your kind remembrance of me,’ but this
is contrary to the Apostle's usual manner. Rom. i. 8.
Eph. i. 16. Quotiescumque veström recordor. Schl.
Rosenm.
V. 5. For your fellowship] Though colvovía is
frequently applied to the participation of the gospel,
1 Cor. i. 9. Eph. iii. 9, &c. and such a sense here
would agree with the following verses, yet there is
greater probability in the opinion of the Greek com-
mentators, who understand by kowovia the ‘liberality’
of the Philippians, in furtherance of the interests
of the gospel. This interpretation is confirmed,
1. By the construction, Tº kowović Judov eis Tó evay-
yé\tov. 2. By a similar passage in Ch. iv. 15. ow8euta
uot Gkk}\mata ékowdºvnaev eis A6-yov 86aews kai Affleews,
et pm duets uóvol. 3. By the following clause, dºro
Tpa Tns muépas &xpt Too vov, which naturally intimates
that the Philippians had contributed liberally from
the very period of their conversion. See Wells.
Peirce. Pyle. Hardy.
W. 7.-I have you] Many would render it,
‘ because you have me in your hearts.’ Hamm.
Whitby. Pyle. Doddr. Schl. But this is not the
natural sense of the passage, nor does it accord so
well with the clauses which follow.
W. 9.—judgment ; } Perhaps no single word more
nearly expresses the sense of dia'6;fore here, which
imports a perception, or discrimination, of right and
wrong. Whitby says, that it is so used twenty times
in the book of Proverbs, and he refers also to
Heb. v. 14. where diagn:ripta denotes that faculty of
the mind, which discerns and distinguishes. &igºnºrs'
vónoris. Hesych. &to 6:10 w crediderim ad cognitionem
pertimere, practicam tamen, quaeque in animo sen-
titur acris et civa. Elsmer,
46 PHILIPPIANs. CHAP. I.
V. 10–excellent;|| Ut dignoscere possitis quae
discrepant. Wolf. Peirce. Pyle. Doddr Schl. Ut
explorare possitis meliora. Rosenm. Examine first
and then approve, Hamm. See Rom. ii. 18.
W. 13.−palace, The Praetorium was originally
‘the praetor's or general’s tent;’ afterwards, on the
appointment of civil praetors, a court of judicature,’
in which sense Hammond takes it here. In the
provinces, the praetor or procurator often held this
court in his own house, whence the Praetorium
came to signify his palace, Joh. xviii. 28. xix. 9.
Acts xxiii. 35. And the Apostle, writing to a pro-
vince, might retain the provincial name. This sense
is confirmed by Ch. iv. 22. See Wolf. Peirce. Mackm.
Schleusner, however, interprets it ‘ the praetorian
camp or guard,' from Acts xxviii. 16. But this con-
struction is not usual, and there would be nothing
remarkable in St. Paul’s case being known to the
guard by which he was kept.
W. 15.— envy and strife; Grotius and others
refer this to the Jews: But to say that they preached
Christ, would be, as Whitby remarks, an intolerable
catachresis; he therefore interprets it of the Ju-
daizing Christians. Yet Macknight observes, that
by Christ we cannot understand the corrupt gospel
which the Judaizers preached, for this would not
have been a sufficient cause for rejoicing, ver, 18.
and he therefore supposes that the Apostle alluded
to those, who preached Christ as the Messiah, or
king of the Jews, in order to inflame the Romans,
Acts xvii. 7. The passage, however, is applicable to
all who preached the gospel from a party spirit,
envying the Apostle's success in preaching at his
own hired house, Acts xxviii. hoping also and en-
deavouring, while he was in a state of imprisonment,
to thwart his views.
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. [. 47
W. 17.-I am set] keiwat, i. e. Tſ6sual, Luc. ii. 34.
1 Thess. iii. 3. Grot. Some would turn it ‘ I lie in
prison.” Wide Wolf, ad fin. But this, if it be autho-
rized at all, differs at least from the Apostolic sense
of the phrase. In several of the best MSS and Ver-
sions the 16th and 17th verses are transposed. Vul-
garem ordinem servant omnes mei, quem etiam
confirmat ver, 15. Matthaei.
V. 18.-in pretence or in truth, Whether from
false and specious motives, to serve their own ends,
or with honesty and sincerity, out of pure zeal for
the furtherance of the Gospel.
W. 19.--to my salvation] Either to his deliverance
from prison and the dangers of persecution, Acts vii.
25. xxvii. 34. Whitby. Pyle. Hardy. Mackm. or to
his spiritual comfort, and to the advancement of his
final salvation, which agrees better with the following
clause, and with the sense of a wºmpta, ver, 28. Ch. ii.
12. Doddr. Schl. The passage may admit of either
interpretation : Dr. Wells observes, that the former
is confirmed by wer. 25.
W. 21.—to live] . To Kny vivere pro vitā posuit
Menander, troXXav Šć weatóv ča-Ti to Çnv ºppov.Tiêov.
Wolf. Heb. ii. 15.
W. 22.—I wot not..] The common scriptural ac-
ceptation of yuwpºo is ‘I declare, or make known.”
Rom. ix. 23. 2 Cor. viii. 1. Gal. i. 1 1. &c. but it is
here generally rendered ‘I know.” Job xxxiv. 25.
Prov. iii. 6. Scapula. The sense, however, may be.
* I do not (i. e. I cannot) declare.’
W. 21–24.] Whitby and others have urged this
48 PHILIPPIAN'S CHAP. I.
passage, and not without reason, as a powerful con-
firmation of the doctrine of an intermediate state,
between death and the resurrection. Because, unless
the Apostle expected immediately to enter upon a
state of happiness, he could not have been perplexed
in his choice ; he might have continued on earth,
and have accomplished his ardent desire of benefiting
the disciples, without any delay or interruption of
his future bliss. To this argument the opponents of
the doctrine in question make their usual reply ;
that, as time unperceived is in fact no time at all,
the Apostle might justly be said to be with Christ at
the very moment of his dissolution ; and thus his
longer continuance on earth would, in effect and
reality, be a delay of his greater happiness, since it
would be the only possible means by which that
delay could be measured. But such reasoning, how-
ever metaphysically true, does not so well accord with
the plain tenour of the passage.—The Apostle's ex-
pressions, indeed, are founded on the mere hypothesis
of his being able to make a choice; but this does
mot affect the argument: It is enough, that diva)\Waal
(or droëareiv, ver, 21.) and a jv Xpta Tºp eivat denote
synchronous events.
W. 25.-I know] Tctrotºs oča. ‘I confidently
know,” I know as far as my confidence can reach.
It appears from ver. 20. 27, and Ch. ii. 24. that the
Apostle was not infallibly assured of visiting the
Philippians.
—for your furtherance]. To promote your ad-
vancement and joy in the faith, i. e. for your reli-
gious improvement and your religious comfort. Dr.
Middleton.
W. 26.-rejoicing] I believe, says Dr. Wells,
upon observation it will be found, that the Apostle
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. I. 49
generally, if not always, uses the verb kavydouat and
its derivatives, either in reference to the Jews
boasting of, or glorying in the law, or else, by way
of opposition, in reference to the true Christians
boasting of, or glorying in Christ, as sufficient to
salvation without the law.
W. 27.-let your conversation be troXpreſea'6e.
See Ch. iii. 20.
—stand fast Standi verbum athletis convenit,
gradum servantibus, a quibus sumpta est trans-
latio, quam persequitur ad finem usque capitis.
Beza.
W. 29.--to suffer] 1. To suffer for Christ's sake
is xdots, ‘grace and favour,’ wer. 7. It is a gift which
is a matter of great joy, Matt. v. 12. Acts v. 41.
Rom. v. 3. James i. 2. 2. They who from this verse
infer, that faith is so the gift of God, as that men
are purely passive in it, have as much reason to infer,
that we suffer for the name of Christ without the
concurrence of our own wills, both being said to be
equally given. Whitby. Unto you it is graciously
given, as a special favour, in the behalf of Christ.
Wells.
W. 30.—which ye saw Acts xvi. 23. 2 Cor. vii. 5.
1 Thess. ii. 2.
V OTL. II. D
C.H. A. P. II.
The Apostle exhorts them to unanimity and love, and to low-
/iness, after the example of Christ, on which he enlarges:
He then shews his great interest in their behalf, and pro-
mises to send Timothy to their comfort, as also their mes-
senger Epaphroditus, of whose sickness he gives an af-
fectionate narration.
W. 2–like-minded–of one mind.] This appears
tautologous. But the words To avºró (ppovăre, as also
ºrºv avtºv drydºrmv, may be referred to wer. 1. ‘If there
be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love,
&c. do ye (both Gentiles and Jews) make my joy
complete by setting your thoughts and affections
upon this same object, having this same love, being
unanimous, (i. e. not preventing unanimity by a con-
tentious spirit,) having at heart the advancement of
one great design :’ By which design we may under-
stand, either the general interests of Christianity, or
the cultivation of a peaceful temper, referring
To ºv to the following clause. Thus Grot. Wells. and
Dr. Middleton.—q poverv may signify the affections as
well as the mere thoughts, ver. 5. Ch. iv. 10. Col.
iii. 2. &c. See also Rom. viii. 5. It is remarked,
to the great honour of the Philippians, that this
epistle does not contain a single passage of reproof;
unless it may be inferred from the frequent and
earnest exhortations to concord, that they had shewn
a disposition to rivalry and contention on the subject
of their spiritual gifts.
V. 6.—in the form of God,) As the Apostle is
speaking of what Christ was before he took the form
of a bondman, the form of God, of which he is said in
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. II. 5]
wer. 7. to have divested himself, when he became
man, cannot be any thing which he possessed,
during his incarnation, or in his divested state ;
consequently, neither Erasmus's opinion, that the
form of God consisted of those sparks of divinity,
by which Christ, during his incarnation, manifested
his Godhead ; nor the opinion of the Socinians, that
it consisted of the power of working miracles, is well-
founded. For Christ did not divest himself either of
the one or the other, but possessed both, during the
whole time of his publick ministry. . . . In like manner,
the opinion of those, who by the form of God under-
stand the divine nature and the government of the
world, cannot be admitted ; since Christ, when he
became man, could not divest himself of the nature
of God : And, with respect to the government of the
world, we are led by what the Apostle tells us in
Heb. i. 3. to believe that he did not part even with
that, but, in his divested state, still upheld all things
by the word of his power. Wherefore, the opinion
of Whitby and others seems better founded, who by
the form of God understand the visible glorious light,
in which the Deity is said to dwell, 1 Tim. vi. 16.
and by which he manifested himself to the patriarchs
of old, Deut. v. 22. 24. which was commonly accom-
panied with a numerous retinue of angels, Psal. lxviii.
17. and which is called the similitude of the Lord,
Numb. xii. 8. the face, Psal. xxxi. 16, the presence,
Exod. xxxiii. 15. and the shape, Joh. v. 37. This
interpretation is supported by the term gopºpſ, here
used, which signifies a person’s external shape, or
appearance, and not his nature, or essence. Thus
Mark xvi. 12. Matt. xvii. 2. This form he had with
the Father before the world was, Joh. xvii. 5. Heb. i.
3. and he will appear again with it at the last day,
Matt. xvi. 27. Lastly, this sense of aoppſ, ecoſ) is
confirmed by the sense of aopºpºv ŠoćNov. ver, 7. which
D 2
52 PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. II.
evidently denotes the appearance and behaviour of a
bondman, not that Christ was actually any person's
bondman or slave. Mackm. Peirce.
—thought it not robbery] Whitby shews, after
many others, from two or three passages in the
AEthiopics of Heliodorus, B. vii. pp. 322. 337. 340.
ed. Francof. that àpirayua signifies a thing earnestly
coveted,’ and this sense he applies to the present
passage, ‘did not covet to appear as God.” If this
be the true meaning, àpirayua and apTaºyuov are thus
used synonymously. Peirce understands the phrase
in a similar manner, ‘He was not eager, or tenacious,
in retaining that likeness to God,” or, “He did not
make an Ostentatious display of it.’ Rosenm. And
Schleusner, in adopting this interpretation, thus
explains it—praedam, rem avidē diripiendam, et vin-
dicamdam—praedae loco habere—cupidè uti: And he
illustrates it by a passage of Longinus, Sect. Iv. as
qoptov Twos éqattówevos, which is most learnedly and
fully explained by Toup. Dr. Middleton, with the
same purport, adduces the following passage from
Gregory Nazianzen, who speaks thus of Athanasius,
où ydp 6900 Te KataAauſłóvei Tôv 6póvov, datep of Tv-
pavvíða Twd # K\mpovowtav trapd 36&av ‘APIIAXANTEX,
kai w8pſet 8td Töv kópov. Vol. I. p. 377.
Our translation accords best with the sense which
the lexicographers have given to apTrayads, “ direptio,
ipsa rapiendi actio, Scap. Heder. Constant. and is
not foreign to the context. “Who, shining in the
glories and essence of the Godhead, thought it no
act of robbery (of wrong, of injustice to the Father)
to be even as God; nevertheless, &c.” It is a just
observation, that eval in a does not properly signify
equal to, for that sense would have been expressed
by io'ow, as Joh. v. 18. Whitby has many quotations
from the Lxx, to shew that iala is constantly used to
denote comparison. Job xi. 12. Isai. li. 23. &c. Thus
PHILJPPIANS, CHAP. II. 53
Hom. Od. o. 519. Töv vov fora €eſ, 'I6akfalo, eto opówat.
Also X. 303. 483. II. e. 71. Raphel. Doddridge ex-
presses the sense, as follows; “Thought it not
robbery and usurpation to be, and appear, as God ;
assuming the highest divine names, titles, and
attributes, by which the Supreme Being has made
himself known, and receiving from his servants
divine honour and adoration.” Joh. v. 22, 23. Non
rapinam duxit, Locutio Syriaca rem injuriosam
facere significans. Noverat enim se mon rapto, et
injuriá, sed naturâ Deum esse, ideoque sese ad nos
usque demittere non dubitavit; sciens se nihil amis-
surum de illä majestate, quam quasi reliquerat in coelo.
Hardy. See also, on this difficult text, Hamm. Bos.
Elsner. Wells. Wolf. Wetst. Pol. Syn.
V. 7.—of no reputation,] &kévalorev, he lessened,
or abased, himself; or, more literally, emptied
himself of his glory. Semetipsum eximanivit. Vulg.
—in the likeness of men ; i. e. in all respects
as man : Thus duoiana, Rom. viii. 3. See also Gen.
v. 3. Heb. ii. 14—17. This clause alone would have
implied, that Christ had a superior nature; as the
Scholiast truly observes, eixé Tuva ka? JTép ăv6potov,
olov, Tóðvew a Topás a vAAmpômvat, Tó ãvew q60pás Tex0mvat,
Tô weivat avaudptntos, as Geós. Matthaei.
V. 9.—given] exaplorato. This verb often implies
a free gift, ummerited on the part of the receiver,
whence the Socinians argue against the perfection
of Christ : But it cannot be doubted, that the word
is capable of a more extensive signification. Elsmer.
Scap. Parkh. Schl.
V. 10, 11–every knee—every tongue]. Isai. xlv.
23. In this text (ver, 6–11.) the Divinity of Christ,
both before his incarnation and after his ascension,
54 PHILIPPIAN S. CHAP. II.
is clearly pointed out. “Being in the form of God”
signifies being really God, just as “took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men,” signifies that he was really a man, in a
mean and low condition ; and the following words,
“ thought it not robbery to be equal with God,” ex-
pressly declare Christ's equality with God. Bp. of
Lincoln. See the whole argument of the learned
prelate, Theol. Vol. II, p. 112–115. 3d. edit. And
thus Bp. Bull on this passage : Qui unus locus, si
rectè expendatur, ad omnes hapreses adversus Jesu
Christi Domini nostri Personam repellendas sufficit.
Defens. Fid. Nicen. II. 2. et Prim. et Apost. Trad.
v1. 21. See also Bp. Pearson on the Creed, p. 121.
Nares on the ‘Improved Version, p. 176. and Dr.
Magee, Illustr. Nº. 1.
W. 12, 13.] These two verses might be regarded
as conclusive on the question of the divine assistance
co-operating with human agency and free will.
Man alone (even in a state of justification) cannot
work out his final salvation, for the will and the deed
are both from God; at the same time, divine grace
is so far from having a necessary or irresistible in-
fluence on the heart, that the converts were injoined
to work out their own salvation, for this very reason,
because God worked in them both to will and to do.
In the language of one of our excellent Collects,
“It is God who puts into our hearts good desires,
and enables us to bring the same to good effect;”
but still, in order to produce this effect, our own
diligence and exertion are indispensable. See Bp. of
Lincoln's Ref. Calv. p. 35, 36. 6th ed.—uetá páſ?ov ka;
Tpówov, with anxiety and concern, with a fear of
losing the prize. Eph. vi. 5. q. d. we'rd Tateivoq'poolſ-
wns, 1 Cor. ii. 2. Hamm. See also Bp. Sherlock,
vol. II. Disc. Iv. rows yop eièóras, 6etas ŠTiêéeoffat
FH II,IPPIANS. CHAP. II. 55
potfis, dvºykm, 3rd Touro ‘poſłeio 6al, untore Kai Tºs
ékeiðey ektréawat a vauaxias. Schol. apud Matthaei.
Peirce connects this phrase with the foregoing
clause, thinking it to agree better with the parallel
expressions in I Pet. iii. 15. Eph. vi. 5, 2 Cor. vii. 15.
I Cor. ii. 3. and he renders Tijv čovtſov a wrmpiau, ‘ one
another’s salvation :’ But neither of these construc-
tions appears necessary or matural.
W. 16. Holding forth] From the force of Gré-
Xovres, Beza supposes palatmpes, in this verse, to
contain an allusion to the watch-towers placed at the
entrance of harbours for the direction of seamen ;
and this sense is pertinent and beautiful. The
word, however, is commonly used in Scripture to
denote the celestial luminaries, Gen. i. 14. 16. Wisd.
xiii. 22. Ecclus, xliii. 7.—Sic Aristid. Panathem. p. 136.
Tós ovk ekeivot ºud ºrdvrov čéAawtrov, & Tep do Tépes.
Wetst.
W. 17. – if I be offered] et kal airévôoual. If I
(i. e. my blood) be poured forth as a libation (2 Tim.
iv. 6.), as the wine and oil were poured on the meat-
offerings, to render them acceptable to God. Exod.
xxix. 40, 41. The bringing in of men to the faith of
Christ, to the embracing and receiving of the gospel,
is elsewhere compared to a sacrifice, and the Apostle
to an officiating priest. Rom. xii. i. xv. 16.-Aettoup'yta
(à Xeirov ćpyov) denotes any public work, or office,
ver. 25. 30. especially as appertaining to religion;
hence our word Liturgy. Hamm. Mackm.
W. 25.-messenger, This is the exact import of
&róa Toxov. It is probable, however, that Epaphro-
ditus might also fill a more important situation at
Philippi, as the word often denotes any teacher or
Pºw
minister of the gospel. Acts xiv. 4, 14. Rom. xvi. 7.
56 PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. II.
2 Cor. viii. 22, 23. Chrysost. Wolf. In like manner,
St. Paul calls himself €906v diróotoxos, Rom. xi. 13.
Peirce. Some think, that diróa Toxos here is synony-
mous with étréakotros, and that St. Paul constituted
Epaphroditus bishop of Philippi. Theodor. Whitby.
Wells. Blackwall.
—to my wants. Peirce interprets this as if St.
Paul had appointed Epaphroditus to be his sub-
stitute at Philippi, to perform the functions of his
office' (muneris sui vicarium. Castell.) xpéia has
this meaning in Acts vi. 3. Probably the word
Xetrovpyöv gave rise to this interpretation : But it is
here used in a general sense, as Newtowpytas in ver, 30.
and we should remember, that Epaphroditus was sent
by the Church, and therefore his ministration was
of a publick nature. The usual signification of xpeta
agrees with Ch. iv. 16.
W. 27.-nigh unto death :] It is clear from this,
that the Apostles could not exercise the gifts of
healing at their own pleasure, but only by a special
impulse or suggestion from God : Those gifts were
vouchsafed, not so much for the recovery of the sick,
as to convince and convert unbelievers. Whitby.
W. 30.-not regarding] Tapaſ}ovXeva duevos. Most
of the critics would read trapagoNevaduevos. Grot.
Hamm. Mill. Wells. Wetst. Griesb, &c. I. It is
objected that the word Tapaſ}ovXeſa does not occur
elsewhere. 2. Tapaſ}dx\w and its derivatives com-
monly denote an exposure to danger. Thus, they
who had the charge of persons infected with a pesti-
lence, were called parabolani.-As to the first of
these remarks, the simple verb is so frequent, and the
compound so plain, that its use is very defensible,
even though there be no absolute authority for it:
The Apostle often introduces an extraordinary word.
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. II. 57
But further, the same objection will apply to the
proposed alteration, in a much greater degree: For
it does not appear, amid the numerous derivatives of
{34}\\w, that there is one which occurs in the form of
£30Xeſa, (except, indeed, that this word in question
is used by Chrysostom, and other Christian writers,
probably on the supposed authority of this passage.)
Elsmer therefore has reason to say—ego verö mon
video quá ratione recipi Tapaſ}oNevaduevos in texturm
possit, . . . . cum memo probaverit Graecum esse.
The authority of antient MSS and Versions appears
to favour the emendation : Yet it does not occur in
any of the MSS collated by Matthaei, and is rejected
by him without hesitation. And we may observe, that
it is more usual for a transcriber to omit a letter
than to insert one; and therefore it is more likely,
that trapaſ}ovXeva duevos should have been altered into
TapagoNeva duevos, than that the latter should have
been changed into the former, And it may be further
remarked, that the proposed alteration in the re-
ceived text leaves an amonnalous construction. For
Tapaſ}oxeſouai, in the sense of Tapaſ}d^Xowal, should
be followed by an accusative case. Thus Il. 6. 322.
duel éuiv \vyºv TapaºaXXówevos troXeutſetv. We may
therefore, at least as far as the sense and syntax are
concerned, follow Blackwall, Wolf, and others, in
retaining the common text, translating the word,
according to it’s exact import, ‘having badly con-
sulted for, having been regardless of his life. Travros
kivöðvov karaqpovňa as étrºpºlas avtov tº 6aváTip.
Schol. apud War. Lect. Matthaei.
—your lack of service) Ut quae obsequia vos per
absentiam mihi praestare non poteritis, ipse suppleret.
Philem, ver, 13. 2 Cor. xi. 9. Grot.
C H A P. III.
The Philippians are cautioned against the false doctrines of
the Judaizing teachers. The Apostle shews, that if any
one could depend upon Judaism for salvation, certainly he
himself could; but he renounced every other hope for that
of the gospel, to which he endeavoured to conform his life;
and he exhorts his converts, in all things unblameably to
follow the same rule.
V. l. Finally, ºrd Aotºrov, “As to what remains,
and now, moreover.' Doddr. Mackm. De caetero.
Vulg.
—the same things] The same which he had
delivered to them by word of mouth, or by Epaphro-
ditus; or, which he had written to other Churches.
Whitby. Wells. Mackn. Soepe repetere ea quae
magno sunt usui. Grot. Some MSS have Tajra-
* to write these things.” Peirce. Bowyer.
W. 2–of dogs, Whitby shews from the Fathers,
that this name was antiently given to the Gentiles,
as being without the covenant. So Matt. xv. 26, on
which see Lightfoot. But when the Apostle wrote,
the Gentiles were admitted into the covenant, and
the Jews excluded, so that the word dogs became
applicable to the latter.
—evil workers, False or deceitful teachers,
2 Cor. xi. 13.
—the concision.] Circumcision, being no longer
a rite of entering into covenant with God, was no
better than a cutting off, or mutilation, of the flesh;
and they who still insisted on it, as a thing necessary
to justification and salvation, cut themselves off from
Christ. Gal. v. 2, 3. W hitby. Triv čkkAmatov étrepôvro
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. III. 59
èaréuvew, they endeavoured to cut asunder the
church of Christ.’ Theophyl. Grot. Hamm, Peirce.
But the former is the true sense; for the word is
opposed to j Tepitop.m. ver, 3.
V. 3.—the circumcision, Not of the letter, but
of the Spirit. Rom. ii. 26. 29.
—in the Spirit, In a spiritual manner. Several
MSS have Trveſwart €eoû. Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb.
—in the flesh..] In the Mosaic ordinances.
V. 5.-the eighth day, The Jews themselves
say, that circumcision before that time was no cir-
cumcision, and after that time it was of less value.
Buxt. Syn. Jud. Iv. p. 109. Orig. contrå. Cels. v.
p. 263. ed. Spencer. Gen. xvii. 12. Even on the
sabbath it was performed, Joh. vii. 22. Raphel,
Schleusner, and others take Tepitou) as a nominative,
‘ my circumcision was, &c.’ But then the article
should have been inserted : Besides, it creates a
confusion in the whole passage. It is, ‘in respect
of circumcision, (circumcised) the eighth day.” Dr.
Middleton.
—of the tribe of Benjamin, It is an observation
of Theodoret, that the Benjamites were more
honourable than the four tribes which descended
from Bilhah and Zilpah, Sarah's handmaids, or
slaves. They were more honourable likewise on
account of their adherence to the law of Moses,
when the ten tribes were seduced to idolatry by
Jeroboam. Mackn.
—an Hebrew of the Hebrews; The Jews who
lived among the Greeks, and who spake their lan-
guage, were called the Hellenists, Acts vi. 1. ix. 29.
xi. 20. from whom the Apostle probably intends here
to distinguish himself, signifying that he was a
Hebrew both by nation and language. See Jennings's
60 PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. III.
Jewish Antiquities, Book I, Ch. III. p. 108. ed. 1808.
Many of these were descended from parents, one of
whom only was a Jew, as was Timothy, Acts xvi. 1.
Among the Jews, these were accounted less honour-
able. Yi ackn. Locutio hac indicat, Apostolum
longā serie ex Hebraeis ortum esse, nullo quasi viliori
prosely torum sanguine stirpi suae admixto. Kypke.
—touching the law, J With regard to my profes-
sion under the law and my mode of observing it :
The Pharisees added to the law many extraneous
obligations, and encumbered it with vain tradi-
tions.
V. 8.—the loss of all things, Doddridge here
supposes an allusion to a sentence of excommunica-
tion, which might have been denounced against the
Apostle, as it was against other Jews who were less
obnoxious. Heb. x. 33, 34. But it may only intimate,
that he had relinquished all his worldly advantages
and prospects. *
—but dung, J As refuse of any kind, as of no
estimation, as worthy the greatest contempt. Isai.
lxiv. 6. Thus akv6axt{ouai, Ecclus. xxvi. 28. Parkh.
Elsmer. Kypke.
V. 10.—conformable unto his death ;) 1. Spiritu-
ally, by dying unto sin, that so he might be like him
at the resurrection of the just, ver, 11. Rom. vi. 5. 8.
2. By suffering and taking up the cross, and even
dying; if it were required, for his sake; that so he
might be glorified with him. Rom. viii. 17. 2 Tim. ii.
11, 12. 1 Pet. iv. 13. Whitby.
V. ll.—unto the resurrection] The Apostle,
when he wrote this, could have had no expectation of
being alive at the coming of Christ to judgment. See
1 Thess. iv. 15.
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. III. 61
W. 12-perfect ; Terexelouai. This is an agonis-
tical phrase, applied to those who gained the prize.
So TéAetol ver, 15. though in a more limited sense.
Wolf. Schl. Not as though I had already attained
to the certainty of a happy resurrection, or were
already perfect or consummate, so as to be in no
danger of forfeiting etermal happiness. Wells. Per-
fectus, extra periculum constitutus, ut illi qui cursum
suum absolverunt. Hardy.
—I am apprehended] A remarkable expression,
alluding to the Apostle's conversion, at which he
was, as it were, taken hold of, and led to the stadium.
Doddridge observes, that candidates in the Grecian
games, especially when they first presented them-
selves, were often introduced by some persons of
established reputation.
W. 13.—forgetting] Thus Hamm. from Hor. Serm.
I. I. I lj.
Instat equis auriga suos vincentibus, illum
Praeteritum temmens extremos inter euntem.
See also Elsner. Kypke.
W. 14.—the high calling] An allusion to the
judges of the race being placed on an elevated seat,
whence they summoned and observed the combatants,
and distributed rewards to the conquerors. With the
whole of this passage compare 1 Cor. ix. 25–27.
W. 15.-perfect, Adulti in Christianismo, et
rerum divinarum intelligentiam caeteris praestamus.
Hardy. Eph. iv. 18.
—shall reveal] Thus Joh. vii. 17. (Elsley in loc.)
Psal. xxv. 12.
W. 16.-let 7 S walk] Subaud. êe. Griesbach
62 PHILIPPIANs. CHAP. iii.
rejects the words kavóvi Tô dvºrd ºppovéiv. Wide Mat-
thai. War. Lect.
W. 17.-us] The Apostle thus included Timothy,
whose name was added in the salutation, ver, 1.
perhaps Silas also, who assisted him in converting
the Philippians. Mackm.
V. 18.—many] It suits the whole tenour of the
epistle, to apply this and the following verse to the
Judaizing teachers, whose character is elsewhere
pourtrayed in similar colours. Rom. xvi. 18. 2 Cor.
xi. 13. 15. 20. 1 Tim. vi. 5. Tit. i. 11. Whitby.
Mackm.
W. 20.—our conversation] aroXprevua, our citi-
zenship.’ Beza. Hamm. The citizens of Rome, who
dwelt abroad, still retained the jus civitatis. Thus Cic.
de Leg. II. 2. Omnibus municipibus duas esse patrias,
umam naturae, alteram civitatis. And so troXiteta,
Acts xxii. 28. by which word Hesychius expounds
Toxtrevua. And Christians are called ovatroXºtal Tów
dºytov, Eph. ii. 19. See also Raphel. Wolf. Wetst.
Some would refer éé oë to troXprevua, but this is
scarcely admissible ; it may be taken adverbially,
subaud. Tótrov, unde ; or it may be a soloecism for
éé àv.
W. 21. Who shall change] 1 Cor. xv. 43. 48.
—our vile body, Literally, the body of our
humiliation, the body which was humbled and cor-
rupted by the fall.
—he is able] It deserves to be remarked, that
Christ is here said to subdue all things to himself,
by his own strong working, notwithstanding the
same subjection of all things is ascribed to the
Father, 1 Cor. xv. 25. Heb. ii. 8. Mackn. Thus
PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. IV. 68
Rom. iv. 17. Acts xxvi. 6. Eph. i. 19. In like
manner, Christ is said to raise himself from the dead,
Joh. ii. 19. and to be raised by the Father, Rom. iv.
24. &c. The inference is plain.
In this chapter Doddridge would include the first
verse of the following, alleging the similar instance
of 1 Cor. xv. 58. -
C H. A. P. IV.
The converts are exhorted to benevolence, and peace, and
virtue of every kind. Their bounty is thankfully acknow-
£edged, but not so much on account of its affording relief
to the Apostle (though that was considerable), as for its
being an evidence of their sincerity and love. He concludes
with a dorology and a salutation.
W. 3–true yoke fellow, This has been referred,
H. To the husband of one of these women, or to some
well-known doctor, ruler, and fellow-labourer of the
Apostle's, when at Philippi. Beza. Whitby. Doddr.
Mackm. But it is not certain that Euodias or Syn-
tyche were either of them women: Some would
form >vvtſynv from >vvtſyms. Wells. 2. To Epa-
phroditus himself, whom he called a ſuspyou kal ava-
Toaridºrmv, Ch. ii. 25. which is further confirmed by
the phrase époró KAI are. Hamm. Wolf. Schl. Ad
Epaphroditum ergo per droatpopºv vertit se oratio,
tanquam praesentem futurum, ubi epistola haec in
ecclesiá Philippensium legeretur. Grot.
—with Clement] The antient Christian writers
tell us, that this is the Clement who afterwards
became bishop of the Church at Rome, and who, to
compose some dissensions which had arisen in the
64 PHILIPP1ANS. CHAP. IV.
Church of Corinth about their spiritual guides,
wrote an epistle to the Corinthians, which is still
extant. Mackn. See Cotelerius, Vol. 1. “
—the book of life.] This may refer, 1. To the
Judaical phrase, which often occurs in Scripture,
Exod. xxxii. 32. Isai. iv. 3. Mal. iii. 16. Luke x. 20.
(Elsley in loc.) Heb. xii. 23. Rev. xiii. 8. xxii. 19.
&c. 2. To the album kept in cities, in which the
names of the citizens were registered ; and here it
may be connected with troXprevua, Ch. iii. 20. This
expression does not imply a certainty of salvation;
it can only intimate, that these persons were, at that
time, inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. No one
can reasonably expect to remain a member of this
citizenship, when he ceases to fulfil the terms on
which its privileges are granted.
V. 5.-moderation] Patience and meekness under
all your trials; so €ttetkms and étuetkeſa commonly
signify in the Old and New Testament. Dr. Wells
supposes an allusion to Wisd. ii. 19. Some however,
with less reason, would refer the word here to a
propriety and correctness of general conduct—éart-
sucés' Tpétrov, kaðnkov, Tpoamicov. Suid. Hesych. Schl.
—The Lord is at hand.] To avenge your cause,
and to deliver you from all trouble. See I Pet. iv. 7.
James v. 9. Whitby expatiates here at great length
on the virtue of moderation.
W. 6.—prayer and supplication,] See Eph.
vi. 18. -
V. 7.—peace of God...] Col. iii. 15. That peace
which is the property and the gift of God, together
with all its fruits of every kind ; producing a mild.
and pacific disposition, and imparting to the soul
inconceivable comfort and delight, ver, 9.
PHILIPPIANS, CHAP. H.W. 65
V. 10. —flourished again ; * Ye have made.
your care of me to flourish again.” dyebāAete, Conj.
Hiphil. Thus Ezek. xvii. 24. dva6d)\ov ɺov - &mpóv.
Grot. Hamm. Or rather, ‘ye have flourished again,
ye are revived, in your care of me.” Rosenm.
W. 12.—I am instructed, usuºmual “initiatus.
sum,’ i. e. institutus. Non formidavit Apostolus
vocem Graecae superstitionis ad meliores usus trans-
ferre. Grot. Quasi retreſpawat ‘ expertus didici, ut
verbum hoc interpretatur Hesychius, fortè ad h. 1.
respiciens. Wolf.
W. 15.-when I departed] Macknight is at great
pains to reconcile this with the following verse :
For, as the converts sent to St. Paul their con-
tributions when he was at Thessalomica, he could
not have left Macedonia, of which that city was the
capital. To obviate this difficulty, he proposes, what
is wholly inadmissible, to translate dºro Makedovias In
Macedonia.” Others observe, that the phrase does
not necessarily mark such great precision in point of
time, and that “when I departed” may mean “on
the occasion of my departure,” when I was on the eve
of going. But, in truth, there seems to be little diffi-
culty in the case; for the Apostle, in these two verses,
is probably speaking of two different periods and
transactions: The converts, we may infer, had more
than once contributed to his relief at Thessalonica,
previously to this occasion of his departure from
Macedonia. This exposition is confirmed by the
particles &rt Kai, wer. 16.
W. 18.-a sweet smell, J See Eph. v. 2.
W. 21.-The brethren] These, as distinguished
from the saints, ver. 22. probably denote the ministers,
WOL. II. E
66' PHILIPPIANS. CHAP. IV.
or teachers, who were with the Apostle. See Col. iv.
10–14. Philem. 23, 24. Grot. Hamm. Peirce. Pyle.
Doddr. Mackn.
W. 22.—of Cesar's household.] See Ch. i. 13. The
subscription contains the truth, but is not genuine.
Griesb.
T H E E P T S T L E
TO THE
COLOSSIANS.
C H. A. P. T.
The Apostle, after saluting the brethren, expresses his thanks
to God for their conversion, and his earnest prayer for their
continuance in the faith. He then expatiates on the evalted
character of the Redeemer, and explains the nature of his
Apostolic commission.
W. 2. To the saints] To all the Christians (1 Cor.
i. 2. Eph. i. 1. &c.) which were at Colosse, a city
of Phrygia near to Laodicea, which was the capital
of that province. In several of the best MSS it is
written Koxaaaaſs. Wells. Matthaei.
W. 4. Since we heard] This expression is adduced
to shew, that St. Paul had never been at Colosse ;
but that it does not prove so much, may appear
from the mote on Eph. i. 15. See, however, Ch. ii. 1.
of this epistle.
V. 5. For the hope] This is commonly connected
with exaplatojuev, wer. 3, but it may be taken with
the words immediately preceding; the faith and libe-
rality of the saints being increased by their expected
reward. Hamm. Wells. Peirce. Mackm. Rosenm.
Spem vocat id quod speratur. Grot. Rom. viii. 24.
Gal. v. 5. -
E 2
68 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. I.
V. 6.—all the world;| A hyperbolical expression,
to denote the wide spreading of the gospel. See
Rom. i. 8.
V. 8.—love in the Spirit.] Love wrought in you
by the Spirit. Whitby. But this is not the literal
sense of év Tverſuart. It may be, ‘According to the
true spirit of the gospel religion.’ Pyle. Or, ‘your
spiritual love’—amor veré Christianus. Rosenm.
Spiritualem et sinceram. &v cum nomine mon rarö
periphrasis est adjectivi, ut Matt. vi. 9. Hardy.
V. 10–walk worthy] Note here the end of all
our Christian knowledge, viz. a conversation fruitful
in good works, and a life acceptable and well-pleasing
to God. Whitby.
V. 12.—partakers of the inheritance] uépièa row
k\ºpov—alluding to the division of the land into
aeptèes or portions, to be possessed by the several
tribes (excepting that of Levi), and then by lot
assigned to every respective tribe. Josh. xiii. Numb.
xxvi. 55. xxxiii. 54. Whitby.
-—in light;] Rom. xiii. 12. Eph. v. 8.
W. 13.—of darkness, Eph. vi. 12. Luke xxii. 53.
V. 14.—through his blood, The words & roº
atuatos avtov are wanting in most of the best MSS
and Versions, and are rejected by Mill. Wells. Wetst.
Griesb. Matthaei. They are supposed by Grotius,
after Beza, to be borrowed from the parallel passage.
Eph. i. 7. m
W. 15.-the image] sc. visibilis, ratione incarna-
tionis. Hardy.
—first-born of every creature; So Titans k+ſaeos,
COLOSSIANS. CHAP. I. 69
without the article, is properly rendered. Wetstein
observes, that in ver, 16, it is not 3 ovpavös kai i yń,
but to €v roſs otpavois kai to €T Tøs 'yńs, which expres-
sions denote, according to the interpretation in the
latter part of the verse, all the powers (and therefore
all the inhabitants) of heaven and earth. Thus ta.
Távra &c. ver. 20. Some (with Grot. Wetst. Bowyer.)
would confine the sense of this passage to the new
creation, as thus agreeing with the context, and with
the phraseology of Eph. i. 21. ii. 9. iii. 9, 10. iv. 24.
They justly remark, that there is a great similarity
of style, as well as of subject matter, in the two
epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians; and
it appears from Eph. iii. 10. that, by the revela-
tion and accomplishment of the gospel scheme, the
angelic creation became enlightened, as well as
subject to Christ.—Most of the commentators, how-
ever, agree with the Fathers, in interpreting the
passage literally ; and thus it affords a strong argu-
ment for the divinity of Christ. Yet even from the
figurative sense the same inference may be fairly
deduced; for he who could so newly create the
heavens and the earth, as to bring them, by his own
power, into a universal subjugation to himself, can
hardly be imagined as less than divine.
The phrase TptoróTokos Trdons Ktio’etos may signify
begotten before every creature, i. e. before any
created being had existence: Thus it was explained
by the majority of the antients. Suic. vol. II. p. 879.
Tporos has this sense, Joh. i. 15. 30. Michaelis has
observed that, in the language of the Rabbins, God
is called the first-born of world. Dr. Middleton.
Peirce. Pyle. Others infer, that if Christ was too-
Tótokos ka-to-eas, he must himself have been a created
being. On which Dr. Clarke has well observed (as
Bp. Horsley remarks in his 15th Letter to Priestley.
that he is not called Tpotóktiatos (Tpºros (Tuggets.
70 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. I.
Beza.); and if he had been so called, the Socinians
would have gained but little ; because, as they com-
tend, the Apostle is here speaking not of a natural,
but of a moral or evangelical creation.—Others, with
Schleusner, take the word in a figurative sense, to
denote dignity or power; but it never has this sense,
except in reference to primogeniture, Gen. xxvii.
29. 37. 2 Chron, xxx. 3. Jer. xxxi. 9. and with this
construction it will be said, that Christ was the eldest
born of his own creation; which is so absurd, says
Dr. Middleton, that it requires no common hardihood
to defend it. We do indeed find the phrase similarly
applied to Christ in Rom. viii. 29. but in that place
Christians are represented not as his creatures, but
as his brethren—Töv TporóTokov čv ToxAois děexpois.
He was the first offspring of that great and glorious
scheme, formed in the etermal counsel of God for
the restoration of a fallen world. It must be allowed,
however, that St. Paul does not always preserve the
consistency of a figure. 1 Tim. vi. 19, &c.—Michaelis
adopts the opinion of those, who depart entirely from
scriptural usage, and take Tpa Totokos in an active
sense, accentuating the penultima. Thus unfºrmp
Tpototókos, a mother who brings forth for the first
time, Il. p. 5. Peirce questions whether, in this case,
it could be followed by a genitive, certainly not by
such a general expression as Téans k+to eas, for how
could it be said that Christ brought forth all creation
for the first time, or as his first-born ?
Since in other epistles of St. Paul, especially in
that to the Ephesians, a similar phraseology is applied
to the new creation, it is not surprising that the
present passage should have received such an inter-
pretation: But here the terms are so general and
explicit, that they cannot properly be limited in this
manner. The Apostle may be understood as illus-
trating and establishing the sovereignty of Christ
COLOSSIANS. CHAP. I. '71
over the new creation, by the circumstance of his
being Creator and King of all the Beings and Powers
in heaven and earth. Thus in ver. 23. Tráon tº Kriget
denotes not the regenerate alone, but every creature
under heaven. The dominion of Christ over the
Church (the new creation) is distinctly mentioned
in ver, 18. Dr. Wells, in his paraphrase, appears to
give the true sense of the passage. “The same
second person in the Holy Trinity may also be styled
the first-born of every creature, namely, as in respect
of his divine mature, he was begotten of the Father
before all creatures, and, as to his human mature, he
was the first that was raised from the dead, never to
die again : As to his divine mature, I say, he was
begotten before all creatures; for by him were all
things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible,” of which last sort are the
several orders of angels,” &c. Bp. Pearson shews, in
his luminous exposition of this text, that the verb
ktſſelv, as applied to the angels, must be understood
of their original creation; they could not be said to
be created anew. On the Creed, p. 116. Fol. See also
Hamm. Whitby. Wolf. Mackm. Nares on the ‘Im-
proved Version, p. 181. and Dr. Magee, Illustr. Nº. 1.
W. 17.-consist ; They who interpret this
passage of the new creation, must understand by
avvéarnke, that all things are constituted and pre-
served together under the rule and authority of
Christ: Not only the Jews and Gentiles are become
+& dagôtepa ºv, Eph. ii. 14. 16, but all the various
orders of beings will together be subject to him, as
one harmonious whole. But the verb avviatnut is used
both by Josephus and Philo of the acknowledged
Creator (vide Krebs. in loc.), and also by many other
writers. Dr. Middleton. Thus also Plat, and Diog,
Laert, apud Elsmer. . . . . . .
172 -- COLOSSIANs. CHAP. f.
W. 18.—head of the body, Eph. i. 22, 23.
—the beginning, doxº) is applied to Christ, Rev.
iii. 14, where he is called , dox” The kria'ews row eeoº.
W. 19.—the Father] This is not in the original;
but if we suppose an ellipsis, it may be so supplied.
Some construe thus, For in himself he hath been
pleased that all “fulness (Eph. i. 23.) should dwell,
and by himself to reconcile all things to himself,
having made peace (Eph. ii. 14.) by the blood of his
cross,” &c. Yet Peirce observes, that St. Paul is
here giving a reason of the headship and dominion
of Christ, and that this interpretation resolves that
reason into the will and pleasure of Christ, which is
contrary to the whole train and tenour of Scrip-
ture; for it is always resolved into the will of
the Father. Others follow the Syriac and Arabic,
and render it, “ in him all fulness (or perfection)
pleased to dwell,’ (See Nares, ut suprā,) but this does
not sufficiently connect with the following verse.
The passage may be rendered generally, ‘For it
seemed good (to God) that in him all fulness should
dwell, and by him (non per angelos, Hardy.) to
reconcile all things unto him, (having made peace by
the blood of his cross,) even by him, &c. Wells.-
The TAmpoua, so often mentioned, may be opposed
by implication to the Gnostic pleroma.
W. 22.—the body of his flesh] i. e. his fleshly
body. This confutes the Gnostic heresy, which
maintained that Christ was not clothed with a real
body. See Mosh. Eccl. Hist. Cent. 1, and 1 Joh. i.
W. 23. If ye continue] Macknight, after Peirce,
would translate etye since (see Eph. iii. 2.), as thus
agreeing with the Apostle's good opinion of the
Colossians: But the word & tručvere of itself shews
CO LOSSIANS. CHAP. ſ. 73
that opinion. Whitby more appositely infers, that
they, who have a true faith and just ground of hope,
may fall away from them.—Several MSS omit the
article before k+taret' it is admissible on account of
the limitation of the following clause, Tn VT6 Töv oil-
pavów. The phrase, as Dr. Middleton remarks, is
equivalent to év travti Tô kóa'aſp, ver, 6.
W. 24.—fill up duravarxmpó, ‘ I fill up in stead,
or in turn.” Le Clerc supposes an allusion to his
having once been a persecutor of the Church.
Whitby. Peirce. Mackm. Prepositionis divri nulla
hic vis est, uti nec in verbis dvratroëtówas duratokpt-
VOAA Clt. Schl.
—which is behind.] To varepſaara Töv 6\{\reov,
‘ those afflictions which Christ left for his Apostles to
endure, in order to the full establishment of his
Church.” The sufferings of his members he accounts
as his own, Matt. xxv. 40. 45. Acts ix. 4, 5. Rev. i. 9.
Rather thus, “ Those afflictions which still remain
for me to endure for the sake of the Gospel.”
W. 25.-to fulfill Fully to preach, as tre+tAmpwkéval,
Rom. xv. 19. Grot. Whitby.
W. 26.-the mystery] Rom. xvi. 25, Eph. iii. 5. 9.
W. 27.-which] §s, though referring to avornoſov,
is constructed with the following noun. Several MSS
read 6. Wells, quae non vera lectio, sed veræ lectionis
interpretamentum. Bos.
W. 28–every man, The words travra &v6porov
occur thrice in this verse—non temeré est quod
Paulus ter hoc ingeminat, utomne gentium discrimen
sublatum ostendat. Beza.
—present] A Levitical word. Rom. xii. 1. xv. 16.
74 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. II.
Dr. Paley (Serm. xxxiv.) hence infers, that we shall
know one another in a future state. But this single
passage is hardly sufficient to establish such an im-
portant doctrine. 1. It is far from certain, that the
Apostle is alluding to the day of judgment. 2. It
seems too much to suppose, that in this presentation
he would be personally acquainted with every in-
dividual, whom he had been the means of instructing
or converting.—See 1 Thess. ii. 19.
C. H. A. P. II.
The nature of the Christian mystery is set forth at large, for
the confirmation of the converts in the true and all-sufficient
faith of the gospel; and to guard them against miring with
it any of the vain opinions or institutions of human phi-
losophy. -
V. 1–have not seen my face] This is adduced
as a proof that the Apostle had not converted the
Colossians or Laodiceans : But it does not amount
to so much. Indeed an argument might be advanced
from it on the contrary side, viz. that, as the ex-
pression is not 6aot 'AAAOI, the Colossians and
Laodiceans may here be distinguished from those,
who had not seen the Apostle, i. e. they had seen
him. There is no direct proof whatever on the
point; but Mackmight with reason judges it very im-
probable, that St. Paul went throughout Phrygia,
Acts xvi. 6. xviii. 23. without visiting, according to
his custom, the principal cities. See his preface,
Sect. 1–4xo Tepi wutov] ou uévov ºtép ºuſov, pngi, kal
COLOSSIANS. CHAP. II. 75
p y \ t \ / * /
ūtrép Aaoğucéov, dANd kai varep travtov Twy uměétro reflea-
a 5 w 3. f {e * e
aévov' 37Nov yap, 6tt at Töv effed a avto €tráyet yap, tva
* Q 3. es. as - /
Tapak)\möðatv at kapétat autów, Tów wn rebeauévov ºn-
Aa3), ovy Judy. Schol. apud Matthaei.
V. 5.—with you in the Spirit, From this passage
and from 1 Cor. v. 3, 4, Lord Barrington (Misc.
Sacr. II. 71.) infers, that as Elisha saw Gehazi receive
Naaman’s present, 2 Kings v. 26. so the Apostle, by
a particular spiritual gift, continually abiding with
him, saw what was doing in the Churches, in his
absence. But the anxiety, which on various occa-
sions he felt from his uncertainty as to the affairs of
different Churches, is inconsistent with this supposi-
tion. And there is no reason to think, that either
St. Paul or Elisha possessed any permanent gift,
whereby they had the knowledge of all things done
by their disciples in their absence. (See I Cor. v. 3.)
Probably therefore, in the subsequent clause, the
word £3Xéray alludes to the Apostle's knowing their
good order and the stedfastness of their faith, by in-
formation from Epaphras. Mackm. Thus 2 Cor. vii. 8.
Rev. i. 12. Schl. Gaudeo considerans. Rosenm.
W. 7. Rooted and built up, Eph. ii. 20. iii. 18.
V. 8.-spoil you] Lead you captive as a prey,
despoiling you of your liberty and privileges in the
gospel.
8-> "hilosophy The Jews had fallen into many of
the subtleties and principles of the heathems. See
Krebs in loc. and Peirce on ver. 18.
—the rudiments] See Gal. iv. 3.
W. 9.--fulness of the Godhead] Peirce and others
understand no more by this phrase, than by Eph
. LA 1 J 1 1 e
iii. 19, where believers are said to be “filled with all
76 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. II.
the fulness of God.” But the two passages are not
parallel. 1. There is a remarkable difference in the
phraseology: “The fulness of divinity residing in
a person” cannot be the same as “a person being
filled with the fulness of God,” or from God; the
latter may denote “all spiritual gifts” for the full
establishment of Christ's Church, but we cannot
understand this of a “resident divinity.” And in-
deed the context requires a different application; for
Christ is here spoken of, (as also in Ch. i. 19. where
a similar expression occurs,) as universal Lord of
the evangelical kingdom, in opposition to all other
government or power; and this might be urged,
partly with a view of confuting the absurd doctrine
of aeons, or any other component parts, or sub-
ordinate agents, of the Deity. 2. It is never said
of Christians in general, that the fulness of God, or
of the Godhead, resides in them : It is observable,
that the Apostle, in addressing himself to the con-
verts, immediately changes his phraseology, kai éare
év dvºró Tetxmpouévot, as in Eph. iii. 19. whence alone
it would appear that the two phrases are far from
synonymous-Thus Macknight: “Most Christians,
agreeably to the literal import of the word TAñpoua,
hold that “ the fulness of the Godhead' consisteth
in the fulness of perfection and government, which is
essential to the Godhead; and that fulness they be-
lieve as essential also to Christ as the Son of God.
The Socinians, who hold Christ to be only a man,
affirm that divine perfections were conferred on him
as the reward of his sufferings, and to fit him for
being the head or governor of the body, i.e. of the
Church. Yet, how the fulness of the divine per-
fections could be communicated to the man Jesus
Christ without his becoming God, it is not easy to
conceive.”
—bodily.] It does not seem proper to interpret
CO LOSSIANS. CHAP. II. 77
this of the divine nature of Christ being united to
a mortal body, because the verb karoukei is in the
present tense, and therefore describes the present
state of Christ. 1. a'awatukós may be rendered con-
substantially, essentially’—united, as it were in one
body, with the Father and the Spirit. ova w80s kai
Ka8 UTóa Taaw, ovk evepºyeig kai xápitt. Schol. ut suprā.
Verè et solidè; mom typicé et umbratiliter; hoc dici-
tur kar’ avròeau, respectu habito ad typos, et umbras
legis. Hardy. Thus arówa is opposed to a kid, ver. 17.
the actual body to the sketch, or shaded outline.
Heb. x. 1. 2. The word may denote, according to
the suggestions of others, the evidence or exhibition
of the divine nature of Christ, by means of his
supreme authority over every created being, since
he was called m Kepaxm Tov adjuatos Tms ékk\matas,
Ch. i. 18. which agrees with ver, 10. 19. of this chap-
ter. But the former is probably the true sense.
W. 11.-the body of the sins of the flesh] This
may signify either the body with its sinful lusts
(i. e. the sinful lusts of the body), or the whole mass
of the sins of the flesh, according to the use of the
word body in the Hebrew language. The Colossians
are said to be circumcised by the putting off of the
sins of the flesh, in respect of their baptism, as is
plain from ver. 12. For, according to the emblema-
tical meaning of that rite, it signified the crucifixion
and burial of their old man, or corrupt nature, with
Christ. Rom. vi. 6. Now this, being an inward cir-
cumcision, may fitly be called a circumcision made
without hands. Mackm. Several MSS and Versions
omit the words Töv duapriſov. Mill. Griesb. Widetur
explicandi causá esse additum a librariis. Rosenm.
Wells. :
W i3.− uncircumcision] Some would interpret
78 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. II.
this literally, as demoting the pagan world in general
(Hamm. Whitby. Peirce.), but it is more usually un-
derstood of carnal corruptions, which were not yet
circumcised, or cut off. This suits the context
better, and is properly opposed to Tepitoun axelpo-
aroujrg, wer. 11. Thus Theodoret, drºpoſºva Tſav Šć
+7s capkos Tºw Tovmptav čkdXege. Grot. Wolf. Doddr.
Mackn. Schl. Sid to Tºv Tepittötnra Töy duapriſov
Tepukeia.6al. Schol. ut suprā. In the former sense,
there would have been no occasion for the words Tris
a'apkós Juſov. - -
V. 14—hand-writing of ordinances] It has cost
great pains to make out the construction here. Our
translation cannot be literal ; nor can it give the
sense, unless we take xeipórypaq}ov as an adjective,
‘ that which is written in the ordinances.” Dr.
IMiddleton understands arºv, referring to Rev. viii. 4.
For this there are one or two authorities (see
Griesb.). But these ordinances are a part at least,
if not the whole, of the hand-writing. Perhaps the
phrase may have the sense of 'EN 86 yuage, which is
found in the parallel passage, Eph. ii. 15. Legem
illam scriptam decretis variis constantem. Rosenm.
Macknight contends, that the moral law is here
designed, and not the ritual, as in Eph. ii. 15.
Because, as he argues, the Gentiles had nothing to
do with the ritual law, and therefore it could not be
described as taken from them. But, in fact, as it
was taken from the Jews, it existed no longer in the
world, and might justly be described as taken from
mankind in general; especially as the Judaizers
sought to impose it on the Gentiles. It is observable,
however, that the address here changes from the
second to the first person ; as if the Apostle intended
this address peculiarly to the Jews. Hardy.
—mailing it to his cross j In token of its abro-
COLOSSIANS. CHAP. II. 79
gation. An allusion to the two antient methods of
cancelling a bond or obligation, viz. either by blot-
ting out the writing, or striking it through with a
mail. Pyle. Grot.
W. 15.-principalities and powers, Eph. i. 21.
All the enemies of the gospel, especially the evil
angels, Eph. vi. 2. Peirce has an ingenious disser-
tation here, in which he interprets the passage of
the good angels, and cites Heb. i. 6. ii. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 22.
Eph. i. 20, 21. Phil. ii. 9. But there is no occasion
for such an interpretation. Kypke explains the pas-
sage of Jewish rulers and teachers.
—made a shew This was customary in a triumph
—captos ostendere civibus hostes. Hor. I. Ep. xvii.33.
—triumphing] Leading them in triumph.
—in it..] In, or by, the cross. ver. 14. Peirce
refers the verbs in these two verses to the Father,
and therefore renders v duriº by him, i. e. Christ.
W. 16. Let no man therefore judge you] Take
mo man as your judge or director; or, Let no man
condemn you in this respect. —ună clausulā compre-
hendit et Judaizantes et Pythagorizantes. Grot.
But the following words shew, that this passage is
spoken of the Jews. -
—the sabbath-days ; i. e. the weekly sabbaths;
for in the New Testament the word is never applied
to any other kind of Sabbath ; and so it is used in
the Old Testament aſso, whenever it is mentioned
in connection with the new-moons, and other solemn
feasts. Whitby.
V. 18–voluntary humility] From this unusual
construction of the verb 6éAw, some would read
6é\ov. . . . . é99ateiſely, others & um étépa Kevenſbateiſstv.
(Vox Platonica, ets kawa & truſ&ałvelv, Alex. Mor,
80 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. If.
Glossar. Fabric.—Wetst.) Nemo vos insidiosé et
injustè circumveniat et decipiat, ejus rei cupidus.
Krebs. But the usual construction is defended by
1 Sam. xviii. 12. 2 Sam. xv. 26. Psal. i. 2. cxlvii. 10.
Hamm. Whitby. Elsner. Peirce. Rosenm. and agrees
with éðex06pmaketa in ver, 23. ‘Delighting in (a
voluntary) humility, and the service of angels.”—
épſ3ateway' (nºtöv, Šćepevvöv, okotów. Hesych. Phav.
* Curiously prying into.” The caution is levelled
against those sects, which maintained the intercession
of angels, under a fanciful notion that immediate
access to the Deity was not attainable. Hamm.
Whitby. Doddr. Peirce observes, that the Jews
borrowed many of their motions on this subject from
the heathen philosophers. See Phil. de Somm. p. 586.
ed. 1640.—Hic est év čud êvolv, Ila IIl intelligit Tateivo-
ºppoo ſuny Tºv čv 6pmakeig Tøv dyyáNov. Habet speciem
modestia, non audere Deum accedere, sedad angelos
preces deferre ad Deum deferendas. Grot. Modes-
tiam simulantes tumidi sunt. Wetst.
V. 19. And not holding] Here the worshipping
of angels is declared to be a renouncing of Christ
as governor, saviour, and mediator; consequently a
renouncing of all the benefits of his government and
mediation. The same may be said of the worship-
ping of Saints, against which the Apostle's argument
is equally conclusive. Mackn. Widetur Paulus non
simplicitèr contra Judaeos—sed contra Judaeos mag-
nam vanarum opiniomum copiam ad Mosis legem
adsciscentes. Cf. ver, 21—23. Rosenm.
—from which] §§ oë. Constructio sensu congrua,
mon voce; nam cum dixisset kepaxmu, ita caetera
intulit, quasi dixisset Xpta Tov, quem per vocem kepa-
X'iv indicabat. Hardy. Wide Gal. iv. 19.
—knit together, See Eph. iv. 15, 16.
—increase of God..] A great increase. Mackn.
COLOSSIANS. CHAP. II. 81
The increase which God requires. Hamm. A divine
increase—incremento quod a Deo est. Grot.
W. 20.-rudiments of the world..] Gal. iv. 3, 9.
See ver, 8.
W. 21. Touch not;] This being supposed nearly
synonymous with “handle not,” has been differently
interpreted. Wetstein brings many instances in
which & Trea 6at is applied to food, and Peirce renders
it ‘ eat not.’ Thus Mackm. Rosenm. But it does not
appear that the verb ever has this sense, except it
be followed by a substantive, as a ſtov & Trea 6at, and
even then it could hardly be opposed to yeſan. Others
would understand it of women, from I Cor. vii. 1.
'yvvaikos an āTTeagal. Hamm. Whitby. But the fore-
going remark applies to this construction also. The
Apostle seems to have quoted a ceremonial maxim,
or formulary, of some Jewish sects; the import of
which may be this, “ handle not, taste not, nor even
come into contact with (or near unto) any thing
unclean.” In the gospels áTTea 6at always implies
* to touch with the hand;’ and it is thus remarkably
distinguished from 64 yetv in Exod. xix. 12, 13. Comp.
Heb. xii. 20. The latter verb is derived by Damn
from icew to approach ; though he supposes the
proper sense to be ‘accedo manu, consequor manu.’
W. 22. Which all are to perish] Quarum rerum
wsus permiciem et maximas poenas affert. Schl. Yet
it is possible that droxpharet may have here its proper
signification, according to the paraphrase of Dr.
Wells : “Which all, though indifferent in them-
selves, yet tend to the corruption of Christianity by
the abusing of them, viz. by making them necessary
rites, contrary to the intent of the gospel.” See also
his note in loc. Macknight takes the latter clause
WOL. II. F
82 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. II.
as a proof, that the Apostle cannot here be speaking
of the Jewish ordinances, observing that they could
not be called “ the commandments and doctrines of
men.” But it may be answered, that the Jewish
code was encumbered by many observances of human
origin, and that, as the ceremonial law was abolished
by the gospel, every attempt to revive or continue
its ordinances, was in fact an institution of man.
W. 23.—not in any honour] This clause may be
considered as an illustration, or amplification, of
dqelétº aduatos. The sects alluded to neglected to
make a suitable provision (thus Tianj, Matt. xv. 3.
1 Cor. xii. 23. 2 Thess. iv. 4, 1 Tim. v. 17.) for the
body, under a motion that they would be thereby
ministering to carnal indulgences. Twai) too gºuaros
est ejus victus necessarius, et amictus. Tpavotav Troteiv
ºrms aſapkós, Rom. xiii. 14. Elsner. & eeds, Tiaºja as rôy
&v6potov, Tós Tpopds éxaptaato obto 66, oux as Tigh
kéxpmutat Tpós Tpoquiv Tris a apkós, dAA’ dis ‘pevkta (38s-
XVagovtat, Schol. ut suprā. Whitby applies these
remarks partly to the Essenes, and partly to the
Pythagoreans. But as it is not certain that the
former worshipped angels (See Prid. Connect. Part II.
B. v.), Macknight applies them to ordinary Jewish
converts, who allured such of the Colossians, as
admired the Pythagorean and Platonic philosophy,
to embrace the institutions of Moses, by affirming
that the worshipping of angels and the mortification
of the body were authorized by Moses. See, however,
Jennings's Jewish Antiquities, Book 1. Chap. xii.
sub fin.
83
CHAP. III.
The Colossians are exhorted to raise their affections to things
above, to mortify all carnal lusts and desires, and to cul-
tivate every Christian virtue. The re/ative duties of wives
and husbands, children and parents, &c. are explained and
enforced.
V. I.-risen with Christ, SEE Ch. ii. 12. Bp.
Sherlock has an excellent discourse on this verse,
vol. III. Disc. xi.
—right hand of God..] Patri majestate proximus.
Matt. xxii. 44. xxvi. 64. &c. Grot. See Eph. i. 20.
W. 2. Set your affection] Phil. ii. 2. iii. 15.
W. 3. For ye are dead, For ye, by your baptism,
have vowed to put off your former life; and the life
which mow remains for you to live is that which
Christ lives in heaven ; a life of purity here, and of
glory hereafter. Hamm. Rather thus—mondum satis
cognitam habetis futuram felicitatem vestram cum
Christo in coelis. 1 Joh. iii. 2. Schl.
V. 5. —your members] The members of the
body of sin, Ch. ii. 11. of the old man. Mackn. The
vicious affections which are in your members. Hamm.
—which is idolatry: Eph. v. 5.
W. 7–in them.] Rather, among them, viz. amon
the children of disobedience. Knatchbull. Hamm.
The Colossians, dwelling in Phrygia, celebrated the
sacra of Bacchus (Strab. x. p. 469, sqq. ed. 1620.)
and of Cybele the mother of the gods (called there-
fore Phrygia mater,) and doubtless complied with all
F 2
84 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. III.
the luxury of Asia Minor, of which they were a part.
Whitby. -
W. 8.-filthy communication] See Eph. iv. 29.
V. 4.
V. 9.—put off] Gal. iii. 27.
—the old man] Rom. vi. 6. Eph. iv. 22.
V. l I.-Greek nor Jew, Rom. i. 16.
—Barbarian, Rom. i. 14. 1 Cor. xiv. 11.
—Scythian,J Inter barbaros barbarissimi erant
Scythae. Grot. Elsner. Wetst. See I Cor. xv. 28.
Gal. v. 6. vi. 15.
V. 12.—the elect] Those whom God hath chosen
out of the heathen world, not to a certainty of
eternal life, but to be his Church and people; their
final reward depended upon their progress and per-
severance in the faith. Ch. i. 23. ii. 2, 4, 18.
Whitby. Wells.
V. 14.—above all] Rather, over all (Hamm.) as
a girdle, Eph. vi. 16.
W. 15.-rule] Pax in cordibus vestris dijudicet,
nempe si quid est inter vos controversum. Grot.
Whitby. Vult, in animis nostris sedentem, pacem Dei
tanguam agonotheten seu brabeuten omnes affectus
in officio continere. Sic Phil. Iv. 7. Beza. Elsner.
Wolf. Krebs. Doddr. Schl.
—be ye thankful..] evyāptortot, blandi et comes.’
Sic Prov. xi. 16. yvyi) euxápa Tos. Schl. Wolf. Krebs.
Rosenm. But the common acceptation agrees
better with ver, 17. See Eph. v. 4.
W. 16–psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs,
CO LOSSIANS, CHAP. IV. 85
See Eph. v. 19. —ev Tais Kapòtals. Mill. Wells.
Griesb. º
V. 18–25.] These relative duties are injoined
in similar terms, Eph. vi. 1–9. The first verse of
the following chapter so plainly belongs to this, that
we can hardly suppose it to have been separated,
but through mere inadvertency. Pyle, &c. Dod-
º and others would begin the fourth chapter at
l. 111. 18.
C. H. A. P. IV.
The Apostle desires the prayers of his converts, and injoins
them to walk with caution. He explains the mission of
Tychicus and Onesimus, and concludes with salutations
from the brethren, and a few particular directions—adding
at the end his own salutation.
W. 2. Continue] Tpoakaptepeire. Rom. xii. 12. Eph.
vi. 19.
W. 3.−for us, As Whitby justly observes, it is
very remarkable that St. Paul, who so often and so
earnestly entreats the intercession of his Christian
friends, should never speak of the intercession of the
Virgin Mary, or of departed saints, or angels, if he
believed it a duty to seek it. Doddr.
—a door] An opportunity. Acts xiv. 27. 1 Cor.
xvi. 9. 2 Cor. ii. 10. Eph. vi. 19.
—the mystery] Rom. xvi. 25. &c.
V. 5.- that are without, I Cor. v. 12. 1 Thess.
iv. 12.
—redeeming the time.] Offend not the Gentiles
86 COLOSSIANS. CHAP. IV.
by any unseasonable deportment, but, as far as in
religion you may, in all things submit to them,
gaining as much time as you can to do good in.
To that end let your speech, as it follows, be seasoned
with salt, &c. Knatchbull. See Eph. v. 16.
W. 6.—with salt, Salt is the symbol of wisdom,
Matt. v. 18. (Elsley) Mark. ix. 50. Whitby. This
word was generally applied by the Romans to the
spirit of conversation ; hence “amari sales,” “ docti
sales, &c.” Macknight supposes an opposition to the
Xóryos aatſpos, Eph. iv. 29. -
V. 7.—Tychicus] The very same words occur in
Eph. iv. 21, 22. from which circumstance, together
with many other similarities in the two epistles to
the Ephesians and Colossians, it is inferred, that they
were written at the same time. See Eph. i. 1. and
Paley’s Hor. Paul.
V. 9.—of you :] Rather, from you. He was of
the city, but not properly of the Church of Colosse.
Hamm. Mackm,
V. 10. Aristarchus] Acts xix. 29. xx. 4. xxvii. 2.
—Marcus, It seems evident from this, that St.
Paul’s displeasure against him (Acts xv. 38.) lasted
not long. See also 2 Tim. iv. 11. Philem. 24. Whitby.
W. 11—These only] i. e. of the circumcision.
Hence, either St. Peter was not at Rome when St.
Paul was, or he was no comfort to him, and no pro-
moter of the kingdom of God with him. Whitby.
V. 12. Epaphras,I_It appears that he was a
prisoner at that time. Philem. 23.
W. 13–Hierapolis.] A considerable city in Phry-
COLOSSIANS. CHAP. IV. 87
gia Major, situate on the Meander, not far from
Laodicea and Colosse. It was named Hierapolis,
i. e. the Holy City, from the multitude of its temples.
Mackm.
W. 15.—the church] Rom. xvi. 3. Cor. xvi. 19.
W. 16.--—this epistle] m étria Toxº), 1 Cor. v. 9.
—the epistle from Laodicea.] Either the epistle
which the Laodiceans had written to the Apostle, or
that of which they had a copy—possibly that to the
Ephesians. See Eph. i. 1.
V. 17.—Archippus, Jerome says he was a deacon.
Some have supposed, that this verse contains a
rebuke : The admonition, however, does not neces-
sarily imply a censure, and especially as compared
with Philem. 2. Hamm. Whitby. Mackn.
V. 18. — of me Paul.] See Gal. vi. 11.—Hypo-
graphae variae. vide Griesb.
T H E F I R S T E P I S T L E
TO THE
THESSALONIANS,
C H. A. P. H.
The Apostle, after having saluted the brethren, expresses his
thankfulness to God for their work of faith and labour
of love, and expatiates on their exemplary character.
V. l.—Silvanus, THE same as Silas, 2 Cor. i. 19.
—the Thessalonians] For an account of their
conversion, see Acts xvii. 1–14. Thessalonica was
a large, populous city, the metropolis of Macedonia.
It stood upon the Thermaian Bay, which was part of
the AEgean Sea, and which was so called from
Therma, the antient name of the city. Doddr.
W. 3.-without ceasing] In scripture, that which
is done frequently (or habitually) is said to be done
without ceasing ; thus Ch. v. 16, 17. Mackn. Some
would join döta\etarra's with the preceding clause,
as thus agreeing with Rom. i. 9. 2 Tim. i. 3. Benson.
Bowyer.
W. 4.—of God..] It will be proper to join Jr., ecoſ,
with jºyatnuévot, ‘Beloved of God.' We have the
same phrase in 2 Thess. ii. 13. Wells. Hardy. The
election here spoken of is the election to be a
1 THESSALONIANS, CHAP. H. 89
Church : The notion of a final election of the con-
verts in general is inconsistent with Ch. iii. 5. V. 14.
2 Thess. iii. 1 1. Whitby. Benson. Mackm. Rosenm.
See also Eph. i. 4.
W. 6.—with joy] In the foregoing verse, he lays
before them the outward testimonies of the truth of
Christianity, from the miracles wrought and the gifts
of the Holy Ghost exercised among them; here he
appeals also to the inward testimonies which they
had received of it, even a strong spiritual joy wrought
in them by the Holy Ghost, under the sharpest
sufferings, Ch. ii. 14. 1 Pet. iv. 14. Whitby.
W. 7.— Macedonia and Achaia.] The Roman
general Metellus, having conquered Andriscus and
Alexander, pretended sons of Perseus the last king
of Macedonia, reduced the countries, formerly pos-
sessed by the Macedonian kings, into a Roman
province, which was governed by a pro-consul, or
praetor, sent from Rome, whose usual residence was
in Thessalonica. Not long after this, the consul
Mummius having defeated the Achaeans and de-
stroyed Corinth, he, with the commissioners sent
from Rome to regulate the affairs of Greece, abolish-
ed the assemblies held by the Achaeans, Boeotians,
Phocians, and the rest, and reduced Greece into a
Roman province, called the province of Achaia,
because at the taking of Corinth, the Achaeans were
the most powerful people of Greece. Thus the
whole of the countries, possessed by the Greek ma-
tions in Europe, were distributed into two great
divisions, called Macedonia and Achaia. Mackm, of
Tigreſov’res Christiani.” Rosenm.
V. 8–in every place} Multi ex Thessalonică
mercatores per Graeciam omnem negotiabantur.
90 I THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II.
Deindefama latius se spargit, ut videre est, Rom. i. 8.
Grot.
V. 9.—we had] &axoney. Mill. Wells. Wetst.
Matthaei. Griesb.
—the living and true God; These words, saith
Theodoret, instruct us how to expound our Saviour’s
words, “this is life eternal, to know thee the only
true God,” teaching us that he is so called in opposi-
tion not to Jesus Christ, but to idols only. Whitby.
V. 10.—from heaven, Matt. xvi. 27. Joh. xiv. 3.
Acts i. 11. Mackn. Praesens pro futuro bis: pudaevov
pro puréuevov, deinde épxouévns pro venturae—ópy;
hic, ut Sapius, poenam significat. Rosenm.
CHAP. II.
The Apostle reminds the brethren of his mode of converting
them, and appeals to them for the integrity and disinterest.
edness of his general conduct : . He again eapresses his ſively
sense of the manner in which they had embraced the gospel,
remarks on the behaviour of the Jews, and answers the
complaints which had been made against his own temporary
absence from them.
W. 1–not in vain ; Not without such divine
assistance, as was sufficient to work conviction in
you, and to engage you to embrace the truth which
was delivered. Isai. Iv. 11. Jer. ii. 10. viii. 8. Whitby.
Doddr. Macknight, after Hammond, would render
kevi) false,’ as I Cor. xv. 14. Eph. v. 6, &c. alleg-
ing, that in the other sense it would have been ets
Kevov, as in Ch. iii. 5. Phil. ii. 16. So wer. 3. Šk TAdvns.
1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II. 91
Ita CEcumen. in loc. oil abbot ydp Nevèeis, kal Xmpot,
+d nué Tepa knpū-yuata.-Not without fruit. Benson.
Dr. Wells, as the following verses shew, gives the
'true sense : “It was not vain, either as to its motive
or effect.”
W. 2.—shamefully entreated. Acts xvi. xvii.
V. 5.—cloak of covetousness :] Nor had we re-
course to a pretence of piety to promote the schemes
of covetousness. Doddr. Some, however, suppose
that év Tpopäget TAeoveštas is synonymous with év
TAeovečiq, as év Aéryp Koxaketas is put for év Koxaketº.
Schl. Rosenm. Tpópaois' atTía, dqopum. Phav.
W. 6.—burdensome, Many understand this (with
the marginal translation) of Apostolical authority and
severity. Thus 3apetal, 2 Cor. x. 10. Beza. Hamm.
Wolf. But it is generally interpreted of the obedi-
ence and maintenance which they might have de-
manded as Apostles, ver, 9. Acts xviii. 3. 1 Cor. ix.
2 Cor. xi. 9, 1 Tim. v. 18. êvvduevot Xauſºcivetv Kal Tpé-
pea bat. Theophyl.—Doddr. Mackn. The Philip-
pians sent several contributions, Phil. iv. 16. but it
does not appear that they were asked, or required.—
Yet this exposition does not agree so well with the
preceding clause, nor is it properly opposed to #twot
—it may, however, be comprehended in the former
interpretation. The sense of the Syriac is honora-
biles esse,’ and Schleusner translates év 3dpet, summo
homore et auctoritate,’ concluding that the Apostle
has respect to the double use of the Hebrew word
T-3, which signifies both weight and glory. See
2 Cor. iv. 17. Benson observes, that the English use
the word weight in both these senses.
W. 8–affectionately desirousl ºueipeta, Spa,
92 1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II.
étributeſ, robet. Hesych. Several of the best MSS
have duelpówevot. Mill. Griesb. (quasi duov eipóuevot
‘ ună nexi’): But there is no good authority for the
use of this word in the Greek language : Yet see
Matthaei War. Lect. -
—our own souls, Or lives. i. e. if it were pos-
sible, or would be serviceable to you. See Rom. ix.
3. Gal. i. 8.
V. ll-how we exhorted &c.] Grotius, after
Beza, understands juev, which he would join with
trapauv6oſwevot, thus pointing the passage—éva écag Tov
Jaſov, as Tatrip Tékva èavrov TapakaAoûvres juás, kal
k. r. X. Some would supply €ºyevnénuev from ver. 10.
Wolf. Rosenm. Others suppose a word to have
been omitted, e. g. ryatrijaaney. Whitby. Benson.
which is very probable.
V. 15–Killed the Lord Jesus, The Apostle may
here be supposed to reply to an objection against the
truth of Christianity, taken from the unbelief of the
Jews in Judea, and their persecuting Jesus and his
disciples. This could be no real objection, because
they rejected and slew even their own prophets,
Matt. xxiii. 31. 37. And Stephen challenged the
council to shew so much as one prophet, whom their
fathers had not persecuted. Acts vii. 52. Mackn.
—contrary to all mem.] Thus Tacitus Hist. v. 5.
Adversus omnes alios hostile odium. Diod. Sic. xxxiv.
p. 524. ed. Wesseling. Mévous ydp dardvrov ć0vöv dicot-
valumºrovs éival Tns Tpós &\\o éðvos étutéias, kal Toxeutovs
JºroXaugävely Távtas. Apollon. II. contr. Apion. p. 1069.
d6éovs kai utaav6ptóTovs Kai dºpweatdrovs Tov (3apſ3aptov.
apud Elsner. Wolf. Wetst. See also Juv. Sat. xiv.
103. ed. Rupert. But that which the Apostle chiefly
here respects, is their fond imagination that God
would grant no salvation to the Gentiles upon any
| THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II, 93
other terms, than their being circumcised, and obe-
dient to the law of Moses. Acts xv. 1. on which
account they became enemies to the gospel and to
the preachers of it. Whitby.
V. 16.--to fill up] Matt. xxiii. 32.
—is come éq6age—praeterito pro praesenti. Matt.
xii. 28. Rom. ix. 31. Grot. Rosenm.
—to the uttermost.] eſs réAos ‘Till they be con-
sumed,’ as Numb. xvii. 13. Josh, viii. 24. x. 20.
Whitby. Schl. “To the greatest extremity; not at
Jerusalem only, but every where else in their various
settlements in heathen countries. Doddr. Tandem
prope est poena ; excidium nempe gentis, futuri judi-
cii imago. Grot. Benson. Mackn. The latter inter-
pretation probably conveys the true sense, and is
thus expressed by Dr. Wells : “The wrath of God is
come, or just coming or hastening, upon them, not
for a punishment during a short time, as was the
Babylonian captivity, but to the uttermost, so as to
make an utter end both of their religious and civil
state.”
W. 17. –taken from you] droppava 66vres, ‘or-
bati vobis, tanquam parentes liberis.’ Wolf.
—for a short time.] Tpós kalpov ćpas, for the time
of an hour.” 2 Cor. vii. 8. Gal. ii. 5. Horace uses the
phrase in the same sense, 1 Serm. i. 9.
Horae
Momento cita mors venit aut victoria laeta.
This may reply to another objection against the
Apostle, on the ground of his having deserted the
converts through fear. He tells them, that when he
fled from Thessalonica to Beraza, Acts xvii. he pro-
posed to be absent only a few days, till the rage of
the Jews was abated ; after which he intended to
94 1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. III.
return. On that account he endeavoured the more
earnestly to return, and actually made two attempts
for that purpose. But the coming of the Jews from
Thessalonica, to stir up the people in Berasa against
them, frustrated his design, and obliged him to leave
Macedonia. This he calls, in the next verse, “Satan’s
hindering him,” because his persecutors were the
ministers of Satan, 2 Cor. xi. 15. (Rev. ii. 10.) Mackn.
W. 19–or crown Macknight supposes an al-
lusion to the crowning at the games, and infers from
this passage the probability of our knowing one
another in the life to come, inasmuch as these words
of the Apostle imply a knowledge of his converts at
the day of judgment : But these expressions do not
necessarily signify more, than a confident expecta-
tion of reward from the conversion of the Thessa-
lonians.
C H A P. III.
Timothy had been sent from Athens to comfort and establish
the Thessalonians, who were tempted to doubt and to waver,
wnder the afflictions which had befallen the Apostles and
other Christians. St. Paul expresses his great joy at the
report which he had heard of them, and prays for their final
establishment.
V. 1–no longer forbear, BEING no longer able
to bear the want and desire of seeing you, or hearing
of you. Subaud. Tov tró0ov judºv. Sic. Polyb. III. 53.
a Tényetv Tiju étiqopdu Tøv £8apſ3apov. Wetst. 1 Cor. ix.
12. Schl. &c.
W. 2.-minister of God,) There are many
1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. III. 95
different readings of this passage. Thus Griesbach,
Tov děeXpov maſov kai advepºyov Too Geo). K. T. X.
—to establish] Mackmight takes this part of the
chapter as a reply to a third objection, which had
been raised by the philosophers and others against
the Apostles, on this ground, viz. for not delivering
themselves from persecution by their miraculous
power : The answer is contained in ver. 3. “ the
were appointed to suffer.” Acts ix. 16. and their
sufferings were as necessary a proof of the divine
original of the gospel, as the working of miracles.
W. 3–be moved] calveo.6a per 90pugetabat expo-
munt Chrysostomus et alii interpretes Graeci. Hesych.
Tapdºtteobal. Usus quidem frequenter ejus vocis est
in motu caudae. Sed antiquitàs idem valuit quod getto.
Et puto sic uscs Cilicas. Hebraeis esset y T. Grot.
Elsner. Kypke. Bentley, after Beza, conjectures ora-
Xsſed 6al. 2 Thess. ii. 2.
V. 5.-I sent] Here the Apostle asserts his own
anxiety and concern for the converts, which had
been called into question, Ch. ii. 17.
—the tempter] 6 Trelpd{ov pro 6 Teipäatns, Matt.
iv. 3. Beza. Ch. ii. 18.
—have tempted] i.e. succeeded in tempting,
Matt. vi. 13. 1 Cor. vii. 5.
—in vain.] 2 Cor. vi. 1.
W. 8.—we live, Life, in the scripture, is often
put for happiness, 1 Sam. x. 24. (LXX) Psal. xvi. 11.
Joh. xiv. 19. &c. Thus vita and vivere. Manil. IV. 5.
Victuros agimus semper, neque vivimus unquam.
Martial. vi. 7. Non est vivere, sed valere vita. And
thus Seneca, Ep. 99. speaking of the troubles of life
—in longissimä vità minimum esse quod vivitur.
Whitby. Wetst,
96 1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. III.
V. 9.--what thanks] Estius observes, that both
the Apostle’s joy, and their faith and constancy,
were the gift of God—nam gratiarum actio non est,
nisi de beneficiis acceptis. He might also have
observed, with others, the excellent pattern which the
Apostle here gives to all the bishops and pastors of
the Church, to be continually solicitous to know of
the welfare of their flock, incessantly praying for it,
blessing God daily for it, and looking upon it as the
very felicity of their own lives. Whitby.
W. 11.—and our Lord Jesus Christ, Here the
note of Schlictingius runs thus: “You see that our
Lord Jesus takes care of our affairs and actions, and
therefore we deservedly invoke him in our neces-
sities ; ” so ver. 12. But since this invocation of
him, by all Christians in all places, must suppose him
omniscient, omnipresent, and the searcher of the
heart, (and these are the properties of God alone,) it
must suppose him to be truly God. Whitby. See
also Benson in loc.
W. 12.-increase and abound] These verbs, as
also karev6ºval in ver, 11. are optative aorists—conj.
Hiphil apud Hebraeos. Whitby. Grot. May he
enable, or assist, you to increase and abound. Benson.
W. 13.−his saints.] His holy ones, i.e. his holy
angels. Matt. xvi. 27. xxv. 31. 1 Thess. iv. 16.
2 Thess. i. 7. Jude 14, &c. Benson. Rosenm.
9
7
C H A P. IV.
An appeal is made to the purity of those precepts which had
been delivered, and an exhortalion is given to the practice of
them. Comfort is afforded to the friends of those, who are
dead in Christ, and an assurance that they will rise again
in blessedness at the last day, some particulars of which are
here set forth.
W. 4.—his vessell i. e. His body. I Sam. xxi. 5.
2 Cor. iv. 7. Barnabas, Ep. S. 21. calls the human
body Tö KäNov aſkedos. So the Romans used vas.
Lucret. III. 441. Corpus quod vas. Cic. Tusc. I. 22.
Corpus quidem quasi was est, aut aliquod animi
receptaculum. Heinsius, Wetstein, and some others
interpret to aſkejos uxorem, induced partly by the
verb Kráobal (Ruth iv. 10.), and partly by 1 Pet. iii.
7. where the wife is called datevéatepov okejos. (Ne-
gari quidem non potest Judaeos uxorem 75 vas
appellare. Rosenm. ex Schöettgen.) But Kraabat is
equally applicable to the former sense, Luke xxi. 19.
and St. Peter’s expression is a keiſei Tô yuvauketº,
which is no authority for akedos alone being used in
the same sense. Besides, the terms in ver. 5, of
this chapter are too general to be confined to the
married state. Hamm. Wolf. Parkh. These in-
structions were very necessary for the Thessalonians,
ékel yáp TAeta Tn drašta kai dratapata. Socr. apud
Plat.—Whitby.
W. 6.-go beyond.) The Greek Scholiast and
many of the Fathers interpret the words iſ tepſ3aivetv
and TXeovertely in a lustful sense. So Hammond and
Whitby, who defend this interpretation by the
similar use of éirigatvely and avagaively—but these
compounds are manifestly of a different meaning
WOL. II. G
98 1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. IV.
from Jºrépéalvew. The passage before us seems
necessarily to imply ‘the over-reaching of another for
the purpose of gain : It is probable however, from
the context, that the Apostle may allude to the
custom of making gain by libidinous practices. See
Eph. iv. 19. v. 3. 5. And this allusion is confirmed
by the words év Tó Trpayuatl, which may properly
signify In this matter, viz. the matter of lust, or
uncleanness. So 2 Cor. vii. 11. Pyle, after Benson,
compares this sense of Todºyua with the Latin facinus.
Thus Wells. Mackn. Rosenm. Dr. Middleton. See
Raphel in loc. As another proof of the truth and
divine origin of the gospel which he had preached,
the Apostle appeals to the purity of its precepts.
Mackn.
V. 8.-not man, but God, Luke x. 16. In this
passage St. Paul asserts his own inspiration in the
strongest terms, and with the greatest solemnity.
Mackm.
V. 9-taught of God] Isai. Iiv. 13. Joh. vi. 45.
1 Joh. iii. 1 1. 23. See Elsley on Joh. vi. 45.
W. 11–3/our own business, This exhortation
to the Thessalonians was peculiarly proper, as
there seems to have been a meddling pragmatical
temper prevailing among some of them. 2 Thess. iii.
II. Doddr. &\\ot ploetiakotrot, 1 Pet. iv. 15. Teptep-
yağuevo, 2 Thess. iii. 11. Graecis ToMutſpºyuoves,
Grot. It was one of the greatest objections which
the heathens made to Christianity, that it was an idle
profession. Tertull. Apol. c. 42, Gilpin.
V. 12—that are without. In omnibus negotiis
quae habetis cum iis, qui à fide alieni sunt. Col. iv. 5.
Grot. Wide I Cor. v. 12.
} THESSALONIANS. CHAP. IV. 99
V, 13–are asleep, 1 Cor. xv. 51. This version
agrees with the Alexandrian and several other MSS,
which read Kouwuévov.
—others which have no hope.] Though many
heathens believed the immortality of the scul, none
of them had any expectation of the resurrection of
the body (1 Cor. xi. 12.). Whitby. And their per-
suasions, or rather imaginations, concerning the soul
were so vague and confused, as to afford no rational
ground of hope. See Benson in loc. There may be
an allusion to the extravagant lamentations of the
heathen, who used to shave their heads and tear
their hair, and even hired persons to howl and bewail.
Levit. xix. 27, 28. Mackm. See also D'Oyly and Mant
on Lev. xix. 27, 28. and Deut. xiv. 1.
W. 14.—Sleep in Jesus] It is Šid row 'Inao). As the
preposition here is different from that in ver. 16. and
1 Cor. xv. 18, where it is év Xptorſº, Hammond,
Mede, and others apply these words to those, who
had suffered on account of their faith ; and it is pro-
bable, that many of the converts gave way to ex-
cessive grief on this account. But, as Benson
observes, there is no evidence that any of the Chris-
tians at Thessalonica had suffered martyrdom.
—bring with him.] Will gather or collect them, so
as to be brought to him, and enter with him into glory.
—ducet eos in partem gloriae suae. Joh. xiv. 3. Heb. ii.
10. Grot. Pariter aceum é mortuis resuscitabit. Schl.
See I Cor. xv. 13. Some connect Sid Toº 'imaroo with
this clause—perducet per Jesum. Rosenm. But
this does not well agree with the words adv avrò.
W. 15.--we which are alive] St. Paul, as some
contend, was persuaded that he should not die; or,
at least, that this would be the case with some of his
disciples: And such undeubtedly is the natural
G 2
100 } THESSALONIANS. CHAP. IV.
import of the present passage. But yet the Apostle,
finding that the converts had inferred from his
observations, that the day of judgment was near at
hand, shews a great anxiety in 2 Thess. ii. to unde-
ceive them in this matter. Such a persuasion more-
over, in as far as it concerned himself, would have been
at variance with his expressions to the Corinthians
and the Philippians, 2 Cor. iv. 14. Phil. iii. 11. And,
in the text before us, the Apostle plainly asserts his
own inspiration ; he is speaking “ by the (infallible)
word of the Lord.” This passage, therefore, and
several others of a similar construction, may possibly
be regarded merely as general assertions; in which
the writer, by a figure of speech, associates himself
with the persons of whom he is discoursing. Psal. lxvi.
6. lxxxi. 5. lios. xii. 4. Gal. i. 23. See Mackn. Pref.
2 Thess. § 3. Whitby's ‘Inquiry’ subjoined to the
second epistle, and Benson in loc. v. čavTó Tols
TnvikaoTa Çovtas Utroypdqet' ow Yap éueAxe awaatikós
#ws Tóte (nv, d\Ad A6 you xàpiv Tó éavrov Tpóo wrov
etodºyet. Schol. apud Matthaei.
—shall not prevent] In the literal sense of the
word, “shall not go before’ at the resurrection and
judgment. Every one will be “in his own order.”
I Cor. xv. 23.
V. 16–with a shout, kéXevo wa denotes any
animating voice, or cry, e.g. of soldiers in battle, of
charioteers to their horses, and of rowers, and
hunters. Here it is used for the acclamation of the
angelic host. Elsmer. Wetst. Schl. Mackm.
—the trump of God :] See I Cor. xv. 52.—Nemo
non videt totum hoc esse humano more de Deo
dictum, et adventum describi illustrem. Sensus
est: Christum maximă pompā, angelorum stipatum
cohortibus, é coelis ad judicium esse rediturum. Cf.
Matt. xiii. 41, xxiv. 31. xxv. 31. Rosenm.
! THESSALON i ANS. CHAP. iV. 101
—shall rise first :] Mackmight has here a long
note to establish his opinion, that the wicked will
rise with fleshly, mortal, corruptible bodies, like
those in which they died; which will be consumed,
as he supposes, at the general conflagration of the
earth. On this subject, however, we have little more
than conjecture. -
V. 17. –caught up Dr. Scott thinks this will be
effected by the activity of the glorified body of the
righteous, and not by the ministry of angels (Chris-
tian Life, Part II. Ch. VII. S. 11, p. 520. fol.). But
his opinion is contradicted by the import of the
original word dotra'yngöwe6a, which, as the critics
observe, denotes an external force. Doddr. Mackn.
The verb has a similar sense in 2 Cor. xii. 2. Criti-
cisms however, such as these, are at the best but
fanciful.
—with the Lord.] Hence it may be probably
collected, that even the souls of the faithful are not
with the Lord, or in his celestial presence, before the
resurrection. Whitby.
C H A P. V.
This chapter treats of the suddenness and uncertainly of the
coming of Christ to judgment; from which the converts are
injoined to stand prepared for its approach. The epistle
concludes with several detached and practical directions,
both to the Church in general and to the rulers of it.
W. 1–the times and the seasons, XPONOI sunt
majora temporum spatia, kapot minora. Habes sic
distincta, Dam. ii. 21. Act. i. 7, Grot, Wetat. Here
they may be used as a pleonasm. Rosemm,
102 1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. W.
W. 2–the day of the Lord] Hammond would
refer the whole passage to the destruction of the
persecuting Jews and Gnostics, at the time of Christ's
coming to destroy the Jewish Church and nation.
But though this phrase has often such an ilrport,
there is no necessity for it; and it is more natural to
consider it here, as all the antients have done, as a
continuation of the subject in Ch. iv. See Whitby.
—as a thiſ in the night.] Matt. xxiv. 43. 2 Pet.
iii. 10. Rev. iii. 8. The antients, from this compa-
rison and from the parable of the virgins, fancying
that Christ's coming to judgment will be in the
might, instituted their vigils, that at his coming he
might find them watching. But the true meaning of
the comparison is, that like the coming of a thief in
the night on those who are asleep and unarmed, the
coming of Christ will be unexpected, and full of
terror to the wicked; without determining whether
it will be in the day-time or in the night. Mackm.
It may be added, that if his coming be in the night
to one part of the globe, it will be in the day to
another.
W. 7.--in the might.] éktraffm 88 yeyovára kai Tpós
to's dispotoo tas (dkpatotoatas, ex Suid. in éktraffiſs.),
date kai heb nuépav TAeovdicts ué0ſovra kataqayn yewéo-
6at rois ‘pi\ots. Polyb. de Wirt, et Wit. Exc. Leg. 8.
Raphel.
V. 8–the breast-platej Soldiers on guard had
their helmets and breast-plates on. Liv. Hist. XLIV.
§. 33. Thus the head and the heart were defended.
Whitby. Eph. vi. 14, 17.
V. 9–to obtain salvation] See Eph. i. 14.
V. 10–wake or sleep, These words cannot have
i THESSALONIANS. CHAP. V. 103
the same figurative sense as in ver. 6. because it is
not true, that they who are spiritually asleep, live
with Christ. 1. Thus Hammond; “Whether we
be in a state of watchfulness and solicitude for our
safety, or of helplessness and security;” and, in
conformity with his interpretation of ver, 2. he ex-
plains the clause dua adv avtº (jawſuev of a temporal
deliverance. 2. Whitby paraphrases as follows ;
“Whether he come in the night, and so find us
taking our matural rest, or in the day, when we are
waking.” But it could hardly be imagined by any
one, that such a circumstance would make a differ-
ence in his future state ; and therefore the observa-
tion would be without force or dignity. 3. Most
commentators understand the words of life and
death, which is the true sense, (thus ka8eißet, Matt.
ix. 24. Mark v. 39. Luke viii. 52. denotes an ac-
tual, though not a final death,) and Schleusner, in
adopting this interpretation, thus applies it from
Ch. iv. 15–18. “sive superstites sive mortui depre-
hendamur, die illo reditas Christi ad judicium, con-
sortes reddamur dignitatis et felicitatis.” Comp.
Rom. xiv. 8. Thus the antanaclasis, in the different
constructions of the verb kaðeſöw, becomes yet more
remarkable.
W. 12.-are over you] The bishop of the Church.
Hamm. But, besides the objection from the use of
the plural number, it is generally agreed that the
appointment of bishops, properly so called, was of
a later date; the verb irpotataa'6at is of general import.
Whitby. Benson. Doddr. Tpointſ welvoi, sive Tpoea Tó-
Tes, sunt presbyteri, 1 Tim. v. 17. Touéves, Eph. iv. 11,
Grot. Rosemm, et Raphel. in 2 Thess. iii. 6, 7.
12, Rom
vº º is º
v. 2. Phil. Nº.
104 1 THESSALONIANS, CHAP. V.,
W. 17.—without ceasing. Never omit the offices
of devotion, either private or publick. Levit. vi. 20.
Luke xviii. 1. xxiv. 53. Acts ii. 46, 47. Eph. vi. 18.
1 Thess. i. 3. Whitby. Benson. See Rom. i. 9.
W. 19. Qwench not the Spirit..] These words are
commonly understood to allude exclusively to the
spiritual gifts: But they are applicable also to the ordi-
nary influences of the Spirit. I Cor. iii. 1–3. Grotius,
Lord Barrington, and others suppose an allusion to
the Spirit descending in a flame of fire, which may
properly be said to be quenched ; thus dvačo Trupcív,
2 Tim. i. 6. See Dr. Harwood’s Introd. to the New
Testament. Ch. VIII. S. 8. This is not impossible,
but the sense of a £3évvvai is not necessarily restrained
to fire and water. Soph. Aj. 1077. Teipav čaſłegev.
Heych. offéa'ar Traja'at. Wolf. Wetst. Eph. vi. 16.
It appears from this, that even the miraculous powers
might be improved; and that the continuance of
them with individuals depended, in a great measure,
upon the right temper of their minds, and upon the
proper use which the spiritual men made of their
gifts. Mackm.
W. 21. Prove all things: This precept may have
been originally intended for those spiritual men who
had the gift of discerning spirits, and whose office it
was to try those, who pretended to prophesy, or to
speak by inspiration ; and to direct the Church in their
opinion concerning them. Nevertheless, it may well
be understood in a more general sense, as requiring
Christians in all ages, before they receive any reli-
gious doctrine, to examine whether it be consonant
to right reason and the word of God. Mackm.
Whitby. -
W. 22–appearance] Or it may be, from every
1 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. V. 105
kind, or sort, of evil —unj darò Toſtov ) éketvov, dAA'
dard Tavros dTéxeote, Hamm. Whitby. Schl. eièos will
bear either construction. Since the article is want-
ing before irovnpod, Dr. Middleton renders the phrase,
‘ from every evil appearance.’ So Vulg. ‘ab omni
specie malā.’
W. 23-your whole spirit, The commentators in
general explain the passage thus: “ The whole of
3you (your whole constitution, or person) consisting
of spirit, soul, and body;” for the Apostle seems to
allude to the philosophical and Rabbinical motion
of the composition of man. See especially Hamm.
Whitby, and Dr. Harwood's Introd. to the New
Testament. vol. II. S. 25. But there is no such sub-
stantive as 6Xók\mpov, and the adjective is not likely
to have been so used without the article ; our trans-
lation, moreover, conveys a sufficient sense. Tveijua
is commonly referred to the understanding, lºvyo) to
the affections and passions —ÉTAaaey 6 eeds Tou
ãv6potov, Xovv dTo Tris yńs Aaſºojv, kal Trvetwa évnicev
avºró kal lºvyºv. Joseph. Ant. I. 1, 2. Rosenm. Vide
Krebs. in loc.
W. 27. I charge] dpkića). This is a confirmation,
that the form of an oath is not improper on impor-
tant occasions. Whitby.
—be read | Hence it is plain, that this epistle (and
probably all the others) was sent, in the first instance,
to the presidents and pastors of the Church, and
afterwards read to the congregation. Mackn. Tiju
étriotoxrïv, this epistle,” I Cor. v. 9. -
T H E S E C O N D EP I S T L E.
TO THE
THESSALONIANS.
C H. A. P. I.
The brethren are saluted in the same words as before. The
Apostle returns thanks to God for the increase of their
faith and charity, assures them that they will be recom-
pensed for all their troubles, and that their enemies will
be destroyed in the great day of vengeance. A prayer is
added for their perseverance in the faith.
V. 5.—manifest token] "ENAEITMA may further
imply, that the sufferings of good men, and the
triumphant prosperity of their persecuting enemies,
should not only terminate in such a display of divine
vengeance, but that these seeming irregularities do
even now declare, that there shall be such a day of
retribution. Doddr. Rosenm.
—the kingdom of God, Either heaven, or the
gospel, Matt. xii. 28. &c. The context here leads
us to the former interpretation. See Benson's first
Dissertation, subjoined to his notes on this epistle.
V. 8. In flaming fire, Some regard this as a
confirmation of the opinion, that the wicked shall be
burnt in the general conflagration of the earth.
2 Pet. iii. 7. Rev. xxi. 8. Possibly the evil angels also.
Matt. xxv. 41. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude 6. Mackn. But the
phrase may be merely figurative. Others consider
it as a Hebraism, signifiying ‘ inter fulmina et toni-
2 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. I. 107
trua.” Rosenm. Hammond takes all these expres-
sions in a temporal sense, departing from the plainer
import of the text, and from the tenour of the first
epistle.
—taking vengeance] Or inflicting punishment.”
See I Pet. ii. 14, 2 Cor. vii. 11. where ékółknow has
the same meaning,
V. 10.—in his saints, In order to distinguish
Tois dyiots from Tois tria Teijova w, Macknight would
understand the former of the angels,’ as in 1 Thess.
iii. 13. But this distinction does not appear to be
necessary—évêočagóñostal Christus, i.e. benignitas,
sanctitas, potentia, justitia ejus illustrabitur in sanctis
suis, in Christianis remumerandis. Rosemm,
W. I. I.-the good pleasure] Blackwall renders it
‘the benevolence of his goodness,’ and observes that
“ this is the shortest, and most charming, and empha-
tical representation, that is any where to be found,
of that immense graciousness and adorable benignity,
which no words or thoughts can fully express, but
was never so happily and so fully expressed as here.”
vol. 1. p. 184. 12mo. And so Doddr. Mackm. But it
may be reasonably doubted, whether the words apply
at all to the goodness of God. 1. dryaboo ſum is never
so used in any other passage of scripture. 2. Both
the preceding and following clauses refer to the
converts themselves.—The sense may be this, ‘ and
fulfil (i.e. render practical and perfect) every good
affection and desire.” Thus evºokta, Rom. x. 1. which
Theodoret in loc. explains by émióvata. Schleusner
proposes two versions. 1. Virtutem quà Deus de-
lectatur. 2. Omne virtutis studium—evdokiavº Tºv
êt evepºysoſº [3otſ\now — dyaffoa ſun' i dºrmptuouéum
aper), as 6 AT6arroxos, Phavor, Deus perficiat hor o-
- - - - * * à 'wº º-º. v . J. v . J. W. T.
volentiam vestram. Rosenm.
} 08 .
CHAP. II.
A caution is delivered against the false persuasion, that the
day of judgment was at hand. . The man of sin must first
be revealed: His character and coming are described. The
Apostle again expresses his thankfulness for the collection of
the brethren, injoining and praying for their constancy and
perseverance.
V. 1–by the coming] RATHER, as concerning’
the coming of our Lord, before spoken of in this
and the first epistle—witép, as most of the critics
observe, being often used for Tept. Phav. 2 Cor. viii.
23, 24. xii. 5. 8. &c. Thus super : Multa super
Priamo rogitans, super Hectore multa. Alºn. I. 750.
Wetst, Hammond is joined by several commentators
in referring this coming to the destruction of
Jerusalem. But 1. the phrase, as it was before
remarked, is often used in the former epistle to
denote the final advent of Christ, and there does not
appear any cogent reason to change the sense of it.
2. It is not probable, that the Apostle would have
been so anxious to correct such a motion of his con-
verts respecting the overthrow of the Jewish state,
because that event might, without any impropriety,
be described as at hand. Matt. xxiv. 34. Phil. iv. 5,
See Beza. Whitby. Wolf. Doddr. Mackm.
—our gathering together] Matt. xxiv. 31. 1 Thess.
IV. 17.
W. 2–in mind, dTo row vods, from your mind, or
purpose.”
—by spirit, By any pretended revelation of the
Spirit.
—by word, nor by letter] It seems that they had
9 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II. 109
forged not only a report, but a letter from the Apos-
tle, to spread the false notion of an immediate
judgment. This practice began early in the Church,
Acts xv. 24, as did also the practice of feigning reve-
lations of the Spirit, 2 Pet. ii. 1, 1 Joh. iv. 1. See
also Ch. iii. 17. Mackm. Benson.
W. 3.-a falling away] ‘ The Apostacy,” of
which the converts had probably been forewarned,
ver. 5, diroa Taata is applied by the LXX and Josephus
to the revolt and rebellion of the Jews, and many
refer it here to the Jews revolting, either from the
Romans, or from the Christian faith, from which they
were alienated by a zeal for the law, by the expecta-
tion of a temporal Messiah, and by persecution.
Whitby. Rosenm. But it is more frequently re-
ferred to the departure of the Church of Rome from
the genuineness and simplicity of evangelical faith ;
and thus it agrees better with 1 Tim. iv. 1, Tſves &moa-
Tfoovtat, where the character given of these apos-
tatizers answers to the popish corruptions, Doddr.
Mackn. &c. Lightfoot includes both these senses,
observing that the one event was to follow the other.
See Harmony of New Test. Claud. xi. A. D. 41. These
opinions, however, are treated of more at large, in
the sequel of this most difficult passage.
—man of sin—son of perdition ; Hammond, with
his usual bias on this subject, imagines Simon Magus
to be here signified. But Simon himself died some
years before the destruction of Jerusalem, Euseb. 11.
15. whereas, this man of sin was not yet revealed,
ver, 8. If by Simon be meant the Gnostics, there is
no evidence that they yet flourished as a sect ; much
less is it true, that they perished at the period above-
mentioned. See Whitby's Preface to 2 Thess. S. G.
“The man of sin” is certainly an expression very
applicable to the Jewish nation, as the writings of
110 2 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II.
Josephus abundantly evince ; but it applies with at
least equal force to the impositions and corruptions
of the pope.
'O &v6patros–à vios. The article joined to these
appellations is emphatical, as in the former clause,
importing that the antient prophets had spoken of
these persons, though under different names; parti-
cularly the prophet Daniel, whose descriptions of
the little horn and a blasphemous king agree so
exactly with St. Paul's description of the man of sin,
the son of perdition, the lawless one, that there can
be little doubt of their being the same persons, Comp.
ver, 3. Dan. vii. 21. 25.—ver. 4. Dan. xi. 36. viii. 25.
—-ver, 7. Dan. vii. 8,-ver. 8, Dan. vii. 1 1. 25, 20.
viii. 25. Also I Tim. iv. 1. 3. Dan. xi. 38. 37. Now as
in the prophecies of Daniel, empires governed by a
succession of kings are denoted by a single emblem,
such as by a part of an image, a single beast, a horn
&c. of a beast, so in St. Paul’s prophecy, the man
of sin, the son of perdition, the lawless one, may
denote an impious tyranny, exercised by a succession
of men . . . . . The papists, indeed, contend that one
person only is meant by these appellations; because
they are in the singular number, and have the Greek
article prefixed to them. But in scripture we find
other words in the singular number, with the article,
used to denote a multitude of persons. Rom. i. 17.
Tit. i. 7. 2 Joh. 7. Rev. ii. 20. xvii. 5. Further, a
succession of persons, arising one after another, are
denoted by appellations in the singular number, with
the article. For example, the succession of the
Jewish high priests is thus denoted in the laws con-
cerning them. Levit. xxi. 10—15. Numb. xxxv. 25.
28. as also the succession of the Jewish kings, Deut.
xvii. 14. 1 Sam. viii. 11. Mackm. (see BP. Newton on
the Prophecies, Diss. xxi.1.)
—the son of perdition] This appellation being
9. THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II. 11 i
given to Judas, Joh. xvii. 12, Dr. Newton thinks the
application of it to the man of sin signifies, that, like
Judas, the man of sin was to be a false Apostle, and
would betray Christ, and be utterly destroyed.
Mackm. Remarkable are the words of Austin de
Civ. Dei, xx. 19, where he first cites this prophecy,
and then says, “No one doubts but that the Apostle
spoke these things concerning Antichrist, and the
day of judgment.” So far were the Christians at
that time agreed in the interpretation of this pro-
phecy. Benson. Dr. Wells's remark deserves to be
mentioned: “I shall not take upon me to expound the
several parts of this prophecy; but shall leave every one
to his own judgment therein ; and perhaps he may
judge best, who thinks it is not to be fully understood,
till the time of its accomplishment is fully come.”
V. 4.—called God, or that is worshipped ; The
word Xeyówevov shews that the Apostle here speaks of
magistrates, who are called gods, Psal. lxxxii. 6, and
particularly of the Roman emperors, whose title was
oréſłaaſtos, Augustus, and who are here signified by
oré,3agua. This description most truly applies to the
Jews, Matt. xxii. 17. 2 Pet. ii. 10. Jude 8. (Joseph.
B. J. Iv. 3. 10. Rosenm.) And that the pope and his
church have exalted themselves above kings and
emperors, Church History and their own canon law
will not suffer us to doubt. Lightf. Whitby. Wetst.
But aré9agua may be used in a sacred sense, Acts xvii.
23, for an object of religious worship (Wisd. xiv. 20.
xi. 17.). Doddr. Thus Schleusner, after Koppius,
renders the passage, Deorum omnium omnisque
divini cultàs superbus contemptor.” At the end of
his note on this second epistle, Whitby draws a
parallel between the Jewish and the Papal Antichrist.
—as God, The words dis €eón are wanting in
most of the best MSS. Mill. Wells. Griesb.
| H2 2 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II.
The sitting of the man of sin in the temple of
God, signifies his continuing a long time in posses-
sion of his usurped dominion, and his being a Chris-
tian by profession, and that he would exercise his
usurped authority in the Christian church . . . . It is
an observation of Bochart, that, after the death of
Christ, the Apostles never called the temple of Jeru-
salem “ the temple of God,” but as often as they used
that phrase, they always meant the Christian church.
| Tim. iii. 15. 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17. vi. 19. 2 Cor. vi. 16.
Eph. ii. 19–22. Besides, in the Revelation of
St. John, which was written some years after the
destruction of Jerusalem, there is mention made of
men’s becoming pillars in the temple of God. Rev. iii.
12. Hence it is evident, that the sitting of the man of
sin in the temple of God by no means implies that
he was to shew himself in Judea. Wherefore,
Le Clerc and Whitby, who on this circumstance
have built their opinion that the revolt of the Jews
from the Romans, (or else of the Jews from the
Christian church,) is the apostacy here spoken of,
and the factious leaders the man of sin, have erred,
in their interpretation of this prophecy. Mackm.
V. 5.—I told you] He had spoken of the oppo-
sition of the Jews in his former epistle, Ch. ii. 15, 16.
which circumstance is regarded by Whitby as de-
cisive for his own interpretation. The verse, how-
ever, before us evidently alludes not to any epistle,
but to his discourses at Thessalonica. And truly
it was of importance to apprize his converts of this
extraordinary usurpation, which was then beginning
to shew itself in the Church. ver, 7.
W. 6..—what withholdeth] Probably the Apostle
had acquainted them with this also. The Christian
Fathers universally understood the restraining power
2 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II. 113
to be the Roman empire. Tertull, Apol. p. 31.
Tillotson, vol. II. 193, fol.
—might be revealed] By sitting openly in the
temple of God, as a god. Mackm.
—in his time. In the season best calculated for
the success of his usurpation. More especially after
an end was put to the authority of the Roman em-
perors in the west, by the inroads of the barbarous
nations. Soon after which time the bishops of Rome
made themselves the sovereigns of Rome. Mackn.
W. 7.—the mystery] Being at present concealed,
working secretly. Acts xx. 29. Bp. Newton observes
(in the dissertation above-mentioned) that the founda-
tions of popery were laid in the Apostle's days, but
the superstructure was raised by degrees; and several
ages past before the building was completed, and the
man of sin was fully revealed. Mackm. See also
Benson, who adduces numerous instances to shew
that the mystery had already begun to work.
—he who now letteth] The Roman state, ver, 6.
See Knatchbull. Many refer 6 caréxov to a parti-
cular emperor (e. g. Claudius. Lightf. Whitby.) and
then ék uégov will apply to his death, as it properly
may (thus é medio. Wetst.). And there is no im-
propriety in understanding the passage of “ the
emperor;” taking him as the representative of his
successors. ver, 3. n. 2. In 1 Cor. v. 2. we have £ap0ſ,
ék uégov in a general sense : And Chrysostom says,
“ when the Roman empire shall be taken out of the
way, then shall he (the man of sin) come—when
that shall be overthrown, he shall invade the vacant
seat of empire, and attempt the empire both of men
and of God.” Can any thing be said more clearly
even now, after this signal event has taken place f
Benson. See also his dissertation on the “Man of
Sin.”
VOL. II. H
114 2 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II.
V. 8.—the spirit of his mouth, Or, the breath
of his mouth, i. e. his speech in the scriptures.
Mackm. But the phrase is frequently used to denote
the irresistible command, authority, and power of
God. 2 Sam. Xxii. 16. Job iv. 9. Psal. xxxiii. 6. Isai.
xi. 4. &c. (p66%etal yap uðvov, Kai Tava)\etpig trapa-
êdoei dvºrón. Schol. apud Miatthaei.
--the brightness] The day of the Lord's coming
to destroy Jerusalem is thus described in Joel ii. 31.
Mal. iv. 5, And this appears to be the true sense
of the passage; but gripaveta may apply to any
coming of Christ. I. To his advent upon earth,
2 Tim. i. 10. 2. To his coming to judgment, 1 Tim.
vi. 14. 2 Tim. iv. i. 8, Tit. ii. 13. See Raphel.
V. 9.-lying wonders, Nyeſ&ovs properly belongs to
the three preceding substantives, ‘power, and signs
and wonders of falsehood, or deceit.’ It was foretold,
that such should take place before the destruction
of Jerusalem, Matt. xxiv. l I. 24. Luke xxi. S. Whitby.
But it does by no means follow, that there should
not have been false Christs and false prophets at
any other time: It is a motorious fact, that the
papists were continually laying claim to miraculous
powers—We have here a proof, that the description
given in this chapter cannot, as some have fancied,
belong to Mahomet; because he did not pretend to
work miracles. Prideaux, Life of Mahomet. p. 30–32.
Whitby. Pref. § 4.
W. 10. And with all deceived bleness] Whitby
says, that all the Fathers who speak of antichrist
and of the man of sin, not one of them excepted,
declare that this and the two following verses belong
to the unbelieving Jews. But however forcibly the
passage may apply to them, it cannot apply with
less force to the Romish Church, to their feigned
2 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. II. i ib
visions and revelations, their pious frauds and legends.
Doddr. Mackm.
V. l I –shall send] i.e. shall permit to be sent.
Thus I Kings xxii. 21, 22. Jer. iv. 10. v. 14. Ezek.
xiv. 9. Rom. ix. 18. The lie here mentioned Mack-
night interprets especially of transubstantiation, which
he considers as the chief foundation of that fictitious
power of pardoming sin, and of saving or damming
men, according to their own pleasure, which the
Romish ecclesiastics have blasphemously arrogated
to themselves: See also his observations subjoined
to the next verse, in which he expatiates at length
on the whole of this important passage.
W. 13.—from the beginning] i.e. of our preach-
ing the Gospel—which contains an allusion to their
early call. Hamm. Whitby. Rather from eternity,”
Tpó kara/30Xns kóguov, Eph. i. 4. Beza. Wells, Wolf
Benson. Mackm. Schl.
—belief of the truth :] This is the only instance
(as the Bp. of Lincoln observes, Ref. Calv. p. 129.
6th ed.) in which the translators have rendered the
word Tſaris by belief.
W. 14.—to the obtaining] See Eph. i. 14.
V. 15–the traditions] The doctrines and pre-
cepts which have been delivered to you. Ch. iii. 6.
This evidently applies to an Apostolic teacher alone.
H 2
116
C H A P. III.
The prayers of the converts are desired; and directions are
given them respecting disobedient and disorderly members
of their community, who neglected their own business and
intermeddled with others.
W. 1.--may have free course,] MAY spread and
be successful. Thus Psal. cxlvii. 15. Schl.
W. 2–unreasonable] &rotos one who has no
settled place,’ unstable, restless, discontented, fac-
tious; or, one who acts out of place, inconsistently,
wrongfully, disgracefully.—árotrov' Čkóeguov, Townpou,
dioxpóv. Hesych. Luke xxiii. 41. Acts xxviii. 6.
W. 3.—from evil..] Or the evil one;’ & Tovmpós is
the name given in other passages of scripture to
Satan. Matt. vi. 13. xiii. 19. 38. Eph. vi. 16. Suic,
Hamm. Mackn.
W. 6.- disorderly, 1 Thess. v. 14. Here espe-
cially alluding to idleness and intruding upon others.
Wer. 7. 11.
—tradition] Ch. ii. 15.
—received Here the readings are various, trapé-
Xagov. Mill. Wetst. Matthaei. Tapexaſ?ogav. Griesb.
V. 9-have not power, 1 Cor. ix.4—23.
V. 10.—would not work, This seems to have
been a proverb, both among the Jews and heathens,
at that time. Our Lord and his Apostles chose to
make use of such common proverbs as suited their
purpose. The scripture often recommends diligence
2 THESSALONIANS. CHAP. III. | 17
and industry. ver, 11, 12. Rom. xii. 11. Eph. iv. 28.
1 Thess. iv. 11, 12. Benson. Rosenm.
V. 11.-busy-bodies.] Teptepſydoretar Tpdée, Te-
pload. Hesych. So Ecclus. III. 23. Šv Tois Treptagois
Tøv pyov gov an ºrepiepyáčov, ‘inanem vanamgue
operam ne suscipias.” Whitby. Paronomasia elegans
Wetst, quem vid.
W. 14.—by this epistle, Grotius and others (apud
Bowyer) would join this with the following clause,
as if St. Paul desired an epistle from his converts;
but then the article would not have been used
before étraºro)\ms. Ch. ii. 2. 1 Cor. xvi. 3. Benson. Dr.
Middleton.
V. 16.—the Lord of peace] This invocation to
Christ may allude to Isai. ix. 6. where he is foretold
under the character of the Prince of Peace. Comp.
1 Thess. v. 23. Mackm. Whitby.
W. 17.-the token] What was hinted before in
this epistle, Ch. ii. 2. may be an intimation, that
some fictitious letters were early written in the
Apostle's name, by which he might be induced to
add this token with his own hand. Doddr, Tooto
P 3 \ w P 3. \ /
Té6etke did rows tre+\aquévas €tta Toxds Treptºpépovtas,
Schol. apud Matthaei.
T H E F I R S T E PI S T L E
TO
TIM O T H Y.
CHAP. I.
St. Paul, after his salutation, explains the reasons of his
leaving Timothy at Ephesus—to oppose the false teachers,
who pretended to preach and expound the law, without
wnderstanding it. The Apostle himself shews the nature
of the law : He then enlarges on the goodness of God in
his own conversion, and concludes with an exhortation to
his beloved disciple.
W. 1–an Apostle] THUs he writes to Timothy
and Titus, not to assert his Apostolical authority
to them who doubted not of it, but for their sakes
over whom they were to preside. Whitby. The
words kat' ºritayºv Mackmight would refer to what
follows, shewing that the Apostle had written by the
command of God: But this agrees not so well with
a similar phraseology in the beginning of many
other epistles—kata. To 66Amua €eoû, I Cor. i. 1.
2 Tim. i. 1. &c.
—our Saviour, God is so called, Ch. ii. 3. iv. 10.
Tit. i. 3. ii. 10. Some copies have kal awºrºpos muſov,
others 9eov too oratºpos judov Ingo9 Xpta too. See
Mill. Matthaei. Griesb.
W. 2. Unto Timothy. He was a native of Lystra,
a city of Lycaonia, in the lesser Asia. His father
was a Greek, but his mother, whose name was
1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. I. | 19
Eumice, was a Jewess, Acts xvi. 1. It is not said in
the Acts, that he was converted by St. Paul; but
it is probable that he was, from the expression
ºvna tº Tékup my true son,’ connected with I Cor.
iv. 15. Philem. 10. See Benson's History prefixed to
this epistle.
—mercy, The reason why St. Paul, to xàpis and
eipijun which are used in the introductory salutations
to his other epistles, adds here in a peculiar manner
also ŠAeos, seems to be referable to the denomination
he here gives Timothy, viz. that of his being his
yvijatov rékvov. For it appears from the words of
Joseph to Benjamin, Gen. xliii. 29. that the form of
blessing used by parents to their children was this,
according to the translation of the Lxx, 6 eeds
éAema at are, Tékvov. Hence St. Paul wishes not only
grace and peace, but also mercy to Timothy, as
testifying thereby his paternal affection to him.
Wells.
W. 3. As I besought] Probably this verse should
be connected with ver, 18, all that intervenes being
properly in a parenthesis. Wells. Hardy. -
W. 4.—fables, Called Jewish fables. Tit. i. 14.
To what a monstrous degree these fables are brought
by the Rabbies, few are entirely ignorant, though
few are so unhappy as fully to know. Doddr. Some
understand the Apostle as condemning the gene-
alogies of the AEons. Grot. Hamm. Benson. But
there is no evidence that the Jews had, at this time,
fallen into those absurdities. See ver, 7.
—endless] Long, tedious—drépavrov (ex a priv.
et Tépas) ačyav, dTexeiotov. Hesych. Pretending to
prove their descent by tables which they could bring
to no just end or conclusion, see ver, 7. Some of the
Fathers, however, understood it in the sense of
120 1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. f.
‘ unprofitable.” Chrysostom includes both notions,
#Tot Tépas ow8év éxoſa'ais, m ow8év Xphotºov. See Kypke.
Schl. divoq'éXeis, Tit. iii. 9.
—rather than] The comparative sometimes im-
plies a negation, Luke xviii. 14. 1 Pet. iii. 17. &c.
Whitby. For oikočoatav most of the best MSS have
oikovoatav. Grot. Hamm, Mill. Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb.
oùTw ydp (provéumoev o €eds Trio ret 8èxea.0at To: Tap'
avrov yivöueva. Schol. apud Matthaei.
V. 5.—of the commandment] Rather perhaps, of
this charge,’ agreeably to ver. 4. 18. Wells. Hardy.
V. 7.—teachers of the law; This shews that the
Apostle is not speaking of the Gnostics, who were
great enemies to the law, and therefore that the
'yeveaxo'ytal in ver, 4. cannot be understood of the
AEons. They were, says Lightfoot, the very in-
tricate pedigrees, which the Jews stood upon to
prove themselves Priests and Levites; for, as Jose-
phus notes (contra Apion. Lib. 1. §. 6, 7.), they thought
themselves obliged to be very exact in that affair,
and therefore had genealogies preserved two thou-
sand years.
V. 8.—lawfully; i.e. says Theodoret, Čdv ris
dikoxoiſ0n arrow tº aſkóTºp, “If he complieth with the
scope of it, which is, to bring him to Christ.”
Whitby. Rather, “If he attend to the moral pre-
cepts of it.” Benson.
V. 9.—for a righteous man, Macknight renders
it “for justifying a righteous man,” which suits
well as opposing the corrupt notions of Judaism, but
does not agree with the following words; for we
can hardly suppose with him, that the word Keitat
applies to the latter clause in a different sense.
| TIM OTH Y. CHAP. H. 121
Whitby has it, “to condemn the righteous.” Gal. v.
28. Doddridge's exposition may be still better ; “A
law is not made in reference to a righteous man.”—
The Judaizing Christians, in the excess of their zeal
for the law, had overlooked one of its great objects
—the punishment and prevention of sin; and it is
probable, that the Apostle merely designed to correct
this error, reminding them that the severe enactments
of the moral law, for which they were so strenuous,
do not concern (ow keira) or apply to those who have
a Christian love of righteousness, are of force only
against such as contemn and violate the law. The
verb is used in the same sense, in Dion. Hal. XI. apud
Rosenm. vöuous &taat Keio 8at Pauatois & to ov. ita
Kypke: “ Leges apud veteres tabulis sive columnis
ligneis, lapideis, aeneis insculpta, in locis publicis
expomi ibique jacere solebant.” But the Apostle
has elsewhere used this verb in a figurative sense.
Phil. i. 17. 1 Thess. iii. 3. See also Raphel. Elsner.
Nothing can be more absurd than the inference
which some fanatics have drawn from these words
—that good men were not subject to the law of
God; which opposes not only the sense of this
passage, but the whole tenour of scripture. Whitby
concludes that St. Paul had the decalogue in view,
thus dividing and appropriating the passage to the
commandments in order. I. doeſsels. 2. daćpTwxot
(for this word is used to demote the idolatrous
Gentiles, Gal. ii. 15.) 3. divögtot kal (3££3m) ot. And so
on to the ninth inclusively. There does appear to
be a general allusion of this kind, but the applica-
tion of each particular clause is doubtful.
V. 10-men-stealers, Those who got possession
of men for the purpose of selling them for slaves,
Exod. xxi. 16. Deut. xxiv. 7. Aristoph. Plut. 521.
ubi Schol. —Wetst, duépárošov, a slave.”
122 1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. i.
W. 12.-putting me into the ministry :] Or,
appointing me to it. Acts iz. 15–17. xxvi. 16, 17.
Rom. xv. 19. 1 Cor. iv. 2. vii. 25. xv. 10.
W. 13–did it ignorantly] Instead of insinuating
with some, that the miracle wrought for his con-
version to Christianity was a reward for his extraor-
dinary integrity or virtue, while a Jewish zealot,
he speaks of himself as the greatest sinner upon
earth ; and thereby shews, by the way, how much
guilt a man may contract without acting directly
contrary to the convictions of his own mind, if he
has neglected an impartial care in forming his
principles of action. Doddr. That sincerity, or good
intention, is of itself no sufficient excuse for error,
is most ably proved in Law’s first letter to
Bp. Hoadley, (published in Vol. 1. of the ‘Scholar
Armed.”) in which, among other considerations, he
advances this instance of St. Paul. See the following
note.
W. 15.—I am chief.] It is clear from 1 Cor. xv. 9.
why he accounted himself the chief of sinners,
“ because he persecuted the Church of God : ” He
was the greatest of all sinners who had sinned
through ignorance and unbelief, ver, 13. By this
use of the present tense (eiut) he hath taught us, that
a sinner, after reformation, is still guilty of the sins
he hath committed; that, in pardoning him, God
considers him as guilty, and that till he is actually
pardoned at the judgment, he ought to consider him-
self in the same light. Mackm. Benson has it, “I
am the first, who from a blasphemer and persecutor
am myself become a Christian :” and so in ver. 16.
But the words do not directly admit of this con-
struction. Dr. Wells would include both senses ;
and it is not unlikely, that such might have been the
1 TIM OTHY. CHAP. I. 123
Apostle's allusion, both in this and the following
VerSé.
W. 16.-in me first In me the chief of sinners.”
Doddr. Hardy. Mackm. In me especially,” or
‘principally.” Hamm. Wolf. Schl. In the Clerm.
S Tpaſtºp is wanting : Some have Trpºrov.
W. 17.—King eternal, Regiomnium temporum.
Grot. This was one of the Jewish doxologies, “Let
God be blessed for ever, who hath created this age
and the age to come ; ” and expressions, like this,
are frequent in the Jewish Liturgy. Benson. But
the English Version gives a sufficient sense. Dr.
Middleton translates thus: “To the eternal King—
the immortal, invisible, only wise God.”
—invisible, God is thus distinguished from idols,
which were visible. Mackm.
—wise] goºpſø is omitted by many of the best
MSS and Versions. Mill. Wells. Griesb.
V. 18.-prophecies] That prophetic and ex-
traordinary power, by which the Apostles and others
were enabled to select proper persons for the
ministry. Acts xiii. 2. xx. 28. 1 Cor. xiv. 25. 30.
Beza. Grot. Hamm. Whitby. Doddr. Mackm, which
sense is confirmed by Ch. iv. 14. kata 6etav dirokoſ\vytv
rºw xelpotovíav č8éča. Schol. ut suprā. Schleusner
here interprets ºrpoq’m retas of precepts and ad-
monitions.” But this does not agree so well with
the phrase Tpoaºyoſo as étri ore.
—by them] ev autais according to,” or ‘ because
of them. Matt, vi. 7, xi. 6. xxvi. 31. 33. Benson.
Ut, per eas excitatus, officium episcopale strenué
administres. Hardy.
W. 20.--unto Satan, To be punished. See 1 Cor.
124 1 TIM OTHY. CHAP. II.
v. 5, 12. It does not appear, that these offenders
were reformed under the Apostolic rod, 2 Tim. ii. 17,
18, 1V. 14.
C H A P. II.
This chapter contains exhortations to general prayer for all
men, and some directions respecting the conduct of women.
V, 1–supplications, prayers, SEE Eph. vi. 18.
Deprecations and prayers. Whitby. Raphel. Mackm,
Probably the Apostle might not refer to any nice
distinctions in the use of these terms, only intimating,
that they should put up all kinds of petitions, by
whatever name they might be called. Benson. And
this remark is applicable to other passages, where we
find expressions nearly equivalent to one another,
e.g. Eph. v. 19.
W. 2. For kings, &c.] This was conformable to
a Jewish custom, Ezra vi. 10. Jer. xxix. 7. Baruch i.
11. Joseph. Antiq, XII. 2. §. 5. Tertull. Apol. S. 30.
Whitby. Wolf.
V. 5.-one mediator] The numerous idol media-
tors of the Church of Rome, are hereby evidently
condemned, as well as those of the heathens. (With
regard to the latter, see Locke on 1 Cor. viii. 3.
God hath appointed only one mediator between him-
self and mankind, and men have no right to appoint
more. Benson. Christ is a mediator, say the Soci-
nians, in delivering the mind of one to the other,
and striking a covenant, or league, betwixt them, as
in the case of Moses, Gal. iii. 19. But the following
i TIM OTHY. CHAP. II. 125
verse entirely disproves this notion, and shews that
Christ was a mediator in quite another sense, “ in
giving himself a ransom for all ; ” which words
cannot, without great perversion, be understood of
any thing else but an atonement. We are, more-
over, plainly led to this sense by those numerous
passages in the Old Testament, which speak of a
price paid for the life of another. Numb. xxxv. 31.
32. xviii. 13. 1 Kings xx, 39, 40. 2 Kings x. 24. Exod.
xxi. 28–32. xxx. 12, 15, 16. Whitby. See Jennings's
Jewish Antiquities, B. I. Ch. v. On Sacrifices. Ogden's
5th. Sermon on the Lord's Supper. Elsley on Matt.
xx. 28. and Magee's Illustr. Nº. xxxiii. xxxiv. And
we may further remark, with regard to the New
Testament, that the doctrine of atonement does not
rest merely on a few detached passages, but on the
scope and tenour of the whole. Soame Jenyns, in
his admirable ‘ View of the Internal Evidence of
the Christian Religion,’ observes as follows: “ That
Christ suffered and died as an atonement for the sins
of mankind, is a doctrine so constantly and so strongly
enforced through every part of the New Testament,
that whoever will seriously peruse those writings, and
deny that it is there, may, with as much reason and
truth, after reading the works of Thucydides and
Livy, assert, that in them no mention is made of any
facts relative to the histories of Greece and Rome.”
p. 24. m. 8th ed.
—the man Christ Jesus ;..] Here, it is said, we are
expressly cautioned against a belief that Christ is
God : But this is not true : We are only assured
that he was man. Such an assertion cannot be em-
ployed to contravene the doctrine, that Christ was
both God and man. Probably the phrase was used
with a view of refuting the notions of those heretics,
who denied the humanity of Christ (see Joh. i. 1.):
Unless he had been deemed more than man, there:
126 I T1 MOTHY, CHAP. II.
would have been mo occasion for such an expression :
We never find the word man so applied to any other
person. There is no such phrase as āv6poros Môons,
or &v6poros 'ladvvms. Many have contended, that the
article is wanted before &v0pa,Tos—but the expression
is similar to Kvptov 'Imaoſ, Xploroú, Ch. i. 1. See Dr.
Middleton in loc. Also D'Oyly and Mant on Joh. xvii. 3.
V. 6.--to be testified] To uapTiptov. Who gave
himself as a ransom for many, as the great witness
(of the truth of God's word), appearing in the proper
season (1 Tim. vi. 15. Tit. i. 3.), appointed by God,
and signified in the antient prophets, for his appear-
ing in the flesh and undergoing such a scene of
humiliation and sufferings. Gal. iv. 4. Eph. i. 10.
Benson.
W. 8.—men] Rather ‘the men,” as contrasted with
ver. 9. 12. Mackm.
—holy hands. It was customary with the hea-
thens to wash their hands before they went into
their temples to pay homage ; as also for the Jews,
in token of that purity of heart which was required.
Psal. xxiv. 4. xxvi. 6. Isai. i. 16, 17. James iv. 8.
—Qui hominem occiderat dicitur où ka9apos Xeipas eaſy.
Herod. apud Raphel.
—and doubting..] In this sense 8ta\oyagoº must
be referred to faith in prayer. Doddr. Schl. Thus
James i. 6. But since it is connected with wrath,
Hammond, Benson, and others interpret it of dispu-
tation. Comp. Luke ix. 46. Matt. ix. 4. Mark ix. 33,
34, and it is probable, that the Apostle intended to
suppress a spirit of contention, which had arisen in
the Church. dupigoxias xopis. Schol. apud Matthaei.
V. 9-modest apparel,] See 1 Pet. iii. 3. From
what follows, Macknight supposes the Apostle prima-
| TIM OTHY. CHAP. II. 127
rily to allude to the dress of women in their public
assemblies, though the direction is applicable to all
times and places.
W. 12.-to wsurp authority] av6evréiv' éčova'idéew.
Hesych. Kupleſetv Tiju ºyvyatka tdvěpás. Diod, Sic. I, p.
31. ed. Wesseling. See I Cor. xi. 5. xiv. 34.
W. 15.-in child-bearing, Thus Whitby. Benson.
—3rd has this sense (in or through), Acts xiv. 22.
1 Cor. iii. 15. 2 Cor. vi. 8. Yet, besides the objection
that this preservation in child-birth is not peculiar
to those who abide in the faith, but is aſſorded in-
discriminately to all, it would not suit the extent or
dignity of the subject to infer only this single in-
stance of favour and support. Schleusner includes
under the word Tekvoyovias ‘the education of chil-
dren.’ But against this interpretation a similar
objection would lie; and there is no authority for it.
Chrysostom and Theophylact do indeed make men-
tion of it, but then it is merely in exposition of this
passage: And there appears, moreover, in Ch. v.
10. 14, a marked distinction between rekvotpopeiv
and Tekvo'yovely. Knatchbull, Hammond, Doddridge,
and Macknight understand the phrase of the gene-
ration of the Messiah, the promised seed, Gen. iii. 15.
which sense is countenanced by the article, and
agrees well with the whole context, and with the
future tense of the verb—ga,0;fore rat. “Though the
woman was the deceiver, yet she shall be saved by
her seed.” See also the note and paraphrase of Dr.
Wells, which afford, as in general, a very clear and
apposite illustration. The change of number in the
latter clause is no more than what frequently occurs;
and in this very chapter, ver, 9–12.
128
C H A P. III.
Directions are given concerning the conduct requisite for a
bishop and for deacons.
V. 1.-a true saying,j THIs clause, as Dr. Wells
ably shews, properly belongs to the preceding. The
present chapter does not require to be solemnly
introduced by the words artotos 6 X6-yos this is
a faithful saying; ' neither indeed do they exactly
suit the subject, as our translators appear to have
perceived, rendering them this is a true saying.’
The same phrase is referred to what goes before,
in Ch. iv. 9.
—of a bishop, Directions being given in this
chapter for bishops and deacons, it is argued that
a bishop and a presbyter (or priest) were the same :
And doubtless the word &rſakotos, which is of general
import, may be so applied: But this would not prove
that the office of bishop (to which in succeeding
times this word was exclusively applied) had no
foundation in the Apostolic age. See Ch. v. 22. Phil.
i. 1. Tit. i. 5. Benson maintains, that both bishops
and deacons were chosen out of the elders: Sec
his Essay on the first settlement of the Christian
Churches, subjoined to his notes on the second
epistle to Timothy. •
W. 2–of one wiſe,] Of not more than one. This
passage, in its nearest sense, alludes to polygamy:
But to this it is objected here, that a similar ex-
pression is used in Ch. v. 9. respecting a widow, that
she should have been “the wife of one husband;”
whereas, it never was a custom for women to have
1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. III. 129
more than one husband at the same time. It is sup-
posed, therefore, that there is an allusion to a
common practice among the Jews as well as hea-
thens, of husbands dismissing their wives (and wives
their husbands) upon slight and inadequate provoca-
tions, and afterwards marrying again: In which case
they had in truth more than one wife at a time.
Mark x. 11. Luke xvi. 18. Hamm. Whitby. See the
note on Ch. v. 9. also Collyer's Sacred Interpreter,
vol. II. “Design of the Epistles to Timothy.”
— sober, Rather, discreet or prudent (sanae
mentis), to distinguish it from a trapolvov, ver, 3.
—to hospitality, To the receiving and enter-
taining of strangers, which, in eastern countries and
in those early times, was so important a duty. Doddr.
Mackm. It is possible that St. Paul, in selecting
these particulars, may allude to some instances which
had occurred in the Church of Ephesus.
W. 6. —a movice, où voy veð repoy évraú6a Aéyet,
d\\d Töy yeokatfixºtov. Chrysost.
—of the devil..] It appears from this, that Satan
fell by pride. Whitby. Doddr. Erasmus would
render Toº StagóAov ‘ calumniatoris’ (thus Benson.
Rosenm.), as StagóAovs ver, 11. but there it occurs
without the article, and in the plural number; and
our translation agrees with ver, 7. Ch. v. 15. 2 Tim.
ii. 26. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude 6. This sense indeed might
include the other; for what is done by an evil agent
is said to be done by Satan.
W. 10.-be proved;] Both Jews and Christians had
a custom of proposing in their assemblies the names
of those persons who were candidates for any office.
Lamprid, in Wit. Sever, c. 45, 46. Cyprian, Ep. 67. § 2.
Grot. Whitby. This agrees with the exact sense of
dvéºykAntoi which follows, quos nullus accusavit,”
WOL. II. H
130 1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. III.
W. 11–their wives] It is better to interpret
'yvvaikas of those women, who were admitted to
sacred offices in the Church, rås 8takóvows, Tpeaſºv-
rtéas, &c. Rom. xvi. 1, Tit. ii. 3. Chrysost. Theodor.
Grot. Hamm. Whitby. Wells. Benson. Mackm. Muli-
eres. Vulg. Rosenmüller opposes this acceptation,
on the ground that the offices of women are made
the subject of Ch. v. but this is not a sufficient ob-
jection : Men and women are both mentioned in
Ch. v. in respect of their offices, and so they may
be here.
V. 12.—of one wife.] See ver, 2.
V. 13.—a good degree, £3a6aou kaxóv. An honour-
able step of promotion to the higher orders of the
ministry, which were usually supplied from the
lower. Hamm. Doddr. A good degree towards being
intrusted with souls, when they have been faithful
in the discharge of their trust, concerning the life
of the body. Lightf. The Levites passed through
four different degrees of discipline and instruction,
before they were fully instituted in their office. And
some have thought that the Apostle here alludes to
this Levitical custom. See Jennings's Jewish Antiqui-
ties, vol. I. p. 273, 274. ed. 1808.
W. 15.—pillar and ground 1. These words are
referred by most commentators to the Church, or
House, of God. The objection is, that it causes
a confusion in the figure to describe the House of
God as a pillar of the truth; and it would be more
natural to represent truth as a ground of the Church,
than the Church as a ground of truth. But even
if this be the sense of the passage, it is no argument
in favour of the infallibility of the Romish Church :
For this sense, instead of denoting the teachers of
} TIMOTHY. CHAP. III. 131
-
any particular Church, would rather be opposed to
them, as referring to all true members of Christ's
universal Church. 2. Doddridge would make a
change in the punctuation; placing a full stop
after Øvros, and so connecting the following words
with ver, 16. “The pillar and ground of the truth,
and confessedly great, is the mystery of godliness,”
sqq. Thus Griesb. Rosenm. &c. But this cannot be
called a very natural style of writing. 3. We may
properly refer the words a TWAos kai éðpatoua to Timothy
himself, connecting them with the verb etóñs, and
regarding the passage #Tis éotiv čkk\mata €eou @vros
as little more than a parenthesis: This interpretation,
which is least received and supported by modern
commentators, appears to be decidedly preferable.
It preserves a consistency in the figure, making
Timothy a pillar and a stay of the truth in the House
of God. It agrees also with the Apostle's phrase-
ology in Gal. ii. 9, where James and Peter and John
are called pillars; also with Rev. iii. 12.
W. 16.- God was manifest] The text here
has given rise to many learned and laborious dis-
cussions. Several MSS and Versions countenance the
reading of 6 &qavepaign, quod (mysterium) manifes-
tatum fuit.” Wetst. This reading is defended by
Sir Isaac Newton, in a letter supposed to have been
written by him to Le Clerc. See Bp. Horsley's
edition of Newton, Vol. v. Others have os épavepal-
6m. Griesb. In this case, we must either under-
stand avorſpiov of Christ, (which neither the word
itself nor the context will bear,) or we must take it
thus, “ he that was manifest in the flesh” &c. which
sense, as will presently be shewn, is equally in-
admissible. The greater number of MSS read
eeds, and so Athan. Chrysost. Theodor. (Ecumen.
Theophyl, and all the Greek Scholiasts. See Bp.
I 2
132 } T1 MO'THY. CHAP. III.
*
Pearson on the Creed, p. 128.—Doubtless, however,
in some of the best MSS it is OC (i.e. in more modern
typography OX) and Griesbach observes, that there is
no instance of OC being written by mistake for €90
(the abbreviation of 9 EOC): He adds, that it is very
easy to account for OC being altered to €C, but for
the converse no reason can be assigned. Moreover,
OC might have been changed into O from an idea
that the syntax required it; but if O were the
original reading, there would be no inducement to
change it into OC.—With regard to the reading of
the Alexandrian MS there has been much dispute :
Wetstein and Griesbach assert, that it was originally
OC, having been altered by some modern hand :
Bowyer cites, to the same purport, a curious and
interesting letter from a friend who had examined
the MS; from which letter, however, it appears
that Wetstein’s account of the matter deviates from
the truth : And this is further proved by the remarks
of Dr. Berriman in loc. who, in company with
several others, very accurately inspected the MS,
and from whose testimony it seems that the word,
instead of being altered, had only been retouched by
some zealous inspector ; and that the original marks
cer and across the O (which are often faintly
drawn) are still discernible, by the help of a glass,
out of the line of the modern strokes. A similar
testimony is borne by Junius, who first examined the
MS, by Dr. Huish who collated it for the London
Polyglot, by Bps. Walton and Fell, and by Drs.
Mill and Grabe, who have published its various
readings. Consult, on the whole of this subject,
Nolan’s “Inquiry, Sect. Iv. His learned remarks
appeared first in the British Critic, vol. 1. Nº. Iv. S. 5.
New Series. See also Matthaei, War. Lect.
But whichever of these readings be supported by
antient MSS, the context is evidently in favour of
i TIM OTHY, CHAP. III. 133
©eds: Because, if we adopt the relative, the mani-
festation of Christ in the flesh is excluded from being
a part of the mystery; the greatness of which is
thus destroyed, and the force of the first clause is
lost : For the mystery would then be, not that Christ
was manifested in (or by) the flesh &c, but that,
having been so manifested, he was afterwards justi-
fied in the Spirit &c. The construction is still more
adverse to the admission of the relative : For, as
Nolan remarks, if the sense had been “he who was
manifested,” it should have been 3 pavepo6els. The
subjunctive article 6s is indeed used indefinitely ; but
then it always signifies whoever, whosoever; which,
in this place, would be little better than nonsense.--
The phrase pavepova 6at év gapki occurs frequently in
the writings of the Fathers, often indeed with an
undoubted reference to this very passage (as appears
from the numerous quotations of Wetst. in loc.), and
it is always applied to Christ, in allusion to the
miraculous and mysterious union of the divine and
human natures. Neither can the expression be pro-
perly used of any other person, or in any other sense.
It is well observed by Whitby, that the expressions
“manifest in the flesh”—“ received up into glory ‘’
cannot, as some have fancied, with any propriety be
applied to the gospel : And besides, the gospel being
justified, owned, or approved by the Spirit, would in
effect be the same thing as its being believed on in
the world, and being gloriously received or exalted.
But if we understand the passage of Christ, every
clause has its appropriate meaning and force. 1. He
was God in the flesh, Joh. i. 14. I Joh. iii. 5. Phil. ii.
6, 7, 2. He was justified by the Spirit, (év Tveiſuari
by the influence or effusion of the Spirit,) himself
working miracles thereby, and his Apostles after him.
Matt. xii. 28. Rom. i. 3. Acts i. 33. 3. He was
seen by angels, Heb. i. 6. Luke ii. 9, 13. Matt, iv.
134 1 TIM OTHY. CHAP. IV.
11. Luke xxii. 43. xxiv. 4. Acts i. 10. (Some by
angels understand the Apostles, as Luke vii. 27.
ix. 52. Gal. iv. 14. Rev. i. 20. sqq. Schl. Mackm.)
4. The whole history of the gospel shews, that
he was preached unto the Gentiles and believed
on in the world. 5. He was received up into heaven.
Matt. xvi. 19. Luke xxiv. 51. Acts i. 2. 1 1. Whitby
in loc. See also the end of his first Discourse
(published with his varépal ºppovrièes) which shews
the difficulty of evading the argument, here
afforded by eeds for the divinity of Christ.—évae-
Beta, with the article, in this instance denotes the
Christian dispensation, as Ch. vi. 5, 6.
C. H. A. P. IV.
We have here a description of the corruptions of the latter
times, against which Timothy is injoined to caution his
brethren; and also to turn to the best account his spiritual
endowments : being an example as well as a teacher.
V. l.—speaketh expressly, MEDE refers this to
Dam. xi. 36–39. (see Book III. Ch. 16.) but it is not
easy to perceive the force of the application ;
Hammond to Matt. xxiv. 11, 12. which may be right,
if this passage should be interpreted of the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem : But the particulars of it agree
still better with the corruptions of the Church of
Rome, See 2 Thess. ii. 3. The Spirit is often de-
scribed as speaking, when any charge is given to the
Apostles. Acts x. 19, 20. xiii. 2. &c.
—the latter times] Whitby shews by numerous
quotations that this phrase properly belongs to the
1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV. 135
concluding period of the Jewish Church : But it
may fairly be extended to the age of the Messiah.
Doddr.
—seducing spirits, Tveſaaat may denote either
the persons who deceive, or the Spirits by which
they deceive. I Joh. iv. 1.
—of devils :] Of evil spirits, i.e. suggested by
them. Eph. vi. 12. Pyle renders it ‘concerning
demons ; but this is not the natural construction.
W. 2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy;] Rather,
‘ through the hypocrisy of false teachers.’ 2 Tim. iii.
5. Hence it is fairly argued, as even Whitby him-
self observes, that they, who thus promote and
carry on this apostacy, must not be open deserters,
but hypocritical professors of that faith, from which
they by their actions virtually depart. And there-
fore this passage applies more forcibly to Romish
corruptions, than to the avowed hostility of the
Jews.
—Seared with a hot iron ;] Kavrnpid Çetv often sig-
mifies to mark or brand with a hot iron,' and so
Hammond and others take it here. (a) éxovres Tºv
ovveténau vºyin. Hesych. Wide etiam Elsmer. Kypke.).
We might say of the persons themselves, that they
were branded as infamous, but not of their com-
sciences ; it is better therefore to take the verb, as it
is commonly interpreted in this place, in allusion to
an ulcer being cauterized, for the purpose of ren-
dering it callous. Ita Schol. apud Matthaei. Tiju
éaxº~nv avtſov ava\ºyna tav éóñxtogev. 3 ºydp Too kavriipos
TóTos verpa,0els, Tiju Tporépay atatºnguy dToGdNAet.
W. 3–commanding] Here is a remarkable ellipsis
(keyevövrov v. t. a.); for kaj)\vóvtov is not applicable to
dºréxea.0at. This mode of writing is not unusual,
See Matthaei. War. Lect. also Blackwall’s Sacred
136 1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV".
Classics, vol. I. Part I. Ch. II. S. 2. and the note on
I Cor. iii. 2. Dr. Wells observes that kwxwóvrov here
is to be looked upon as kexuévrov wº, and consequent-
ly, in the next clause, as repeated without uſ. Thus
Hor. 1 Serm. I. 1–3.
ut memo, quam sibi sortem
Seu ratio dederit, seu fors objecerit, illā
' Contentus vivat ; laudet diversa sequentes ?
In this passage laudet cannot agree with memo, but
must be referred to omnis understood.—We have a
similar construction in the quotation from Seneca on
ver. S. infră.
V. 5.-by the word of God] Which allows and
injoins the use, Gen. ix. 2, 3, Rom. xiv. 14.
—and prayer.] So the Jews (from Psal. cxxxiv. 2.
“Lift up your hands and bless the Lord,”) gather
that the benediction is the sanctification of the
meat, and that it is not lawful to eat of it, till it be
thus sanctified. Buxt. Syn. Jud. xII. Whitby. Ita
Esseni ex Joseph. Bell. Jud. II. 8. 5. Krebs. * V.
V. 7.-old wives' fables, Jewish traditions. Ch. i.
4. 6. Tit. i. 14, which were absurd and incredible
to the greatest degree. Doddr. It may also include
all the ridiculous stories and legends in the sub-
sequent ages of the Church. Mackm. from Bp. Newton
2 Pet. i. 16.
Garrit aniles *
Ex re fabellas. Ilor. 2 Serm. v 1. 77.
Wetst, ubi plura.
V. 8.-bodily exercise] Many understand this of
bodily mortifications, which were so much insisted on
by the Essenes and Pythagoreans. Wells. Pyle.
Hardy. Mackm. Rosenm. Which sense is certainly
1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV. 137
best adapted to the context. Others, however,
suppose an allusion to the athletic exercises in the
games, which occupied so much attention in those
times. Whitby. Benson. Doddr. Schl.
—the life that now is, Under the Mosaic dis-
pensation there were many temporal promises, but
there does not appear any passage in the New Tes-
tament, which authorizes the Christian to reckon
upon an abundance of earthly possessions : A com-
petence may be expected from Matt. vi. 30–33.
And in Mark x, 30. it is said, that he who is despoiled
for the sake of the gospel, shall receive “a hundred-
fold now in this time ; ” but it is not clearly expressed
of what nature the recompence shall be : The same
remark is applicable to the passage before us : See
Barrow on this text, vol. I. Serm. III. ed. fol. Ita
Sen. Ep. 79. Nulli mon virtus et vivo et mortuo
gratiam retulit, si modó illam bonā secutus est fide.
S
Rosenm.
V. 10.—the Saviour] i. e. the preserver of all
men. Psal. xxxvi. 6. Job vii. 20. Mackm. See Barrow’s
four Sermons on this verse, vol. III. ed. fol. in which
he asserts and explains the doctrine of universal
redemption.
W. 12.-despise thy youth :] The presbyters
were generally in those times aged, as their name
imports : The Apostle therefore exhorts Timothy
to make up in the excellency of his doctrine, and the
gravity of his conversation (or demeanour), what
was wanting in his age. Whitby.
—in spirit, Not in the extraordinary gifts,
which are alluded to ver. 14. in these he could not
properly be held up as an example ; for they de-
pended not so much on the will and exertion of the
brethren themselves—but “in temper and disposi-
138 l TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV.
tion.” Thus of Troxol rô Tveiſuatu. Matt. v. 3. The
words év Tveiſaart, however, are of doubtful authority.
Mill. Wells. Griesb.
W. 13.−to reading, Not only in publick, but in
private, ver, 15. If this was injoined to Timothy,
who was endowed with spiritual gifts, how much
more, say the Fathers, is it requisite for other bishops
and ministers, who have no such extraordinary
qualification. Whitby. Mackm.
V. 14. Neglect not See I Thess. v. 19.
—by prophecy, Ch. i. 18. .
—the hands of the presbytery.] In 2'Tim. i. 6. the
gift was communicated by the Apostle's own hands;
either therefore this refers to some distinct ordination
by the elders to a particular office, or they joined
with St. Paul, by the imposition of their hands. This
custom was general in the Church, Acts vi. 6. xiii. 3.
also with the Jews. Numb. xxvii. 23. Deut. xxxiv. 9.
Whitby. It is observable, that in 2 Tim. i. 6, the
words are AIA tºs étt0éorea's Töv xeiptov wov, where
the preposition clearly denotes that, in the ordina-
tion of Timothy, the operative part of the ceremony
was performed by St. Paul, from whose act, therefore,
the ceremony derived its validity. Now, in the
passage before us it is, META Tribéarea's Tów Xelpöv Tow
Tpeogvreptov, the preposition here denoting no more
than the concurrence of the presbytery in the mere
form of the imposition of hands ; a concurrence which
might be required only for the sake of solemnity,
and which might therefore have been dispensed with.
See Dr. Hales's Analysis of Chronology, vol. III.
p. 1085. That, in the primitive Church, ordination by
presbyters was not allowed, is evident from the case of
Ischyras, “who was deposed by the synod of Alexan-
dria, because Colluthus, who ordained him, was no
1 TIM OTHY. CHAP. V. 139
more than a presbyter, though pretending to be a
bishop.” Bingham's Antiquities, vol. 1. p. 27.-For
these and other remarks on this passage, see the
“Claims of the Established Church”—a treatise which
perhaps contains more solid argument on this subject,
than can elsewhere be found in so small a compass.
CHAP. V.
The Apostle instructs Timothy in his conduct toward the aged
and widows, subjoining certain regulations respecting the
latter. To the elders that rule well, regard is due: Great
caution is required in the admission of persons to the
mnistry.
V. I. Rebuke not IN ver. 20. it is said, ‘ them
that sin rebuke before all.” But the verb here sig-
nifies to rebuke with sharpness and severity, and
possibly this passage may refer rather to private cem-
sure, ver. 20. to publick; this to aged persons
in general (as appears from the opposition in this and
the next verse), and ver. 19. to the presbyters of the
Church.
W. 3. Honour] rºua, ‘shew regard and preference
to, so as to admit them to a publick employment,
and consequently to a maintenance from the publick
funds of the Church: This sense is probable from
the contrast of private duties in ver, 4.
—widows indeed.] This is an allusion to the
etymology of xiipa — desolate or destitute’—one
who is without friends, and needs support. ver, 4, 5.
V. 5.—might and day.] détaxeſTTws, 1 Thes. v. 17.
V. 6.—in pleasure] Licentiously, luxuriously—
140 I TIMOTHY. CHAP. V.
Tº yaatpi (fi adva. Chrysost. James v. 5. Ezek.
XVI. 49.
—is dead, while she liveth.] According to that
expression of the Jews “ the just in their death are
styled living, the wicked whilst they live are styled
dead.” Maimon. Mor. Nevoch. I. c. 14. Whitby. See
1 Thess. iii. 8. The language of the Scholiast is re-
markable—r, ydp Tºms Tpvºns dueTota Tö Aoyukov, os év
Tdpip, Tº adjuatt kataxºuvvaty. apud Matthaei.
V. 8.—of his own house,] Some interpret this,
without reason, of the household of faith, q. d.
“ especially if those relatives be Christians.” But in
Gal. vi. 10, on which this interpretation is founded,
it is oiketovs TH> IIIXTEOS.
—worse than an infidel. The heathens held it
to be a duty, to take care of their parents and other
relations—Tovs Te yovets réua Tow's T' & 'yxia T' ékºye-yad-
Tas. Pythag. Xpva. Eir. ver, 4. Liberos cuique ac
propinquos suos natura carissimos esse voluit. Tac.
Agric. 31. Sic. Aristot. de Mor. ix. 2. Plut. de Frat.
Amor. §. 4. 6. 21.
V. 9.—taken into the number] i. e. of those who
administered a publick function in the Church, e. g.
of distributing alms, of instructing the younger of
her own sex, &c. Ronn. xvi. I.
—under] AaTTov. neut. Thus TXerov 'Hová šče
Matt. xii. 41. &c. Bowyer.
—of one man, These words are commonly sup-
posed to mean “one husband at a time:” But
this is far from certain ; and the natural import of
the passage would lead us to infer, that the widow
should have had but one husband altogether. It is
objected, however, that this would be in contradic-
tion to I Cor. vii. 8. 39. where widows are allowed
to marry : Yet it should be observed, that they were
# TIM OTHY. CHAP. V. 141
only permitted to marry in cases of infirmity, and
not generally recommended so to do : The Apostle
clearly gives a preference to those, who did not desire
a second marriage. And thus in the case before us;
though he did not intend any censure or reflection
on second marriages, yet he might consistently think
that those, who had remained content in their state
of widowhood, had shewn a spirit and disposition,
which rendered them more worthy of an ecclesias-
tical office. 2. Since the Apostle injoins the younger
widows to marry again, wer. 14, it is further objected,
that he would have been unjustly excluding them
from any office, in the event of their becoming
widows a second time. To this it may be replied,
that the direction in ver, 14, is evidently given with
a reference to the imminent danger of the younger
widows being corrupted and led astray : And the
certain evil, which the Church would in that
case have sustained from their ministration, would
greatly counterbalance the consideration of any pri-
vate advantage, arising from the contingency of
their second widowhood. For these reasons, there-
fore, it may seem, that the words yeyovvia èvös avépôs
'yvviſ should be taken in their literal sense. (Whitby,
though he does not adopt this interpretation, ob-
serves that univira signifies a woman who has had
but one husband, Liv. x. 23. thus univira sacerdos,
Trebell. Poll. de Tit. p. 795. It was thought honour-
able among the heathens for the widows not to
marry again ; she received in that case — coro-
mam pudicitiae. Val. Max. II. I. And thus Servius on
AEn. Iv. 19. Repellebantur à sacerdotio bis nupta.
Wide Wetst.) Dr. Wells takes the passage in this
sense: “Having been the wife of one man only,
not twice married ”—quia sæpius nupsisse argu-
mentum est incontinentia. Hardy.
Some may think a similar argument applicable
142 } TH M OTH Y. CHAP. V.
to the case of a bishop, mentioned in Ch. iii. 2.
Tit. i. 6. By abstaining from a second marriage he
would shew a greater command of his passions, and
therefore would be fitter for the discharge of his
sacred duties: But the nearest and matural interpre-
tation of both those passages is, that a bishop should
not have more than one wife at a time; the verbs are
in the present tense, and therefore properly denote the
state and circumstances of the bishop at the period of
his admission—that he had only one wife at that time.
It is proper to add, that some interpret this pas-
sage (as also Ch. iii. 2.) of those who had lived in a
state of conjugal fidelity—37Nov as ov Tiju 8tyautav
(successivam) ékſ8&NAet, d\\d Tö awqipóva's év ydug
£3tojv vouc0e-rel. Theodor. Intelligitur ergo mulier,
quae fidem marito suo servavit. Rosenm. But it is
not usual to call a woman, who is unfaithful to the
marriage bed, the wife of more husbands than one.
V. 10.- brought up children, Doubtless there
would be many more candidates for these offices than
could be admitted; and therefore it was requisite to
lay down certain rules and limitations: This might
be one of them, “ that the widow should have
brought up children;” by which means also she was
more likely to have a tender affection for those, who
were under her care. See Mackm, on ver. 16. Or,
the word may only imply, that she should not have
neglected the education of her family, if she had
one; which exposition is confirmed by Tit. i. 6. ov
To €péra uévov draitei, d\\d Kai Tô evoleſłós 6pé bat.
Theodoret.
W. 11-wax wanton] Some derive a Tpmvtåv from
a Tepeiv jvíav to throw off the rein,’ as animals do,
and get their liberty. See Parkh. Here it signifies
(from a Tpſvos) to be luxurious or wanton.” Thus
} TIMOTHY. CHAP. V. 143
Rev. xviii. 3. 7, 9, as applied to the very same sub-
ject of lustful extravagance. The sense therefore
may be, “When, by perverting the alms of the
Church they have become luxurious and wanton, in
violation of their Christian faith and allegiance.”
—Postguam, Christum repudiantes, lascivire coepe-
runt. Castell.
V. 12.-their first faith..] Ita Polyb. xi. 27. vºv
\ y 3. V -
8è TáAw &6etha'avtes roºs ôpkovs Kai Tºv tattv. Wetst.
V. 14. — the younger women] Rather, the
younger widows.’ ver, 9. 11.
W. 15.-after Satan.] Converting men to the
Christian faith is called “ turning them from the
power of Satan unto God.” Acts xxvi. 18. 2 Tim.
ii. 26. Whitby.
W. 17-double honour, i. e. a liberal mainte-
mance out of the publick stock; as appears from the
reasoning in wer. 18. Whitby. Twº here denotes
that kind of honourable reception which implies a
maintenance, or provision. Matt. xv. 5, 6. Acts xxviii.
10. Hebraeorum more de stipendio cum honore dato
intelligitur, ut regibus tributum; non eleemosynario,
sed honorario. Hardy. 81787 signifies abundance,
as in 2 Kings ii. 9. Rev. xviii. 6. Wide Bos. Elsner.
—in the word and doctrine, Hendiadys, pro gu
Aóryp 3.8aakaxias. Hardy. The elders among the
Jews were of two sorts, 1. Such as governed in the
synagogue. 2. Such as ministered in reading and
expounding the Scriptures and traditions.—The
Apostle, in reckoning up the offices which God had
appointed in the Church, places teachers before
governments, 1 Cor. xii. Whitby.
144 | TIMOTHY. CHAP. V.
V. 18–muzzle the ox) Deut. xxv. 24. See I Cor.
1X. 9.
—worthy of his reward.] Luke x. 7. Hence
Whitby and others conclude, that St. Paul must
reckon the Gospel of St. Luke among the Holy
Scriptures. This is certainly a fair inference from
the passage, but the words Aéyet m ºpaq'ſ do not
necessarily extend to the latter clause.
W. 19. Against an elder] In these words, Timo-
thy’s jurisdiction over elders is clearly recognized.
“Claims of the Established Church.” p. 22.
W. 20.-rebuke] See ver. I. That this was the
practice of the symagogue, Vitringa hath proved,
Vet. Syn. p. 729. Mackm. after Wolf.
W. 21.-elect angels, The word & KXektos, like
our English adjective choice, may denote excellence.
Or the Apostle may mean “ the good angels.” Angeli
electi hic boni dicuntur, respectu malorum. Wolf.
Grot. Others suppose an especial reference to the
seven archangels, who are said to stand before the
throne of God. Rev. i. 4, 5. Wells. Krebs shews
from Josephus, that it was not unusual with the
Jews to call angels to witness. Bell. Jud. II. 16. 14.
—one before another, Tpókpua, praejudicium.’
W. 22. Lay hands] For the purpose of ordina-
tion, Ch. iv. 14. This is another proof of the supe-
rior authority of Timothy to that of the mere pres-
byters, and shews that he exercised an episcopal
jurisdiction.
W. 23.−a little wine] This might be said partly
to condemn those, who had some superstition in
1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. VI. 145
regard to the use of wine. Mackm. The remarks
here are many of them detached, and seem to have
been put down, just as they occurred to the Apostle.
See Paley, Hor. Paul. xi, 4. Rosenm.
CHAP. VI.
Some instructions are added in regard to Christian slaves.
The Apostle injoins a quiet and conscientious submission :
cautions Timothy against those who teach opposite doctrines,
especially against the covetous, for whom he delivers a par-
ticular charge ; and concludes by exhorting the beloved
disciple to be faithful in his trust.
V. 1.- under the yoke] THAT is, of heathen
bondage: It seems from ver, 3. that the Judaizers
had endeavoured to entice the Christian slaves from
their allegiance to heathem masters, on the plea of
the gospel being a law of liberty. The law of
Moses restrained the Israelites from perpetual bon-
dage. Exod. xxi. 2. Mackm.
W. 2–partakers of the benefit.] This passage
has been variously explained. I. Some refer the
words Tía Toi kal dyatriſtol to the servants themselves,
rendering the latter clause—‘ qui dant operam ut
dominis benefaciant.” Wetst. But this does not
agree with the first clause, Tſarovs Sea Tótas, neither
would the reasoning in this case be so apposite or
cogent. 2. Doddridge and others, after Beza, under-
stand evepºyed as of the benefit of the gospel: But it
seems an arbitrary interpretation. 3. Diligendi sunt
primūm quia fide in Deum sunt praediti, deinde quod
curam gerunt ut vobis benefaciant, i.e. ut vos ves-
tiant, pascant, ab injuriis protegant, duriNaağäveata
W O I, , II. K.
146 | TIMOTHY, CHAP. Wi.
est curam alicujus gerere.” Sic duriXaugavčuevos
&\m6etas. Esai. xxvi. 3. Grot. And thus Theophyl.
ad loc. oi ºppovtſovres row évépyeretv Tows 800Xovs.
With this construction the meaning will be, “Let
not Christian servants despise their Christian masters
(as if they were on an equality with them), but
rather serve them the more, on account of their
being brethren—because they are faithful and be-
loved, because they are such as render (or repay)
every kind and good office.” To this it may be
objected, that kindness and benevolence are not the
necessary and peculiar characteristics of Christian
masters; and if they were, it may be questioned
whether such a motive alone would be worthy of
being urged by the Apostle. 4. Since there is no
copulative before oi Tàs évépyeglas, the sentence
might be inverted—“ because they who participate
(or enjoy the benefit of) their service, are faithful
and beloved.” Hamm. Elsner. Whitby. Wells. Wolf.
Nſackn. This is the more natural import of the
passage.
W. 3.-of our Lord] Not any particular words,
but the doctrine of Christ, Acts xix. 8. 1 Thess. i. 8.
2 Thess. iii. 1. Bentley asserts, that 7poorépxeral is
never used in the sense of attending or consenting
to, and therefore boldly conjectures Tpogéxel, as in
Ch. i. 4. Phil. Lips. 71, 72. But Tpoorépxed 6a is con-
stantly used in the Gospels, to demote those who
gave ear to, and followed after Christ;’ and the
sense may be similar here: So I Pet. ii. 4. Sic Philo
de Gig. p. 289. ed. 1640. Tpoorépyeo 6at yvºwn, et
Latini eodem sensu, “ accedere sententiae, opinioni.”
Rosenm.
V. 4.— doting] vocráv Tepi, having his mind
disordered or distempered by an over-weening fond-
1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. VI. 147
ness for them—pursuing them to a morbid excess.
Plut. de laud, propr. p. 546, ed. Francof. Tois Tepi
36&av vooooow. Ita morbus apud Latinos—“ nun-
quam tacet, quem morbus tenet loquendi. Aul. Gell.
1. 15. Cic. de fin. 1. 18. Wetst. Kypke. Schl. More
febricitantis, vel phrenetici. Hardy. -
V. 5. Perverse disputings] 8tarpið, signifies a
disputation of philosophers, and therefore Tapača-
Tpiſº) is properly rendered ‘a perverse, foolish, or
contentious disputation.” Most of the copies, how-
ever, read &larapatpigal. Mill. Wells. Wetst. Matthaei.
Griesb. The sense is the same.
—that gain is godliness :] Or, “thinking that
godliness is a matter of gain,” making it a gainful
profession by drawing money from the disciples:
This agrees with the construction of ver. 6. Existi-
mant pietatem, i. e. Christianismum, quaestui suo
servire debere. Grot. The article, as Abp. Newcome
has remarked, shews that éva'é;3eta is the subject, not
the predicate. Dr. Middleton.
V. 7.—brought nothing] Alluding to Ecclesiast.
v. 15. “Naked shall he return, &c.” See also
Job i. 21. Ita Sen. Epist. 102. Excutit matura rede-
untem sicut intrantem, non licet plus ferre quâm
intuleras. Rosenm. And so, in the Greek Anthology,
'yńs été9ny yuavos, Yvavós 6 wºrd yalav dreut-the
following line runs thus, kal Tí uditmu uox66, yupude
dpów T0 réNos: How gloriously different from this is
the view of a Christian!
V. 10–of all evil;1 Wetstein, Wolf, and others
abound with similar passages from the heathens.
Diogenes called a love of money, riv unſpótoxy
/ 3, Raków. Wit. Diog. vi. 50. ed. Amstelod.
7Túij7Tūjī Tāj; fººt Kºy.
Stobaeus x. De Bion. Cato avaritiam omnia vitia
k2
148 1 TIMOTHY. CHAP. VI.
habere putabat. Aul. Gell. xi. 2. Wide et Serv. in AFm.
v1. 621. Philo fontem omnium malorum habendi
cupiditatem appellavit, rºw row Kakoëatuovéiv Tnyiv
TAeovečiav. De Vitā Mosis, III. p. 681. ed. 1640.
V. l 1–man of God] The antient prophets had
this appellation, to shew that their function was a
service to which God appointed them. Mackm. And
because they declared the will and word of God.
Rosenm.
W. 12. Fight the good fight—lay hold—witnes-
ses.] These are all agonistical phrases.
—hast professed] Macknight contends, that the
first aorist indicative is here put for the imperative,
to make it agree with the foregoing clauses; and he
accuses our translators of having overlooked this
circumstance. But he says nothing in justification
of such a singular opinion. The verb duox3-yngas
is very naturally and properly commected with the
words immediately preceding, ‘To which thou hast
both been called, and hast also professed” &c. But
the ka? before ék\ſigns is rejected by Mill, Wells, and
Griesbach. .
V. l 3.—all things.] Rather, all men' (Eph. iii.
9. Col. i. 20.) at the resurrection.
—Pontius Pilate] Joh. xviii. 37.
V. 14.—until the appearing] It can hardly be
supposed, that he was charged to keep this command-
ment merely till the destruction of the Jewish polity;
and therefore it must be interpreted of Christ's
second appearing at the day of judgment, which
does in effect come upon every man at the day of
his death. That St. Paul had no motion, as Grotius
thinks, of the dissolution of the world being at hand,
appears from 2 Thess. ii. 2. - -
| TIM OTHY. CHAP. VI. 14
9
=:
W. 15–King of kings, This title the great em
perors took to themselves, Dan. ii. 37. Jer. xxvii. 6.
Ezra vii. 12. And therefore the Apostle saith here,
that it belongs only to God, and to our Lord Jesus
Christ. Rev. xvii. 14. xix. 16. Whitby.
W. 16.-no man can approach unto; Tô ydp
otkm Tiptów aſov ovpavós Toº ovpavov avépuctos dvěpáTots
éattv. 3 Macc. ii. 15. Rosenm.
W. 19.—foundation] Some suppose 6euéAtov here
to have the sense of 6éua a treasure.” Thus Tobit
iv. 9. 6éwa ydp dyabov 6ma'avpſets o'eavTó els huépay
dvdykms. Hammond, moreover, observes from S. Petit,
that 6ewé\tov may be used in the same latitude as the
Hebr. "py which often denotes a bond or pledge—
keuij}\tov. Jun. Le Clerc. 66 aa Atav kaAóv. Bos. But
it is not unusual with the Apostle to join two figures
together, I Cor. iii. 9. xvi. 9. Eph. ii. 21. iii. 18.
Col. ii. 7. 2 Tim. ii. 19. &c. He has introduced,
indeed, even a third figure at the end of the present
verse; the verb étrixášwvtat belonging to the games
—Appositione elliptică pro atto&ndavptćoviras 6ma'avpów,
6eué\tov kaAóv. Ita Sirac. I. 15. 6euéAtov atóvos évéa-
aevae. Rosenm.
W. 20.-oppositions] dutiééoets will apply either to
an opposition of this false knowledge to the true,
1 Cor. xiv. 6, or to the disputations which the false
teachers held with one another, respecting their
traditions on subtle points of the law, setting them up
above the simplicity of the gospel, and so erring from
the faith, Ch. i. 5, 6.
T H E S E C O N D EP I S T LE
TO
TIM OTHY.
C H. A. P. I.
The Apostle expresses his great affection and regard for
Timothy, and exhorts him to constancy and perseverance;
being himself full of confidence in the power and grace of
God.
V. 1.-according to) KATA may here signify for,
on account of, as Tit. i. 1. Whitby. Mackn. Rosenm.
8. Tayyektav, date Tiju &rnyyexuévny @iv knpſáat Tois
dv6patrols. Schol. apud Matthaei.
W. 3–with pure conscience, I Acts xxiii. 1. which
the Judaizers had put away, 1 Tim. i. 5, 6.
—without ceasing] 1 Thess. v. 17.
V. 6-stir up] . An allusion to exciting a fire. It
is manifest from this, that the spiritual gifts might be
improved by care and diligence. See Thess. v. 19.
1 Tim. iv. 14. Thus Gen. xlv. 27. dve@Túpnge Tô Trved-
pa Iakó9. See Raphel, in loc.—Jamblich. Wit. Pythag.
16. darekd6alpe rºv \!/wxºv kai dveđorđpet to 6eſov čv
Šavrfi... Whitby. Latini dicunt “excitare igniculos
&
ingenii.” Rosenm.
V. 8–his prisoner :] There is a question,
whether the imprisonment here alluded to was the
2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. I. | 51
same which is mentioned in Acts xxviii. or whether,
as many of the Fathers held, St. Paul was imprisoned
a second time. The latter opinion is countenanced
by ver, 17. Ch. ii. 9. and especially by Ch. iv.
6. 10. 20.
—of the gospel,] It is literally, suffer evil with
the gospel, i.e. suffer the evil which the gospel
brings.
—according to the power of God;| Pyle joins
these words with ejayyeXtº : But then, as Dr.
Middleton observes, it would have been tº ejayyeXtºp.
Tº kata K. T. A. Thus Abp. Newcome: “According
to the support which God affords”—the early preach-
ers of the gospel derived great support from the
certainty that God was with them.
V. 9.-before the world began ; Heb. i. 2. Or it
may be ‘before the ages,’ in the very earliest times—
the promise was made immediately after the fall.
Gen. iii. 15. Rom. v. 17. Tit. i. 2. The Apostle is
here speaking in general terms, without any reference
to the certain election of individuals. See Rom. viii.
ix. Eph. i., 4.
V. 10.-immortality] Końv kai dºp6apatav pro (o),
âq,0aptov. Rosenm. partiaavtos might be rendered
‘ who hath made clear,’ for the Israelites were not
in total darkness on the subject, Luke xx. 37.
2 Macc. vii. 9, 14. 23. (Job xix. 25.) Wells. Mackm.
But they were certainly in comparative obscurity.
Whitby has here a learned and excellent note, to
shew what a glimmering and partial light the heathens
had of a future state. Even Socrates, to the day of
his death, had scarcely any tolerable notion of it.
Plat. Phaed. p. 48.84. ed. #. Apol. in fine.
And Cicero, after enumerating the different senti-
ments of philosophers on the subject, concludes thus
152 2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. I.
—harum sententiarum quae vera sit, deus aliquis
viderit; quae verisimillima, magna quaestio est. Tusc.
Quaest. I. S. 10.
W. 12.-I have committed unto him] With this
construction the Apostle must mean his soul ; and
Whitby shews, from Josephus, Philo, and others,
that the Jews considered the soul in the same light.
Many however, referring to similar expressions in
the epistles to Timothy (comp. 1 Tim. i. 18. vi. 20.
2 Tim. i. 14. ii. 2.), interpret Tiju Tapathſknv wov of the
doctrine of the gospel committed to St. Paul. Pyle.
Mackn. Schl. Rosenm. Yet we may observe, with
Benson, that the phraseology rather favours the
former interpretation. “I suffer, and am in the near
prospect of a violent death, but I am not ashamed :
For I know well whom I have trusted with my soul.
And I am firmly persuaded, that he is able to keep
that depositum of mine, and to restore it safe unto
me in the judgment of the great day.” See also
Krebs in loc. And doubtless the phrase Tijv trapathf-
knv adv more usually signifies ‘what I have deposited
with another,’ than ‘what another has deposited with
me.’ Accordingly, in ver 14, and 1 Tim. vi. 20. it is
Tºv TapakaTaſhjkºv ºptºačov, and not Tiju Tapakata-
6,íkºv >OY. And further, since the Apostle there
speaks of Timothy keeping the deposit which was
entrusted to him, it is fair to presume, that since God
is here spoken of as keeping the deposit, it means
the deposit entrusted to HIM. Thus I Pet. iv. 19.
as "riotó kTiatfi Tapatt0égéagav Tós Nºvyds €avTów—
Doddridge and Macknight observe, in their prefaces
to this epistle, that the constancy and fidelity here
displayed by the Apostle, in the midst of his severe
sufferings and in the prospect of death, , fully
demonstrate his conviction of the truth of the
gospel. - -
2 TIM OTHY CHAP. H. 153
V. 13.—the form] úrcrºwaw the exemplar’—
the sketch or copy. See Wetst on 1 Tim. i. 16.
—of sound words, In opposition to the corrupt
forms and “foolish talkings” of the Judaizing
teachers, 1 Tim. i. 6, or, we may render jºyuatvövtov
Aóryov * sound doctrine.’ Hamm. Schl. Some suppose,
that there was a formulary of faith drawn up for the
use of Christians in the Apostolic age. Wells.
Hardy. etkóva kal dpxérvºrov ćxe Tijv Tap wou Tepi
Tía Tews kai d'ydºrns yetyevnuéunv ŠtěaakaAtav. Schol.
apud Matthaei.
W. 15.--—which are in Asia] Hammond, Dodd-
ridge, and others interpret this from Ch. iv. 16. of
the Asiatics who were at Rome; but then it should
have been oi čk T7s 'Aatas. We may understand it of
the false teachers of the Jewish nation in the neigh-
bourhood of Ephesus, who had turned off (Ch. iii. 5.)
the Apostle from being their leader or head (had
deserted him, Tit. i. 4.), agreeably to his own pre-
diction, Acts xx. 29, 30. Grot. Whitby. Benson.
Rosenm.
W. 17.—very diligently, Hence it is inferred,
that the imprisonment here alluded to is not that
which is recorded in Acts xxviii. for the Apostle
then was in his own hired house, in which case no
such diligent search would have been requisite. Yet
this argument (though the fact contended for is pro-
bable) cannot be received as conclusive ; for in so
large a city, it might have been as difficult to find
out the obscure mansion of an individual, as to trace
him to a regular prison. But indeed the word
atovëatórepov may imply, not that it required any
great pains or diligence to find the Apostle, but that
t * rt arº *s :-v. ** 4. *r ; : +!- º rvaara Zºo an ºre * - A
Onesiphorus sought him Öüt, Wiiii eagerness d.11 Ut
haste.
154 2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. II.
V. 18.—unto him] In ver. 16, the prayer was for
his family; whence it has been concluded that he
was dead, when this prayer was offered. But this
is far from being evident, or even probable. Ham-
mond well observes, that Onesiphorus abode at
Ephesus (which appears from this verse and Ch. iv.
19.) and he rationally accounts for the separate men-
tion of his family, by supposing that he himself had
not returned home.—The repetition of “the Lord ”
in this verse, instead of the pronoum, is similar to
Gen. xix. 24. Exod. xxiv. 1, 2, 1 Sam. iii. 21. So
Chrys. CEcumen. Theophyl.—Whitby.
CHAP. II.
The Apostle continues his exhortations, and inculcates, by seve-
ral detached injunctions, the practice of peculiar virtues.
W. 2–among many] BEFor E many. Doddr.
Rosenm. But Sid will not properly bear either of
these senses. ‘By many witnesses, who saw and
conversed with Christ, both before and after his
resurrection. Mackm. The Apostle, however, may
allude to certain charges and instructions, which he
had sent at various times by messengers, who had
borne testimony to his doctrine and sufferings.
—commit thou to faithful men, This is an un-
questionable mark of episcopal authority.
V. 4.—entangleth himself] In his note on this
passage, Grotius has shewn that the legionary
soldiers among the Romans were not suffered to en-
gage in agriculture, merchandize, mechanical employ-
ments, or any business which might divert them from
9 TIMOTHY. CHAP. II. 155
their profession. This applies with peculiar force to
the Christian soldier. Mackm.
W. 6.—first partaker] It becometh the husband-
man to labour, before he partakes of the fruit. Wells.
Mackm. Rosenm. But the original will hardly admit
of such a construction. The sense may be this; ‘It
is fit that the husbandman, who labours, should have
the first enjoyment of his fruits, i.e. before him
who does not labour for them.
V. 8–the seed of David.] Which was a cha-
racter of the true Messiah, Isai. xi. 1. The Jews
held, that their Messiah could never die, Joh. xii. 34.
Matt. xvi. 22. and therefore it was necessary to in-
sist, that “ he was raised from the dead,” This
assertion also confutes the doctrine of those heretics
(the Docetae), who maintained that Christ was not
a real man, but only €v pavragig-his death was a
proof of his manhood. The proper translation of
this verse is, “Remember Jesus Christ raised from
the dead, of the seed of David, &c.” Whitby. Doddr.
kard Tà évayyéAtów Azov, as I declare in preaching the
gospel.” Benson.
W. 9.—unto bonds ;) It is thought, that if this
had been the imprisonment spoken of in Acts xxviii.
the Apostle would not have used so strong an ex-
pression, since he was then so much at large. He
says, however, Acts xxviii. 20. “I am bound with
this chain.”
W. 10.—the elects' sakes, Gratiá Christianorum,
qui meo exemplo fide confirmantur. Hardy. Chris-
tians in general are called yévos ék\ekrów, 1 Pet. ii. 9.
W. 11–a faithful saying :] This is commonly
I56 2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. II.
used as an introductory phrase, 1 Tim. i. 15. and
accordingly most of the commentators connect it
with what follows, supposing that this was a celebra-
ted saying among the first Christians. Whitby and
Wells, with greater probability, refer these words to
the preceding verse; “It is a faithful saying, that
salvation is to be obtained through Christ.” See
l Tim. iii. 1. v. 9. Tit. iii. 8.
V. 15.—rightly dividing] Similitudo ducta à vic-
timis, quae certo ritu secari debebant. Grot. Beza.
Whitby. This agrees with trapaatja’at, which is
also a Levitical word. But it does not appear, that
600orouety is ever used in this sense. Bos. Elsmer.
Wolf. Some suppose an allusion to a carver dis-
tributing meat to the guests; others to “cutting a
path,” which is probably the true import. Thus
Prov. iii. 6. Éva. op6orouſ Tds 38oſs aſov. xi. 5. Gal. ii. 14.
Wetst. Ita Gregorius Nazianzenus, Orat. Apol. Tº
dp0oroueiv opponit to kakós 66eiſelv. Rosenm. Elegan-
ter vero to 6p6oroueiv opponitur Treptio too 6at, ver. 16.
‘ā vià declinare.” Kypke. -
V. 17–Hymeneus] Who had been delivered to
Satan, 1 Tim. i. 20. Philetus is not mentioned else-
where in Scripture.
V. 18.—past already :] They maintained that
there was no other than a spiritual resurrection.—
Vice was by the heathens often called death, and
therefore they would easily suppose the resurrection
to mean a recovery from sin. Warburton's Divine
Legation, Book III. S. 4. vol. II. p. 134, of his Works
4to. Doddr. Benson. -
V, 19– this seal.] appayis is here generally
taken to demote an inscription on the foundation
2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. II, 157
stone of a building, on which it is supposed that the
two following sentences are represented as being
inscribed. It has not been shewn, however, that
the word will admit of this sense; Dr. Wells ob-
serves, that it is used in other places merely to
denote a confirmation. (Rom. iv. l I. 1 Cor. ix. 2.).
The learned critic thus paraphrases the passage;
“Nevertheless, the foundation of God, i. e. the
fundamental doctrine of the resurrection, whereon
principally God has designed the truth of the gospel
to be built, standeth sure and firm, having this seal,
i. e., being confirmed after the same way, as God
confirmed the authority of Moses and Aaron against
the gainsayings of Korah and his companions, namely
as in reply to Korah, &c. Moses answered, Numb.
xvi. 5. “The Lord knows them that are his,’ i. e. God
will acknowledge those, who are commissioned by
him to reveal his will, and will maintain their cause
against all opposers; so the same may be said by us,
the true Apostles of Jesus Christ, in opposition to
all false teachers. And likewise, as Moses then said
to the congregation of Israel in reference to Korah
&c. Numb. xvi. 26. Depart from the tents of these
wicked men; so may we say to Christians, in respect
to the present false teachers, ‘Let every one that
nameth the name of the Lord, depart from iniquity.”
i. e. from the doctrines of these false teachers, which
tend to iniquity.” Tö 8voua Kvptov. Mill. Whitby.
Wells. Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb. Some imagine that
6eaéAtos here means a covenant (See Tillots. vol. I.
Serm. 7, fol. Benson.), but it does not agree with
atépeds. . . . Çatnkev, nor with wer. 20.
W. 21—from these,] From false doctrine, cor.
rupt affections, and sinful actions. Mackm. If he be
careful to avoid the society of persons, who have
revolted from the true religion. Doddr,
158 2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. II.
—sanctified, As the vessels of the temple were,
Heb. ix. 21. Whitby.
V. 25. – if God peradventure] . This may be
regarded as an elliptical construction of uſ trore,
‘(Waiting to see) whether God will at length &c.’
Abstaining from severity with this hope and view.
Gen. iii. 22. 2 Macc. iii. 32. Luke iii. 15.
W. 26.--taken captive] §§wypnuévol. This word
denotes, in its etymological sense, the taking of a
captive alive : and Macknight follows Benson and
others in explaining the passage thus, ‘That they,
being caught alive by him (i.e. by the servant of
God) out of the snare of the devil, may awake to do
the will of God.” But though Ko'ypeiv strictly sig-
nifies to take alive in, or by means of, a snare,’
it is never applied to the action of taking alive out
of it. The verse may admit of this easy interpreta-
tion; ‘That they may awake from the snare of the
devil, having hitherto been led captive by him, to
an obedience unto the will of God.” Acts xxvi. 18.
dvavijſpew is properly ‘to awake from the sleep and
stupor of intoxication,” and may represent the
charms, by which Satan lulls the conscience to
sleep: Here it means ‘to escape by awaking.” If
§§orypnuévot have, in this passage, any reference to
life, it may imply, that the persons here spoken of
had not yet been led on to destruction, but were
living in a state of captivity to Satan. The received
translation refers both the pronouns, avºrov and
ékeſvov, to Siaſ36\ov, which impropriety is obviated by
the interpretation proposed above; the pronoun
autov, as it should do, belongs to the nearer substan-
tive, éketvov to the one more remote. Dr. Wells
understands this text in the same sense.
159
C H AP. III.
4 character is given of those who should apostatize in the
latter times: Timothy is cautioned and fortified against
them, having the Apostle for an example.
V. 1–in the last days] 1 Tim. iv. 1.
V. 5.—from such turn away.] drotpéreo 6at notat
vitare, cavere, uti čktpérea bat, 1 Tim. vi. 20. Kypke.
Pro peſºyew. Hardy. Whitby infers from this in-
junction, that the perverters of religion, here alluded
to, were to appear in Timothy’s time; which he
adduces as a confirmation of his opinion on the
latter days, 2 Thess. ii. 1 Tim. iv. referring them to
the destruction of Jerusalem. He observes, more-
over, that the description here given accords with
the character of the Judaizing Christians. But
though such corruptions did begin in the Apostolic
age, the prophecy is not necessarily confined to
them; and it was probably intended to comprehend
a much longer period, since the particulars of it
apply with much greater force to the depravations
of the Romish Church. See Doddr. Mackn.
W, 8.—Jamnes and Jambres] These names are
not found in the Old Testament, but frequently
occur in the Jewish writings. Wetst. The persons
here mentiomed are supposed to have been the chief
magicians, who opposed Moses before Pharoah.
Exod, vii. Pliny has recorded the name of Jannes,
Hist. Nat. xxx. 1. also Numenius the Pythagorean.
Euseb. Praep. Ev. Ix. 8. Origen informs us, that
there was a book written of them, bearing this title
“Jammes et Mambres liber.” Tract. 83, in Matt,
º
i Asº. v.
Hamm. Whitby. .
160 2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. III.
—reprobate] dööktuot trept tºw triotiv, not afford-
ing any proof” (of genuineness or sincerity,) with
regard to the faith. So Tit. i. 16. Tods Tav ćpyov
dºya.0öv doćkiaot, ‘Not approving themselves in any
good work’—not being, as we call it, found proof.
It is a metaphor taken from metals; which are re-
jected, if they be not pure, and according to the
standard. Benson. Pyle. See Rom. i. 28.
W. 9.-no further: i. e. than to the state here
described; their delusions shall continue for a time,
but they shall not destroy the faith.
W. 13.−seducers] Impostors or sorcerers. The
Apostles gave to the false teachers, who introduced
and continued the apostacy, the name of sorcerers,
with great propriety, and called their vile acts sor-
ceries, Rev. xviii. 23. because they were to resist
the truth in the very manner by which Pharaoh’s
magicians resisted Moses. Mackm. Gal. v. 20.
V. 14.—has been assured of] Macknight would
render it, “ with which thou hast been entrusted,’
from Gal. ii. 7. 1 Tim, i. 11. but he seems not to have
observed, that the verbs in those two passages are
from Tateiſeabat, which is of a different import.
étta rā9ms may be well expounded by the words of
St. Luke, Ch. i. 4. Öv Tiju do paxetav étréºyvos. Schl.
étuaró0m étrelatºn, êt)\ºpoqopmén. Hesych.
W. 15.-from a child] These words are generally
Juoted as an example and authority for early educa-
tion. Whitby. Doddr. Mackm. The Jews instructed
their children in the law at a very early age. Joseph.
II. c. Apion. et Philo de Leg. apud Rosenm.
V. 16. All scripture] traora Ypaq” (sc. Tów tepſov
2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV. 16]
typauldrov ex ver, 15.) Every writing of the holy
scriptures (i.e. of the Jewish canonical scriptures
before mentioned) is divinely inspired. Since the
Judaizers and their doctrines were so much dis-
couraged and reproved by the Apostle, some of the
Christians might have conceived unworthy motions of
the Jewish scriptures, and possibly these observations
were made by the Apostle, partly with a view of
correcting that error. Every Christian teacher,
moreover, is hereby reminded of the importance of
studying thoroughly the writings of the Old Tes-
tament, as being intimately connected with those of
the New. Luke xxiv. 27. Joh. v. 39. -
W. 17.—man of God] 1 Tim. vi. 11.
C H A P. IV.
This chapter contains an earnest exhortation to preach boldly,
and without favour or reserve. The Apostſe assures
Timothy of his own constancy, though in the near prospect
of death. He then alludes to many who had forsaken him,
and concludes with several private directions and saluta-
tions, and his usual benediction.
W. 2–in season, out of season ; In otio vel
negotio. Sirach. xxxviii. 24. 1 Macc. xi. 42. Grot.
Publickly and privately, by day and might, in times
of peace and of danger. Whitby. Benson. Doddr.
after Chrysost. The sense appears to be this :
* At all times, whether the season be peculiarly fitted,
or set apart, for it or not ; so that there should be no
regard to private convenience, and no appearance of
relaxation to suit the waywardness or obliquities
W 0 I, II, P:
162 2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. Iv.
of men.—Ita Senec. de Irã. I. 14. Corrigendus est
qui peccat, et admonitione, et vi, et molliter, et
asperé. Rosenm. Trávra kalpów éritºetov vöut{e tº
knpſyuar, kai év dvéaet &v kai év čequois, kai év yñ, ka?
&v 9axdaan. Schol. apud Matthaei.
V. 3.-heap to themselves] This has been justly
urged by many as a censure applicable to all those,
who withdraw from the appointed ministry, and
choose teachers for themselves. It is replied, that
these false disciples could not endure sound doctrine,
and selected corrupt preachers : And surely we
have always reason to dread the delusions of
ignorance, and the influence of private considera-
tions, whenever the appointment of a Christian
minister is abandoned to popular choice.
V. 4.—unto fables.] Not only to Jewish fables,
1 Tim. i. 3, 4. Tit. i. 14. but to every kind of fabulous
invention.
V. 5-of an evangelist, Eph. iv. 4.
V. 6.—to be offered, Phil. ii. 17. Elsner in loc.
This near prospect of death may lead us to suppose,
that this imprisonment of the Apostle's was not the
same as that mentioned by St. Luke, Acts xxviii.
So St. Peter foresaw his own approaching martyrdom.
2 Pet. i. 14. Benson.
V. 7.-I have fought] These two verses are
wholly agonistical. Hamm. See I Cor. ix. 24. sqq.
Phil. iii. 12. and Kypke in loc.
V. 8.—at that day; Whitby here remarks the
absurdity of the invocation of saints departed,
because they themselves will not meet with their
*2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV. | 63
recompence till the last day : This position he con-
firms by numerous quotations. Matt. xvi. 27. Luke xiv.
14. Rom. ii. 16. 1 Pet. iv. 13. v. 4. &c.
V. 10.-hath forsaken me. It does not follow,
that Demas had apostatized from the faith, only
that he had preferred his secular affairs, or perhaps
his personal safety, to the danger of remaining with
the Apostle.
This verse, in conjunction with the following,
affords a strong presumption, that the imprisonment,
under which this epistle was written, was different
from that which is recorded in the last chapter of the
Acts. For it appears from Philem. 24. Col. iv. 10, 11.
that Demas and Mark were then both with the
Apostle; and, on this occasion, neither of them were.
See Mackm. Pref. Sect. 1. Paley’s Hor. Paul. xii. 1.
Bp. of Lincoln's Christian Theology. P. II. Ch. xix.
§ 1. It is possible however, we must allow, that these
disciples might be with him at one period of his
imprisonment, and not at another; for he was under
confinement during “two whole years.” Acts xxviii.
30, at the expiration of which, it is not mentioned what
occurred to him. See ver, 20.
W. 11.-Mark, See 1 Pet. v. 13. The Apostle
had once been displeased with him. Acts xv. 38, 39.
W. 13. The cloak. It is not certain, either from
the commentators or lexicographers, what the Apos-
tle meant here by pe)\óvnv (or paixóvnv), which may
signify, 1. A cloak, being a corruption from pavóAmv,
Lat, poemulam. Beza. Grot. (after Chrysost. &c.)
Wolf. Wetst. Parkh. 2. A roll of writings, or
repository for books, which were often kept in a
linen wrapper. Hesych. ‘paixóvns. eixntáptov weaſºpačvov,
fi 'yxogadronov. Involucrum membranaceum, Hamm.
L 2
164 Q TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV.
Whitby. Benson, Schl. Rosenm. The context would
incline us to the former interpretation, because the
latter might be comprehended under the two follow-
ing clauses. And it is reasonable to suppose, that
the Apostle would desire his cloak in a prison at the
approach of winter, ver, 21. The words ud Atara Tós
aeuſ?pdvas may refer to td (33Xia. ‘Bring with you
(all the) books and writings, especially the parch-
ments.’ (33Xtov is used for a small writing, as well as
a book. Matt. xix. 7. Mark x. 4.
W. 14. Alexander] Probably the same as is men-
tioned in 1 Tim. i. 20. Acts xix. 33.
—the Lord reward] The Alexandrian and several
other MSS read here droëajoret (Syr. Vulg.). And
Hammond, Whitby, and others incline to that
reading, or, at least, to an interpretation from it,
* will or shall reward.” We need not suppose, how-
ever, that the Apostle used this form with any evil
or vindictive spirit, (which would ill agree with the
latter clause of ver. 16.), but merely as signifying,
that, instead of inflicting judgment himself, he would
leave the matter to the justice of God. Benson.
Rosenm. Točppnoſis éotiv, oik ap!. Schol. ut suprā.
See Rom. xii. 20.
V. 16.—my first answer] So called, because,
after he had made it, he was reserved in prison for
another hearing, Ch. i. 8. ii. 9. The Christians pro-
bably forsook the Apostle from a dread of the
cruelties of Nero, or his prefect Helius; one or both
of whom are supposed by many to be alluded to by
“ the Lion.” ver. 17. See Benson's History prefixed
to this epistle, p. 512. Thus, when Tiberius died,
Marsyus said to Agrippa, Téðunkev 3 Aéov. Joseph.
Amt. xviii. 6. 10. And thus Esther, of Artaxerxes,
&vartov toº X&ovros, Ch. iv. 17. Grot. Whitby, Wetst.
2 TIMOTHY. CHAP. IV. 165
Others, however, consider “ the mouth of the Lion ”
merely as a proverbial expression. Psal. xxii. 21.
Hamm. Wolf. Perhaps it was a proverbial expression
particularly applied.
V. 18.-for ever and ever.] This doxology,
addressed to the Lord Jesus, is in other passages
addressed to God the Father. Rom. xvi. 27. 1 Tim, i.
17. Mackn.
W. 19.-Priscal Rom. xvi. 3.
—of Onesiphorus.] Ch. i. 16–18.
W. 20.] The two circumstances, mentioned in
this verse, had evidently happened in some journey,
which St. Paul had taken not long before he wrote
this epistle, and since he and Timothy had seen each
other ; but the last time St. Paul was at Corinth and
Miletus, prior to his first imprisonment at Rome,
Timothy was with him at both places, Acts xix. 22.
xx. 4—17. And Trophimus could not have been
then left at Miletus, for we find him at Jerusalem,
immediately after St. Paul’s arrival in that city.
“For they had seen before with him in the city
Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that
Paul had brought into the temple.” Acts xxi. 29.
These two facts must therefore refer to some journey
subsequent to the first imprisonment, and consequent-
ly this epistle was written during St. Paul's second
imprisonment at Rome, and probably in the year 65,
not long before his death. Bp. of Lincoln on 2 Tim.
Paley's Hor. Paul. xII. This seems to be the strongest
argument in favour of the opinion of the Fathers,
who generally held that St. Paul was twice im-
prisoned at Rome. See Elsley's Annotations on this
epistle.
The Apostle appears to have mentioned the con-
166 2 TIM OTHY. CHAP. IV.
tinuance of Erastus at Corinth, and the sickness of
Trophimus, to shew why they were not present with
him, and not particularized in the salutation. Accord-
ing to tradition, the Apostle Peter was now in
Rome, and suffered martyrdom at the same time
with St. Paul. But since it is said “only Demas is
with me,” and in ver, 16. “ at my first answer no
one appeared with me,” also since St. Peter's saluta-
tion was not sent to Timothy, his being in Rome at
the time this letter was written may be doubted.
If he suffered martyrdom along with St. Paul, as the
antients affirm, he must have come to Rome after
this second epistle to Timothy was written. Mackn.
'I' H E E P T S T L E
TO
T IT U S.
C H A P. I.
After the general salutation, the Apostle states the reason of
his leaving Titus in Crete; and then describes the character
required of those, who bear office and authority in the
Church, desiring moreover that the Cretans might be
severely rebuked for their irregularities and ea cesses.
W. 1–an apostle] SEE 1 Tim. i. 1.
—according to kard may here signify for, in
order to,” as also at the end of this verse; thus 2 Tim.
i. i. Whitby. Doddr. Mackm. Rosenm.
— God’s elect," 2 Tim. ii. 10.
vº º v3 J
W. 2–before the world began ;] 2 Tim. i. 9.
V. 4.—Titus, It is remarkable, that there is no
mention made of Titus in the Acts (except in a few
copies of Ch. xviii. 7.). It appears from this passage,
that he was converted by St. Paul.
—our Saviour.] In the preceding verse this title
is given to the Father, as Ch. ii. 10. 1 Tim. ii. 3. iv. 10.
See also Ch. iii. 4, 6.
V. 5.- Crete, Formerly called Hecatompolis,
from its hundred eities (Hom. Il. 3. 649. Virg. AEm.
III. 106.), afterwards Crete, probably from its being
168 TITUS. CHAP. I.
peopled from that part of Palestine, which lies
on the Mediterranean, and is called by the Arabs
Keritha : the inhabitants of which the Hebrews
called Crethi, or Crethim, or Cherithim. (Kpºras
Lxx. Ezek. xxv. 16. Zeph. ii. 5.) In the English
translation they are commonly called Cherethites.
1 Sam, xxx. 14. 2 Sam. viii. 18. xv. 18. xx. 23. Mackn.
Pref. Strabo calls the Cretans Curetes. The modern
name of Crete is Candia, from its chief city, which
bears that name.
– elders] It appears that the word ºrpeg|30tepos
here, as étta cottos wer. 7, is of general import, in-
cluding the office of deacon as well as priest.
But this by no means disproves the Apostolic
origin of episcopacy. There was not, it is true, any
office in these early times, to which the word & Tiako-
Tros was exclusively applied: It is not, however, so
much the name as the authority which is contended
for : And it is plain from this very chapter, that
Titus himself was endowed with episcopal jurisdic-
tion, having been appointed “ to set in order the
things that were wanting, to ordain, and to rebuke.”
See Phil. i. 1, 1 Tim. iii. 1. v. 22. Also Whitby's
Preface to this Epistle, and Collyer's Sacred Inter-
preter, vol. II. “ Observations on the First and
Second Epistles to Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus,”
together with his remarks in Ch. x. Part II. It ap-
pears, that at the first conversion of the Cretans to
the faith, they had no bishops, or presbyters, set
over them, but had all their church-offices per-
formed by men, who were assisted by that Holy
Spirit, which God shed on them abundantly through
faith in Christ, Ch. iii. 6, though out of these,
bishops and deacons were usually chosen. Yet it is
observable, that things were then wanting—that this
was a deficiency in the Church. Whitby. Which
deficiency Titus had the sole authority to supply.
TITUS. CHAP. i. 169
• tº wº *. & e
—in every city, i. e. where there was a Christian
Church.
V. 6.--of one wife, See 1 Tim. iii. 2.
—faithful] Or believing. Doddr. Mackm.
W. 7.--a bishop] Several commentators maintain,
that értoºkotroy here demotes a different office from
Tpeogvrépovs, wer. 5. in which case the particle ydp
must have a continuative sense: But the natural
construction favours the opinion of Whitby, who con-
cludes (with Chrysost. Theodor. Jerome. CEcumen.
Theophyl.) that the names had in this, as in many
other instances, a common import.
—no striker, Some take the word TAſktmv in a
qualified sense, to signify a quarrelsome or litigious
person, or a vehement rebuker: Thus éritºns,
1 Tim. v. 1. Theodor. Theophyl. Benson. Pyle.
Schl.
W. 8.—hospitality, &c.] 1 Tim. iii. 2.
V. 10. — vain talkers] That this description
answers well to the Judaizing Christians, appears
from 1 Tim. i. 3–6. 2 Cor. xi. 20. And it is proba-
ble, as Macknight observes (Pref.), that the first
Christians at Crete were Jews. See Acts i. 5, 11.
W. 11–which they ought not, The things which
the false teachers, contrary to their conscience, in-
culcated for the sake of drawing money from the
Jewish converts, were, the necessity of obeying the
law of Moses in order to salvation, the efficacy of
the Levitical atonements to procure pardon for thogº
who continued in their sins, and the merit of being
descended from Abraham, whereby all his children
without exception, were thought entitled to eterma:
life. Mackn.
170 TITUS. CHAP. I.
W. 12.--a prophet] The word "popfrns was origi-
mally and properly applied by the heathens to a per-
son who interpreted sacred matters, or officiated in
sacred rites. Diod. Sic. I. 2. Dion. Halic. II. 73. Aris-
toph. Av. 974. Exod. vii. 1. (The preposition ºpé,
when compounded, does not always denote the proper
order of time, as Tportómut and Tpopépa', ‘ oratione
propomo’—‘ eloquor.’ And Tpopdo, or Tpéqſnut, is
capable of the same import. Schl.) And in this
sense the word frequently occurs in scripture;
though it is oftener used, with a reference to the
common etymology, of one who foretels distant
events. Since it was usual among the heathens for
divine subjects to be delivered in verse, Tpop fºrms
came to signify a poet, who spoke or wrote (as poets
were generally supposed to do) by a kind of inspira-
tion. The proper word was advtus, Plat. Tim. vol.
Ix. p. 392. Bipont. (wavreiſeo wouaa, Tpopatetſow §' éºydº.
Pind. Fragm.), but the other word was also used
Plat. in Charmid. vol. v. p. 150. Bipont. —-Wetst.
vol. 1. p. 239. Exod. xv. 20. 1 Sam. x. 5. Thus the
Latims called a poet vates, Virg. Ecl. Ix. 34. (cum
not. Heyn.) and propheta. Varr, Ling. Lat. vi. 3.
The Trpopſtºns here mentioned is probably Epimenides
(Glassius, p. 2075. Pol. Sym.), who answers exactly
to the double sense of the word, since he is called
dvºp 6eios, Plat. de Leg. I. I.-futura praesentiens, et
vaticinans per furorem. Cic. de Div. I. I. And the
Apostle might use the word merely in conformity
with the common appellation. Some have supposed
the poet to have been Callimachus, who begins a
line with Kpfires del pewa Tat. Hymn. ad Jov. 8.
But the verse proceeds very differently from that
which the Apostle has quoted; and Callimachus was
not a Cretan but a Cyrenian. There was a proverb
to this effect, and therefore the words might have
been used by many.—xpntt(eiv. To Jºe'ſéea 6ai, Suid,
\
TITUS. CHAP. I. I '71
Hesych. The Cretans were universally hated and
branded as liars by the other Greeks, because, as
Warburton remarks (Div. Leg. Book II. S. 4. vol. I.
p. 208. of his Works, 4to.), by pretending to shew in
their island the tomb of Jupiter, they made him no
more than a deified man, which was contrary to the
general persuasion. See Beza. Grot. Hamm. Whitby.
Calmet. Benson. Mackn. Schl.
—slow bellies.] Montani quoque venter adest
abdomine tardus. Juv. Sat. Iv. 107. Rosenm.
V. 14.—commandments of men, From ver, 15.
it appears, that the Apostle had in his eye the pre-
cepts of the Judaizers, concerning meats clean and
unclean ; which, though originally the precepts of
God, were now abolished under the Gospel. Mackn.
Rom. xiv. 20. 1 Cor. vi. 12, 13.
W. 15. Unto the pure] Unto Christians, who are
pure and upright, all sorts of meat are clean and
pure. Benson.
V. 16.-abominable, Luke xvi
1.
5
v w is ºw ºf 47 ºv ** * * * * * * .M. º.
© ... i. 4-
gives those very names to the unbelieving jewº,
which they were wont to give to the Gentiles, as
he does also, Phil. iii. 2. Rom. ix. 22. 1 Thess. ii.
15. 16. Whitby.
—reprobate.] Without any proof of goodness,
unable to stand the trial or test, disapproved and
condemned. 2 Tim. iii. 8. -
C H. A. P. II.
'itus is exhorted to press upon all ranks and conditions of men,
the necessity of faithfulness and diligence in their respective
stations; for the grace of God has appeared equally to all.
W. 2–aged men] HAMMond takes Tpeggºrms in
the sense of Tpeaſºrepos, to denote the office of
presbyter, because, 1. The directions here given
resemble those in 1 Tim. iii. 2. The word Tpeogº-
Tiêas in ver. 3. which is doubtless to be taken in a
similar sense, is applicable to those women who bore
office in the Church, 1 Tim. iii. 11. as appears from
the epithets teporpetreis, kaAoëlèaakdºxovs. Whitby,
however, and mest others agree with the received
translation. Thus Luke i. 18. Gºyd, yap eiut Tpeaſºſtºns
—and the word is properly opposed to vetotépovs in
ver. 6. as is also ſpeagºričas to véas in ver. 3, 4.
V. 5.—keepers at home, Domi manentes. Beza.
Castell. Non Teptepyouévas Tds oticias, utillae de qui-
bus I Tim. v. 13.
3/ P w * 3 y A W
Évêov Awevovaray ºrny ºyvvauk get Xpeov
éa 6Xijv. Eurip. Meleagr. apud Grot.
Domūs curam habentes. Vulg. Elsmer and others
would include both these significations, oikovpds &
ºppovtſov Tai too otrov, kal ‘pw)\dºttwy. Hesych.
V. 10. Not purloining, Nihil intervertentes.
Wolf. The verb voaçiçeobal, as applied to this
subject, properly signifies to keep back part of the
worth of a thing, and is used in the case of Amanias
withholding a part of his money, when the whole
TITUS. CHAP. II, 173
was pretended to be offered. Acts v. 2, 3. Servants,
at least among the heathems, might probably do this
when employed by their masters to vend commodities;
and other fraudulent practices, among persons of
their rank, were so common, that the same word
(fur) is used in the Latin language for a servant and
a thief. Doddr. Quid domini facient, audent cum
talia fures. Virg. Ecl. III. 16. See Heyne's mote in
loc.
W. 12.—this present world ;1 Here it is implied,
that the present world, in which we live, is a state
of probation for the future world; as is plain also
from ver, 13. Macku. Whitby has an excellent
practical mote on this verse.
W. 13.—glorious appearing] &ariq diveta is repeat-
edly applied to Christ, and never to the Father. Thus
2 Tim. i. 10. Sud Tºms éTuqavetas Tow orotnpos muðv 'Inarow
Xpta toº. Benson, however, and Macknight connect
this word 36&ns, with ‘the appearing of the glory of the
great God.” Luke ix. 26. Matt. xvi. 27. And in ver, 11.
we find &Teqjavn n x&pts Too €eoo. Thus also Ch. iii. 4.
Yet this is in opposition to the constant usage of the
word, when referring, as it does in this instance, to the
day of judgment; in such a case, it always denotes
the appearance of Christ. The Jews called Jehovah
“the great God,” Psal. lxxvii. 13. But we frequently
find the same expressions applied to Christ as to the
Father. See on Rom. ix. 5.
—the great God] From the absence of the
article before gotnpos we may conclude, that this
clause and the following respect the same person,
“Our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” See on
Eph. v. 5. Dr. Middleton. Whitby. Doddr. Mat-
thai shews, in a valuable note on this passage, that
the Greek Church understood it in the same sense.
174 TITUS. CHAP. III,
W. 14.—redeem] 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.
—a peculiar people, The sense of Aaos Treptoſatos
is similar to that of Aads els Tepatrołmatu in 1 Pet. ii. 9.
having reference to a peculiar possession, obtained
by some valuable consideration, or favour. Exod. xix.
5. Deut. vii. 6. xiv. 2. xxvi. 18. Psal. cxxxy. 4. See
Eph. i. 14. Treptoſatos' o éºykºrntos. Suid. Phav. Tept-
Trointos. Hesych. The full notion of it must be
fetched from the Hebrew Tºp peculium, proprium,
thesaurus, facultates, res cara. Hamm.
CHAP, III.
The Gospel requires obedience to authorities, meekness of temper,
and good works of every Rind, in opposition to those foolish
questions and profitless theories, which the Jews so much
encouraged. Some directions are added respecting heresy
—and others of a private nature.
W. 3.--we ourselves] It is observed by Whitby
and others, that the Apostle cannot intend to include
himself in this representation, because it would ill
accord with the favourable testimony which he bears
to his character, while a Jew. Acts xxiii. 1. Gal. i.
14, 2 Tim. i. 3. and therefore that he is merely
speaking in this form, in order to soften the severity
of his remark. And this was probably the Apostle's
main object ; though he might, as Doddridge main-
tains, have such views of the purity of God’s law,
and the imperfection of his own best obedience, as
not altogether to exclude himself from this general
description of the unconverted world.—The sentiment
in this passage is beautiful ; namely, that the recol-
lection of our own faults ought to make us equitable
TITUS. CHAP. III. 175
in judging of the faults of others, and prevent us
from passing severe sentences on them, when they
fall into sim. Mackn.
V. 4.—God our Saviour, Dr. Middleton refers
this to Christ, but such an interpretation does not
well agree with the latter clause of ver, 6.
V. 5.—saved us, Brought us into the way of
salvation. Rom. viii. 24. xi. 26.
—by the washing of regeneration,] By baptism,
which is “a sign of regeneration or new-birth,
whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive
baptism rightly are grafted into the Church ; the
promises of the forgiveness of sins, and of our adop-
tion to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are
visibly signed and sealed.” See the 27th Article of
our Church. In the Old Testament, the Israelites
are repeatedly spoken of as begotten by God, as his
children, his sons and daughters, which were born
unto him. Exod. iv. 22, 23. Deut. xiv. l. xxxii. 18,
19, &c. See Benson in loc, and Taylor's Key to the
Apostolic Writings, S. 15. 81. —Nothing can be more
irrelevant, than to argue, either from this verse or
ver, 7. that our own works have no part in the accom-
plishment of our salvation ; for though we cannot be
justified by works, it is not said that we shall finally
be saved without them ; though they are not a
meritorious cause, they are a necessary condition,
annexed by God himself to the promise of salvation :
They are the indispensable proof, and the sure
consequence of a true Christian faith. The Apos-
tle indeed, fearing, as it seems, a misunderstanding
or perversion of his doctrine, obviates it by his
strict injunction in ver, 8. See Ch. ii. 11–14. See
also Rom. iii. 28. James ii. 22.
W. 8.— good works: Hammond maintains, in a
176 TITUS. CHAP. III.
very learned note, that the phrase Kaxtov ćpyaw Tpoto-
Tao 6at may be interpreted of following some honest
labour or vocation’ in life, for that so the same
phrase signifies in ver, 14, according to our marginal
translation. But he has not shewn the necessity of
the words being so restricted in the present verse,
and the more extensively they are taken, the better.
In ver, 14, there is an additional phrase to limit and
explain them.—To prefer, to patronize, to excel in
good works. Benson. Pyle. To have them in com-
mand. Sic Plutarch. in Brut. Óatov kal Kaxtov Špywy
nºyeud was eival. Et in Pericl. épyaotas ov koa utov Tpot-
a Taoréal. Rosenm.
V. 9.—genealogics, and contentions, 1 Tim. i. 4.
2 Tim. ii. 16.
V. 10– an heretick, This word, which has
occasioned so much unnecessary discussion, may be
explained by Rom. xvi. 17, of one who causes divi-
sions and offences contrary to the doctrine of Christ,’
from whatever cause they may arise. (6 &AAo Ti
Trapd Tijv dAſíðetav AIPOYMENOX éxeiv. Hesych. * who
chooses to have some other opinion, or doctrine,
besides, or in opposition to, the truth.’ Hamm.) The
Judaizers separated themselves from motives of gain
or ambition.—The heretick is said in the next verse
to be self-condemned, by which we may understand,
either that he was condemned by his own conscience,
having wilfully and motoriously dissented from the
doctrines and regulations of the gospel ; or, that his
conduct manifestly carried along with it the sen-
tence of condemnation ; heresy being a virtual re-
nunciation of the true faith. He might be said
therefore, in some degree, to excommunicate him-
self. See Benson. Pyle. Also W. Law's Three
Letters to Bp. Hoadley on the subject of Church
Communion.
TITUS. CHAP. III. 177
W. 11.—is subverted.] #éarparrat, “is turned
aside, or away, from the truth.” Thus étriarpérat āk
Tms évroAñs. 2 Pet. ii. 21.
W. 12.- Nicopolis : ] There were cities of this
name in Macedonia, Pontus, and Epirus; the latter
was built in commemoration of the battle of Actium,
and L'Enfant supposes that this is the Nicopolis of
which the Apostle speaks, and that, while he win-
tered there, he visited his disciples in Illyricum.
Rom. xv. 19. But this is a matter of some uncer-
tainty. Doddr. These words made the author of
the postscript date this epistle from Nicopolis of
Macedonia; whereas they rather prove the contrary:
For he saith not “I have determined to winter
here,” but there; which shews that he was not yet
come thither. Whitby. Whichever be the place,
it is clear that St. Paul was not in prison when he
wrote this epistle. *
WOL. II. Mi
T H E E P T S T L E
TO
PHILEMO N.
Onesimus had run away from the service of Philemon, and
had done him some injury : He had repented however, and
been converted, and had shewn to St. Paul great kindness
in prison: The Apostle therefore, in this affectionate epistle,
entreats Philemon to forgive his servant, and receive him
again inlo favour.
V. l. — Philemon] HE was an inhabitant of
Colosse, as we may conclude from St. Paul’s men-
tioning Onesimus in his epistle to the Colossians as
“one of them,” Ch. iv. 9. as well as from his saluting
Archippus in this epistle, wer. 2, who appears from
Col. iv. 17, to have been a pastor of the Church at
Colosse. The title ‘fellow-labourer' in ver. 1. makes
it probable that he was St. Paul's colleague in the
ministry; and though we cannot certainly determine,
when he first embraced Christianity, it is evident
from the oblique insinuation in ver. 19. that he was
one of the Apostle's converts. Doddr. See Elsley on
this epistle.
W. 2.—Apphia,] Appia momen est Romanum ; ºr
mutatur in p more Hebræo. Grot. Some have con-
jectured that she was the wife of Philemon, and that
Archippus was his son. Rosenm.
PHILEMON. 179
— the church in thy house :] Rom. xvi. 5, 11.
I Cor. xvi. 19. In the house of Philemon. Benson.
V. 3.-and the Lord] Ex quo ostenditur, unam
Filii Patrisque esse naturam, cum id potest Filius
praestare quod Pater, et dicitur id Pater praestare
quod Filius. Hieron, in loc. Whitby.
V. 5.—thy love and faith, Here the Apostle uses
the figure called Synthesis (or transposition), for
faith is to be referred to Christ, and love to the
saints. So Col. i. 4. Matt. xii. 22. 1 Cor. vi. 11.
Whitby.
W. 6.—the communication of thy faith] i. e. to
others. So koivovia may properly signify. Rom. xii.
13. Gal. iv. 6, Mackm. Some interpret it, thy libe-
rality to others, flowing from thy faith.” Beza.
Hamm. Whitby. Wells. Castell. Hardy. But this is
neither a natural nor an apposite sense. It may be,
‘the communion of thy faith, i. e. the faith which
thou hast in common with us. Grot. Wetst. Benson.
Doddr. Rosenm. And it agrees better with the
scope of this epistle, to understand this passage of
the fruits of faith in Philemon himself, than of its
effect upon others.
W. 9.—the aged,. He was a young man at the
stoning of Stephen, Acts vii. 58. But yeavtas is a word
of some latitude, and might have been applied from
20 to 35 years, or even to 40. Whitby from Phav. If
we take it at 30, and suppose some little time to have
elapsed between the stoning of Stephen and Saul's
conversion, it will make the Apostle above 60 years
old when this epistle was written. But, after all,
there seems great probability in the conjecture of
Tpeaſłeſtºs here, adopted by Bentley. (Unless in-
M 2
180 PHILEMON.
deed ºrpeggºrms may have the same sense—ºrpéaſłvs
and Tpéageſ.rms both signify an ambassador,' Hesych.
and the expression is derived, like Tpeggſ repos a
priest,’ from the circumstance of men in years being
usually employed in such important offices. See
Benson in loc. who quotes from 2 Macc. xi. 34. and
some copies of 2 Chron. xxxii. 31. Also Elsley on
Acts vii. 58.) In this sense the word must be joined
with 'Inao, Xparo), ‘an ambassador, and now even
a prisoner of Jesus Christ;" which phrase very ap:
positely shews the authority of the Apostle, and
agrees with 2 Cor. v. 20. The phraseology, more-
over, of Eph. vi. 20. is exactly parallel–Jºrép of Tpeo-
£3évo ºv d\ſcret: And since this epistle was written
about the same time as that to the Ephesians, it was
natural that similar expressions should occur—Totov-
tos év Tpeafºeſt.ns, kai otºtos étos dicoſeabat. Theophyl.
Ita Schol. apud Matthaei.
V. 10– Onesimus, In the original this word
comes last in the passage, and adds to it great
beauty and force. Thus also déexpé, ver, 7. Doddr.
W. 11.—unprofitable, Ad Onesimi nomen (ab
&vnut) hic alludi non dubium est (sic etiam Gvat.unv
ver. 20.). Quando verö inutilem vocat Apostolus, non
tam inutilem quam noxium Philemoni fuisse, indi-
care videtur; ea dicendi ratione quam Graeci Airó-
TnTa vel évºpmſugudv appellant. Sic Xen. Mem. p. 720.
ed. Lutet. 1625. 8tt &v dxpetov fi ka? dvoºpe) és. Wolf.
It has been conjectured from this and ver. 18. that
Onesimus had been guilty of some dishonesty; and
Grotius observes, that stealing and desertion com-
monly go together. Thus Martial:
A pedibus didicëre manus peccare protervae,
Non miror furem, qui fugitivus erat,
See also on Tit. ii. 10.
PHILEMON. 18i
V. 15.—for ever;] did viov perpetually, for life,
never more to part.” Exod. xxi. 6. Deut. xv. 17.
1 Sam. i. 22. Comp. ii. 28. Whitby. Ita, “Serviet
aeternum.” Hor. I. Ep. x. 42. Schl. ubi plur. The
Apostle here made the same kind of apology for
Onesimus, which Joseph made for his brethren, Gen.
xlv. 5. The providence of God often brings good
out of evil. Mackn.
W. 16.—in the flesh, Either being related to him,
or of the same nation, or as being one of his family
—nām a dipë omnes res externas, statum externum
indicat. Rosenm. Dr. Wells appears to give the
true sense; “Both upon a civil account, as he will
be a faithful servant unto thee in thy common affairs,
and also upon a spiritual account, as being now a
brother Christian, a fellow-member of Christ.”
V. 18.—on mine account; Ita Cic. xv. 20. ad
Att. Id meis rationibus imputa—mihi expensum
feras. Rosenm.
- - - - - -
W. 19.--with mine own hand, It is uncertain,
whether the Apostle wrote the whole letter with his
own hand, or only this part which expressed the
promise of payment. The latter is more probable.
wael Aeyev Tpós daſhdºeiau, &T droëdiate rô xpéos
tºuéxetpa Tetrołnka Tö 'Ypduaata. Schol. ut suprā.
—thine own self] Though Philemon owed to
the Apostle his conversion, his spiritual life, yet
rather than solicit pardon for Onesimus on account
even of that immense obligation, he himself engaged
to pay what was due ; hereby shewing his generous
and noble spirit, and establishing the doctrine of
restitution for wrong. Mackm.
W. 20. Yea. The Greek val, in conformity with
182 PHILEMON.
the Hebrew 8) from which it is derived, is frequently
used as a particle of intreating, and so it seems most
agreeable to the Apostle's design to understand it
here. Wells. -
—refresh my bowels] dug travorov–Set at rest my
anxiety on this head—give me the comfort and joy
of finding that he is received again.
W. 22.—a lodging :] Some hired house or apart-
ment, as appears from Acts xxviii. 23. 30. Schl.
—through your prayers] In most of his epistles
St. Paul desires the prayers of his brethren, but
never in any one instance the prayers of angels, or
of departed saints. Whitby.
W. 23.-salute thee]. Istae salutationes persimiles
sunt iis, quas in extremâ ad Colossenses epistolà
legimus. Rosenm.
O N
T H E E P E S T L E
TO THE
HE BREWS.
MANY doubts have been entertained respecting
the author of this important epistle. Macknight
has collated and illustrated the arguments which
have been advanced on this subject, with great
judgment and perspicuity; and it will perhaps appear,
by extracts from his preface, in conjunction with a
few other remarks, that the composition has not
without reason been attributed to St. Paul.
We are informed by the antients themselves, that
they were led to doubt the genuineness of this epistle
from three circumstances. i. The want of the
writer's name at the beginning of it, and throughout
the whole epistle. 2. The elegance of the style, in
which it is written. 3. Some expressions in the
epistle itself, which they thought unsuitable to the
character of an Apostle.
I. Though the writer's name is not mentioned, the
persons to whom it was addressed could not be at a
loss to discover who he was, as is plain from Ch. x. 34.
xiii. 18, 19. And in Ch. xiii. 23. the author calls
Timothy row dºexpov, which not only agrees with the
character of St. Paul, but also with his manner
of expression in 2 Cor. i. 1. Col. i. 1. Philem. 1.
1 Thess, iii. 2 in three of which passages
is called 3 déexpós, without the addition of a pronoun,
I ; v. a 4 || --
_l * . . . . . . . . y
*
184 HEBREWS.
which is used in the latter passage rather in oppo-
sition to roº Beow.—It is contended by Whitby,
Wolf, and others, that St. Peter alludes to the epistle
to the Hebrews in 2 Pet. iii. 15. If this were
certain, the matter would of course be placed beyond
dispute ; but it only amounts to probability at most,
and is strongly opposed by Michaelis.--This is not the
only epistle of the sacred canon, in which the writer's
name is not mentioned, for the same is observable of
the three epistles of St. John : It is true, however,
that every epistle, which has been universally
acknowledged as St. Paul’s, bears his name at the
very beginning. But there were peculiar reasons
for the omission of it in the epistle to the Hebrews.
1. He does not argue from any authority of his own,
but proves the truth of Christianity by an appeal to
the Jewish Scriptures. 2. He was kar’ &#oxºv the
Apostle of the Gentiles, and as such not generally
acceptable to the Jews. Acts xxi. 21. The mention
of his name therefore, instead of inviting attention
or conciliating respect, would rather have had an
opposite tendency : He speaks to them in mild and
softening language, Ch. xiii. 18–22. When he
gave advice and directions to a friend, or corrected
the irregularities of a Church, which he had modelled,
there was a manifest propriety in the inscription of
of his name : But when he was writing to the whole
body of Jewish believers (at least all those who
were in Palestine. Michael.), the case was most
materially different.—Thus St. John, in addressing
the seven Churches of Asia, begins with his name,
Rev. i. 4. but his epistles, being general, contain no
allusion to his own office or authority. Dr. Wells
remarks, that St Peter was constituted “ the Apostle
of the circumcision.” Hereupon St. Paul, not only
in the beginning of this epistle omits mentioning his
Apostolical authority, or so much as his name, but all
HEBREWS. 185
along the same is very careful to express himself
after such a manner, as might not carry in it any air
of authority (for this might have made the Hebrews
to have looked upon him as assuming, and no other
than, in St. Peter's language, dAXorpioetiakotros), but
might only testify the great affection and sincere
concern of one, who pretended to no right to com-
mand them, as their Apostle, but only to advise them
as their true spiritual friend. Thus in the last
chapter of this epistle, ver, 22. “I beseech you,
brethren, suffer the word of exhortation.” Ita Schol.
apud Matthaei.
II. With regard to the style of the epistle to the
Hebrews, though it is singularly beautiful, it has
never been shewn to be so superior to that of
St. Paul’s other writings, as to prove that it came
from another hand. The styles of the epistles to
the Ephesians, the Colossians, and Philemon, have
been not unjustly compared with it: Of the former,
even Grotius himself, who has built much upon this
argument, speaks in the following terms—rerum
sublimitatem adaquams verbis sublimioribus, quâm
ulla unquam habuit lingua humama. And if the
Apostle, in writing to the Hebrews, has in some
instances expressed himself in purer Greek, it is not
more than we might have expected from his longer
acquaintance with the language, and his natural
concern to render this epistle as unobjectionable as
possible, to the unfriendly and fastidious ears for
which it was designed.—Grotius, with several of the
antients, assigns this epistle to St. Luke ; principally
on account of some Greek words being used in a
sense, which they do not bear in St. Paul's other
epistles, but which are found in that sense in
St. Luke's writings. Now, if we allow this to be
true, Grotius's conclusion by no means follows. For
the use of a few words in an uncommon sense does
186 HEBREws.
not constitute what is called a writer's style. Besides,
Hallet has shewn, in his Introduction to Peirce's
paraphrase and notes on the Hebrews, that the
epistle contains several words, used in an uncommon
sense, which are not found in St. Luke's writings,
but which St. Paul, in his other epistles, has used in
that sense. Wherefore, if in the former case it is
argued, that St. Paul was not the author of the epistle
to the Hebrews, it may in the latter case be argued,
with equal reason, that St. Luke was not the author.
The truth is, as Hallet observes, that there is nothing
in the argument either way—nothing, at least, which
can weigh against positive testimony.
It is a very antient opinion, that this epistle was
originally written by St. Paul in Hebrew, and early
translated into Greek, probably by St. Luke. Thus
Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, and Jerome. Wide
Euseb. Hist. III. 33. VI. 13. 24. Hieron. in Paul. The
testimony of these Fathers has been less regarded,
because it seems to have been given, not as a matter
of tradition, but of private conjecture, founded on
the difference of style. And no one pretends to
have seen the epistle in Hebrew. It appears that
many formed this motion, from supposing it requisite,
in an address to the Hebrews, to use the Hebrew
language. But such was not the case: For when
the Apostle wrote, the Greek language was under-
stood and even commonly spoken, not only in Judea,
but throughout the whole Roman empire: A writing,
therefore, in that language would be more generally
useful. Accordingly, the epistle to the Romans was
written, not in Latin but in Greek. So, says Whitby,
of the gospel of St. John ; his first epistle also, and
the catholic epistles of James, Peter, and Jude, were
written to Jews, and yet were written in Greek,
which was the vulgar tongue. Other arguments are
adduced to favour the originality of the Greek copy.
HEBREWS. H.87
1. Most of the quotations from the Old Testament
are not from the Hebrew, but from the Lxx, accord-
ing to St. Paul's usual mammer of quoting. There
are some passages indeed, as Dr. Wells observes,
which are not to be found in the Hebrew Bible, but
which do occur in the Lxx. e. g. Ch. i. 6. x. 5.
2. Many of the Hebrew names are interpreted.
3. There are several paranomasias (or Greek words
of like sound) designedly p
ly placed near each other,
which, in the opinion of Spanheim and Weststein,
prove the point in question. These remarks shew,
at least, that our present copies are not a literal
translation from the Hebrew.—It was the opinion
of Origen, that the sentiments were the Apostle's,
but that the language and composition were the
work of another person. Wide Hom. in Ep. ad Hebr.
Tom. Iv. p. 698.—Lardner conjectured, “ that St.
Paul dictated the epistle in Hebrew, and that another
who was a great master of the Greek language,
immediately wrote down the Apostle's sentiments in
his own elegant Greek.” But it will presently appear,
that there are numerous particularities in the epistle,
which render these conjectures improbable.
III. As to the expressions in Heb. ii. 1. 3. xii. 1.
which have been thought unworthy of an Apostle,
we need only answer, that St. Paul frequently joins
himself with the persons whom he is addressing, for
the purpose of engaging their affections, or of
softening an unfavourable allusion. Eph. ii. 3. Tit. iii.
3. Thus I Pet. iv. 3. The objection, taken by
Grotius and Le Clerc, from Heb. ii. 3. respecting
the gospel being confirmed by witnesses (and not
originally revealed) unto the writer of the Hebrews,
has but little weight. For St. Paul very commonly
appealed to eye witnesses in confirmation of the
truths which had been revealed to him. Acis xiii. 30,
31. 1 Cor. xv. 5–8, 2 Tim. ii. 2. (thus, I Pet. i. 12.
I88 HEBREws.
Jude 17.) And by us, in Heb. ii. 3. he rather meant
the Jews than himself. It would have been useless
for him to have appealed, on this occasion, to the
extraordinary revelation which had been made to
him, because it would have been little regarded by
the Jews. See also Dr. Wells on this passage.
It remains for us to consider some of the positive
arguments, in favour of this epistle having been
written by St. Paul. I. The most antient, and by far
the most general tradition of the Church has directly
confirmed this opinion. See the Fathers above quoted;
whence it will appear that Origen, the disciple and
successor of Clement at Alexandria, speaks of it as a
tradition handed down by the antients. “And since
this tradition, says Hallet, was antient in the days of
Clement and Origen, it must have had its rise in the
days of St. Paul himself, and so cannot reasonably
be contested. Clement flourished about A. D. 192. i. e.
about 130 years after the epistle was written. Origen
flourished in the beginning of the third century.”
See Lardner on these remarks of Hallet, vol. III. on
the Canon; and Theodoret’s Preface to the Hebrews.
II. The manner of writing bears a great similarity
to that of St. Paul's other epistles, with regard to
brevity, abruptness, and elliptical forms of speech.
We may also find reasonings addressed to the
thoughts of the reader, and answers to objections
not proposed ; instances of which are frequent with
St. Paul. III. The very extensive and wonderful
knowledge of the Jewish scriptures, and of all
subjects connected with them, agrees well with the
character of St. Paul, who was “brought up at the
feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect
manner of the law of the Fathers.” Acts xxii. 3. and
“profited in the Jews religion above many of his
equals.” Gal. i. 14. IV. In this epistle there are
many sentiments and expressions, which occur in
HEBREWS. 189
the undoubted writings of St Paul. Compare Heb. i.
2. with Col. i. 15, 16.-Heb. ii. 7. with Phil. ii. 8–10.
—Heb. v. 12. with 1 Cor. iii. 2.-Heb. viii. 1. xii. 2.
with Eph. i. 20–Heb. x. 1, with Col. ii. 17—Heb. x.
33. with I Cor. iv. 9.--Heb. xiii. 16. with Phil. iv. 18.
—In Heb. x. 30. the words “ saith the Lord” are
added to the quotation, which are neither in the
Lxx nor the Hebrew : The same is observable in
Rom. xiv. 11. 2 Cor. vi. 17. Compare also Heb. xiii.
20. with Rom. xv. 33. xvi. 20. 2 Cor. xiii. 1 1. Phil. iv.
9. 1 Thess. v. 23. 2 Thess. iii. 16.-In Heb. xii. 1, 2,
3. 12. there is a beautiful allusion to the athletic
exercises, to which there are many similar allusions
in St. Paul's epistles. Other instances of peculiarity
are compared in Mackmight. See also Mill's Prolegom.
and Whitby's Preface.
Upon the whole, then, we have the strongest
reason to believe, as well from internal as historical
evidence, that the epistle to the Hebrews was written
by St. Paul; and the style of it, though differing
in some respects from his other writings, yet bears
very striking marks of the Apostle's pen, and there-
fore furnishes a considerable argument in favour of
the epistle having been written by him in Greek:
But there are some most distinguished modern critics,
who still hold a contrary opinion. See Hallet and
Michaelis; also Nolan’s ‘ Inquiry’ pp. 230—238.
And certainly, though the Greek language, in the
first century, was generally understood, yet the
prejudiced and half-converted Jews might be more
likely to receive such an address, if written in their
vernacular tongue. Still it should be observed, as
above, that this epistle abounds not only with the
same sentiments, but also with the same modes of
expression, which frequently occur in the com-
positions of St. Paul ; and hence it is probable, if
the epistle was originally written in Hebrew, that
190 HEBREWS. CHAP. I.
it was translated by the Apostle himself, for the use
of the Gentile converts, or, to say the least, that
he superintended and corrected the translation.—
In conclusion we may remark with Mr. Nolan, that
the most strenuous oppugners of this epistle have
not disputed, that it constituted a part of the
Canon; and this, after all, is the main point of
consideration.
C H A P. I.
The Apostle begins with asserting the connection between the
two covenants, the old and the new, and explaining the
exalted nature and character of the Son of God.
V. 1.--at sundry times, OR in sundry parts,
or portions.” Peirce. Pyle. Revelations having been
made in all the different ages of the world.
—in divers manners, In a cloud, fire, a still
breath; by visions, dreams, a voice from heaven;
and by the Holy Spirit speaking in the prophets.
2 Pet. ii. 21. Whitby. Grot. Rosenm. In types and
figures, significant actions and dark sayings, as well
as in plain language. Mackm. étrº éaxatov Töy liuépôv.
Wells. Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb. 2 Pet. iii. 3.
W. 2–heir of all things, i. e. Lord or proprietor
of all things. Gal. iv. 1. Col. i. 15. Acts 10. 36. KAn-
povówos & Xptatós, ovk as Geós dAN as āv6poros' kal
muels avºyºAmpovéuot Xplotov. Schol. apud Matthaei.
We cannot desire a fairer comment upon these
words, than that of the Socinians. “ Christ is made
heir of all things in heaven and earth, yea of heaven
and earth itself—heir and lord of all angels, and all
HEBREWS. CHAP. [. 19}
men, living and dead; by which words is signified
the highest excellency and divinity, and, as it were,
the unity of Christ with God, though with diversity.”
Crellius in loc. And it seems as impossible to un-
derstand, how a man should have this empire over
all things in heaven and earth, and over death itself,
and yet be a mere man, as it is to understand any
mystery of the sacred Trinity. Whitby.
—by whom Propter quem. Grot. But Sid in
this sense, is very seldom followed by a genitive case.
The received translation gives the true meaning:
See Ch. ii. 10, which affords a curious and apposite
instance of the construction of this preposition, both
with a genitive and an accusative case.
—the worlds ; Many would render &iſovas the
ages.” But 1. this is not well adapted to the verb
étroimaev. 2. In Ch. xi. 3. Toijs duovas denotes the
material world. Comp. Joh. i. 3. 2 Pet. iii. 5. and
ver. O. of this chapter. The primitive Fathers, as
Whitby shews by numerous quotations, held that
the world was formed by Christ. Thus Peirce.
Rosenm. and Dr. Magee, Illustr. Nº. 1. Dr. Wells
adopts the former version, but infers from it the
latter sense. And thus Hardy : Et Saecula fecit,
i. e. durationem omnem creatam ; quicquid usquam
unquam extitit, extat, aut extabit. See also Nares on
the ‘Improved Version.’ p. 112, sqq.
W. 3.- the brightness] dºra'ſ yagua: Either a
shining forth from, an effulgence (n\tov ºpéry'yos.
Hesych. KAgapis. Suid. Phav.). Or ‘an image of,’
as it were reflected by a glass (thus drºxnua ‘reflec-
tio somi.") In this latter sense, it agrees remarkably
with the use of the word in Solomon’s description of
wisdom—d traºyao wa yap éart q}otos diotov, kal &a-or-
Tpov dºmxtówrov Tris Too Beow évépyelas, kai étköv rºs
dyabátºros at ro5. Wisd. vii. 26. So Christ is called
192 HEBREWS, CHAP. I.
in Col. i. 15. eikºv Toº €eoſ, row dopdºrov, in whom all
the perfections of the Godhead appear. Joh. i. 14.
Rom. i. 23. Phil. ii. 6. In the Nicene Creed he is
called “Light of Light.” See also Suic. Schl. The
Apostle designed to teach the Hebrews, or at least
to put them in mind, that our Saviour was that
person of the Godhead, who appeared so often to
their Fathers in glory, or in that glorious light which
they called the Shechimah, i. e. the glory wherein
God in a peculiar manner dwells. See Exod. xvi. 7.
10. xxiv. 16, 17. xl. 34, 35. Wells.
—the express image of his person, xapakrºp rºs
Jarooſtdorews avtoo, ‘The exact representation of his
substance and properties, as if expressed by an en-
graving, or an impression of a seal’—öuotov kata Tavra.
kat' ovatdy. Chrysost. Schl. See Whitby, and the
notes subjoined to the Second Part of Scott's Chris-
tian Life, where there are many similar quotations
from Philo and others.
—upholding] The Hebrew 8tº signifies either
to bear or to rule, and from the latter sense it is that
sºv) is the ordinary word for a prince. Agreeably
to this, ºpépov (according to the rendering of 8ty) in
Numb. xi. 14. Deut. i. 9.) may signify ruling, or
governing, denoting the regal power of Christ, to
which he is advanced by the resurrection. Hamm.
Grot. Whitby. ov yap advov to Trávra retroinkev, d\\d
kai tºwel Kai kvſłepvá. Schol. ut supra. Kućepv6v 8ta-
Tºrtovºro. avºykpatet. Chrysost. Schl. Sic Philo in Hib.
de nom. mut. p. 1084. ed. 1640. Távta péptov orovčaia
ô Đeós. Rosenm.
—by the word] Ch. xi. 3.
—of his power,II avrov may refer either to the
Son or the Father, but more probably to the latter, as
agreeing with the sense of the same pronoun just
before, and as being opposed to €avrov which follows.
Peirce.
HEBREWS. CHAP. I. 193
—purged our sins, Levit. ix. 15. xvi. 30. Job i. 5,
vii. 21.—See I Tim. ii. 5.
—at the right hand] Eph. i. 20. “Sede ad dex-
tram,” Messiae dicitur, et angeli ad sinistram. R.
Obadias in Psal. cx. Wetst.
W. 4.—a more excellent name] The mame of Son,
as appears by the following verse—by which we
may understand mot only title, but authority and
superior excellency. Phil. ii. 9. Eph. i. 21. Whitby.
Wells. The Jews gloried exceedingly in the law
of Moses, on account of its having been given by
the ministry of angels. Deut. xxxiii. 2. Acts 7. 53.
Gal. iii. 19. Mackm. The Jewish doctors allowed,
that Isaiah in Ch. lii. 13. predicted the exaltation of
the Messiah. Hamm. Kek\mpovčankev accepit, sor-
titus est;’ vel etiam habet, possidet. Rosenm. KAmpo-
vowelv non tantùm est hareditatis jure, sed quocum-
que modo consequi, Raphel. ex Polyb.
V. 5.— Thou art my Son, R. Solomon here
saith, “Our Masters have interpreted all that is
written in this Psalm of the King Messiah.” Whitby.
There was a great propriety and force in pressing
upon the Jews those arguments, of which they ac-
knowledged the validity. St. Peter applies the first
three verses of this Psalm to Christ, Acts iv. 25. and
this very passage is cited in Acts xiii. 33. to shew that
God declared Jesus to be the Messiah by his resur-
rection from the dead. So Rom. i. 4. That he was
called the Son also before his resurrection, appears
from Luke i. 35. Joh. iii. 16, 17. Mackn.
—I will be &c.] These words are often referred
to 1 Chron. xxii. 8, 10. xxviii. 6, 7, but those passages
respect David and Solomon, and do not agree with
the order of the words. It is better, therefore, to
refer them to the revelation made unto Nathan,
V () L. II. N
$94 HEBREWS. CHAP. I.
2 Sam. vii. 4—17. 1 Chron. xvii. 4—15. which texts
not only agree with the order of the words, but pro-
perly belong to the Messiah. Mackm, after Whiston
and Peirce.
V. 6. And again, The position of TráAw here
shews that it should be taken with the following
sentence: ' And when, again, he bringeth &c.” It
may either mean when he speaks in another place
of bringing &c.’ Schl. (which accords with the use
of Trºuv just before;) or it may be, when he shall
the second time introduce his first-born or first-be-
gotten, viz. at the resurrection. Peirce. God was
said to beget Christ when he raised him from the
dead, Psal. ii. 7. Acts xiii. 33. Heb. v. 5. Whitby.
Doddr. Mackn.
—first-begotten] Col. i. 15.
—let all the angels. The exact words are found
in Deut. xxxii. 43. (LXX.) The beginning of which
verse the Apostle elsewhere applies to the Messiah.
Rom. xv. 9, 10. But since this passage does not
occur in the Hebrew, it is generally referred to
Psal. xlvii. 7. where the kingdom of Christ is fore-
told. Peirce. Rosenm. See Phil. ii. 9—11. Yet pos-
sibly St. Paul may in this instance, as he generally
does, quote from the LXX.
W. 7.-his angels spirits, Many would translate
Trvewaara “winds;’ thus Joh. iii. 8. and it does agree
better with the words Tupós pX&ºya in the following
clause, and with Psal. civ. 4. Giving them no higher
titles than those of his messengers and ministers,
and shewing their efficacy and swiftness in doing his
commandments, and hearkening to the voice of his
words, by comparing them to the winds and fire.
The common version, however, is suitable to the use
of Tveiſaata in ver. 14. Whitby,
HEBREWS. CHAP. i. 195
V. 8–Thy throne, O God, Psal. xlv. 6, 7. Ac-
cording to some commentators it should be, ‘God is
thy throne.” Grot, Wakefield. Rosenm. But this
sense offers violence to the construction, and is a
phrase, as Wetstein himself observes, wholly un-
known in scripture. See Dr. Middleton in loc. The
Lxx always express the vocative by 3 Geós. Psal. xl. 8.
(Heb. x. 7.) lvi. 12. et passim. And this agrees with
the phraseology of St. Luke; Ch. i. 32, 33. Lament.
v. 9. The same mode of interpretation is required in
ver. 9. ‘Wherefore, O God, thy God hath anointed
&c.” These two passages, thus constructed, convey a
direct assertion of the Divinity of the Son.
—of righteousness] Rather, of equity: The word
righteousness more properly answers to ducatorium,
(as in the verse immediately following,) which,
strictly speaking, is of a very different import from
ev6/rns, and relates rather to a subject’s living in
obedience to the laws, than a king's governing by
them. Wells. AEquitatis et Justitiae. Hardy. Ita
Vulg.
Some have supposed, that this forty-fifth Psalm
was composed concerning Solomon's marriage with
Pharaoh’s daughter. But could Solomon with any
propriety be addressed by the title of God? Or could
it be said of him, that his kingdom, which lasted only
forty years, was eternal 2 It was not even perpetual
in his posterity. And with respect to his “loving
righteousness, and hating iniquity,” it but ill applies
to one, who, in his old age, became an encourager
of idolatry, through the influence of women. Fur-
ther, since Solomon's marriage with Pharaoh’s
daughter was expressly condemned as contrary to
the law (1 Kings xi. 2.), to suppose that this Psalm
was composed in honour of that event, is certainly
an ill-founded imagination. . . . Estitis informs us,
that the Rabbins in their commentaries affirm, that
H96 H. EB HEW 8. UHAP. I.
this Psalm was written wholly concerning the Mes-
siah. Accordingly, they translate the title of the
Psalm, as we do, “A song of Loves,” (dön virép row
dyatſtov. Lxx. Pro dilecto. Vulg.) a title justly
given to the Messiah, whom God by voices from
heaven declared “ his beloved Som.” Besides, it
does not appear that Solomon had any children by
Pharaoh's daughter—at least he was succeeded by
Rehoboam, son of Naamah, 2 Chron. xii. 13. And
so far was he from being able to set up sons to rule
over other countries, that it was with great difficulty
that his successors kept two tribes of the twelve sted-
fast to them. From all which Peirce concludes,
that “certainly a greater than Solomon is here.”
Mackm.
W. 9.—God, even thy God, See ver, 8.
—the oil of gladness] This is merely figurative,
alluding to the custom of anointing kings, priests,
and prophets.
—above thy fellows.] Above all angels or men,
who have been invested with similar authority. ačro-
Xot jue's kał Kowavoi, où Tºs BeóTºrros, dAAd Tns div6ow-
Tórntos' ot/Ta, ka? To Tris Tateivaja ea's muſov atopa weta-
axnuatic et a ſuuopºpov Tó aduate Tris 86āns avtov, ow ydp
This 6.e0tnros. Schol, ut suprā.
V. 10. And, Thou, Lord, Psal. cii. 25–27. Some
think this was addressed to the Father, and not to
the Son. But as the former passages are directed
to the Son, it is reasonable to suppose that this is so
likewise; especially as it would not have been to the
Apostle's purpose to quote it here, if it had been ad-
dressed to the Father. By affirming that these
words were spoken of the Son, the Apostle confuted
the opinion of those Jews, who held that the angels
assisted in making this mundane system—an error,
HEBREWS. CHAP, I. 197
which was afterwards maintained by some hereticks
in the Christian Church. Mackm. Pierce, however,
understands Kºple of the Father, supposing a refe-
rence to the angels, from ver, 7. and including ver.
8, 9. in a parenthesis. -
W. 11–thou remainest; Some copies read the
verb with a circumflex, ‘ thou shalt remain.” Bengel.
Wetst. Permanebis. Vulg. The context furnishes
no sufficient argument against the verb being in the
present tense; for thus the expression would answer
to the clause “ thou art the same.” ver. 12. But in
the Hebrew, Dr. Wells remarks, the original word
is in the future.
W. 12.—fold them up, 3X&etc. Thus the Lxx.
According to the Hebrew it should be d\X&ºets, which
Some copies have, as agreeing better with dAXayń-
govta. Vulg. Iren. Tertull. Wells. Bowyer. And so
the English Version of Psal. cii. 27. The expression
alludes to the frequent changing of one garment for
another : In like manner, we are led by St. Peter to
expect “a new heavens and a new earth.” 2 Pet.
iii. 13. Hamm. Mackn.
W. 13.—sit on my right hand, Psal. cx. 1. Whitby
shews, by many passages from the Jewish writings,
that this Psalm was generally understood of the
Messiah : And thus Christ himself testified, Matt.
XXii. 43.
—thy footstool ') Orientis regibus solemne fuisse.
hostium cervices pedibus calcare, constat ex Jos.
x. 24. Idem in Valerianum Imperatorem egit Per-
Sarum rex Sapor—“incurvato eo, pedem cervicibus
ejus imponens, equum conscendere solitus.” Aurel.
Victor. Epit. xxxiii.--Wolf
198 HEBREWS. CHAP. II.
W. 14. Are they not &c.] Psal. xxxiv. 7. xci. 11,
ciii. 20, 21. Dan. vii. 10. Matt. xviii. 10.
—ministering spirits, “Do they not all, in their
spiritual nature, minister in behalf of them,’ &c.
Are they not all obedient to the same divine power,
and subject to be so employed. This remark is
general, as to the ministry of angels, and cannot be
taken to shew that each individual has a guardian
angel assigned to him ; though such a doctrine was
held by the Fathers. Peirce. The subjection and
ministry of angels may also be inferred from Phil. ii.
10. Eph. i. 21. I Pet. iii. 22. Mackn.
CHAP. II.
This chapter shews the superior claims of the gospel, and con-
tains an answer to the objections which had been made to
Christ, on the ground of his humiliation. (Joh. v. 18. vii.
27. x. 33. xii. 34.)
V. 1–let them slip.] IN this sense, the verb
must have the force of the Hebrew conjugation
Hiphil. Ne dilabamur ut aqua quae inutiliter effluit.
Prov. iii. 21. Grot. Lest at any time ‘we should
run out,’ as leaky vessels. Eng. Marg. Thus perfluo
is used, Ter. Eun. I. 2. and effluo, Cic. Ep. ad Fam.
vii. 14. Peirce. Ne quando praeterfluamus. Bos.
Kypke. But the meaning may be lest we fall
away.” Hamm. Whitby. Thus Elsner quotes from
Chrysostom, anitore, ºpnal, Tapajévôuev, tov.Téo Tu, un
droxdaeba, wn ékºréateuevº kai čeſkvvatv čvtaú6a Tó êſa-
koxov tºs ékTTégeos, Štt öſakoxov to Tapappuèv TáAtv
étravex0eiv, ka96tt &k pabuuics Towto avvé9m.
W. 2.-the word) i. e. the law.—In Ch. i. i.
II EBREWS. CHAP. If. }99
God is described as speaking by his prophets, here
as speaking by his angels, through whose ministration
the law was given. Deut. xxxii. 2. Acts vii. 53.
Gal. iii. 19. Whitby has an excellent note here and
wer. 5. on the service of angels.
—transgression and disobedience] Every wilful
transgression. Ch. v. 2. ix. 7. Wells. Transgression
is the leaping over the bounds, which the law hath
set, by doing the things it forbids: Disobedience
is the refusing to do the things which it requires.
Mackin. The opposition is more strongly marked in
the original —Tapá6aqis denotes an actual transgres-
sion—trapakoń may imply a refusal to hearken to the
commandments of God; though it is sometimes used
in a more extensive sense. 2 Cor. x. 6.
W. 3–began Rather, ‘having been begun
—which, having been spoken and declared at the
beginning, &c. (Sic Philo de Vit. Mosis, T. II. 93.
ed. Mangey, Tºv dipxñu Too Yevéa bat \agöv ću Atºyºttº.
Wetst, ubi plur.) Though the covenant was originally
made with Abraham, and had been spoken of by the
prophets, it was never clearly revealed till the coming
of Christ.
—confirmed unto us] The Apostle is alluding to
the Jews, with whom he classed himself, in order to
soften their prejudices. See Pref. Obj, 3.
W. 4.—Signs and wonders, &c.] These were
wrought by Moses also, Deut. xxiv. II. anuela kai
Tépata, kal &vvduets, conjunguntur, ut indicetur magni-
tudo et varietas miraculorum, ut Act. ii. 22. Rosenm.
—of the Holy Ghost, This was the point in
which the teachers of the gospel were so superior to
those of the law.
V, 5–the world to come, The kingdom of the
200 HEBREWS, CHAP. II.
Messiah, which extends not only to earth but to
heaven. Doddr. The Gospel dispensation, says
Macknight, is called atóvos aéXXovros, Heb. vi. 5. but
mever Tºv oikovuéumv Tiju uéAXovo av, which may pro-
perly signify the heavenly country, promised to
Abraham and to his spiritual seed. God hath not
put the heirs of salvation, who are to inhabit the
world to come, the heavenly Canaan, in subjection to
angels, to be by them conducted into that world, as
the Israelites were conducted into the earthly Canaan
by an angel. Exod. xxiii. 20. (See Whitby.) They are
only ministering spirits, sent forth by the Son to
minister for the heirs of salvation, but not to conduct
them. The heirs, who are to inhabit the world to
come, God hath put in subjection to the Son alone :
Hence he is called “ the captain of their salvation,”
ver. 10. And, having introduced them into the
heavenly country, he will deliver up the kingdom to
God the Father. 1 Cor. xv. 24.—But it seems, on the
whole, more probable, that the phrase refers to the
state of the Gospel here on earth, for it is that of
which the Apostle is speaking—trept is XaXojuev.
Comp. Acts vii. 53. Gal. iii. 19. See Knatchbull.
Wells. Hardy.
V. 6.—-in a certain place] Psal. viii. Mackmight,
after Peirce, interprets this Psalm, not, as is usual,
of Adam, but of the Messiah alone ; and chiefly for
the following reasons. 1. It was not true, in the
time of David, that the name of God was exalted, or
even known, in the world at large. And therefore
ver, 1. should be interpreted of the future manifesta-
tion of God’s glory, by means of the gospel. 2. Our
Lord himself applies ver. 2. to his own times,
Matt. xxi. 15, 16. for, by “babes and sucklings” we
may there understand the multitude, who received
the word of God, being babes in knowledge, and
HEBREWS. CHAP. II. 201
open to conviction ; and who, after their conversion,
stilled (Ps. viii. 2.) or silenced the enemies of the
gospel, and convinced them of its truth. 3. The
Apostle has, in this chapter, expressly applied the
latter part of the Psalm to Jesus Christ, ver, 9. of
whom alone it could be truly said, that “all things
were put under his feet,” angels as well as men,
I Cor. xv. 27. See also Peirce on Ch. i. 5. ii. 13. and
Benson’s Introduction to the Epistles.
To the first of these reasons it may be answered,
that the Hebrew sºns n '75 was quite as limited in
its acceptation, as Macknight could wish. See Reland's
Palestine. B. I. C. 5. The next reason, though it
may prove the secondary, does not disprove the
primary sense ; and, with respect to the third, the
words to Távra do not necessarily refer to the angels,
but only to those parts of creation, which have been
just enumerated.—Of this therefore, and many other
passages in the antient prophecies, we may adopt
the more usual interpretation, and understand them
in a two-fold sense. If we reject a secondary sense,
the multitude of applications, made by Christ and
his Apostles, are fanciful and unauthorized, and wholly
inadequate to prove the points for which they are
cited; if we reject a primary sense, we must believe
that many of the passages alluded to (with regard to
the people and times for which they were originally
designed) were mere illusions. Dr. Middleton. See
also Dr. Jackson's Works, Vol. II. B. VII. S. 2.
V. 7.--a little lower] In this sense 3pax; tı (Heb.
typ), as applied to Christ, has respect merely to his
human nature, in which he was inferior to the angels.
But the phrase may also signify for a little while.”
(Beza. Grot. Hamm. Peirce. Beausob. Rosenm. &c.)
Luke xxii. 58. Acts v. 34. Wisd. xii. 10. Schl. Some
* * *
have conceived, that the expression, as applied to
202 HEBREWS. CHAP. II.
man, should be taken in the former sense, and, as
applied to Christ, in the latter: But such a change
in the sense was not probably intended ; and the
former interpretation appears, on the whole, to be
least exceptionable.—The Jews applied this Psalm
to the Messiah. Whitby. The latter clause is
rejected by Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb.—but it is found
in the Alexandrian MSS and almost all the antient
Versions; and the quotation is mutilated by the
O]]] ISSIOI).
W. 9.-for the suffering] Wetstein shews at
large, that this clause cannot properly be connected
with the preceding ; for, in that case, the construc-
tion would have been, Töv did To Trdónaa Too 6avdºrov
. . . . fixatrouévoy. It properly belongs to the words
which follow ; and the sense is similar to that of
1 Pet. v. 10. The greater difficulty, however, occurs
in the last clause: Some have transposed it, “ He
was made lower than the angels, that he might taste
of death.” Schleusner would render ötra's after
that,’ as in Acts iii. 19. But, if we consider the words
as referring to the whole of the foregoing sentence,
the meaning is less ambiguous. “We see the once
humbled Jesus, after (or, on account of,) his death,
crowned with glory, that so (by his humiliation, and
glorious victory over death, he might complete the
redemption of man, that so) he might, by the grace
of God, taste death for every one.” Without the
glorification of Christ, the gospel scheme (and con-
sequently the benefits of his death) would have been
incomplete; it is proper, therefore, to say that he
suffered and was glorified, so as to have died effec-
tually for all who would be saved. Instead of Xàpitt
Geoû some copies are said to have had xopis 0eod
excepto Deo. But the reading does not appear in
any antient MS now extant. See Mill in loc.
HEEREWS. CHAP, II. 203
W. 10,–the Captain] doxnyðs sometimes denotes
the author, beginning, or principle of a thing.
Mic, i. 13. dpxnyós duaprias, 1 Macc. ix. 61. Acts ii.
15. Here it may be interpreted, from the preceding
clause, of one who shews and leads the way, who
conducts men to eternal life. Schl. Mackm, Rosenm.
Some would read dyayāvtt, to make it agree with
avrò–but the conjecture is as unnecessary, as it is
unsupported. The expression is somewhat elliptical
—ÉTpete yap autº..... (avºrov) Tox\oºs vio's eis 868 av
dºya'yāvta, K. T. A. ‘ It was expedient for him, that
he, having brought, and being yet to bring, many
sons to glory, should render perfect &c.” Others
would refer dyayóvra to dpxnyóv. Rosenm. But the
construction will not bear it.
—through sufferings] This is one of the many
proofs of the doctrine of the atonement. Whitby
shews that TeXeiða'at is a Levitical word, applying to
the sufficiency, and consequent dedication, either of
the priest or the sacrifice. Numb. iii. 3. Lev. xxi. 10.
viii. 21. 28. And thus dyićev, wer. 11. which is used
of the cleansing, or sanctifying, the Israelites from
sin; and qualifying them, either for sacred offices,
or for general worship in the congregation. Lev. xxii.
3. Exod. xxix. 1. 21. Joh. xvii. 19. Heb. ix. 14. x. 14.
xiii. 12. Dr. Wells has an excellent paraphrase on
this passage.
W. 11–of one :] Some interpret this of Adam,
others of God the Father ; but Peirce refers it, not
without reason, to Abraham (from ver, 16.), the
spiritual Father of Gentiles as well as Jews. See also
Wells. Mackm.
W. 12. Saying,| Psal. xxii. 22. Many portions of
this Psalm are applied in the New Testament to
the Messiah, and the Jews generally so interpret it.
204 HEBREWS. CHAP. II.
W. 13–And again, The two quotations here
are found, in nearly the same words, Isai. viii. 17, 18.
which chapter relates to the Messiah, as appears
from Matt. xxi. 44, Luke ii. 34. Rom. ix. 33. I Pet.
ii. 6. 8. Dr. Owen, from the repetition of kal TráXtv,
supposes that the two clauses cannot belong to the
same passage, and would refer the former to
Psal. xviii. 3. To this Whitby replies, not with his
usual learning and judgment, 1. That the words
are not found in that Psalm. 2. That the expression
kai ºrd Aw is properly repeated, because the quotations
are made from different verses; whereas, in the
Apostle's time, there was no division into verses at
all : And though the words do not actually stand in
the psalm above-mentiomed, they occur in 2 Sam. xxii.
3. of which chapter the psalm is nearly a copy.
It does not appear, however, to contain any allusion
to the Messiah, and that is the great objection to the
reference contended for by Dr. Owen—Kai TáAuv may
be used in the sense of kai evºs Aéºyet, ‘ deinde addit
—ita pergit.’ Rosenm. Such a division in the quo-
tation was not unusual. Heb. x. 30. Wetst. The
former clause of itself substantiates the Apostle's
doctrine, denoting that the Messiah, in putting his
trust in the Father, would be placed in the same
state of humble dependance with men, who there-
fore would be his brethren. See Macknight on this
VerSe.
V. 14.—likewise] Trapat)\matos, ‘in like manner’
—ow pavtaa-tº ovéé etkóvi, dAN d\mbetº. Chrysost.
Raphel. Wetst. Schl. Ka8 ouotóTnTa, Ch. iv. 15.
Rom. viii. 3. Christ's being said to partake of the
human nature for this purpose, conveys no very
obscure intimation, that he had another nature. So
ver. 16.-" The word was made flesh.” Joh. i. 14,
Beausob.
HEBREWS. CHAP. II. 205
—destroy] i. e. take away the power (Rom. iii. 31.
vi. 6, &c.) of him who was the cause of death, and
held men in subjection to it. Sammael, i. e. diabolus,
dicitur Hebraeis habere imperium mortis. Grot.
Buxt. in Sammael. This alludes to a fulfilment of
that earliest prophecy in Gen. iii. 15. of the seed of
the woman bruising the serpent’s head.
W. 15.-fear of death] Especially the heathen
world. Rom. viii. 2. 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56. Whitby.
Peirce. Mackm.
—their lifetime] toº (my pro Tºs Końs. Sic Polyb.
II. 20, €k Tov (mv čextépno av &c. Raphel. Phil. i. 21.
W. 16.—took on him] Thus Beza : But &mixauflé-
veabat has not properly this sense ; it signifies to
take hold of,” in order to rescue, or save—Appre-
hendit. Vulg. Ecclus. iv. II. Heb. viii. 9. Grot.
Hamm. Whitby. Wells. Peirce. Pyle. Mackm.
Rosenm. And thus the English Margin. Šuqayrikós
eipntal hueis uév yap, pnau, eqeſtyouev autov, autos 38
8wókov čºp6age, kai (b0áo as étréAd;3ero. Schol. apud
Matthaei. Christ did not die for angels, but for men;
and therefore he took upon him the nature of men;
which doctrine is asserted not in this, but in the pre-
ceding and following verses. In the “seed of
Abraham ” may be included the spiritual as well as
the matural seed; but the expression was well
calculated to engage the attention of the Jews.
W. 17. –reconciliation] From this and ver, 10. it
appears, that Christ was both the priest and the
victim. Rom. iii. 25. 1 Joh. ii. 2. 9. Adaikeabat, ‘pec-
catorum paenas auferre.” Lev. v. 6. Dan, ix. 24. Fre-
quentior est phrasis iNgoked 6at €eów Trept duaprióv.
Rosenm. Peirce.
V. 18.—that are tempted.] That are tried with
206 HEBREWS. CHAP. III.
afflictions, difficulties, and dangers. I Cor. x. 13.
1 Thess. iii. 4, 5, &c. Whitby, Sic Virg. AEm. I. 634.
Haud ignara mali miseris succurrere disco. Wetst.
ëſvatail Touréatt, Tpoôvačrepov opéet xeſpa Tois Telpa-
Çouévois. avºyka Tagdaletos éé & Aóryos, Tpós Tô Vntiſodes
Töv drovóvtov. Schol. ut suprā.
—-mº-
C H A P. III.
The Apostle proceeds to shew that Christ was superior to
Moses, and delivers to the Jewish brethren many cautions
against unbelief.
V. I.-Apostle and High Priest] Both are pro-
perly mentioned, in order to shew that, as an Apos-
tle (Joh. xvii. 18. §ué d'Téo Teixas.), Christ was superior
to Moses, and as a High Priest to Aaron, Doddr.
Beausob. There is a reference to what has been
said in the two foregoing chapters. Peirce.
W. 2–appointed] Totéu has the same sense,
I Sam. xii. 6. Mark iii. 14. Acts ii. 36.
—Moses was faithful] Numb. xii. 7,
V. 3–who hath builded] This version is consis-
tent with the figure, but does not fully explain the
passage. By a house is here meant a household, or
a family, i. e. the people under the old dispensation,
which was founded and appointed, modelled and
formed by divine power.—lt may seem, that the
Apostle's illustration should not be pressed to a close
similitude, as if it were intended to represent Christ
as the founder ; for that this would rather contradict
ver, 4. Kataakevda as 0éós, and ver, 6. Where Christ is
HEBREWS. CHAP. III. 207
described as a son. If this be true, the passage may
only mean, that Christ is as much more worthy of
honour than Moses, as the builder is than the house.
Wetst. Yet there is no absurdity in supposing that
Christ, as a son, should have the appointment and
organization of the household, in which Moses was
a servant; and since this was done according to the
will of the Father, it may be ascribed to him as well
as to the Son . Thus Ch. i. 3. Št of kal roºs &tiºwas
étoinae. Peirce follows the Vulgate, and translates
the passage— has the greatest honour of the family.”
But, in this case, it would probably have been Tºv
TAetova ruńv év Tó otkº. -
V. 6.—his own] The original does not require
this version ; indeed the same pronoun in ver. 5. and
in the same situation, is differently rendered. Many
commentators refer a row in both verses to God;
supposing that Moses and Christ were each faithful
in God's house. Peirce. Pyle. Mackn. But perhaps
the pronouns may be respectively referred to Moses
and Christ; which agrees with the use of the same
pronoun in ver. 2. Moses was faithful, but only as
a servant, Numb. xii. 7, in his house, (the house in
which he was a servant,) but Christ as a son, (not
in but) over his house; ruling it as his own—whose
house we are. This exposition is favoured by the
consideration, that the two houses here spoken of
were different; one denoting the Mosaic, the other
the Christian dispensation.
W. 7. Wherefore] We may include the following
passage to ver, 12, in a parenthesis, and connect 3.0
with BXérete. Grot. Beausob. Peirce. Bowyer.
—the Holy Ghost saith, These words are quoted
from Psalm xlv. 7. which the Apostle tells us in Heb.
iv. 7, was written by David, therefore David wrote
208 HEBREWS. CHAP. III.
by inspiration of the Holy Ghost. So our Lord tes-
tified. Matt. xxii. 43. Whitby. Mackm.
V. 8–in the day] During the abode in the
wilderness. The provocations of the Israelites in
that time were numerous. Exod. xvi. 4. xvii. 2–9.
xxxii. 10. Numb. xi−xiv. Mackm.
V. 9. When] Rather, where. Grot. Hamm. Whitby.
Peirce refers of to Teipaquod, and renders it where-
with : but that does not suit the latter clause.
tempted me, See I Cor. x. 9.
—proved one, i. e. demanding proofs of God’s
government and power—seeing how far he would
bear with them, whether he would punish them or
In Ot.
—forty years..] In the LXX these words belong to
the following verse, the adverb &id not being found
there. From this and two or three other slight
variations it appears, that the passage was quoted
from memory. Still the Apostle did in sense connect
the words Teagapákovta étº with the following clause,
as is plain from ver, 17.
W. 11–in my wrath, In scripture, human parts
and passions are ascribed to God, not as really in
God, but to give us some idea of his attributes and
operations, accommodated to our manner of con-
ceiving things. Wherefore, when God said that “he
sware in his wrath,” we are not to fancy that he felt
the passion of wrath, but that he acted on that occa-
sion, as men do who are moved by anger. Mackm.
—shall not enter] The particle et is often so used,
Deut. i. 35. Mark viii. 12. &c. The expression is
elliptical: q. d. “Let me not be God, let me not be
true, if they enter.” Whitby. Nevivam ego. Ezek.
xvii, 19. Bowyer. Rosenm.
HEBREWS. CHAP. III. 209
—my rest.] Primarily, the rest of Canaan, Deut.
xii. 9, where the Israelites reposed after the labours
of a long war, as well as the fatigues of a tedious
march. Doddr. Secondarily, the quiet possession of
that rest, and an enjoyment of all the privileges of
God’s people. Hamm.
W. 12.-heart of unbelief] Rom. x. 10.
—in departing] This may allude to the proposal
of some among the Israelites, to revolt and turn
back into Egypt. Numb. xiv. 4, 11. 31. Acts vii. 39.
Grot. Hamm. Whitby. Wells.
V. 13–be hardened. So as not to believe. Comp.
wer. 15, 19. Mark xvi. 14, Acts xix. 9. Whitby.
V. 14.—the beginning of our conſidence] The
confident hope which is begun in us. Ch. xi. 1–
pro Tiju Utróa Tagiy Tiju & dipx.js, spen illam, quam ab
initio habuimus. Grot. This verse may be in a
parenthesis. Peirce. Pyle. Bowyer.
W. 15. While it is said, Rather, in that, or
seeing that, it is said. Peirce. Macknight rejects
the parenthesis in ver, 14. and thus supplies the
ellipsis, “ as ye may know by the saying:” But the
former is a more natural construction. Chrysost.
Whitby. Rosenm.
W. 16. For some, Several commentators, follow-
ing the Syriac, would read both these clauses inter-
rogatively: “Who did provoke? Yet did not all !”
But I. The construction would in this case, as Dod-
dridge observes, have been otºx rather than d\x' ow.
(The same words &AX' of Tavres are used affirma-
tively, Rom. x. 16.) 2. It is not true that all did
provoke. 3. The received interpretation applies
WOL. II. O
2 : () - HEBREWS. CHAP. IV.
better to the context; the Hebrew converts being
reminded, that many, even after they had heard,
had hardened their hearts.
V. 18.-believed not 2] That the crime of the
Israelites, which brought the oath of God upon them,
consisted in their not believing that God was able to
give them the possession of Canaan, is plain from
the history. Deut. i. 6.8. 32. Numb. xiv. 11. Mackm.
C H. A. P. IV.
The rest, spoken of in the foregoing chapter, is here shewn to
be applicable to the times of the gospel; and the believers
are solemnly admonished and exhorted to labour for securing
that rest.
V. 1.-being left] Some would interpret this of
the promise of rest being neglected, or deserted; for
in ver, 6.9. the verb is droxévºretat. But kataxetiretv
has a similar sense in Psal. xlix. 10. Ecclus xi. 19.
Rom. xi. 4. Raphel adduces several instances from
Polybius of the phrase kata)\etTouévns éXTíčos, ‘ hope
remaining.’
—should seem éokfi is commonly considered as
an expletive. Whitby. Peirce. Pyle. Mackn. (Sic
apud Ciceronem esse videatur pro sit, et Demosth.
pro Coroná, 26. ‘paivoual retvynkoºs pro Tetúxnka.
Rosenm.) It serves however, as Dr. Wells justly
remarks, at least to soften the expression. See I Cor.
vii. 40. And it is probable, that there are very few,
if any, mere expletives in the Greek language:
Many critics have been in the habit of giving that
denomination to words, whose import has not been
HEBREWS. CHAP. IV. 2] I
properly understood; especially to particles. Vide
Edwards in Theocr. Idyll. I. 18. Hoogev. de part.
Pref. et Cap. xii. et ad Viger. vi. 2. §. 1. For Juáv
a few MSS have juſov, which would suit the context
better. -
W. 2–the gospel] “Unto us were the good
tidings preached, to us also did the promise of rest
belong :”— Canaan being a type.
—not being mixed] Many of the MSS and Wer-
sions, as well as of the Fathers, support the reading
of avºykekpawévous, not by faith joined, or united, to
them which heard.’ Hamm. Wetst. Matthaei. But
the expression rols dicoſaſagt would be hardly sufficient
here to denote believers, as in that case it should ;
for many heard in vain. Ch. iii. 16.
V. 3.−although] This seems to be an answer to
the implied objection, that the rest spoken of was
the sabbatical rest. “But indeed (this promise of
rest was made) after the works of creation had been
long finished, and the rest in consequence of them
long enjoyed.” See an illustration of this elliptical
sense of kaitot in Hoogev. xxiv. S. 2. 19. The whole
of this perplexed passage, ver, 3–10. may be best
explained by a paraphrase. “We, who believe,
shall enjoy a rest, for it is said that some shall not
enter into rest, Ch. iii. 11. from which it must be
inferred, that others shall enter. Now this rest
cannot be restricted to that of the Sabbath. I. Be-
cause that was ordained originally, when God rested
from his works, as it is expressly intimated in Gen.
ii. 2. Exod. xxxi. 17. 2. Because we learn from
David, that this oath was not sworn till ages after the
sabbatical rest had been appointed and observed :
and also, that the Israelities did not enter into this
rest. It is plain therefore, that it remained for some
o “2
$212 HEBREWS. CHAP. IV.
to enter in, and that they, who first had the promise,
were excluded by unbelief. And further, David, by
the strain of his argument, evidently applies the
subject to his own times, urging the Israelites to
turn unto God that day; and since he added, by way
of warning and example, that the Israelites did not
obtain the promised rest, he implied that the rest still
remained for the people of God. For if, indeed, the
promise had been fully accomplished by means of
Joshua, (so Ingo9s should doubtless be rendered
here,) there would have been no occasion for David
to have exhorted the people, in his day, by a pro-
spect of rest and reward.” See, on this passage,
Grot. Whitby. Mackm.
V. 9.--a rest] gaſ33artouds literally signifies the
celebration of a sabbath,’ and may shew, in reference
to ver, 4, the nature of the promised rest; that it
will resemble the sabbath, which is regarded, says
Whitby, by all antient Christians and the Jews
themselves, as a type or symbol of the world to
come. “We shall pass a perpetual sabbath in
those elevations of pure devotion, which the sub-
limest moments of our most sacred and happy days
here can teach us but imperfectly to conceive.”
Doddr.
V. 10.—hath ceased] Rather hath rested.’ Wells.
Hence it appears, that the people of God do not
enter into this rest, till their works of trial and
suffering are finished; and therefore it must be a
rest in heaven. Mackn. 3 yap uéXXov (3tos Tavròs
dTſAAaktat Tórov. Schol. apud Matthaei. See also
Whitby on ver, 3. who shews that there is no con-
dition in this life which deserves the name of rest.
V. 12.--the word of God] i. e. the gospel,
HEBREWS. CHAP. IV. 213
—is quick, 1 Pet. i. 23.
—powerful, 2 Cor. x. 4.
—any two-edged sword, Eph. vi. 17. Rev. i. 16.
Thus Phocylid. 119.-8TAov TOL Aðºyos dvěpt Toucºtepôv
éatt atóñpov. Wetst.
—soul and spirit, Alluding, as many suppose,
to the doctrine of two principles, called soul and
Spirit, as the seats of rational and sensitive life.
Doddr. Hamm. Whitby. See Thess. v. 23.
—the joints and marrow, A phrase borrowed, as
Grotius and Hammond contend, from the dissection
of a victim by the priest. See ver. 13. But this does
not agree with the notion of a sword. The figure
seems to be this: As a sword penetrates the in most
parts of the corporeal frame, so does the word of
God search into all the secrets of the intellectual and
spiritual mature, infallibly discerning, even in the
minutest thoughts, the evil from the good.
W. 13.-- opened Commentators are divided on
the true import of this phrase–Toaxixt{ety signifies
* to bend back the neck; or, to drag with the neck
bent back,” in which case the face was exposed more
openly to view ; and from this, as many suppose, the
passive verb signifies, to be publickly manifested or
discovered.” Resupina. Castell.—Elsmer. Wolf. Krebs.
Parkh. Schl. Others, following Chrysostom, assign
to the word a sacrificial sense, as alluding to the
priest stripping off the skin at the neck, or to his
dividing the back-bone, of which the Tpdxn}\os was
a part. Grot. Hamm. Beausob. Blackw. Doddr. Har-
wood. Mackm. But this sense, as Elsmer remarks,
is not clearly borne out by the etymology, nor by
the usage of any antient writer; and the word does
not occur in the LXX-Trepavepouéva. Hesych, pavepo!
!cal drakckaAvtºvoi. Phay. Probably both these Hexi-
cographers have interpreted the word from this
passage.
2i + #1 EBREWS. CHAP. V.
—with whom we have to do..] Cum quo nobis res
est. Chrysost. Beza. Wetst. Rosenm. To whom we
must give account. So X6-yos may signify front
Matt. xii. 36. Acts xix. 40. Rom. xiv. 12. Heb. xiii. 17.
&c. Whitby. Wells. Pyle. But in all these instances
it occurs without the article. Some would render it
‘ de quo (vel ad quem) nobis hic sermo est.’ Vulg.
Castell. Schl. which accords, in a great measure,
with a singular phrase in Ch. v. 11. The sense,
however, is doubtful.
C H A. P. V.
This chapter contains an illustration of the character of
Christ as a high priest, and a reflection on the Hebrews
for the scantiness of their knowledge on this subject.
V. I.-high priest, Expi Ation by sacrifice was
so comfortable a doctrine, that we cannot be sur-
prized at both Jews and Gentiles pertinaciously
adhering to it. The Apostle, therefore, proceeds to
shew, in this and the following chapters, that the
gospel dispensation has the like provision, but in-
finitely more perfect, as having, 1. A better priest-
hood, viz. after the order of Melchisedec, Ch. vii.
2. A better consecration to it, viz. by an oath. 3. A
better tabernacle in which the priest ministers. 4. A
better sacrifice offered there. 5. A better covenant
established in his blood. Whitby.
W. 2.-can have compassion] Literally, who can
moderate his passions,’ (i.e. shew forbearance and
lenity towards those who are in ignorance and error,
or “ who sin through ignorance,” Lev. iv. 2. Ch. ix.
7.) Thus Diog. in Aristot. v. 31. ed. Amst. Töv gopov
HEBREWS. CHAP. V. 215
tº cival uéu drabh, werptotraffi, Šá. And so Josephus,
Ant. xii. 3. §. 2. applies the word werptotraffnadvtov to
Vespasian and Titus, when they had been shewing
moderation and gentleness to the Jews. Wetst.
Kypke. Krebs. Doddr. Parkh. aerptotra6.js' wikpd
Tćaxov, m avy Yuvaja-kov ëTielkos. Hesych, In the same
manner, Phot. Suid. Etym. M. Albert.
V. 3–for himself.] Sequitur, Christum quoque
obtulisse pro se virép duapriſov, i.e. ut a doloribus
illis, qui peccatorum paenae esse solent, et occasione
peccatorum nostrorum ipsi infligebantur, posset
liberari. Grot. But the notion of Christ being for
*imself a sacrifice for sin, is quite unscriptural : He,
who was without sin, could not require a sacrifice for
it. Ch. iv. 15. vii. 26. ix. 14. Whitby. Besides, the
Apostle is speaking only of a high priest taken from
among men, wer. 1. Similitudo hac est: Humanus
pontifex ipse peccat ; ergo lenis est erga peccantes :
Christus afflictus est; ergö libenter opem fert afflictis.
Rosenm.
V. 4.—as was Aaron.] The Apostle introduces
the mention of Aaron here, just as he did that of
Moses above, Ch. ii. 2. and to the like end ; namely,
to shew the Hebrews, that he had no design to
detract from the just worth of Aaron. Wells.
V. 5.—he that said] Psal. ii. 7. “This day have
I begotten thee, O my Son,” i.e. bestowed this
special dignity upon thee, to be a king and a priest
after thy resurrection (Acts xiii. 33.), i. e. after the
ascending of Christ, which was his going into the
holy of holies, whither nome but the priest went.
Hamm. Wells.
V. 6.—after the order of Melchisedee :] Thou art
216 HEBREWS. CHAP. V.
such a priest as Melchisedec was, i. e. a king and a
priest together ; and that never to cease, or to be
succeeded by amy, till all be delivered up to God the
Father. 1 Cor. xv. 24. Hamm. Since Melchisedec
had neither predecessor nor successor in his office,
+dºw cannot here properly signify order. It must be
synonymous with ÖaotóTnta, Ch. vii. 15. Secundum
similitudimem. Syr. Thus 2 Macc. ix. S. Tigroxiju
ikmtmpias Táčtv éxova'av. And Athen. xII. p. 546. Tiju
dpetiju e - 6épatówns Táštv étéxova ov. Grot. Wolf.
Mackn.
V. 7. Who Referring to Christ, ver, 5.
—prayers and supplications, Eph. vi. 18. 1 Tim.
II. I
—was heard in that he feared :] Was delivered
from his trouble, or fear.—eia’akova has this sense in
Psal. lv. 2, 16. Job xxxv. 12. And evX&Beta may
denote not only religious fear, as Heb. xi. 7. but
fear of any kind. Josh. xxii. 24. Acts xxiii. 10. Beza
quotes Diphilus from Stobaeus, 8vntós reqvka's aij
evXafºod Teflunkéval, and there are many instances in
Wolf and Wetst. This construction, however, of
&T3 and sixafºetas (though adopted by Whitby and
most others) is not certain here ; for it may be
rendered, ‘propter (vel per) reverentiam, religionem,
pietatem.” Thus dró toº poſłow ‘propter metum.”
Matt. xiv. 26. And this preposition is frequently
used in a similar sense. So in ver, 8. didicit obedi-
entiam per ea quae passus est.”—Pro Suá reverentiá.
Vulg. Addito suá, inquit Estius, ab Interprete, vel
ab aliis potius, qui hanc reverentiam in Christo fuisse
intelligunt. Mill.
V. 8–yet learned he] Whitby would render it “he
taught obedience to others (thus Hebr. Toº), but he
has not shewn that the Greek verb ever has such a
HEBREWS. CHAP. W. 217
sense.—Proverbium Graecum tra6%aara, uaôňuara,
quales sententiae cum simili paronomasià sunt fermé
in linguis omnibus. Rosenm. Ita apud Herodotum
Craesus dicit, sibi yeyovéval ug6.juata To Traffijuata.
Raphel.
W. 9.-made perfect, Some understand TeXew8els
in an agonistical sense, as Phil. iii. 12. but it suits the
context better to take it as a Levitical term, alluding
to the consecration and full sufficiency of the priest.
Ch. ii. 10. And such is the common import of the
word in this epistle.
V. 10. Called] Psal. cx. Named, or saluted.
Peirce. Pyle. Tpoorayopetſet da Tã(etat. Hesych.
W. 12-which be] Macknight takes Tiva as an
accusative plural, to teach you again certain first
principles: ' But this does not suit the article ra.
in the common construction épé is understood—
‘ opus habetis me docere vos ; and if this be objected
to, Tiva may be in the acc. sing. aliquem vos
docere.” Peirce. Rosenm.
—the first principles] to a totyela Tijs dipxms pro
+d Tpora or rotxeia. Wolf.
—oracles of God; Rom. iii. 2,
—of milk, 1 Cor. iii. 2.
W. 13–the word of righteousness; Peirce and
L'Enfant would refer this phrase to those passages
of the Old Testament, which speak of justification
by faith, quoted in the epistles to the Romans and
Galatians, which these Hebrews might seem to over-
look. Doddr. But there does not appear any ne-
cessity for such a restriction; the phrase properly
denotes the doctrines of the gospel. Wells.
Cl babe.] i. e. in knowledge.—& Tel Śē vnTtous Méy
218 HEBREWS, CHAP. VI.
éart, ºyd}\a Tooqi, Philo. de Agr. p. 188. ed. 1640.
Wetst.
V. 14.—Senses] alabnriptov literally signifies the
seat or organs of sensation,’ and therefore, as applied
figuratively to the mind, it must denote the under-
standing,' the seat, or faculty, of judgment,
C H A P. VI.
The Apostle proceeds to higher subjects, and shews the wretch-
edness and hopelessness of those, who have deserted their
first principles. He them delivers an exhortation to the
faithful, and for their confirmation and comfort reminds
them of the unchangeable covenant of God with Abraham.
V. l.—the principles] THE sense, as well as the
construction, may be explained by Ch. v. 12. ‘ the
initiatory, or elemental, doctrines of Christ.’
—perfection : ] Ch. v. 9. 14. This term was ap-
plied to a complete knowledge of the heathen myste-
ries, as well as to the Mosaic ceremonies.
W. 2–of baptisms, This is understood by many
of the double baptism, “ with water and the Holy
Ghost,” or “with the Holy Ghost and with fire.”
Grot. Whitby. But in the New Testament the word
£3artiauds, which occurs only in two other places,
Mark vii. 8. Heb. ix. 10, never signifies baptism
(347trugua,) but simply washing, in allusion to the
Jewish purifications. From this phrase therefore,
together with the expression Trfarews étrº 9eóv, it is
probable, that, by “the principles of the doctrine of
Christ,” the Apostle here especially means those
fundamental doctrines, which were taught, or typified
HEBREWS. CHAP. VI. 219
under the old dispensation; q. d. “We need not
now insist upon the antient doctrines of repentance
and faith in God, we need not explain the rites of
purification, as figurative of baptism and inward purity,
nor the laying of hands on the victim, whether as a
symbol of vicarious suffering or of spiritual communi-
cations, nor the types or intimations of the resurrec-
tion, nor the adumbrations of a future judgment:
These rudiments of Christianity we need not now
teach again.” See Pol. Syn. Wolf. Peirce. Mackm.
Rosenm.
W. 3. And this will we do, viz. go on to perfection,
W. 4.—impossible] 1. No further means can be used
for re-establishing them in the faith : If this body of
evidence, consisting of types, prophecies, and miracles,
fail to convince them, if they abuse and cast away the
spiritual gifts which have been once vouchsafed, and
altogether apostatize from the faith, they will be left
to their wilful blindness. 2. It is extremely difficult,
next to impossible, to reclaim those, who, under such
circumstances, have fallen away. Their condition is
become hopeless. Matt. xix. 23–26. Mark x. 23–27.
Difficillimum. Rosenm. This is probably the true
sense. See Grotius and Knatchbull on this verse.
— enlightened, This word was used by the
antient Fathers to denote baptism, but there is no
necessity for uniting it to that sense here. Comp.
Ch. x. 26, 32. 2 Cor. iv. 4. 6. Eph. i. 18. iii. 9. Whitby,
Mackn. Cognitione evangelicae doctrinae imbuti.
Hardy. See Michael. Ch. Iv. S. 13.
—have tasted yeſoraq flat, ‘ experiendo cognos-
cere.’ I Pet. ii. 3. Psal. xxxiv. S. Prov. xxxi. 18. Grot.
There is a probable allusion to the foregoing meta-
phor of food and strong meat. Peirce. This verse, in
connection with the two following, furnishes a most
220 HEBREWS. CHAP. VI.
powerful argument against the Calvinistic doctrine
of the indefectibility of grace. *
V. 5.--of the world to come. This is generally
supposed to mean ‘ the age of the Messiah, i. e. the
Christian dispensation ; but the climax would rather
lead us to interpret it of a future life; and especially
as it cannot be satisfactorily shewn, that did y o ačXXov
(though it answers to the equivalent phrase &nn
pºly) is ever used, in the New Testament, to denote
the age of the Messiah: And this is intimated by
Schleusner, who translates thus—wim et effieaciam
doctrinae de futură Christianorum in coelis felicitate.
Thus Wells. Beausob. Hardy. Rosenmüller adopts
this sense, and supposes that ºvvduets has the sense of
ºn opes, bona—habere praegustum vitae eternae.
&T, travtws dvda Tao is éa Tat, kai 6T. Tāvres Aóryov ôd'aowev
Tøv |3eguouévov, kal 6T1 dréAeëTnTos # Te KöXao is ka? )
dróXavois, kal &aa rotavra. Schol. apud Matthaei.
V. 6.—to renew them] This passage, taken in
connection with ver. 4. is ungrammatical ; but the
error, as is easily seen, does not occur in the original.
—crucify] Maintaining the principles by which
those persons were actuated, who crucified the Son
of God—guilty of the same sin with them. Hamm.
Mackn.
V. S.–wnto cursing ;) As in the blessing, ver, 7.
there is an allusion to the primitive blessing, whereby
the earth was rendered fruitful, Gen. i. 2. So in the
curse, there is an allusion to the curse pronounced
on the earth after the fall, Gen. iii. 17. Mackm.
Peirce.
—to be burned.] Macknight observes, that a prin-
cipal part of the eastern agriculture consists in lead-
ingrills of water from fountains and brooks, to render
HEBREWS. CHAP. VI. 221
the fields fruitful. When this is neglected, the land
is scorched by the heat and drought of the climate,
and so, being burnt up, is altogether sterile. It is
more simple, however, and natural, to refer this pas-
sage to the common practice of burning the produce
of bad land, together with a part of the land itself.
—Saepe etiam steriles incendere profuit agros. sqq.
Virg. Georg, 84. Schl. Rosenm. Peirce.
V. 9.—better things. This, as Peirce observes,
is exactly in St. Paul’s manner of softening the harsh
things, which he found himself obliged to write.
2 Thess. ii. 13. Eph. iv. 20. Mackn.
V. 10-labour of love] The words toº kórow are
wanting in most of the best MSS and Versions, and
are rejected by Beza. Bengel. Griesb. Irrepsisse huc
widetur ex 1 Thess. i. 3. Mill.
W. 14. Saying,j Gen. xxii. 16, 17. which contains
the promise that God made to Abraham, after he
had lifted up Isaac on the altar. On no other
occasion did God confirm any promise to Abraham
with an oath. See Gal. iii. 8. Mackn.
W. 15.-obtained the promise.] The birth of Isaac
was both a proof and a pledge of the accomplish-
ment of the promise, respecting Abraham's seed :
Abraham lived fifteen years after the birth of Jacob
and Esau, and ninety years after the birth of Ish-
mael. Mackn. Whitby.
W. 16.—an oath for confirmation] In this sense it
should have been, 6 eis (3e3ataja w śpkos. The mean-
ing is, “ the oath (implied in ouviſova’t preceding) is
to them the termination of all controversy unto con-
firmation.” Dr. Middleton. This passage may be
222 HEBREWS. CHAP. VII.
regarded as a justification and sanction of promissory
oaths. Whitby.
V. 17.-confirmed. This is a good sense, and is
countenanced by the use of weatºrms, a surety.’
Joseph. Ant. Iv. 6, 7, and uéotteiſa, X v1. 4.3.−fide-
jussit jurejurando. Beza. But it is literally he inter-
posed with an oath,’ i. e. he stood with an oath be-
tween his promise and Abraham, thus guaranteeing
the performance of it. The Vulgate, Erasmus, and
Castellio give the sense, but not the construction—
interposuit jusjurandum. Peirce follows the Syriac,
and renders it, He included his promise in an
oath.’
V. 18.-two immutable things, The promise and
the oath of God. Beausob. &c.
V. 19.-am anchor—within the vail;] Here are
two different figures put together, which is not un-
usual with St. Paul. 1 Tim. vi. 19. &c.
C. H. A. P. VII.
This chapter contains an illustration of the points of com-
parison between Melchisedec and Christ, together with a
Jull proof of the superiority of the priesthood of Melchisedec
to that of Levi, and of the consequent abolition of the
Aatter.
V. I. For this] THE particle ydp may connect
the last words of Ch. vi. with the phrase eis to ºuvekës,
ver, 13. Rosenm. &c.
—Melchisedec, Nomen proprium in Phoenice
sive Canana’a, pari formā quâ, Adomizedec. Jos.
x. 1. Grot.
HEBREWS. CHAP. VII. 223
fw
–Salem, Grotius and others have supposed, on
the testimony of Josephus, Aut. i. 2, that this was
Jerusalem : But it is plaim from the very passage here
referred to, Gen. xiv. 14–20. that Salem was in the
way from the valley of Damascus to Sodom. And
Jerome says, “he heard from the most learned of the
Jews, that Salem was not Jerusalem, but a town near
Scythopolis, which till then was called Salem.” Gen.
xxxiii. 18. And it seems to have retained its name
in our Saviour's days. Whitby. Mackn.
—priest of the most high God. It is clear there-
fore, that there was a priest divinely appointed for
the worshippers of the true God in Canaan, long
before the days of Aaron. Mackn.
W. 2–King of righteousness, Explicatio nominis
Melchisedec. Grot. In antient times, especially
among the people whose history is recorded by
Moses, it was usual to give names to persons and
places expressive of their qualities, or in commemo-
ration of some remarkable event: Thus Abraham,
Sarah, Jacob, &c. By paying tithes to Melchisedec,
Abraham acknowledged him as a priest. Mackm.—
êekärmy (sc. wolpaw vel uouptav). Gen. xiv. 20. Rosenm.
W. 3. Without father, This phrase is used by
heathen writers, to denote a person of ignoble birth,
one who has no father or mother worthy to be men-
tioned in respect of honour, who derives no claim
or credit from them. Ita Eurip. Ion. I 10. djs ydp
duſtop diráTap Te yeyds. Liv. Iv. 3. Patre nullo.
Hor. Serm. I. 6, 10. Nullis majoribus. Wolf. Wetst,
The phraseology therefore, as applied to Melchi-
sedec, properly signifies that, with regard to the
priesthood, he was dºyeveaxóyntos, that he, like Christ,
ver, 14. could derive no honour or claim from his
parents, as the Levitical priests did altogether; from
$224 HEBREWS. CHAP. VII.
which Macknight justly concludes, that he was a
universal priest. -
—neither beginning of days,| Not being subject
to those rules, which limited the priests in general
to a particular period of life (from the age of thirty
to fifty), and to a particular order of succession.
Numb. iv. 2, 3, 16. Luke i. 23. Thus he represented
the Son of God, whose ministration, as a priest, is
not confined to any one age of the world, but reached
backward to the beginning, and forward to the end
of time. Hamm. Mackm. Schl. It is truly remarkable,
that Whitby should incline to interpret the phrase
Tø við Toº €eoſ of an angel.’ He seems to have
preferred this sense from an undue limitation of the
parallel ; but nothing could justify it except a total
omission of the article, which is not wanting in a
single MS. Dr. Wells suggests, that this passage
affords a good argument for the etermity of our
blessed Saviour, as to his divine nature ; for that
Melchisedec is represented in scripture, as “not
having beginning of days,” that so he might typify
Christ, who consequently must in reality “ have no
beginning of days.” The type may very properly
be so extended ; but, in its nearest sense, it describes
Melchisedec’s resemblance to Christ as a priest.
W. 4.—of the spoils.] drºpo6/via properly denotes
the top of a heap of corn, or other property, set apart
as an offering. But it cannot be meant here, that
Abraham offered only a tenth of this prime part to
Melchisedec, because it is expressly said in ver, 2.
that he apportioned to him &ekdrºv &rd Távrov. We
must suppose therefore, says Hammond, that Abraham
gave him a tenth of all, and that this tenth consisted
of the best part of the spoils. Numb. xviii. 29. But
many commentators understand drºpo6tvia here of
spoils in general—universa spolia. Raphel. Adºpupa.
HEBREWS. CHAP. W II, 2:25
Chrysost. Theophyl. gkºxa Kai Adºpupa. OEcumen.
Xeta. Theodor. In this sense, Šekárnv čk Töv dºpo-
6aſtov will be synonymous with êekáTmy dTó Tây Tov.
Kypke. Parkh. No authority, however, is adduced
for such an interpretation ; and it is possible that
the word may be used for that part of the spoils,
which fell to Abraham’s share ; and so it would
agree with the Latin manubiac, which denoted the
captain's, or general's portion. In this sense, when
Abraham offered a tenth of the acrothinia, he offered
a tenth of all that he possessed—dro Távrov (Tów
drºpo6ivian). The heathens had a similar custom of
offering a portion of their spoils to the gods. Arrian v.
c. 77. Herod. VIII. 121. Xenoph. Cyr. VII. 5. S. 13.
Whitby. Wetst. Schl. Doddridge represents this
verse as severe upon the Jews, not only as it proves
the superior dignity of Christ above the Aaronical
priesthood, but shews also that God had, of old,
a people among the Gentiles; and that there was a
person among them superior, as a priest, to Abraham
himself.
V. 5.—to take tithes] It appears from Numb. xviii.
24. sqq. that the Levites first of all received tithes
of the rest of the people, and then offered a tenth of
that tithe to Aaron, for the maintenance of the priest-
hood. If the Levites received honour from being
able to tithe their brethren, how much greater was
the honour of Melchisedec, who, without any genea-
logical claim, took tithes even from Abraham.
V. 7.—the less] Neutrum pro masculino, ut
Eph. i. 10. &c.
—is blessed exo~yet rat, intellige ritu Sacerdotali,
ut supra ver. 2. Nam neque populus eo modo
Levitis benedicebat, neque Levitae Sacerdotibus,
neque sacerdotes summo sacerdoti, Grot,
Y O L. J. I. F
226 HEBREws. CHAP. VII.
V. 8–that die] The Levitical priests succeeded
each other by death, but Melchisedec had no succes-
sor, and therefore, as to the priestly succession, he
did not die at all ; and consequently no mention is
ever made of his death. Beausob. Peirce. Rosenm.
V. 9–I may so say, Polyb. Hist. 1. i. et passim.
Raphel. Kypke. Ut ita dicam. Quintil. VIII. S. &c.
Grot. A qualifying expression was requisite, because
the assertion is not strictly true. Some have strained
it so far as to argue, that it proves the superiority of
Melchisedec to Christ, as being a descendant from
Abraham; and this would be true, if Christ were
merely descended from Abraham, if he were not also
the Son of God.
W. 11–under it] This is a wrong translation;
because it is not true that the law was received
under (i.e. subsequent to) the priesthood, but the
priesthood was under the law, being entirely regu-
lated thereby. The parenthesis, therefore, may be
thus rendered, ‘ for on account of, or concerning,
that priesthood were the institutions of the law
ordained, only, however, as temporary enactments,
not with a view of rendering “ the comers thereunto
perfect.” ver. 19. Ch. x. 1. Elsmer. Beausob. Wolf.
Peirce, ºr airfi, efi conditione, ut populus illi
sacerdotio esset subjectus." Rosenm. &are Taſty Tpoa-
ºxety, date taſtn Jºrdºyed 6at. Schol. apud Matthaei.
W. H.8—unprofitableness] i. e. in comparison with
the gospel, Gal. iv. 9, or with respect to justification.
'i itat the jaw was not without its use, see Rom. iii.
1, 2 Gal. iii. 19–24, it is not to be wondered at,
that the law, of which the Levitical priesthood was
the chief part, and that only which concerned the
*xpiation of sin, should be thus disannulled, since it
HEBREWS. CHAP. VII. 227
was in itself thus weak and unprofitable, as to the
absolution of the sinner from the guilt of sin.
Whitby.
V. 19.—but the bringing inj According to our
translation, and to the commentators in general,
this clause is opposed to the preceding ; whereas it
appears from the construction, as well as the context,
to be more properly opposed to the first clause of
wer. 18. a6étna is uév . . . . . étevaayoym 8è k. T. X. The
words ow8év ydp êTeXetwalev 6 véaos being included in
a parenthesis. Peirce. Bowyer. Rosenm. Trajetat,
‘pno av, o vówos, as datevils kai un övvduevos Texeiðgar'
éreta dyeTat &é m Tów Kpet.TTóvov éAtts. Schol. ut suprā.
—draw migh] Under the Levitical service, the
priests alone drew near to God, Exod. xix. 22.
Lev. xxi. 21. but under the gospel every penitent
believer has freedom of access to him. Rom. xii. 1.
1 Tim. ii. 8. Hamm.
W. 22.—a surety] &ryºvos. Macknight here pre-
fers the unusual, and, as it seems, the unauthorized
version of ‘mediator,’ objecting, that neither the
priests nor Christ himself could be regarded in the
light of a surety for the conduct of men. But it
appears from wer. 20, which speaks of the immuta-
bility of the covenant on account of its being ratified
with an oath, that the sponsorship of Christ and the
promises made by him have respect, in this place,
to God alone, Ch. viii. 6. assuring us, that this
covenant will never be done away, and that the
conditions of it, on God’s part, will be faithfully
adhered to.
—of a better testament.] Ch. ix. 15.
W. 26.-separate from sinners, Sicut in adytum
nullus intrabat praeter summum sacerdotem, in
P 2
228 HEBREWS. CHAP. W II.
basilicam templi memo praeter sacerdotes, ita opor-
tebat hic sacerdos perfectior longé sit positus à
contactu malorum hominum. Lev. xvi. 17. Grot.
—higher than the heavens ;) Ch. viii. 1. Eph.
IV. IO,
W. 27.-daily, This alludes, either to the daily
offering and service of the priest, Ch. viii. 3. (So
ka6 Kaortny juépav, Ch. iii. 18.) Whitby. Wolf. Doddr.
or, to the great day of expiation, once a year. Thus
the passover was to be observed dºp' muspóveis juépas,
Exod. xiii. 10. from year to year, or from time to
time. Peirce. Mackm. Schl. But if the Apostle had
intended the latter sense, he would probably have
used the expression kat' viavtov, as in Ch. ix. 25. x. 1,
And it appears from Philo, that the phrase ka0 &kda-
Tnv juépav was applied to those sacrifices, which
were offered as occasion might require—saspissimè,
quoties res fert. Lib. de special. leg. p. 797. ed. 1640.
dpxtepet's.... card Tous vóuous eixds éé kal 6Volas TeXów
ka8 €kdarmy nuépav. Et in lib. de victim, p. 836, sqq.
multa fatur de sacrificiis Ka8 €kdoºrny juépay. Rosenm.
—this he did once, This clause belongs only to
that which immediately precedes : It is absurd to
press it so far as to suppose, that Christ, like the
high priest among men, offered sacrifice for his own
sims ; for he that knew no sin, ver, 26. could need
no atonement. Beausob, &c, Ch. v. 3,
{} H. A. P. VIII.
The Apostle here recapitulates his arguments, and confirms the
doctrine which he had ſaid down, shewing at large, from the
prophet Jeremiah, the superior excellence of the new
COvella?lt.
V. 1.-the sum :] KEDAAAION the chief, the
principal.” Theophyl. OEcumen. Doddr. Mackn.
Elsner observes, that this sense may be included in the
common translation, which is more literal. It does
not, however, seem to give the full meaning of the
passage, which may be this, ‘ In addition to (&T)
what has been said, the following is the sum and
substance of our doctrine.’ This exposition is the
more proper, as some of the matter contained in this
chapter had not been touched upon before. Wolf.
Rosenm.
—such an high priest Referring to Ch. vii. 26.
JDoddr.
V. 2. A minister] With Christ's sitting down at
the right hand of God, the Apostle justly connects
his becoming an abiding minister, or high priest of
heaven, because in Psal. cx, . where his sitting
down at the right hand of God is foretold, it is also
foretold in ver, 4. that God would salute him a priest
for ever after the order of Melchisedec, and, by so
doing, declare him to be like Melchisedec, both a
king and a priest for ever. Mackm.
—and not man.] of Yelporouſ Tov Ch. ix. 11. 23, 24.
V. 3.--to offer] i. e. in heaven, where he pre-
sented himself as a continual sacrifice. Peirce. Mackii.
Pyle.
$230 iI EB #3 & W S, CHAP. W H if ,
V. 4.—not be a priest, Being of the tribe of
Judah, Ch. vii. 14. and therefore liable to death if he
usurped the sacerdotal office. Numb. iii. 10.
V. 5.-shadow] See Ch. xi. 1.
—to the pattern The strict command, respecting
a close undeviating observance of the patterm, was
of itself an initimation, or presumption, that some-
thing further was figured out by it: And so the Jews
seem to have understood it. See Grotius and Wet-
stein, who quote several passages from Philo to this
effect. It is possible, indeed, that an actual commu-
nication might have been made to Moses, in regard
to a prefiguration of things to come. Mackmight ad-
duces several important particulars, in which the
Levitical rites were typical of the sacrifice of Christ.
1. The animals were killed at the door of the taber-
nacle : This shews, that the death of Christ was to
take place on earth, though the sacrifice is offered
in heaven. 2. The animals were slain not by the
priest, but by the persons for whom they were
to be offered: So Christ was put to death by the
Jews, not as priests, but as sinners for whom he
was to offer himself a sacrifice. 3. The sacrifice for
sim was not offered, mor the atonement made, by the
killing of the animal, but by the sprinkling of its
blood, on common occasions, before the vail; and,
on the great day of atonement, within the tabernacle,
before the mercy-scal, in view of the symbol of the
divine presence. So is our atonement made by the
presence of Christ offering sacrifice in heaven. See
2xod, xii. 6. Hewit. i. 5–1 l. iii. 2, iv. 24, 29. 33. xvi.
11, 15. 2 Chron. xxxv. 11.
V, 7–faultless, The Sinaitic covenant was im-
perfect in many respects. 1. The law required
exact obedience, but gave no inward spiritual assist-
HEBREWS. CHAP. VIII. 231
ance for the performance of that duty. 2 Cor. iii.
Rom. vii. 7. 2. It denounced death for the guilt of
sin, and yet was unable, of itself, to remove that guilt.
Rom. iii. 20. Gal. ii. 16. 3. It consisted chiefly of carnal
ordinances, and even those belonged only to a parti-
cular people. Ch. ix. 10. 4. Its blessings and pro-
mises were chiefly of a temporal nature. Whitby.
Macknight observes, that the first and second cove-
mants correspond with the first and second states of
Adam ; of whom, at the first, a perfect obedience
was required, but afterwards sincerity, repentance,
and faith.
W. 8.-he saith, Jer. xxxi. 31. Several commen-
tators observe, that God did not find fault with the
Israelites, but with the covenant; and therefore they
join autois not with weaq,64évos, but with Aéyet.
Raphel. Wells. Peirce. Pyle. Mackm. Rosenm. But,
in this case, the more usual construction Aéyet atrols
would have been much clearer; and the context in
Jeremiah shews, that the prophet is finding fault
with the people.
—house of Israel,] At the time when this pro-
phecy was delivered, Israel did not exist as a separate
kingdom ; but the Apostle mentions both houses, in
order to include the whole Jewish race. The
antient Jews applied this passage to the Messiah.
Wolf. Wetst.
W. 9.—regarded them not, Thus the Lxx. Our
Bible version renders it, Although I was a husband
to them.” But Dr. Pocock observes, that the Hebrew
Xyn may signify to loathe, or reject.’ Hamm.
Rosenm. Yet it seems not improbable, that the
copy from which the Lxx translated might have
'nºns instead of 'nºyin—the verb ºn- signifies to
nauseate.” Others have conjectured ‘nºy), which may
have the same signification. Pol, Syn.
232 HEBREWS. CHAP. IX.
W. 11–his neighbour.] Most of the MSS and
Versions, instead of TXmotov, have Tox{Tmu, (in the
sense of ovuºroxtºrmv), and this is the reading of the
Lxx. Wells, Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb.
C H. A. P. IX.
Several of the AIosaic rites are here enumerated, and their
mature more fully explained. The necessity of a sacrifice
is then shewn, and the fuſness of the sacrifice of Christ.
V. I.--the first covenant] OUR translators have
adopted the reading of Chrysostom, supported by the
best MISS and Versions, which omit a knvi), and have
merely j ſpatm (subaud. Staërikm,) agreeably to the
construction in the last verse of the preceding chap-
ter. Thus Beza. Grot. Hamm. Mill. Wetst. Matthaei.
Griesb. The common reading is retained by Whitby.
Wells. Wolf. Doddr. The sense will admit of
either.
— a worldly sanctuary. Many suppose the
sanctuary to be called worldly, not merely from its
being built by men, ver, 11. but from its being, as
the Jews themselves consider it, an emblem of the
world, or universe ; the outward tabernacle repre-
senting the earth, the inward representing the
heaven. Grot. Hamm. Mackn. Wetstein quotes
many passages to this purpose from Josephus and
Philo. Dr. Middleton observes, that the common
rendering ‘a worldly samtuary is wholly inadmis-
sible; it would require us to read, either Tô &ywov Tó
Koo wików, or else to Kogutkov ãºytov. He would take
koa Atków as a substantive (and so it may be used, as
appears from the Rabbinical Hebrew Ipºmp trans-
lated by Buxtorf ornamenta.” Lex. Talm. p. 2006.).
In this sense, the phrase may denote the sacred
HEBREWS, CHAP. IX. 233
splendour, or ornaments,’ of the Levitical service.
(Sanctum splendorem vel ornamentum. Copt.) Yet
the common construction, however incorrect, may
possibly express the Apostle's meaning. A Mose
constructum ex materia terrestri, opposité ad Tö
étrovpdvtov. Hardy.
W. 2. —the table, On which the shew-bread was
set. Exod. xxv. 23—30. xxvi. 35. Peirce.
—the Sanctuary.] Or, which (tabernacle) is
called holy.” Eng. Marg. Here it is proper to ob-
serve, that the whole of the Apostle's reasoning in
this epistle, concerning the Levitical worship, is
founded on the original institution of the tabernacle
service by Moses, and not on the temple service as
appointed by David and Solomon. See Exod. xl.
Mackm.
W. 4.—the golden censer, It was only used on
the great day of expiation, when the high priest
entered into the holy of holies: On other days, they
offered incense upon a silver censer. So Maimonides
and Abarbinel. See Buxt. Hist. Arc. p. 76, and
Ainsw. on Levit. xvi. 12-We read in 1 Kings viii. 9.
2 Chron. v. 10. that there was nothing in the ark,
but the tables of the covenant. But it appears from
p. 7.2. of the treatise of Buxtorf above quoted, that
there were, according to Jewish tradition, capsulas
or repositories about the ark, for the convenience of
keeping some of the sacred vessels or ornaments,
such as the pot of mamma and the rod of Aaron.
So Deut. xxxi. 26. 1 Sam. vi. S. Hamm. Whitby.
Some would refer év h to a knvi) in the preceding
verse (Peirce); but this is not a probable construc-
tion, because the tables, mentioned in connection
with the pot and the rod, were in the ark itself. And
the pronoun avrms, in the next verse, refers to the
234 HEBREWS. CHAP. IX.
ark. Rosenmüller and others have observed, that
the Apostle is alluding to the time of Moses; and
that possibly, on the occasion above referred to in
the time of Solomon, the sacred vessels might be
kept in a different manner. And from its being so
particularly mentioned, on that occasion, that there
was in the ark nothing but the two tables, it is not
unreasonable to infer, that there might have been
a practice of keeping in it other things also. All
that we learn from the Pentateuch is, that the pot
and the rod were preserved in the inner tabernacle,
or holy of holies, Exod. xvi. 32—84. Numb. xvii.
1—10. and it is far from improbable, that they were
placed in the capsulas or ledges of the ark, and that,
when the ark was carried from place to place, they
were removed.
V. 5.—cherubims of glory] So called because the
glory of the Lord dwelt between the cherubims, and
shone forth from them, Psal. lxxx. 1. and they, being
emblems of the angelical mature, were also emblems
of the divine presence, before which the angels stood
continually. Exod. xxv. 18–22. xxxvii. 7–9. Levit.
xvi. 2. Numb. vii. 89. 1 Kings vi. 23–28. viii. 7.
2 Chron. iii. 10–13. v. 8. Ezek. i. 3. 11. x. 20–22.
Whitby. There has been a persuasion among all
nations, that in some particular place the Deity
manifests his presence by a visible glory; and such
a universal agreement, whether it come from tradi-
tion or be the dictate of reason, corroborates the
truth of this motion : And, being further confirmed
by revelation, why should it be called in question ?
Mackm. See a learned treatise on this subject in
Parkhurst's Hebrew Lexicon, Art. Hºno, and Jen-
nings’s Jewish Antiquities, B, HI, Ch. 1.
W. 7.--once] i. e. only on one day, in which the
HEBREWS. CHAP. IX. 233
priest entered into the holy of holies several times.
Levit. xvi. 12—17.
—the errors] &yvonuditov, literally “sins of igno-
rance.” Yet a sacrifice was also allowed for the sins
of lying and false swearing. Levit. vi. 1–7. We
therefore must either say, with Watablus and Munster
in loc. that sins committed through the violence of our
passions are sins of ignorance (and so they stand
opposed to sins of presumption Numb. xv. 27–30.),
or, that the sins of the people are here so styled,
because they are mostly such. Whitby. Or perhaps,
dyvönwa may be put, as āyvota sometimes is, for sins
in general. Comp. Judith v. 20. Tob. iii. 3. 1 Macc.
xiii. 39. Hamm. Le Clerc. Schl. Rosenm. Thus,
“they have not known my ways.” Psal. xcv. 10. Heb.
iii. 10. Acts iii. 17. Eph. iv. 18. 1 Pet. i. 14. &c. Sic
Houbigant. in Lev. iv. 2. Nos per imprudentiam,
ut multi alii per errorem ; melius quâm Vulgatus,
per ignorantiam. Nam leges per Mosen promul-
gatas, et sape iteratas, ignorare Israelita non pote-
rant. See Dr. Magee, p. 245. vol. 1. and Illustr. Nº.
xxxvii. which contains a most learned and satisfac-
tory note on this passage.
W. 8.--was yet standing :] This is a proper sense
of éxočans, which is a participle of the imperfect
tense. “Christ was the way, the truth, and the life.”
Thus ver, 11. “The new and living way.” Ch. x. 20.
Macknight, however, renders it still standeth, sup-
posing a reference to this world, of which the first
tabernacle was the sy.mbol; and from this he draws
a conclusion, that men will not enter into the hea-
vens, till this earth shall have been destroyed.—The
particle as, in this verse, is probably an error, which
may have arisen from the sentence having been once
rendered while as yet, &c.’ and having been after-
wards imperfectly altered.
236 HEBREWS. CHAP. IX,
V. 9.-then present, This cannot be the meaning
of Tov čvearnkóra here, because the verb in the follow-
ing clause is in the present tense; for which reason
also the Alexandrian reading, ka0 jv (for ka6. 6v),
which our translators seem to have adopted, cannot
stand, because the tabernacle had been destroyed
long before.—Perhaps this and the following verse
should be regarded as a parenthesis, for the 7th, 8th,
and 11th, have a natural connection. “ The way
into the holiest was not made manifest, while the
first tabernacle was yet standing (which tabernacle
bore an analogy to the present state and time of the
Jews, during which are offered, as of old, both gifts
and sacrifices, that cannot satisfy the conscience or
make perfect. . . . being ordained only until the time
of reformation), But Christ, having become a high
priest. . . . hath entered, &c.” Such parentheses are
very usual with St. Paul.-The ritual offerings and
sacrifices had now totally lost their effect, having
been superseded and abolished by that perfect sacri-
fice, which they formerly prefigured, and from which
alone their efficacy was derived. See ver, 22.
V. 10. Which stood] There are no words cor-
responding to these in the original, and it is not
quite clear to what our translators here refer—pro-
bably to the tabernacle. Peirce connects &ti (3paſſacre
kal Tówaqt with Aarpetſovra, but this and the following
clauses may be joined with étriketaeva.—3pauata non
dicit propter leges de cibis vetitis, mam adduntur
Tówara potus, quorum usus Israelitis monerat vetitus;
misi excipias Nazareos, quibus lege Mosis praescrip-
tum erat, ut durante tempore voti abstimerent vino
omnique potu inebriante. Cibi igitur hoc loco sunt
panes propositi, panes pentecostales ex tritico oblati,
manipulas, sacrificiorum quaedam partes, et ferta à
sacerdotibus comedenda. Caeteris Israelitis comedendi
HEBREws. CHAP. Ix. 237
erant panes infermentati et agnus paschalis—Téuara
intellige libamina ex vino simpulis altaris infundenda,
quae erant pars muneris Sacerdotum. Reliquorum
autem Israelitarum erant pocula paschalia. Rosenm.
Some would read &Truketueval, as corresponding with
8vváuevat, which is not improbable; unless, with the
Alexandrian and some other MSS, we should read
ôucataſaara. Mill. Macknight, with less reason,
adopts the conjecture of Peirce, who supposes an
ellipsis of £riva v. Either gender will suit the sub-
stantives; and if the variation of genders in the two
participles should be regarded as an original error,
it would be wholly unimportant.
W. 11.—by a greater and more perfect taber-
nacle, i.e. by the services of it, which he performed
as a high priest; by his dying on earth, and present-
ing his crucified body before the throne of God in
heaven, as a sacrifice for sin. Mackm.
W. 12-calves, Young bullocks, or oxen, ver, 13.
Lev. xvi. 3. Mic. vi. 6. Mackn. a6axos est, raſpor
ved repos. Quare etiam hae voces promiscuè apud
Lxx, Philomem, et Josephum usurpantur. Rosenm.
—entered in once] This may be looked upon as
an antitype of the high priest having entered into
the inner tabernacle, only on one day for the whole
€a.I’.
y —redemption.] This verse, as well as the whole
context, obliges us to consider the blood of Christ
as the Aſtpov, or price paid, for the remission of sin.
Eph. i. 7. Whitby. Peirce.
W. 13–sanctifieth Maketh legally clean, which
implies expiation. Ch. x. 10. Hamm. The sanctifi-
cation effected by the legal rites being a sanctifica-
tion of nothing but the body, it was, in a religious
238 HEBREWS. CHAP. IX.
light, of little use, unless it was a representation and
pledge of some real expiation. Mackn. See ver, 22.
V. 14.—eternal Spirit] This seems a plain testi-
mony to the eternity, and consequently to the Deity, of
the Holy Spirit. Doddr. Peirce, however, understands
Twevaa of the divine nature of Christ. Others regard
it as synonymous with Koń. See Beausob. Rosenm.
The former is a more matural sense. The Clermont
and several other MSS, the Vulgate and Coptic Wer-
sions, and several of the Fathers, have Tveſaaros
dºytov. But it is probable, that dytov was taken in
from the margin of some copy, where it stood as an
interpretation. Mill.
W. 15.-the first testament, There are few pas-
sages in the New Testament more intricate and
doubtful than this. To the common translation
there are several objections. I. The very motion of
a first testament is incorrect, for the Mosaic dispen-
sation cannot be considered in that light. 2. We
cannot speak of the mediator of a testament. 3. The
argument fails, respecting the necessity of the tes-
tator’s death, because the validity of the old dispen-
sation did not depend upon such an event. 4. A
testament was never ratified by sacrifice, and there-
fore such a construction here would exclude the
doctrine of expiation.—It appears that the word
êtaôjkm must, in this verse, signify a covenant, as it
always does in the Lxx. To this the great objection
lies in ver, 16, 17. where mention is made of the death
Too &tabeuévov–for a covenant by no means requires
the death of a contracting party in order to its ratifi-
cation. Peirce maintains, that Saôéuevos may signify
a pacifier, and refers to Appian. de Bell. Civ. (Scap.
in 8tat{0sual), where it has this sense. Doddridge,
Parkhurst, and Macknight, in adopting this idea,
HEBREWS. CHAP. IX. 239
suppose that the word may be used passively, and
demote the animal which was appointed to confirm
the treaty of pacification. To such a construction
we may object, 1. That this second aorist is always
used actively, to signify a person who appoints
or settles a thing, whether by authority or concilia-
tion. And it is plain, that the sense of Stageuévov
must be borrowed from 8a0; km. Thus rhs 8a0;(kms is
Šlé6ero & ©eds. Acts iii. 25. And if the Apostle had
intended an allusion to the sacrifice of an animal,
it is highly improbable that he would have admitted
this expression, which is wholly unauthorized, and
contrary to the language of scripture. 2. The word
vekpois, ver, 17. at least when used thus absolutely,
is not applicable to animals. 3. The latter clause
of ver, 16. if thus explained, would imply that there
was a eustom, at the time when a treaty was made,
of appointing some particular animal for its ratifi-
cation, and afterwards of suspending the execution
of the compact by preserving the animal alive.
Whereas, we do not hear of any such custom . On
the conclusion of a treaty the animal was immediately
slain. -
It seems least exceptionable to suppose, that the
Apostle in ver, 16, 17. is taking advantage of the
two-fold sense of Šia&#kn, intimating that it is
applicable to the Christian dispensation, not only as
denoting a covenant (which is the usual signification
of the word in scripture), but also in its general ac-
ceptation, of a testament. The death of a testator
being not less requisite to the operation of a will,
than the death of a victim to the validity of a
covenant—Quia Apostolus in superioribus haredi-
tatem commemoraverat, dilabitur ad notionem tes-
tamenti. Rosenm. Thus Dr. Wells, in his para-
phrase: “ The mention of Christ's being the
mediator of the new covenant, that by means of his
240 HEBREWS, CHAP. IX.
death he might redeem us, makes way for considering
the said covenant under the motion of a testament.”
Christ speaks of himself as a testator, Luke xxii. 29.
Staráðsual juïv. Beausob. With this interpretation,
it will be proper to consider these two verses as a
digression, or parenthesis; for the argument in
ver. 18. having no reference to the death of a testator,
cannot be derived from ver, 17, but has a proper and
natural connection with ver. 15.-Some would render
ðaðīkm foedus testamentarium,” or ‘testamentum
foederale.”—q)épeoffat is a forensic term, signifying
to produce any evidence in support of a claim—-
Joh. xviii. 29. Ti vekpots, ubi mortui sunt, qui
testamentum fecóre. Hoc est quod dicunt Romani
jurisconsulti, “testamentum morte confirmatur.”
Rosenm. See also Beza. Grot. Hamm. Wolf. Wetst.
Whitby, on ver, 20. contends, that this exposition
is unnecessary ; for that ver, 16. may be taken in a
limited sense, as referring to ver, 15: Thus, “ where
there is a covenant of this nature, viz. to be ratified
by the blood of him that makes it.” But it may be
replied, l. That the expressions in ver, 16, 17. are
all of them general, and it does not appear that a
covenant was ever sealed by the author's blood.
Christ ratified the covenant not as a maker, but as
a mediator. 2. It would be little better than a truism
to say, “where there is a covenant which requires
the maker's death, it cannot be valid until the maker
dies.” -
The great objection to the proposed interpretation
is, that it appears to introduce a mere sophism. But
the passage might have been intended not as a proof,
but a detached illustration, shewing that the gospel
(m. Kaw) dia6;fºn) whether regarded as a testament
or a covenant, must be ratified by death. Michaelis,
in order to avoid this objection, supposes that some
mistake was made in translating these two verses
HEP REWS. CHAP. IX. 24}
from the Hebrew, and that the original conveyed
a different sense, viz. that the death and blood of
offered animals were requisite for the formal con-
firmation of any rite: But this is merely a gratuitous
supposition.—A double sense of words is not unusual
in scripture. Matt. viii. 22. x. 39. xiii. 12. &c. And
the dignity of the sacred writings is scarcely more
impaired by such phraseology, than it is by the
frequent use of paranomasias.-Beza and others
have observed, that if the meaning of Stafficm be thus
varied, the epistle could not have been written in
Hebrew ; because the word nºn-l, which is translated
by Stafficm, never signifies a testament. But still it
might have been written in Talmudic or Rabbinical
Hebrew, in which we find the word pºn" (like its
original Stabijkm) signifying both a covenant and a
testament. Buxt. Lex. Talm. p. 534. Marsh’s
Michael. Ch. xxiv. S. 12.
V. 19.-every precept] Exod. xx—xxiv. The
whole of these particulars are not recorded in history;
probably St. Paul received them from tradition.
Doddr. We cannot suppose, indeed, that he was
now informing the Hebrews of any thing new.
Joseph. Ant. III. 9.
—the book] It is said in Exod. xxiv. 6. that he
sprinkled the people only, and therefore some refer
£3tſ}\tov to Aaga}v, and render Kal even. But since
the altar was sprinkled, it is probable that the book,
which lay upon it, would be sprinkled also. Peirce.
Rosenm.
W. 22.--almost all things] oxeóów prudentër dicit,
quia nonnullae purificationes per aquam solam fiebant.
Exod. xix. 10. Lev. xvi. 28. Grot. Some by fire.
Numb. xxxi. 23. -
—remission.] Macknight observes (after Wells
VOL. II. Q
242 Il EBREWS. CHAP. IX.
and others), that the Apostle here alludes merely to
a remission of civil penalties, and insists, that the
Mosaic atonements could extend no further, ver, 9,
10. 13. Ch. x. 4. Yet this appears to be asserting too
much. The learned commentator, indeed, has
partly argued upon a mere sophism : For he says,
“ being void of reason, beasts are not capable of
being punished ; and far less of being punished
in the room of mankind.” Whereas, according to
his own position, the sacrifice of the animal did
procure an immunity from civil punishment. It
is true, however, that the blood thus offered could
not have in itself any atoming efficacy, but was
the appointed means of pardon, by virtue of that
better sacrifice of which it was a type. Comp. ver, 9.
26. Ch. xi. 4. And see, among many other passages,
Lev. i. 4. iv. 3.−26. vi. 2–7. xvi. 15–28. xix. 20.
22. &c. with the notes collected by D'Oyly and
Mant on these texts: Also Dr. Magee, on the
vicarious import of the Mosaic Sacrifices, vol. 1,
p. 35. 2d ed. and Illustr. N*. xxxv.1—xL.
W. 23.—with better sacrifices] Either the plural
is put for the singular, denoting that in the one
sacrifice of Christ, Ch. x. 12. all these typical sacri-
fices had their accomplishment; or, there is an
allusion to the different services of Christ as a
mediator and intercessor, a king and high priest.
Doddridge here remarks, that, as the sacred dwelling
and the vessels were esteemed to be polluted by the
Israelites, who in various degrees had access to them,
Lev. xvi. 16. So heaven would have been, as it were,
polluted by the entrance of such sinners as went
into it, had not the blood of Christ intervened—
But without this intervention they never could have
entered at all, and so could not have polluted it.
We may therefore understand the passage of “such
HEBREWS. CHAP. IX. 243
things as relate to our heavenly state.” Wells. Tº
arvevua Tika Aéyet, ois m ékk\mata kaffaipetal. Schol. apud
Matthaei. See, on the whole of this parallel between
the Jewish and Christian atonements, Archdeacon
Daubeny, as quoted by D'Oyly and Mant on
Lev. xvi. 27.
V. 24.—in the presence of God] i. e. to offer
himself as a sacrifice once for all. ver. 25, 26.
Ch. viii. 3.
W. 26.-since the foundation] This proves that
the sufferings of Christ had respect to all preceding
generations. Thus Rev. xiii. 8. The phrase drö
Karađoxºs Kógaov is used in exactly the same sense,
Luke xi. 50. Whitby. Mackm.
—the end of the world] The conclusion of the
ages. 1 Cor. x. 11.
—to put away sinj Macknight has it, to abolish
the sin-offering,” but there is no necessity for such
a version. See ver. 28. 1 Joh. i. 7.
W. 28.—many :] We are expressly taught in this
very epistle, Ch. ii. 9. that Christ “tasted death for
every man;” when therefore it is here said, that
Christ was “once offered to bear the sins of many,”
thereby is to be understood, not that Christ was once
offered to bear the sins only of some certain persons,
but that he was offered for the sins of the whole
world ; though wicked men, by their impenitence,
lay not hold of this benefit; and so it comes to pass,
that Christ actually bears only the sins of many, viz.
of such only as believe and obey the gospel, and
so actually enjoy the benefit of Christ's oblation,
according to Heb. v. 9. Wells. Tov ydp Tatevãvtov
dºpaipoovta ai daaptiat. Schol. ut suprā. This passage,
as also ver, 27. contains a direct assertion of the vica-
Q 2
244 HEBREWS, CHAP. IX.
rious sacrifice of Christ. See Nares on the ‘Improved
Version, p. 130 sqq. together with Dr. Magee, and
other valuable commentators, there quoted.
—the second time, This is probably, as Limborch
supposes, an allusion to the high priest coming out to
bless the people, who were waiting for him in the
temple, when the great day of atonement was over.
And as he then appeared in his sumptuous garments
(whereas before he had officiated in the plain dress
of a common priest), and as the trumpet of the
jubilee on that year sounded to proclaim the com-
mencement of that happy period, there is not perhaps
an image that can enter into the mind of man, more
suitable to convey the grand idea, which the Apostle
intended to convey by it, than this would be to
a Jew, who well knew the great solemnity to which
it referred. Doddr.
—without sin, Without any of those infirmities,
or sufferings, which he underwent as an atomenent
for sin. Hamm. Peirce. Doddr. Without a sin-
offering. Whitby. Pyle. Mackm. Schl. But, since
Christ was himself the sin-offering, it may be ques-
tioned, whether he can be said to have come with an
offering. The sense may be without having again
to bear our sins”—sine peccati nostri omere, quod
sibi ferendum imposuit. Rosenm. -
—unto salvation.] Our translators have followed
Grotius and the Syriac. So Whitby. Peirce. Wetst,
Doddr. Mackm, Rosenm. But the words might be
taken as they stand—‘who wait for him, or look to
him, for salvation ; and thus the sense is similar
to Phil. iii. 20, €8 off kal atotipa direköexówcôa Kiptov
"Imaowu Xplorów, Wolf. Expectantibus se ad salutem,
Castell.
C IH A. P. X.
The law is in itself wholly insufficient for the expiation of sin,
which nothing but the blood of Christ can wash away. The
Hebrews are exhorted to faith and universal obedience, and
are warned of the dreadful consequences of unbelief and
apostacy.
V. l—a shadow] XRIAN, as opposed to etkóva, may
allude to the rough sketch, or outline, of a painting.
Phil. lib. de plant. Noe. p. 218. ed. 1640. śkelvos ydp
was a kids TAdTTet, ka0d Tep ot @ypaqouvres. Rosenm.
Rudem delineationem. Hardy. The Syriac renders
eiköva by substantiam, but with very questionable
propriety. ^
—continually, Whitby is led from ver, 14. to
connect eis Tó &nvekés with TeXciaqat. And thus
Dr. Wells. But this construction is not suggested by
the order of the words.
—the comers thereuntoj Rather, the comers unto
the temple or tabernacle of God; the same as Xarpetſ-
ovras, ver. 2. Whitby. Hardy. Mackn. Rosenm.
W. 4.—not possible.] Thus Micah, vi. 7.
—take away sins.] Relieve the conscience from
the guilt and burden of sin. So ver, l I. The ex-
pression occurs frequently in the LXx, Isai. vi. 7.
xxvii. 9, &c. Whitby.
V. 5.— thou wouldest not, Psal. xl. 6. Since
David could not say this of himself, it is reasonably
supposed that he spoke in the person of the Messiah.
Mackn. Christ's coming into the world must mean
his coming from heaven into the world. Joh. xvi. 9s.
Matt. xviii. 11. Id.
246 HIEBREWS. CHAP. X,
—a body hast thou prepared me ..] This is accord-
ing to the LXx. Our version of the Psalms has,
“mine ears hast thou opened.” Most of the commen-
tators agree, that the passages may be reconciled by
supposing that the LXX have given the implied but
not the literal sense, explaining it, in the way of para-
phrase, to those for whom they translated. See Rom.
iii. 12, Elsner and Whitby have shewn, that agaa
often denotes a siave (Tobit x. 1 1. 2 Macc. viii. 11.
Rev. xviii. 13. See the Lexicons of Constantine and
Schleusner,) and therefore there may be an allusion
to Christ's taking upon him “the forms of a slave.”
Phil. ii. 7. and becoming “obedient to the will of
God To “open the ears” is a symbol of obe-
dier e. isai. l. 5. The two passages, however, can
hardly be considered as strictly synonymous: And
the context shews (ver. 9, 10.) that the Apostle under-
stands the Psalmist of a “body prepared for sacri-
fice,” i. e. of Christ's being clothed with a human
body for that purpose.—Many have conjectured, that
the copy, from which the Lxx translated, differed from
the present reading. Peirce suggests that instead
of DºtN ‘ears’ some copies had plors: ‘a body,’
and that nini) may signify to procure.” Some, again,
have supposed a reference to the custom of boring
the ear of a slave : But, in that case, only one ear
was bored, Exod. xxi. 6. Deut. xv. 17. And it is
doubtful whether the word nºn-) can be so applied.
Parkh. Heb. Lex. See also Grot. Wolf. Pyle. Bowyer.
Doddr. Mackm. Rosemm, and Bp. Horne on the
Psalms.
V. 7.—in the volume.) Alluding to the general
predictions of the Pentateuch. Doddr. Kepaxis sig-
nifies the head of a pillar, in the form of which books
were commonly rolled. Wolf says, that the rolls of
wood, round which the parchment was wrapped,
HEBREWS, CHAP. X. 247
were called kepa Atóes, having the name, as some con-
tend, from the custom of carrying the figure of a
head at the top.–Pro Kepaxis habent cºmaa Symm.
et Aquil. apud Chrysost. Suid. Nonnulli deducunt a
955 vel Syr. "Ep, quod Sºxogaevov complicatum vel
convulutum indicat. Rosenm.
V. 8–which are offered by the law ;I. This
parenthesis is added by way of explanation, as it not
only shews that the Levitical sacrifices were super-
seded, but conveys an intimation that the Almighty
would require and accept another sacrifice instead—
the sacrifice of his Son.
W. 9.—the first, The first will. Peirce. But we
may understand Xpmua, sc. Tºv Tpaſtny 8taðiſkºv.
V. 10. By the which will] By the express will of
God the sacrifice of Christ was appointed from the
begimming, as the only propitiation for the sins of
men. (See Ch. ix. 22.) And it must ever be remem-
bered, that the will of God is the true foundation,
on which any propitiation for sin can be established.
IMackn. Whitby on ver. 14.
—sanctified, The sanctification here spoken of
relates to such cleansing, or purifying, as is obtained
by expiation or atonement. Peirce after Hamm.
Whitby.
W. 15. — had said before, Ch. viii. 10. , from
Jerem. xxxi. 33. sqq. This passage bears testimony
to the inspiration of the prophet Jeremiah.
V. 18.--no more offering] From these, and many
other passages of this epistle, the sacrifice of the
mass, declared by the Trent councii, Sess. xxii.
Can. 2, 3. to be “a true and proper propitiatory
248 HEBREWS. CHAP. X.
sacrifice for sin,” is utterly overthrown. Whitby
Here ends the doctrinal part of this epistle.
V. 19.-boldness] trapping ſay— having the liberty
or power of entering.” Aditum liberum. Castell.
Spem introitās certissimam. Schl. Liberum jus.
Rosenm.
W. 20.— living way,) (ogan, i. e. Çootrotovoay,
Grot.
—his flesh : As the removal of the vail gave
access to the holy of holies, so Christ, by putting
away the flesh, i. e. by his death and resurrection,
opened the way to eternal life. Matt. xxviii. 51.
Peirce. Rosenm. Or, it may only mean that Christ
opened the way to heaven, by taking upon him the
nature of man.-As Christ had a human body, and
was to go through his suffering in that body into
heaven, it is therefore compared to the temple wail,
through which the high priest passed into the most
holy place. Pyle.
W. 22.-hearts sprinkled] Here is a manifest allu-
sion to the things requisite to procure, for a defiled
Jew, admittance into God’s sacred presence in the
temple, or the tabernacle. The sprinkling of blood
and the washing with water were both essential.
Lev. xvi. 4, 14, 15. 27. Numb. viii. 7. xix. 2–10.
Whitby. The latter clause probably contains an
allusion to baptism ; and it may be connected with
the following verse. Wetst. Peirce. Macka. Griesh. .
W. 23.−of our faith] It is remarkable, that our
translators should have adopted this reading on the
authority of only one MS, and that not earlier than
the 11th century. The general reading is Tºv duo-
Aoytav Tris éXTíðos.
HEBREWS, CHAP. X. 249
W. 25—the day] The day of persecution and
vengeance, when Christ should come to punish the
unbelieving Jews. I Cor. iii. 13.−quépal ékéikhaetos.
Luke xxi. 22. It seems that the converts had been
deterred, in some instances, from assembling them-
selves together, through fear of their persecutors.
Hamm. Whitby. Peirce.
W. 26.-sin wilfully] It is evident from the con-
text, that the Apostle is here alluding to the sin of
apostacy, which was frequent in the early days of
the gospel for fear of persecution. Thus Heb. vi.
4–6. Peirce. Hardy. Rosenm. The verb duaprávely
is applied in 2 Pet. ii. 4. to the apostate angels. See
especially Hammond.
—no more sacrifice] This, in connection with
ver. 27. plainly intimates (as Dr. Bates, Harm. Ch. iv.
well observes), that God will not pardon sin without
some sacrifice or satisfaction. Doddr. disaptavóvrov
eitre Töv del duapravövtov, kal um Metavooſvtov kai ovk
eitre, wii droxettea.6at we Távotav, dAAd 0watay, Tovtéat,
êeſtepov (3d Trigga. Schol. apud Matthaei.
W. 27—fiery indignation,] This clause may al-
lude to the destruction of Korah and his company.
Numb. xvi. 35. Grot.
W. 28.— Moses’ law] Deut. xvii. 6. Numb. xv.
30, 31. which passages have reference to the sins of
apostacy and open rebellion.
W. 29.—trodden under foot] As an expression of
contempt. Dam. viii. 10. Isai. lxiii. 3. Mackm. ‘.
—was sanctified, Was made a member of Christ’s
Church, as the Israelites had admission to the
benefits of the Sinaitic covenant by the sprinkling
of blood, and thus were sanctified, or set apart, from
250 HEBREWS. CIHAP. X.
idolaters to worship the true God. Id. From what is
here said, it is evident that by being sanctified is not
meant being made holy so as not to be liable to fall
back again into a state of unholiness. Nay the
Apostle is here plainly speaking of one, who, being
sanctified by baptism, actually falls back into a state
of sin, and so becomes unholy. Wells. The words
év 6 jºyudatºm are not found in the Alexandrian
MS.
— an unholy thing, Wile, and nothing-worth,
yea as one that died a disgraceful death, as a male-
factor, polluting rather than purging. Grot. Hamm.
Whitby.
—despite unto the Spirit] Acting in defiance of
the miraculous demonstrations of the Holy Ghost;
attributing therefore the miracles, which he wrought
before their eyes, to demoniacal power, and so guilty
of blasphemy against him.—This passage confirms
the doctrine of the personality of the Spirit, for it
does not appear that the verb évv8ptćew can have for
its object things, or qualities; it is applicable to per-
sons only. Dr. Middleton.
W. 30.-that hath said, Deut. xxxii. 35, 36. The
words in the original contain a denunciation against
an idolatrous people, who oppressed the Israelites,
and are very applicable to apostates. Mackm.
—shall judge] Shall avenge his people: To this
the context in Deuteronomy leads: “To judge” has
the same sense in Gen. xxx. 6. Psal. xliii. 1. cxxxv. 14.
Mackm. Grot. Hamm. The phrase “ saith the Lord,”
if genuine, is added by the Apostle. But it is wanting
in the Clerm. MS, &c. and the Versions Vulg. Syr.
AEth. Copt. The same phrase, however, appears in
the citation of the same passage, Rom. xii. 19.
W. 32.-illuminated, Heb. vi. 4.
HEBREWS, CHAP. X. 251
—a great fight] The Apostle thus intimates, that
the combat, which the disciples of Jesus maintained
against their persecutors, was more difficult and dan-
gerous, and at the same time more honourable, than
any of the combats in the games. There were
various persecutions of the Christians in Judea. Acts
viii. I. xii. 1. 1 Thess. ii. 14. Mackm.
W. 34.—my bonds, Tois Segaois. Were this cer-
tainly the true reading, it would afford a fair pre-
sumption that St. Paul was the author of this epistle.
But the other reading Tois 8eaufous ovveraðja’ate
(which agrees with the preceding clause) is perhaps
more likely to be the true one. Whitby. Griesb. &c.
Wolf, Matthaei, and Macknight prefer the common
reading. -
W. 37.—he that shall come] This is the peculiar
title given to the Messiah by the Jews, as we learn
from the Baptist’s question, Matt. xi. 3. and the
Hosannas of the Jews. Matt. xxi. 9. Whitby. The
passage relates to the coming of Christ to avenge
his people. Pyle. Rosenm. See Hallet in loc.
W. 38.-the just] Habb. ii. 3. Lxx. In this and
the former verse the Apostle is accommodating the
language of the prophet to his own time and pur-
pose, and he inserts the two clauses for the sake of
his conclusion, wer. 39. Mackm. The Bible version
of the latter clause is very different. “Behold his
soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him.”
Many suppose, that there was a slight variation in
the original copies; that instead of #55; ‘ arrogans
fuit’— was lifted up, some might read rºy which
occasionally signifies he was weary or faint.’ Jonah
iv. 8, isai. ii. 20. and that, instead of vol his soul,”
they might read ºb) my soul.” Hallet. But Pocock
252 HEBREWS. CHAP. XI.
and others contend, that the present Hebrew copies
are very capable of the Lxx version ; that ºpy,
according to the Rabbins, may be used in the sense
of fainting, and that nº, which ordinarily signifies
right, may be rendered by dpéaketv to please.” It
will then be, ‘Behold he who faints, or draws back,
shall not please his soul, i. e. God’s soul. Hamm.
Yet such is not a usual interpretation of ºby. See
Buxt. Parkh. With regard to this verb it may be
observed, that it properly denotes an arrogant and
presumptuous exaltation, and so here implies the sin
of rebellion against God; and consequently that of
apostacy. He that exalts himself against the
Almighty, must have withdrawn from his service,
Numb. xv. 3O. ."
In this passage the prophet, as well as the Apostle,
speaks of the efficacy of faith to support and comfort
a man under temptations and afflictions in such a
manner, that he neither faints in the combat, nor
withdraws from it. Rom. i. 17. Gal. iii. 11. Mackm.
See Rom. iii. 12. : f
C H A P. XI.
The nature of faith is explained, and many illustrious eramples
of it adduced: And it is shewn, in conclusion, that the
faithful in all ages will receive the same recompence of
reward. - -
V. 1.-the substance] THE faith by which the
just live, Ch. x. 38. is the confident expectation of
things hoped for—wºróa Taois has this sense in Ch. iii.
14, 2 Corix. 4. Ruth i. 12. Ezek. xix. 5. Knatchbull.
Hamm. Raphel. Whitby. Such a persuasion con-
cerning them, as if they actually existed. Chrysost.
HEBREWS. CHAP. XI. 253
Hallet. éATúouévov varða-Taois, illud quod facit ut jam
extent quae speramtur. Rosenm. Une existence anti-
cipèe. Thus Abraham saw the day of the Lord.
Joh. viii. 56. Beausob.
W. 3–by the word] By the command or will
of God. Ch. i. 3. •.
—were not made Bp. Pearson (on the Creed
p. 53. 5th ed.) renders it were made of things which
do not appear,’ i. e. made out of nothing, without
any pre-existent matter, before God created the
worlds. The inference is doubtless true; but the
construction, as many suppose, does not suit the posi-
tion of the particle uſ. Such a transposition, how-
ever, is very common with the Hellenists, and is
often found in the best classical writers. Pol. Syn.
Raphel. Pyle. The most learned prelate above-
mentioned gives a remarkable illustration from Aris-
totle; and he compares the present passage, as
others have done, to 2 Macc. vii. 28. §§ ovk &vtww
étrongev auto 6 €eós.
W. 4.—more excellent] Dr. Kemnicot and others
have contended, that T\etova may here signify more
full or abundant, for it appears from Gen. iv. that
Cain offered only of the fruit of the ground, but
Abel of the firstlings of his flock. Yet our trans-
lators have given the true sense here—TNetwu has a
similar meaning in Matt. vi. 25. xii. 41. Steph. Con-
cord. Schl. See Dr. Magee's illustr. Nº. LXIv, which
is decisive on the subject. The offering of Abel
was better and more acceptable ; inasmuch as it pro-
ceeded “from faith”—Cainus, oblatione solà eucha-
ristică de fructu terrae defungens, supine neglexerit
sacrificium Adarukov, ut eo nomine Deo displicuerit,
neque potuerit obtinere Justitide Bei, quad ex fide
est, testimonium, quod mon perhibebat Deus, meg-
254 - HEBREWS. CHAP. XI.
lecto istoc externo symbolo supplicationis ex fide,
pro remissione peccatorum obtinendā. . . . Censemus
potiorem fuisse Abelis oblationem prae oblatione
Caini, quod ipse supplicationem pro impetrandã
peccatorum remissione testatus sit, per sacrificii pro-
pitiatorii cruentam oblationem, eúm alter dona sua.
eucharistico ritu offerret xopis aluatoxvotas. Cloppen-
burg. Sacrif. Patriarch. Schol. p. 15. quoted by Dr.
Magee, Illustr. Nº. LXIII. Some have imagined, that
Abel's faith implied merely a due sense of his own
obligations, and of the greatness and goodness of
God : But it is probable, that he was well aware
of the typical nature of his sacrifice, that it repre-
sented “ the Lamb which was slain from the founda-
tion of the world.” The promise, that “the seed of
the woman should bruise the serpent’s head,” was to
be commemorated in the patriarchal and all succeed-
ing sacrifices, “until the seed should come.” Agree-
ably to this, the Homily on Faith applies this 11th
chapter, stating that holy men of old, although they
were not named Christian, yet exercised a Christian
faith; seeking, as we do, all the benefits of God the
Father, through the merits of his Son Jesus Christ;
and differing from as only in this, that whereas
“ they looked when Christ should come, we be in
the time “when he is come.” Dr. Magee p. 52. sqq.
2d ed. Illustr. Nº. ºxy. Macknight, after Hallet,
remarks that God’s acceptance of Abel's sin-offering
is a proof, that propitiatory sacrifice was of diving
appointment; otherwise his offering, being will-
worship, must have been offensive to God and re-
jected. Besides, as Hallet observes, flesh not being
permitted to men till after the flood, Abel ºust have
thought it unlawful to kiti any animal, unless God
had ordered it to be killed as a sacrifice. See also,
on this subject, Shuckford's Connection, vol. 1.
82–86. Bp. Wilkins, On Natural Religion, Book i.
HEBREWS. CHAP. XI. 255
ch. 12, as referred to in Collyer's Sacred Interpreter,
vol. 1. p. 111. 6th ed. and, more especially, Dr. Magee,
Illust. Nº. xlvi.1—LIII. Lix. LX.
—God testifying] The nature, or manner, of this
testimony is not recorded; but it is supposed to have
been by fire, as was the case on several other occa-
sions, Gen. xv. 17. Lev. ix. 24. Judg. vi. 21. 1 Kings
xviii. 38. Beausob. &c. See also D'Oyly and Mant
on Gen. iv. 4.
V. 5. By faith] By “walking with God,” and
observing in faith the ordinances which were pre-
scribed to him. Gen. v. 24. This verse, which is
partly from the Lxx, may be regarded as a commen-
tary upon that elliptical expression, “He was not,
for God took him.”—dvexºpnag Tpós To Belov. Joseph.
Amt. I. 3. Rosenm.—Enoch and Elijah (2 Kings ii.
17.) are the only persons, who are said to have been
translated. To fit them for their new state, their
bodies were doubtless changed, as the bodies of the
righteous will be, who, at the second coming of
Christ, are found alive on the earth. Mackm,
W. 6.-that cometh to God] As an object of
worship and service, Ch. iv. 16. vii. 25. x. 1, 22.
xii. 22.
—must believe Thus do natural and revealed
religion rest on the same foundation. Mackn.
– a rewarder] . Whitby shews by numerous
quotations, that this was also the creed of the
heathems.
W. 7.-condemned Here, as in many other places,
a person is said to condemn those, against whom he
furnishes matter of accusation. Tit. iii. 1 1. Doddr.
W, 8.--was called] This call is not mentioned in
256 HEBREWS. CHAP. XI,
the history, but it may be inferred from Gen. xv. 7.
Mackn.
V. 9.-with Isaac and Jacob, perd hic non sig-
nificat iden tempus, sed paritatem rei; mam et Isaaco
eaedem factae sunt promissiones, Gen. xxii. 17. xxvi.
24. et Jacobo, Gen. xxviii. 13. Grot. ipsi erant
scenitae (et nomades) sicut Abrahamus. Rosenm.
V. 10.-builder and maker] texvirus kal ênuoup'yds,
‘ designer and builder'—artifex opifexque. Castell.
Ita dpx|Tétova Kal êmutovpyöv conjungit Polybius,
Hist. viii. 8. Raphel. Et Cicero (de Nat. Deor. I. 8.)
Deum vocat opificem et a dificatorem mundi. Schl.
W. 11.--Sara herself] It appears that Sarah
laughed at first, but afterwards repented and believed,
Mackm.
—was delivered] &Tekev is wanting in several of
the oldest MSS and Versions. Grot. Wells. Griesb.
W. 12–as good as dead, Or, dead to these
things’—(kard) Tajra, in this respect.’ Hallet. Et
quidem. Rosenm. Concerning the renewal of Abra-
Y
ham’s and Sarah's strength, see Rom. iv. 19.
W. 13. These all] Intellige ab Abrahamo deinceps,
ver. 15. Grot. But it is obvious, as Whitby remarks,
that all the descendants of Abraham did not die in
faith; and the expression oitoi Tàutes must refer to
all who have been before named ; from which it
follows, that the promises, here spoken of, cannot
have been merely of a temporal nature, because there
were some to whom no temporal promises were
made, as Abel and Enoch. As to the difficulty
arising from the declaration, that the persons enume-
rated had died in faith (when it is known that Enoch
HEBREWS. CHAP. XI. 257
did not die, but was translated ; this is easily
removed by considering, that the stress in this clause
is not laid upon the death of those believers, but
upon their having retained their faith through life.
See Drusius in ſoc. who supplies several instances
of a similar latitude of expression in scripture.
Hallet, Doddridge, and Whitby deserve to be con-
sulted upon this entire chapter. They furnish a
complete answer to the arguments of those, who
contended for a temporal promise. Dr. Magee,
Illustr. Nº. Lxv. This learned expositor adds the
following remark from Elsner on Grotius : Mira est
viri illius Tà wroëéael SovXeſovros imprudentia; quo-
modó, quaeso, expectässe illam urbem Abrahamus
dicetur, quam, post multa demüm secula, posteris
suis cessurum noverat, a Deo edoctus' quomodó
deinde Deus conditor vocabitur Hiderosolyma terres-
tris 7–denique infră, wer. 16. caelum esse illam urbem
apparet, nam patria coelestis vocatur. Obss. Sacr.
t. II. p. 367. Mii Xaſºv’res] Čeſkvvoſt, wn yºu advov autoſs
étnºy'yéAffat, d\Ad kai Tºv čv ovpavig (3aot\etav. Schol.
apud Matthaei.
—zcere persuaded] The words kal Treto.6%ures are
rejected by so many MSS and Versions, that scarcely
any commentator of note is desirous of retaining them.
—Strangers and pilgrims] Regarding Canaan
as a pilgrimage, and typical of a better country.
Psal. xxxix. 12.—So the Jews considered it. Whitby.
W. 14.—a country.] Their own proper country,
the country of their father—Tarpiða a Tarip. Hallet.
Pyle. &c.
W. 16-to be called their God ; Gen. xvii. 7.
Jer. xxxi. 1, Matt. xxii. 32. &c.
W. 17.—offered up. The offering, though not
VQ L. II. R
23S HEBREWS, CHAP. XI.
actually, was virtually made ; and Abraham's trial
was complete, though the sacrifice was not.
James ii. 21.
V. 19.--from whence] It is doubtful whether
38ev can be so applied to persons; had this sense been
intended, the reading would probably have been
& ºv v. t. a. We may render it wherefore, i.e. on
account of his faith; so the word frequently signifies
in this epistle. ii. 17. iii. 1. &c.
—in a figure.] This is commonly understood of
the offering and preservation of Isaac being a type
of the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. Grot,
Wolf. Schleusner would interpret the expression
from the use of Tapd{30}\os in some cases, which sig-
nifies one who is bold,’ and exposes himself to
danger—ka čv Tapaſ}oxī, “etian in ipso praesen-
tissimo vitae periculo.’ Thus Raphel. Camerar, who
suppose év Tapaſ}oXn equivalent to Tapaſ}6X0s, as év
dA)0et% to d\m66s, év ráxet to Taxéos &c. This sense
is ably defended by Krebs, who observes that
Josephus, on this very subject, has used an equivalent
expression. Locus est Ant. I. 13. 4. ubi, cum marra-
verat, Deum Abrahamo, jamjamque Isaacum immola-
turo, arieten), ex improviso ad sacrificium ostendisse,
ita pergit: ol &e IIAP 'EATIIAAX. Šavrov's KEKOMIX-
MIENOI kal Toto'ſ Tov dyatºv ćTayyektas TetvynkóTes,
jardºowto d\xi}\ovs' at illi, practer spem sibi redditi,
mactique tantae felicitatis promissionem, mutuo se
complectebantur.” Hesychius has Šk Tapaſ}oXºs ék
Tapakuºveſ, aros. It is proper, however, to add, that
no instance has been adduced of the phrase év Tapa-
30X', being ever used in this sense. Bos.
W. 20–Jacob and Esauj Though Isaac, in
blessing Jacob, was under a mistake as to the person,
it did not at all interfere with the blessing: He
HEBREWS. CH) AP. XI, 239
knew assuredly, that his blessing would be effectuai,
though it was different from what he intended,
Gen. xxvii. 33. And so this circumstance, instead of
weakening, materially confirms the assertion, that
his blessing was delivered in faith.--This blessing
is not to be regarded as a reward of Rebecca's
deceit, but as a fulfilment of the promise originally
made to her by God, Gen. xxv. 33. that the elder
should serve the younger. Reijecca was doubtless
blameable, but we often find evil permitted for the
production of good. See Hamm. Whitby. Hallet.
Mackm.
W. 21,–the top of his staff.] Thus the Lxx. Our
Bible Version has it, “upon the bed's head.”
Gen. xlvii. 31. The Hebrew intº may have either
signification ; and we may even unite them both, by
supposing that he sat on the bed leaning on his staff.
Hamm.—It is not said, that he leaned on his staff
after blessing Ephraim and Manasseh, Gen. xlviii.
15–22. only after receiving the promise that he
should be buried in Canaam ; and this he did in
token of worship and thankfulness to God : Either,
therefore, the Apostle knew this by some other means,
or he intended the two clauses of this verse to be
independent of each other (“By faith he blessed
. . . . . . and (on another occasion) worshipped ” &c.),
thus disregarding the order of time. The latter
exposition seems more probable.
W. 22.-Joseph, Gem. l. 24, 25. Exod. xiii. 19.
V. 23–his parents," Tatépov So the Latins
used the word patres. Stat. Theb. 11.464. de CEdipo
et Jocastä. “Incestique patrúm thalami.” Wetst.
—a proper child ;] A conteiy, promising child,
R 2
260 HEBREWS. CHAP. XI.
Acts vii. 20. Joseph. Ant. II. 9. His parents trusted .
in the promises and providential care of God.
W. 24.—come to years, uéyas. He is called regara-
pakov'raetºs, Acts vii. 23. Thus Hom. Od. o. 216.
vºv 8 &re 3) aéºyas &aat kai #3ms uérpov travels. Wetst.
This refusal of Moses is not formally mentioned in
the book of Exodus ; but it may be inferred from
the history, Ch. ii. 1 1. sqq.
V. 26.—reproach of Christ] Since the Israelites
were known by the name of God’s anointed, Psal. cv.
15. Habb. iii. 13, Grotius and others so interpret
Toº Xploroſ here. But the word never has this
sense in the New Testament, and the reproach of
Christ may mean, either the reproach occasioned
by the true religion, which centered in Christ, or
reproach similar to that which Christ endured. Thus
Ch. xiii. 13. I Cor. x. 9, Pyle. Beausob. Rosenm.
The marks of the Lord Jesus, Gal. vi. 17. were the
marks inflicted for his sake. Phil. iii. 10. Col. i. 24.
2 Cor. i. 5. Hallet. Töv ću Túrg, Övetëtagów toº Xpta Tow'
Tis ae yap, pmat, katéatma ev ãoxovta ; Schol. ut suprā.
W. 27. —forsook Egypt, Not when he went
into Midian, for then it is expressly said that he was
afraid, Exod. ii. 14, but at his departure with the
Israelites, Exod. xiv. 13.
—invisible.] By this epithet the true God, whom
the Israelites worshipped, was distinguished from the
visible gods of the Egyptians. Mackm.
V. 30.—the walls of Jerichol See Josh. vi.
W. 31.-the harlot Rahab] See Josh. ii. 10. and
the note on James ii. 25. Macknight observes
(vol. II. Ess. vi. S. S. on Justification) that Rahab's
HEBREWS. CHAP. XI. 261
faith did not consist in her believing any particular
revelation, which was made to her concerning the
God of Israel; but in attending to, and reasoning
justly on, what she had heard concerning his won-
derful works, so as to believe him to be the only true
God, and governor of the universe. Josh. ii. 9–11.
And it appears from the history, that she persevered
in the faith and worship of the true God: For, after
the sacking of Jericho, she dwelt among the Israelites
and was married to Salmon, a great man in Israel;
whereby she became one of our Lord’s ancestors,
being the mother of Boaz, who was the father of
Jesse, and the grandfather of David. Comp. Josh. vi.
Ruth iv. 21, 22. Matt. i. 5.
V. 32–-of Gedeon, Judg. vii.
—of Barak, Judg. iv.
—of Jephthae :] Judg. xi. See also Jennings's
Jewish Antiquities, vol. 1. p. 57–59.
W. 33.--subdued kingdoms, J As Joshua, David,
and others.
—the mouths of lions,] As Daniel.
W. 34.—the violence of fire, Dan. iii. 17.
—escaped the edge of the sword, 1 Sam. xvii.
46, 47. Esth. iv. 14. 2 Kings i. 15.
—out of weakness] Judg. vii. 15. xvi. 28. 2 Chron.
xx. 12. I Sam. xiv. 12. 2 Kings xix.
W. 35.-received their dead] 1 Kings xvii. 20.
2 Kings iv. 36.
—were tortured, étuutravío.6maav, * were stretched
out and violently beaten (Túatavov tormenti genus,
quo malefici in equuleo, tanquam pelles in tympano,
distendebantur. Rosenm. Krebs.) 2 Macc. vi. vii.
which two chapters afford instances of what follows
in this and the next verse.
262 HEBREWS. CHAP. Xſ,
W. 37.—stomed, As Zechariah. 2 Chron. xxiv. 21.
—sawn asunder, 2 Sam. xii. 31. Amos i. 3. Lxx.
(Suet. Calig. S. 27.) The Jews have a tradition, that
Isaiah suffered this punishment from Mamasseh.
Jerome on Isai. lvii. 2. Mackm. Prideaux. vol. 1. p. 29.
ed. 1716.
—were tempted, étretpaathmoray.] This word ap-
pears to be so much out of place here, that it is
supposed by many not to be the true reading. Some
propose êTupdo.6maav or émpija'6marau, they were
burnt, referring to 2 Macc. vii. 5, others omit it al-
together, conjecturing that it came from the margin,
Grot. Hamm. Whitby. Many other conjectures are
mentioned in Bowyer. Matthaei. Griesb. Rosenm.
It is retained, however, in all the antient MSS, and
in all the versions except Syr. Afth. and Hallet
shews, that they are mistaken who suppose it to be
discountenanced by the Fathers.-hăc voce signifi-
cantur imprimisii, qui admotis tormentis exterriti,
seu tentati sunt, an possint suppliciorum metu ad
impietatem ac idololatriam adigi. Mill. Pyle. Beausob.
— with the szcord :] I Macc. ii. 38. Of what
follows Elijah was an example, 1 Kings xvii. xix.
2 Kings ii.
V. 38.—they wandered, &c.] 1 Macc. ii. 28, 29.
2 Macc. vi. 1 1. -
W. 39–the promise: J &ray/extoy might be joined
with Too €800, wer. 40.
W. 40–for us, Having provided, with respect
to us, some thing more excellent, viz. the fulness of
the gospel revelation; that they, without us, should
not, in its best and proper sense, receive the ac-
complishment of God’s promise, ver, 13.—should not
see the last and complete part of the promise to
HEBREWS. CHAP. XII, 263
Abraham. Sykes. Pyle. Beausob. The Apostle, as
is usual, speaks of the Christians as well as the
Israelites in a body, without meaning that every
individual among them should be ultimately blest.
And, in the examples above-mentioned, he does not
bear testimony to the general character or conduct
of men, only to particular instances of faith, Mackm.
C H A P. XII.
* p * - n - ; , ** • * 5th a dº ºn zº a.º. : 7, - T Jr. 7 • , , r_* * *
As an inference from the foregoing chapter, the Hebrews are
here exhorted to a patient endurance of affliction, and a
firm perseverance in the faith. By a contrast with the
Mosaic dispensation, both the evil and punishment of apos-
tacy are fully denounced.
W. 1.-cloud of witnesses, THIS figure is fre-
quent in classic authors. Hom. Il. 8, 274. vépos eſtero
Tešov. Virg. Æn. VII. 794. Insequitur nimbus pedi-
tum. Wetst. Wide plura apud Elsmer. This cloud
of witnesses contained all the worthies mentioned in
Ch. xi. who by their words and actions have testified,
how much the objects of their faith were valued before
all worldly things; and who may be regarded as wit-
messes for our encouragement in the race, and for
our condemnation, if we loiter or fail. Hamm. Whit-
by. The victors at the morning games did not receive
their rewards till the evening, after they had witnessed
the exertions of succeeding combatants. Mackm.
—easily beset] eitrepigratov, ‘ that which easily en-
compasses and entangles us, so as to hinder our
running.”—Possibly the word may contain an allu-
sion to the long garments worn in the East, which
would be a hindrance in the race. Hallet, Beausoh.
264 HEBREWS. CHAP. XII.
Others derive the phrase from the circumvention of
a hunter in the chase, or an enemy in war. Schl.
Blandimenta peccati. Id.
V. 2–for the joy] Schleusner and others would
render ávri Tàs xapas instead of the joy,” which
he might have possessed: But this does not suit the
parallel so well. As Jesus endured for the joy of
finishing his scheme of salvation, so should his disciples
endure for the joy of being partakers of it.--ó Tpokeſ-
uevos drydºv, ver, 1. signifies the race set before us,
and therefore it is reasonable to understand j trpo-
kelačvn xapd of the joy set before him, the joy of his
exaltation. Phil. ii. 9. Thus éXT's Tookeuévn, Ch. vi.
18. –&vt. pro Évéka. Sic quod Matth. xix. 5. est
§vekev Toºtov, id ipsum est divt. Toſtov, Eph. v. 31.
Grot. Hamm. Whitby. Doddr. Mackm.
V. 3.-consider] divox.oyforwaffe. This, as Eras-
mus Schmidius observes, is a metaphor taken from
arithmetical and geometrical proportions. So that
it signifies the great accuracy and exactness, with
which they should consider the author and finisher
of their faith; and especially the analogy between
his case and their own. Doddr. Raphel.
W. 4.—unto blood, This commonly happened in
the combat with the cestus, to which figure the
the Apostle now adverts. The sufferings of the
Hebrew converts had not then been severe enough
to be compared to the combat itself, only to the
Tporvºyuz) or axiouaxia, in which there was no effusion
of blood. Hamm. Others reasonably understand,
that they had not yet been called to die for their
profession, as Christ did. Hallet. Jusqu' à la mort.
Beausob. Multa passi estis, sed mondum sanguinem
effudistis, aut martyres facti estis. Hardy. -
HEBREWS. CHAP. XII. 263
V. 5. And ye have forgotten] Legenda haec in-
terrogative. Grot. Hallet. Mackm. The sense, how-
ever, in this case would be much the same.
—the exhortation | Prov. iii. 11, 12.
W. 6.—and scourgeth] Thus the Lxx. In our
Bible Version it is, “Even as a father the son in
whom he delighteth.” The original is capable of
either translation.
W. 8–and not sons.] Hence the Jews speak
thus, “Woe to the man that goeth out of the world
without tribulations.” Buxt. Lex. p. 1528. Whitby.
W. 9.—Father of Spirits, i. e. of our spirits, in
opposition to the flesh. Numb. xiv. 22. xxvii. 16.
Whitby. But Theodoret, Chrysostom, and others of
the antients interpret the phrase ‘spiritual Father.’
Beausob. Dr. Middleton. The words will bear either
construction; yet our translation gives the nearest
sense.—There seems to be a reference to Deut.
xxi. 18. where the son that was disobedient to his
father was ordered to be put to death. This is one
of the many instances in which the Apostle conveys
the most forcible reason in a single word. Mackm.
Doddr.
W. 11–peaceable fruit] Many suppose an allusion
to the olive crown bestowed upon the combatants;
the olive being a symbol of peace. Hamm. Whitby.
Doddr.
W. 12–feeble knees;] Alluding to the exhausted
strength of the pugilists. Mackn. This may be true,
though it is not likely that the prophet Isaiah, from
whom these words are quoted, Ch. xxxv. 3. had any
Such allusion, Rosenm.
266 HEBREWS. CHAP. XII.
W. 15–fail of Or fall off from, Ch. iv. 1.
—any root of bitterness] Any gross sin, Acts
viii. 23. especially that of apostacy, or idolatry.
Deut. xxiv. 18. Mackm. pišav Tukpias To: Tovmpd Aéºyet
86-ypata, Kai Tov ôtep6apuévov {3tov. Schol. apud
Matthaei. In the passage last quoted the Lxx have,
pſ(a dva qºſova a €v xoxfi. Whence it is conjectured
by some, that év xoxfi, instead of évoxAñ, is the true
reading here. Grot. Mill. Whitby. Wells. Hallet
and others reply, that the Apostle is not making a
formal quotation ; and that it is usual for a person,
who adopts the sentiments of another, to express
them partly by words of his own. And this is true:
But, since the verb évox\fi does not convey a very
appropriate meaning, and since it bears such a
striking resemblance to év xoxfi, there is great weight
in the conjecture: This sentence will thus have an
elliptical form, like the preceding, and like the first
clause in wer. 16.
W. 16.-fornicator, I Cor. v. 1. *,
—profane person, as Esau, He is so called,
because, as a prophetic blessing (and the priesthood
itself, before the law,) went along with the birth-
right, there was a profane contempt of it in the
infamous bargain here alluded to. Doddr. Pyle.
direpºro)\no as Tov Geov Tiju êopedv. Schol. ut suprā.
That the birth-right gave this, among other privi-
leges, see Gen. xxvii. 29. 37. xlix. 3. Deut. xxi. 17.
Exod. xxiv. 5. Chald. Paraph.-Hamm. Whitby.
—for one morsel] avti (3poſaeos utas, for one
eating.’ i. e. for one meal. See Hallet. in loc.
W. 17–he was rejected:] i.e. by his father.
—of repentance, It cannot mean his own repent-
ance, because there was nothing to hinder it; nor
can the phrase TóTov wetavotas signify the success of
HEBREWS. CHAP. XII. 267
his repentance. The expression must therefore be
referred to isaac : “He found (in his father) no
change of purpose, though he sought it with tears.”
Raphel. Wolf. Schl. Rosenm. &c. Wetstein quotes
a similar passage from Polybius—um kataxeſTea Bat
a ‘ptat Tátov čAéows undé ovyyvöums, Hist. I. 88. Thus
Dr. Wells: “He could not prevail upon his father,
with all his tears, to reverse what he had done. . . .
In like manner, such as sell their Christian birth-
right, or renounce Christianity, are not to expect
to find any place of repentance in God, i. e. that
God will reverse what he has decreed against such
apostates: They are not to presume on God’s mercy
in this case, it being the most likely way to render
them incapable of his mercy.” Beza and Mackmight
refer avtºv to the distant substantive evXoytav, as it
is, Gen. xxvii. 34. “Bless me, O my father:” But,
to seek a change of purpose from his father, was in
fact to seek the blessing; for there could be but one
blessing such as Isaac had bestowed. -
V. 18. — that might be touched, Which was
therefore material, and by being touched after the
prohibition, Exod. xix. 12. would procure present
death. Whitby. Schoetgenio et aliis mons tactus est
idem quod mons fumans, ex Hebraismo, ubi montes
à Deo tacti fumare dicumtur, Psal, civ. 32. &c. Schl:
Rosenm. Some, however, suppose that the true
reading is MH (or 'OY) lºn\aqwuéve, as agreeing with
Exod. xix. Deut. v. and with the context here. Pyle.
Bowyer, &c. It is, to say the least, an ingenious
conjecture.
—and tempest, Josephus, Ant. III. 5. tells us
that, at the beginning of the law, strong winds came
down, and manifested the presence of God. Per-
haps this prefigured what happened when the new
• * * *-2 i \ \º W \f
law, the gospel, was given, For, previous to the
268 HEBREWS. CHAP. XII.
descent of the Holy Ghost, “ there came a sound
from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind.” Acts ii. 2.
Mackm.
W. 20.— thrust through] The clause # 3ox{3,
karatošev6%rera is supported by few MSS or Wer-
sions, and is rejected by almost all the critics. It
appears in the Lxx. Exod. xix. 13.
W. 2".--Moses said, These words are not found in
the history, Exod. xix. whence many have supposed,
that the Apostle received them from tradition. But
Whitby refers them, not without reason, to Deut.
ix. 19. Thus Wall. Pyle. &c.
W. 22. But ye are come unto mount Sion,] To
the spiritual Sion, the blessings of which were pre-
figured on the earthly mount. Macknight would
take ºrporéXmx/6are in a future sense: But we may
understand it of the Christians having been admitted
to the privileges of the heavenly Sion, of their
having arrived at a state, which would lead to all its
glories. -
—the heavenly Jerusalem, Gal. iv. 26.
W. 23.—of the first-born, Of the Apostles, who
received the first-fruits of the Spirit. Rom. viii. 23.
and of the Churches which received first the Chris-
tian faith. Eph. i. 12. Grot. Hamm. Whitby. Others
think that Tpa Totókov may denote the saints in gene-
ral, because the first-born under the law were dedi-
cated to God, and accepted by him. Beausob. Doddr,
Schl. Macknight, in order to distinguish this from
the last clause of the verse, supposes that the pious
Israelites of all ages are here signified. But there
is no sufficient ground for such a conclusion ; and
the clauses are properly distinguished; the one relat-
HEBREWS. CHAP. XII. 269
ing to the present state on earth, Luke x. 20. Phil.
iv. 3. the other to a future state.—The whole pas-
sage is capable of various punctuations. Thus
Griesb. kai wuptagu, dyyáAov Tavnyúper kal K. T.A.
Origen (with Vulg. Syr.) reads uvpidéov. The Clerm.
MS has avptov dytov. If we refer Traun'yūpet to the
words preceding, it preserves a consistency in the
passage, as each clause will then begin with the
conjunctive particle.
—the spirits]. This may be regarded as a very
considerable confirmation of the doctrine of an inter-
mediate state. Hallet remarks, that Tveiſuaat cannot
signify the bodies and souls in union after the resur-
rection, but must signify their separate souls.
—made perfect, TeXetoja'6al proprium est eorum,
qui pervenerunt ad metam, propositumque conse-
cuti sunt praemium, ut Phil. iii. 12. Significat igitur
statum optimum, ad quem animae à corpore separatae
pervenire possunt. Rosenm.
W. 24.—than that of Abel.] This cannot literally
mean the blood of Abel, unless for Töv we read Tö.
Syr. Arab.-Grot. Mackn. Schl. Gen. iv. 10. Ham-
mond would refer Töv to pavtſopov, others to Abel
himself (as Ch. xi. 4.), observing that “ better than
Abel” may signify “better than the blood of Abel.”
Dr. Middleton. Rosenm. Abel speaks nothing but
terror and vengeance : His blood cried out for venge-
ance on the murderer: But the blood of the new
covenant speaks better things; and publishes the
promise of pardon and eternal salvation to all that
truly believe and obey the gospel. Hallet. It would
make the construction clearer, if XaAoûvrt should be
connected with 'Ingo9, and this is somewhat coun-
tenanced by Töv XaXouvra in the following verse.
This mode of explanation is adopted by Dr. Wells:
* Who, by the blood of sprinkling, speaks better
270 HEBREWS. CHAP. XII.
things than Abel did by his blood; he calling for
vengeance, whereas Christ, by his blood, intercedes
for the pardom of our sins.” Knatchbull, however,
supposes an allusion to the sacrifice of Abel : “The
blood of Christ speaks better things, i. e. more
available to the appeasing of the wrath of God for our
sins, than either Abel, or Moses, or all the sacrifices
and oblations of all the patriarchs.” And certainly
this exposition does furnish a fitter subject of com-
parison ; because, as there was nothing sacrificial in
the death of Abel, there is no striking analogy be-
tween his blood and the blood of Christ. In Ch. xi.
4. the Apostle is speaking not of the blood, but of
the sacrifice of Abel.
W. 25.-that spake] Since the delivery of the law
is represented by God speaking from heaven, Exod.
xx. 22. Deut. iv. 36. Nehem. ix. 13, Hallet contends,
that the phrase Tov čarl ºyms (as opposed to Töv dºr’
oùpavóv) cannot, as is commonly supposed, denote
Moses; and he therefore refers it to Abel. But
Moses himself is never said to speak from heaven;
he was an earthly instrument, to make known the
law of God, which on earth was delivered to him ;
and therefore the antithesis above-mentioned is
perfectly just : For Christ, though speaking upon
earth, might at the same time be truly described as
speaking from heaven, for he himself brought down
the new law from heaven; and, being now at the
right hand of God, promulgates it thence by his
ministers. — Töv dºr’ ovpaviou SC. xonuatiºwta (pro
xpmaatſa ayra.) Rosenm. To this interpretation the
next verse furnishes no reasonable exception; because
we may conclude, that the wonders on the mount
were produced by the power of Christ himself, when
that dispensation was given, which was a type of his
own–Dicta de Deo sa pissime in Novo Testamento
HEBREWS, CHAP. XII. 271
de Messià explicantur. Rosemm. To understand,
as many do, the latter clause of ver. 24. of the
Father, destroys the antithesis; because the revela-
tion of Moses, as well as that of Christ, came down
from heaven.
W. 26.-I shakel Hagg. ii. 6. This shaking
must refer to the alterations made in the constitution
of religion, and must be considered not as introduc-
tory to, but consequent upon, the coming of the
Messiah. Doddr. See Peirce in loc. It is usual in
scripture for any great change to be represented by
a figure of this kind. Isai. xiii. 13. Joel ii. 10. Matt.
xxiv. 30. &c. Whitby.
W. 27.-that are made, That were made and
appointed only for a particular purpose, which has
been answered. Grot. Hamm. Doddr. Quasi xeipo-
Tourov, Ch. ix. 11. Beza. Wolf. Mackn. Cujus jam
finis adest. Schl. As of things that are done with,
or finished ; or, according to Peirce, “as of things
which had been formerly appointed (only for a time),
that so the things, which are not then shaken, may
remain unchanged.” Totely is frequently so understood.
Ch. iii. 2. Mark iii. 14. Bos conjectures Tetrovnuévau,
as thus preserving the figure of a vessel (to which he
thinks that ga)\evouévov may allude) tossed and
shattered and rendered unfit for use. But this
emendation is not supported by a single authority,
and the figure, here employed, seems to be of another
kind.
W. 28.-receiving a kingdom] This phrase is
always used of those who become kings, and there-
fore may allude to those passages, in which Christians
are said to be kings, and to inherit a kingdom. Rev. i.
6. v. 10. Luke xii. 32, &c. Raphel. Peirce, Rosenm
272 HEBREWS. CHAP. XIII.
—let us have grace, So as to use and improve
it. 2 Cor. vi. I. Gal. v. 4. Col. i. 6. Or, let us hold
jast,’ exonev pro katéxouey. Grot. Hamm. Whitby,
Mackm. Others, with Rosenmüller, would render
it, “ let us be thankful.” Luke xvii. 9. 1 Tim. i. 12.
Thus “habere gratiam.” But this sense does not
so well agree with what follows, & is Aarpeſauev,
though the Scholiast thus accommodates it, m "yap ev-
xcipiatos iſſououm &ov\etav Tpós €edv evapeotov Totel.
Matthaei.
W. 29.-a consuming fire.] Deut. iv. 24. Exod.
XXIV. 17.
C H. A. P. XIII.
An exhortation to brotherly love, purity, contentedness, obe-
dience to superiors, soundness and stedfastness in the faith.
The Apostle concludes with desiring the prayers of the
brethren, and with a benediction and salutation.
W. 2–entertained angels] As Abraham and
Lot did. Gen. xviii. xix. The Apostle probably
meant to intimate, that hospitality was likely to be
the occasion of great blessings. “You know not
but they, who come to you under a very mean
appearance, may be as messengers from God to you,
and the instruments of bestowing some extraordinary
favours from him.” Doddr. It has been thought by
many, that one of the three angels, whom Abraham
entertained, was the Son of God; but since the
Apostle makes no mention of the circumstance,
which would have been much to his purpose, it
seems that the conjecture is unfounded. Hallet.
HEBREWS. CHAP. XIII. 273
This, however, is not conclusive : The Apostle only
alludes to the history in the terms in which it is
expressed. See Patrick and Stackhouse on Gen. xviii. 2.
W. 4.—is honourable] Some would supply the
ellipsis by an imperative verb éata, which renders
the construction more matural, and makes the clause
agree better with those before and after. Hamm.
Wolf. Schl. Doddridge and others observe, that the
common version is supported by the particle 36 after
Trópwovs, but some copies read ydp, which may pos-
sibly be the true reading. Griesb.
W. 5—your conversation] Your temper and
conduct.
—be content] Thus Phocylides, 4. dpkeio 6al trapé-
oval, kai d\\otptov dºréxed 6at. Wetst. &c.
—he hath said, Josh. i. 5. The negatives in
the original make the emphasis very strong :
Doddridge expresses it thus, “I will not, I will not
leave thee, I will never, never, never forsake thee; ”
and he observes, that this application of a particular
promise to such general purposes opens a noble hint
for the improvement of the Old Testament, upon this
great and solid principle, that God, who is no re-
specter of persons, intends that his promises to one
should be applied to all, who are in similar circum-
Stances.
W. 7.-which have the rule] It seems that the
Apostle is referring to those pastors, or bishops, who
were dead (the precepts in regard to the living being
given, ver. 17.), and therefore this version is im-
proper: It may be, ‘remember those spiritual guides
among you, who declared &c.’
—the end of their conversation :] Considering
how exemplary and glorious was the close of their
WOL. II. S
274 HEBREWS. CHAP. XIII.
lives. Such is the usual interpretation, upon which
Rosenmüller justly remarks, 7 duaa Tpop) non est
vita, sed wivendi ratio ac modus, et Sumitur sensu
morali. Ergo n expaaſis ºrns duaatpoqºis non est finis
vitae sc. mors, sed exitus, quem habuit probitas, fides,
et constantia doctorum. Liberati sumt ab omnibus
adversis vitae, et fruuntur beatitate in alterå vitä–
&kſłaats' répas Tivos wro8éoews, i. ekºdatnois. Hesych.
V. 8—the same] Hallet connects this with ver, 7.
Rosenmüller with ver, 9. It may be connected with
both these verses, and be understood of the nature
and object of their faith, as well as of the doctrines
of their religion. Wells. Hardy. étrelëh ºrtlyeS éXeyov
oùk éattv 3 otavpw6els, 6 karmy') expévos kai Tpogéokó-
uevos, &\\os #et ºud roº x86s éðfixage rods TpoexiſNv-
6óras atóvas' 8td row aniuepov, roºs éveatóTas' Šid
row eis roºs atóvas, rows uéXXovras' 6 ydp &A66v, p.maw,
oirós éorriv, 3s ſpony kai éatt Kai éatal eis rods atóvas.
Schol. apud Matthaei.
V. 9–with meats, With Levitical sacrifices,
some of which the Judaizers were anxious to con-
tinue ; with burnt-offerings and peace-offerings,
which were made of animals fit for meat ; and on
which the offerers feasted in the court of the taber-
nacle. Lev. vii. 11—15. Deut. xii. 6—12. Mackm.
V. 10–an altar] Either this is put figuratively
for the sacrifice itself (Mackn.), or, for the sacra-
mental elements; which were a symbol of the par-
ticipation of the sacrifice. See I Cor. x. 18, 20.
—which serve the tabernacle.] Who cleave still
to the worship appointed for the Jewish tabernacle.
Whitby. The sum of the Apostle's argument here
is the same with what he saith Gal. v. 2. authorita-
tively : “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be
circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” Wells,
HEBREWS. CHAP. XIII, 275
W. 11. For the bodies &c.] Exod. xxix. 14. Lev.
vi. 21. vi. 30. xvi. 27. The animal, which was slain
for the sin-offering, was not eaten, either by the
priests or the people, but consumed without the
camp, (when the Israelites were in the wilderness,
and had no city to dwell in,) in correspondence with
which figure Jesus suffered without the gate (of the
city); and all this serves as an emblem to shew,
that Christianity is without the pale of Judaism, and
does not admit of any association with it ; and that
if you still partake of Jewish ordinances, (which are
now but as the carcase of a sacrifice,) the blood of
Christ shall profit you nothing. See Bp. Chandler's
Defence of Christianity, Ch. v. S. 1. 11. as quoted by
Pyle. Christ being typified by that sin-offering
burnt without the camp, and not to be eaten by
the law, it follows, that they who do still adhere to
the law, are by the said law excluded from partaking
of the sacrifice of Christ. Wells.
W. 14.—no continuing city, In this, it is thought
by some, the Apostle had the destruction of Jeru-
salem in his eye, which happened A. D. 70. about nine
years after this epistle was written. Mackm.
W. 15.--the fruit of our lips. This is very
intelligible as it stands, and agrees with the common
phraseology, of scripture, especially with Prov. xii. 14.
xviii. 20. xxxi. 31. Isai. lvii. 19. In Hosea xiv. 2, it
is “ the calves of your lips.” And so the Jews
interpret these words. Dr. Pocock notes that Koptos
is here taken for kdpTwp.a, which in the LXX signifies
a holocaust; and this being usually of young bullocks
corresponds with the calves of our lips in Hebrew.
So in the Song of the Three Children, KapTróa'ai évav-
Tłov gov, ver, 14. to sacrifice before thee.’ Many,
however, suppose that the Hebrew copies differed ;
s 2
$276 HEBREWS. CHAP. XIII.
some reading ºne fruit,” instead of Dºnb ‘ calves.”
Hamm. Whitby. Or the Lxx might derive pºni) from
ºns) instead of ºnio a bullock.” Rosenm.
W. 17. Obey] See Barrow's four sermons on
this text, vol. III. fol. “Of obedience to Spiritual
Guides and Governors.” Also his Consecration
Sermon, Vol. I. Serm. xII.
W. 20.-through the blood] Macknight says,
that this may be connected either with the preceding
or the following clause: But he has built his
argument upon the English Version, and not upon
the order of the original. It is meant, either that
Christ was raised from the dead (and thus em-
powered to communicate every blessing to his people)
through the blood of the covenant; or, that he was
rendered great and mighty to save by the blood of
the covenant, Acts xx. 28. which latter sense agrees
best with the construction. Hallet. Beausob. Pyle,
Rosenm.
W. 21.—to whoml Here eternal glory is ascribed
to Christ, as in 2 Pet. iii. 18. Rev. v. 12, 13. Mackm,
W. 23.—set at liberty;] Since no mention is
elsewhere made of Timothy's imprisonment at this
time, and it appears from Phil. ii. 19. that St. Paul
did intend to send him into Macedonia, some inter-
pret dToMexvuévov of his being dispatched on a
Christian mission. Mackn. But this sense of the
word is not usual ; and Timothy might have been
imprisoned for a time, though it is not elsewhere
mentioned.
—I will see you..] Hence it is evident, that the
Apostle, when he wrote this, was set at liberty.
THIE
G E N E R A L E PI S T L E
OF
J. A. M. E. S.
C H. A. P. I.
After a general salutation, the Apostle gives directions to his
Jewish brethren for their conduct under trials and tempta-
tions. He then reminds them that God is the fountain of
all goodness, and exhorts them to shew their sense of his
blessings by the exercise of Christian virtues—especially
those of meekness, purity, and benevolence; without which
the profession of religion is vain.
V. l. James, THERE are two of this name, men-
tioned in the sacred volume, I. James the elder,
the son of Zebedee and brother of John, who was
beheaded by Herod, not later than A. D. 44. See Acts
xii. 2. Now, it is generally supposed, that the epistle
of St. James was not written till near twenty years
after this date, and therefore, that the son of Zebedee
could not have been the author of it. 2. The other
James was surnamed the less, Mark xv. 40, from
his stature, as some think; but toº utºpov may refer
to his age. Benson. Schl. Parkh. This James, the
the son of Alpheus, or Cleophas, (or rather Clopas,
Gr. KXózras. It appears from Luke xxiv. 18. that
Cleopas was a different name, and was probably a
contraction for KXeóTarpos. Marsh, Mich. xxvi. 1. ii.)
the brother, i. e. the kinsman of our Lord (vide
Schol. apud Matthaei in Gal. i. 19.), is now more
278 JAMES. CHAP. I.
commonly believed to have been the author of this
epistle. At the same time it may be observed, that
the evidence, adducible on this subject, is not suffi-
cient to justify that degree of confidence, with which
many commentators have advanced their opinions
upon it ; and it cannot even yet be regarded as
certain, that the son of Zebedee was not the author,
and that the epistle was not written so early as A. D.
43 or 44. See Elsley on this epistle, and on Matt.
xiii. 55. Yet it is proper to add, that some distin-
guished critics suppose St. James to have written
partly with a view of correcting certain errors, which
had arisen from a misconception or perversion of
the doctrines of St. Paul : And, indeed, this con-
jecture is not without weight. Mr. Young, in the
valuable notes annexed to his Sermon ‘ On Justifica-
tion by Faith without Works,' mentions the follow-
ing correspondences in the phraseology of the two
Apostles, Rom. iii. 28. James ii. 24. 26.-Rom. iv. 2.
James ii. 21—Rom. iv. 3. James ii. 23.—Rom. v. 3.
James i. 2, 3, 4.—Rom. vii. 23. James iv. 1.-Rom.
ii. 13. James i. 22.
James the son of Zebedee and James the less
were both of them Apostles. Comp. Matt. x. 2, 3.
Mark iii. 17, 18. Luke vi. 14, 15. The word James
has the same origin with Jacob—ºpy ºpy", Iakość,
Iákoğos, Jacobus, Fr. Jacques, Eng. James.
—a servant] Some have inferred from this, that
James was not an Apostle; but without reason.
Since he was writing more especially to Jews (or
Jewish converts), to whom his qualifications were
well known, it was unnecessary for him to assert his
Apostleship. Thus St. Paul: Philip. i. i. 1 Thess. i. 1.
2 Thess. i. 1. Philem. 1. St. Jude does not speak of
himself as an Apostle, meither does St. John in any
of his epistles, nor in the book of Revelation. Benson,
See Pref. to Heb.
JAMES. CHAP. I. 279.
—to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.]
Notwithstanding the proclamation of Cyrus, Ezra
Ch. i. allowing all the Jews to return to their own
land, very few of them in fact, comparatively speak-
ing, availed themselves of this permission, Ezra ii.
for God had determined that the ten tribes should
never return. Hos. i. 6. viii. 8. ix. 3. It appears,
however, most clearly, that they were still in exist-
ence among other nations, as a separate people,
observing their own laws and customs. Esth. iii. 8.
Acts i. 5. 9. Joseph. Ant. Jud. xiv. 7. Parkh, on
the Magi. St. Paul, in his speech to King Agrippa,
expressly affirms that the twelve tribes were then
existing, and that they served God day and might,
in expectation of the promise made to the Fathers.
Acts xxvi. 6,7. See Whitby. Lardner. Doddr. Mackm,
Salmasius observes, that &ag Topd is a place, or dis-
trict, inhabited by the dispersed Jews ; so by Saa-
Topd IIóvrov, Taxatias, K. T. A. (1 Pet. i. 1.) is meant
those parts of Pontus, Galatia, &c. into which the
Jews were scattered. Wolf. Schl. The word how-
ever, in the present passage, seems to be used in its
most extensive sense, as including all the Jews out
of Palestine. Beza. Mill. Benson. Or rather, all
the Jewish Christians, as appears from the style in
general, and especially from Ch. ii. 1. Rosenm. It
is not surprising, that the Apostle, should address
his Jewish brethren in a Jewish phrase. Dr. Wells
is of opinion, that the epistle was written to the
dispersed Jews in general, unbelievers as well as
believers, though it was chiefly designed for the
benefit and comfort of the believing Jews.
—greeting.] xdipew, subaud. optat, vel jubet.
Formula salutandi Apostolica. Hardy. It was a
common prefix to Greek letters. Schl. Thus Acts
& & º
ſº r|[V] T ~ + - YYY
26. The Latins have a similar form :
280 J AMES, (; H AP, i.
Celso gaudere, et bené rem gerere Albinovano,
Musa rogata refer. Hor. I. Ep. xIII. l.
Upon which passage the Scholiast thus remarks—
expressit Graecorum Xaipew kai evºſpattetv.
W. 2. —all joy] Materiam summi gaudii, ut
1 Tim. i. 15. Sic in libro Musarum “ gaude in cas-
tigationibus.” Grot. See Matt. v. 10. 12. Acts v. 41.
Heb. x. 34.
—temptations;] They are of two kinds, 1. Such
as lead to sin, as ver. 13. 1 Tim. vi. 9. against which
our Lord instructs us to pray. 2. Trials by affliction
and persecution, which often prove temptations to
sin, through impatience and inconstancy. Of these
the Apostle speaks here. Whitby. Mackm.
W. 3.−the trying of your faith. These means, by
which your faith is tried, will by frequent exercise
naturally produce patience. Bowyer would read
Jºrouovo), as conjectured by Crellius from Rom. v. 4.
But that passage in the Romans is different—h 36
vTououm (katepºyd'etal) ôokuriv, ‘ patient endurance
works out a proof of our constancy.’—éokian com-
monly denotes the proof or trial of a thing, 3okſutov
the instrument by which it is tried. Schl. Parkh.
W. 4.—have her perfect work, Sit res perfecta.
Schl. If this be a legitimate, it is not a matural con-
struction : The sense of épyov seems to be deter-
mined by the preceding verb katepºyd Geral, ‘Let
patience be fully worked out, or, be demonstrated by
works.’ Patientia verö fructum habeat perfectum.
Kypke. -
—entire, 6x6RXmpos signifies one who is heir to
the whole estate’—haeres ex asse; hence it is applied
JAMES. CHAP. I, 28i
to any thing entire, having none of its parts wanting;
yet more especially to the immolated victims, as also
to the Jewish priests, who were required to be free
from bodily imperfections of every kind. Levit. xxi.
17. 19. xxii. 18. sqq. Joseph. Amt. III. 12. Wide Krebs,
The sense, therefore, of the passage is, ‘That ye
may be without blemish or mutilation—perfect in
every respect.’ The words év uměevi Xerºrówevot are
a comment on the preceding.
V. 5.- wisdom, This is a word of extensive
signification; and its particular import must depend
upon the context. Here it may imply a due sense
and consideration of the calamities incident to a state
of trial. But other Christian graces may also be
included, especially as the latter part of the verse is
expressed in more general terms. Tillotson's Serm.
198. Mackm. Doddr Si sentiat se non satis habere
prudentiae, quid in singulis circumstantiis agendum
sit. Grot.
—upbraideth not; Either, reproacheth not men
for their importunity,” or, ‘bestoweth not his gifts in a
haughty and contumelious manner’—non dat super-
bè, ut qui verbis aut vultu imputant ac velut expro-
brant data, qualia panem lapidosum vocat Seneca.
Grot. Ita Plutarch. de Amic. et Adulat. discrim.
. 22. Taga uév ydp Öveiðr(ouévn xápis &Tax6.js tº tº it tº tº
kai àxapis kai ovk divektú. Et Sirac. xx. 14, 86a is ãºppo-
vos ou Ava iteX fore got. . . . . 6Atºya ôtéael, kal Tox\d
ëvetëtaret. Rosenm. Ita Elsmer. ex Plaut. Amphitr.
prolog. 46.
Sed mos nunquam illic fuit patri meo,
Ut exprobraret, quod bonis faceret boni.
—shall be given him.] Hence it appears, that
this wisdom depends, not on our own skill and
strength, nor can it be obtained without divine assist.
ance. Whitby.
282 J A MES. CHAP. H.
V. 6.—nothing wavering : With an entire assur-
ance of the power and will of God to hear his peti-
tions for this spiritual wisdom, and with a full desire
and resolution to act accordingly. Whitby. Mackn.
From this admonition it may be inferred, that we
ought to be very circumspect in the subject-matter
of our prayers—that those blessings alone should
be supplicated, which are manifestly consonant with
the divine will.
•. —driven—and tossed. dveutſouévip kai putt{ouévg.
The sense of these two words is nearly expressed by
the single verb wereopſea 6at, Luke xiii. 29. Sicut unda
marina å ventis huc illuc impellitur ; ita ipsius animus
modó sperat, modó spem abjicit. Hardy. Eph. iv. 14.
V. 8. A double-minded man] One whose heart is
divided between God and Mammon, or, at least,
between duty and fear; who does not wholly resign
himself to the dispensations of God, nor desire to
serve him with all his heart and soul and strength,
and therefore cannot pray with that fervour and
faith, which are indispensible to the success of his
petitions. It is evident, that such a man can have
no stability of character—&txa 6vuòs opdºpetal. Hom.
Od. +. 524. Thus Kapòta 6tagſ. Ecclus i. 27.
V. 10.-ès made low :] Most of the commen-
tators suppose, that Tateiva'a is must be understood
in the same sense as Tateivos, ver, 9. concluding that
the rich man was actually stript of his possessions.
Benson. Pyle. Mackn. Schl. This, however, does
not so well agree with the future tense—tapexeſaetal.
Rosenmüller takes it as an irony—homo dives autem
(si ita velit) glorietur de vili statu suo, i. e. de Suis
divitiis, quae sunt instabiles et caducas. But, as
TNoüa tos is opposed to Tatretvös, so may Tateiva'a is be
opposed to Wyet – let the poor rejoice in being
J AM ES. CHAP. [. 283
spiritually exalted, and the rich in being spiritually
made low, earthly riches fading away as the grass,
while the treasures laid up for the lowly in heart are
eternal. Tateivºrell Th Tpos Töv Kºptov JiročovX6aet.
Schol. apud Matthaei. The poor and the rich, here
spoken of, are evidently both Christians—both “poor
in spirit.”
W. 11–no sooner risen. It has been remarked
by some, that the original has here a beauty which
the translation does not preserve; and this beauty
is said to consist in the use of the past tense, which
is supposed to express how speedily and suddenly
the riches of this world decay; as if they were repre-
sented to be actually gone. Thus Hom. H. e. 87.
pº y 2 w
Totauq) TA'ſ Bovri éoukas
xetuá669, §s tº &ra péov ékéðagge yepipas.
And Virg. Georg. 1. 328.
Quo maxima motu
Terra tremit, fugère ferae, et mortalia corda
Per gentes humilis stravit pavor.
Thus also Longinus, whose language is commonly
regarded as an exemplification of his rules, tºyos
3é Trov kaptos ééevex9év tá Te Tpdºyuata číknvoknºttoo
Tdvta ête pépngev, kai Tiju Tow ſºftopos év60s &6podu éve-
Šećato §§vaaly. Sect. I. Sub fin. But Toup in loc.
justly observes, that the past tense is used to denote
the common effect of a thing—“ disjicere solet. . . .
et patefacere;” which remark is applicable to the
present passage. So Viger. v. 3, r. 11. See also
Dalzel on Herod. Tepi Tow Kpokočeňov, who cites
Mark i. 11. -
—a burning heat, Rather, a burning east-
wind,” which in hot climates often accompanies the
rising of the sun. This is the usual signification of
284 JAMES. CHAP. I,
kaſawv in the Lxx. Jonah iv. 8. Benson. Grot.
Michael. Wide Tromm. Concord. et Biel. Thesaur.
— in his ways.] Topetals. In the midst of his pur-
suits, i.e. all he has gained by his earthly pursuits
shall perish with him. The Alexandrian MS reads
Toptats, which is countenanced by Erasmus, Wetstein,
and others, but there is no such word in the Greek
language: Others have conjectured Čvºroptals, or
éutoptats. There is no need of any alteration—
Topeiſowat is frequently used in scripture to denote
the plan and occupations of life. Luke i. 6. xiii. 33.
&c. Schl. Demosthemes has Topeiſeg 6al ets to kTijuata,
‘to take possession of an estate.” Scap. Et in sacris
literis Topeiat dicuntur vitae instituta, &c. Id.
V. 13.—tempted of God ..] That my temptation
comes from God—that strong and irresistible sollici-
tations to evil are according to his will and appoint-
ment. Thus Dr. Clarke : “ Let no man think that
God permits the devil to have properly any power
or influence over him.” vol. 1. Serm. x.
—cannot be tempted Is incapable of being drawn
aside to evil by any temptation whatever. Benson.
V. 14.—drawn away—and enticed.] §§eXkóuevos
kai éeXea&uevos. Several ingenious commentators
have supposed, that these words contain an allusion
to the custom of catching fish with a bait, and
drawing them out with a hook. But it is not clear
that the Apostle had this figure in his mind. Pro-
bably it would have been written, in such a case,
êeXea&ºevos kai ééeXkóuevos. From the word &T.6vata,
as connected with the following verse, there seems a
reference to meretricious allurements—&Aka, and
8é\eap, with their compounds, are frequently used of
persons, who are drawn aside and taken captive by
pleasures and lusts. Xen. Cyr. viii. 11. AEI. N. A.
C) Q tº
JAMES. CHAP. H. & O J
vi. 31. Polyb. Hist. v. 87. Cic. de Senect. § 13.
2 Pet. ii. 14. 18. In Glossario, Sexeſo illecebro,
pellicio.' Grot. The comma might be placed after
€Titºvutas.
W. 15.-when lust hath conceived.] The soul,
which the Greek philosophers considered as the
seat of the appetites and passions, is called by Philo
ºrd 67Av (the female part of our nature), and the
Spirit to appev (the male part). In allusion to that
motion, says Macknight, James represents men's
lust as a harlot, enticing their understanding
and will into impure embraces, and from that
conjunction conceiving sin ; and sin, being brought
forth, immediately acts, and is mourished by frequent
repetition, till at length it gains such strength, that,
in its turn, it begets death, which destroys the sinner.
This is the true genealogy of sin and death : Lust
is the mother of sin, and sin the mother of death ;
and the simmer the parent of both. Benson. Mackm.
—when it is finished, Rather being perfected;
having, by continual mourishment and indulgence,
arrived at full maturity and strength, and then be-
coming the parent of death.
V. 17. Every good gºſ. This verse has a natural
connection with the subject. The Apostle would
lead us to consider, that it is impossible for God to
be the author of evil temptation, because every thing
that comes from heaven is perfectly and necessarily
good.—360 is properly denotes the act of giving,
Rºma the thing given.—Some critics maintain,
that we have here an hexameter verse, which they
suppose to be quoted from some Greek poet : But, as
Doddridge observes, there is every imaginable reason
to believe, that the structure of the words was quite
286 JAMES. CHAP. I.
accidental; especially as the second foot, in this
verse, would consist of three short syllables.
—of lights, Some have interpreted this of the
majesty and glory of God. Gom. apud Pol. Sym. and
Glass, in Doddr. Macknight supposes that it may
refer to spiritual and corporeal lights. Others
understand the expression of goodness, joy, and
happiness. Wolf. Schl. But there is probably an
astronomical allusion, which appears from the latter
part of the verse, and also from the plural of pºs
not being used in any other sense. In Psal. cxxxv. 7.
it answers to Dºn)N (comp. ver, 8, 9.), and is put for
the sun, moon, and stars, as also in Jerem. iv. 23.
Abp. Tillotson says, that God is called the “Father
of Lights” in allusion to the sun, which is a kind of
universal benefactor to the world, and liberally
dispenseth his light and heat and influence upon all
things here below : But then there is this difference
—the sun changeth its habitudes and positions in
reference to us, and varies its shadows ; it riseth and
sets, comes nearer to us, and goes further from us :
It is otherwise with this intellectual and immaterial
Sun, the Father of lights, with whom is no variable-
mess, neither shadow of turning, Tapa)\\ay), j Tporns
dToaktagua, which are all astronomical words. sqq.
Serm. 79. See also Dr. Clarke’s Sermons, Vol. I.
Serm. 7. where the passage is similarly explained.
There is no necessity, however, for restricting the
señse of ptáTov to the sun alone ; meither does there
appear, from the foregoing interpretation, any
striking reason for the introduction of this word ;
nor is it very naturally connected with the preceding
part of the passage. It is not improbable, that the
Apostle intended partly to animadvert upon certain
astrological motions, which extensively prevailed on
the subject of sidereal influence. It was doubtless
JAMES. CHAP. I - 287
believed, that evil and good were respectively be-
tokened by various appearances of the heavenly
bodies. See Juv. Sat. vi. 553, with Ruperti's note
in loc. And it is evident from ver. 13. that the
Jews maintained an opinion, that evil temptations
sometimes proceeded from heaven. The Apostle,
therefore, might strike at the root of this error,
by admonishing them, that from God, the Father of
heaven, nothing but good could ever proceed. (6
Tarijp may be used for the maker or creator, Gen. iv.
20. Job xxxviii. 28. Arnald on Wisdom v1.1. 16–19.)
This exposition, moreover, illustrates the latter part
of the verse : The moral world was imagined to be
affected by the rising and setting and diversified
phases of the luminaries above: The Apostle, there-
fore, acquaints his brethren, that the blessings,
which fall upon the head of the righteous, are
subject to no such vicissitudes, being infallibly
ordained by that Almighty Father, who is not liable,
like the celestial orbs, to any variations or anomalies,
mor even to the “shadow of a change.” See also
Hamm. Wells. Benson. and Blackwall’s Sacred
Classics, P. II. c. 7.
V. 18. Of his own will] Of his own free counsel
and grace--benigmä voluntate. We have here the
genealogy of righteousness : All the righteous deeds,
which men perform, proceed from their renewed
nature. Their nature is renewed by the power of
truth, (by the truths of the gospel through the
operation of the Spirit,) and God is the prime mover
in the whole. Benson. Mackn. Deus olim Israelitas
genuisse dicitur, cum eos ex, Egypto liberavit.
Deut. xxxii. 18. At nunc multö excellentius mos
genuit ad vitam eternam per evangelium, 1 Pet. i. 23.
ideo quia voluit, mullis nostris operibus ad id excita-
tus, Eph, i. 4, 5, Grot. See also Whitby. ...
288 JAMES. CHAP. I.
—first-fruits] Doddridge and others apply this
word to all Christian believers, in that early age of
the gospel dispensation. Macknight thinks it may
refer to the Jews being the most acceptable part of
God’s creatures. See also Pol. Syn. Wells. It is not
unlikely, that the Apostle intended to remind his
Jewish brethren, that they were the peculiar people
of God, whom he had chosen as instruments of
preserving the true religion diró rôv aidſvov, and
who were especially and primarily called to embrace
and to promulgate the benefits of the gospel.
Luke xxiv. 47. Rom. xi. 16. Eph. i. 12. 2 Thess. ii.
13. In this view, therefore, they might be truly and
emphatically denominated the first-fruits of creation,
i.e. of all those, who should ultimately be made
partakers of the blessings of divine revelation.
V. 19.-slow to speak, Macknight observes,
after Estius, that Pythagoras repressed the petulance
of his disciples by obliging them to be five years
silent, before they attempted to speak on any point
of science; and he intimates, that the Apostle might
have this precept in view.
——slow to wrath :] The Jewish doctors were
remarkable for their wrathful disputations, and
intolerant zeal. Acts xiii. 45. xvii. 5. Rom. ii. 19.
1 Tim. i. 7. James iii. 1. Pol. Sym. Whitby. Doddr.
Mackm. Ita Hor. 1. Serm. Iv. 142.
Ac veluti te
Judaei cogemus in hanc concedere turbam.
Thus Gesner on the word Judaei: Isti in sacris
argumento uti baculino consuevère ; a dominis
AEgyptiis traxère, et vicinos odisse et vicinorum
numina violare ; utrumque tamen à Mose prohibitum
est. Atque häc de re Juvenalem wide, Sat. xv.
[Judaei nihil intermittebant ad faciendum proselytum ;
JAMES. CHAP. I. 289
imó cogebant aliquando, dummodo justa occasio mata
foret. Quo pertimet illud Flacci “ac veluti, &c.”
Alberti.]
W. 20.-righteousness of God..] True religion is
not promoted by violent or intemperate means.
Doddr, Mackn.
W. 21.—ingrafted. This word does not con-
vey the etymological sense of Šuqvrov, which is
formed not from pvreiſa, but pſw, gigmo.’ Scap.
Perhaps-it may have been used in consistency with
the phrase direkūmaev juas in ver. 18. ‘Receive the
word (i. e. the gospel) as dwelling in your very
nature.” Thus the well-known expression of the
philosophers, éuq.vros dperſ), signifies virtue so habitu-
ally cherished and exercised as to become natural—
£aq.vtos doctrina, quae animo imbibitur, et in natu-
ram vertitur ; opponitur ei, quae non nisi in aures
descendit, ver, 22. Wetst. Top 77s ºria Teos, Tov
The ouoxo~ytas, as dAmó7 kal évôtéðetov. Schol. ut
suprā.
W. 22.—deceiving] The Apostle might probably
allude to those vain and sophistical disputations, by
which the Jews suffered themselves to be deceived.
Doddr. But the derivative meaning of Tapaxoſyßeoffat
may be, ‘to deceive by taking a false estimate of a
thing ; and the Jews placed a confident reliance
on external privileges, and hearing the word. See
Whitby on Rom. ii. 13. Yet Dr. Edwards tells us,
that the Jewish writers have this proverb among
them, “ he who hears the law and does not practise
it, is like a man who plows and sows, but never
reaps.” Doddr. Ita Drusius in Pol. Syn. Dicunt
Hebraei “opus fundamentum, non sermo.” Etrursus :
* Quispius’ qui intrat templum, et facit quod ibi
$ 0 L, I F. T
290 JAMES. CHAP. I.
audit.” A proverb, however, is one thing—practice
is another.
W. 23.-natural face] Macknight says, that this
is a description of a person, who is so careless of his
looks, that he suffers his face to remain in its matural
state : He does not cleanse it, far less paint it, as
the Easterns do, to render themselves beautiful. But
negligence is not necessarily implied in this passage:
It may only mean, that a man who looks in a glass
merely in a usual and casual manner, (not minutely
to study the natural lineaments and features of his
face,) has no lasting impression of the image upon
his mind. The words trapaköyas and Tapapetvas in
wer. 25. seem to limit the sense of karavoojvti to
a transient view (as does ver, 24.); for though they
are metaphorically applied to an attentive and a
practical consideration of the law, they were probably
also intended to preserve the consistency of the
figure, alluding to a person bending forward, or
stooping, to look marrowly into a glass, and for some
time remaining by it, to make a full and particular
inspection. Thus Hammond: “Not that every one
who sees his face in a glass, doth, when he goes
away, forget ; but that he who doth only look, and,
without more care or effect of his looking, doth go
away and forget, is a fit emblem of the forgetful
hearer of the word.”
W. 24.] The construction of the past tense here
is similar to that of ver. I 1.
W. 25.-into the perfect law] The law of God, as
it subsists in the gospel, is called perfect, on account
of its superiority to the law of Moses, and is here
compared to a mirror, because it shows every man
the temper and disposition of his mind, and what
JAMES. CHAP. I. 29]
is its complexion and colour, just as a mirror
shews him the features and colour of his face.
And it is called a law of liberty, 1. Because it
delivers men from the slavery of their lusts. 2. Be-
cause it hath freed the Jews from the law of Moses,
which was a yoke of bondage. 3. Because it delivers
all true believers from the punishment of sin. Mackn.
Wells. Grot.
- —forgetful hearer, dkpoatris étiXma'uovns. Locutio
Hebraea, Grot. ut rô Tpóawtrov Tºs yevéaews, Ver, 23.
—of the work, Épyov. It may be suspected,
that the original reading was A6-yov—the difference
of the two words, in their umcial characters, not being
so great, but that a slight mutilation of the MS
might occasion a mistake ; Aéryov accords better with
ver. 22, 23. as also with the present passage, if it be
referred to dºpoat.js as well as to Tountris. oëtos, in the
former instance, is omitted by several of the best
MSS and Versions.—Tapawełvas otºrws. Erasm. Beza.
Bowyer. Here is a plain argument, that works as
well as faith are considered by God as the means, or
condition, of our justification. Wells. On this see
ch. ii. 22, sqq.
V. 26.—religious, pétoxos Tās év Xptoſtº 6pma-
ketas. Schol. ut suprā. Wells.
—bridleth Sic dxaxwſov a rowdTww.... TéAos éva Tv-
xia. Eurip. Bacch. 385. Grot. The Apostle’s recur-
ring to this subject, shews that the preceding verses,
though expressed in general terms, are especially
applicable to a meekness of temper, and a prudent
management of the tongue. Doddridge and Mack-
night observe, that the Apostle's design was to
rebuke those violent zealots, who bitterly reproach
their brethren on account of their religious differ-
ences. Probably, as Dr. Wells suggests, he might
also allude to those who still contended for the ex-
T 2
292 JAMES. CHAP. [.
cellence and continuance of the Mosaic rites.
Ch. iii.
—vain..] Or false’ as Acts xiv. 15. “That ye
turn from (Toºrov Tów aatatov) these false gods.”
Mackm. But the usual sense of udºratos is sufficiently
apposite—"vain, useless, unprofitable.” The position
is true, however, in both these senses.
W. 27.-undefiled, Abp. Tillotson (Serm. 77.)
observes, after Grotius, that there is an allusion to
the purity of a gem—Hinc momen accepisse videtur
lapis ille amiantus dictus (etiam &aſłcotos), lapis
fossilis, plerümque albus, sed interdúm cinereus vel
ferreus, qui, igni injectus, mec consumitur mec inqui-
natur, sed purior et clarior evadit, teste Dioscor.
W. c. 156. Plin. H. N. xxxvi. 19. Sic Hor. Intami-
matis fulget honoribus. Schl.
— God and the Father, God even the Father, or
rather “who is the Father.” So 2 Cor. i. 3. Eph. i. 3.
iv. 6. v. 20. Phil. iv. 20. &c. See Grotius, who
remarks thus on Dan. vii. 4. Saepe Chaldaeis, ut et
Hebraeis, copula vim habet relativa. See also Mackm.
Prelim. Ess. 219. Interdum abundat, Viger. et Schl.
§. 33. where it is so interpreted in this and the similar
passages.
—To visit Not merely for the purpose of tem-
porary relief, but to take the oversight of them,'
to enter into measures for their subsistence. The
Jews were very deficient in this duty. Whitby.
Doddr.
—the fatherless and widows] Quales plurimae
tunc erant; viris, Christi causā, vel occisis vel in
exilium abductis. Pol. Sym.
—unspotted from the world..] This signifies, says
Dr. Paley, the being clean and clear of the licen—
tious practices, to which the world is addicted."
St. James is not describing the motives and principles,
J. A. M. F.S. CHAP. IX 293
but the effects of religion, which consists not so
much in the warmth of affection with which we
worship God, as in good works. Serm. xxi. There
is a sentiment in Isocrat, ad Nicocl. not very dif-
ferent from this—mºyoo & Tooto cival 60, a kāA\to Tov,
Kal 6epairetav wery to Tmu, édv as £3éXTwo Tov kai êucatóTatov
aeavrov trapéxns, p. 25, ed. Francof. 1590. Bos. The
whole oration abounds with excellent precepts of
morality.
C H AP, II.
The Apostle condemns that respect of persons which was so
frequent with the Jews, and again insists upon the vanity
and unprofitableness of religious pretensions without moral
fruit. He thence takes occasion more particularly to shew
the futility of the doctrine of faith without works.
V. l.-have mot] THE clause may be read inter-
rogatively. Mackn. Rosenm. But this is not neces-
sary, for the following verses may be considered as
affording a reason why the precept was given.
—Lord of glory, This is the most natural con-
struction, according to the position of Tris 36&ns,
which may be put for too evööćov, 2 Cor. iii. 9.
Rosenm. The objection is, that, in this sense, it
does not add much to the force of the passage.
Whereas if, according to the Syriac, it be construed
with Tºv triotiv, it has a peculiar emphasis, and for
that reason might have been placed at the end of
the sentence. The Apostle may intimate, that his
brethren, notwithstanding their profession of such
a glorious faith (in comparison with which terres-
trial honours were nothing, and which evidently
places all men upon a level in the eye of God),
29 i. JAMES, CHAP. II,
yet suffered their minds to be occupied and their
judgment to be corrupted by unworthy considera-
tions of wealth and splendour. See Grot. Whitby.
Benson. Doddr. Mackm,
—respect of persons.] i. e. from undue motives;
on account of riches, grandeur, or other external
circumstances. The use of this word in the plural
is very rare—nostri scriptores pluralia inusitata saepe
faciunt de singularibus usitatis. Grot. Whitby ad-
duces many apposite quotations, to shew that this
respect of persons was forbidden, both in the law
and the gospel. Lev. xix. 15. Deut. i. 17. xvi. 19.
Acts x. 31, Eph. vi. 9. &c.
W. 2.-your assembly] It is plain, that avvayoºyi,
must refer, in this passage, to an assembly of Chris-
tians; though it might probably sometimes happen,
that their place of meeting had previously been a
Jewish synagogue.—The assembly here spoken of
was not of a religious, but of a judicial nature ; as
appears, 1. From the accepting of persons, mentioned
in ver. 1. which, in the Old Testament and the
New, as oft as it is applied to men, respecteth
human judicatures. 2. From the footstool, ver, 3.
which was used in their judicial consistories. 3.
From the judges and judgment-seats, ver. 4. 6.
4. From the law violated by this respect of persons,
ver, 8, 9. And, lastly, from the Canon of the Jews,
by which it is provided, that “when the rich and
poor have a suit together in their consistories, either
both must sit or both stand, to avoid all marks of
partiality.” Hamm. Whitby. Wells. The Jews, living
among the Gentiles, retained still a jurisdiction over
men of their own nation and religion. See Whitby
in loc. and Macknight's View and Illustration of this
chapter, who mentions the imperial decrees in favour
of the Jews, recorded by Josephus, Ant. Jud, xiv.
JAMES, CHAP. II. $295
And, as the Jews held courts of judicature in their
symagogues (Vitring, de Vet. Syn. III. p. 1. c. 11.
Luke xxi. 12.), and there also punished offenders by
scourging (Matt. x. 17. Acts xxi. 11.), it is probable
that the first Christians, after their example, held
courts for determining civil causes in the places
where they assembled for religious worship. Mackn.
in loc. And this might especially be the case with
the Jewish Christians, who continued to enjoy many
of their former privileges.
—with a gold ring, Xpwaoğakrºtos. This com-
pound is supposed to have been made by the Apostle
-—non ineleganter fecit momen compositum, ad instar
aliorum, quae in Graeco erant recepta. Grot. The
usual word is xovačxelp. Luc. Timon. c. xx. Schl.
Yet, though Xpwoodakrūtos is not extant in any other
author, it is not unlikely to have been a word in
common use. It may allude to the variety of rings,
which were generally worn in these times (Doddr.),
especially by the wealthier Roman citizens. Thus
Martial, Lib. v. Epigr. x1.
Sardonychas, smaragdos, adamantas, iaspidas uno
Portat in articulo.
W. 3.- Sit thou here] Of the chief, or most
honourable, seats in the synagogues our Lord speaks,
Matt. xxiii. 6. where he rebuked the Scribes and
Pharisees for loving to sit in those seats. Mackm.
W. 4.] There have been various punctuations and
interpretations of this verse. Doddridge, after Ham-
mond, would join 8terpiðure with the verbs under
£30 yáp—but that cannot be, for it is in a different
mood. Sakpiveabat more usually signifies, to make
a difference between, yet this is by no means its
necessary import, neither would it here be very
forcible (though most commentators have followed
296 JAMES, CHAP, Ił,
the Syriac in adopting it): For, if the rich were
honoured and the poor degraded, the difference was
so plain and remarkable, that the Apostle would
hardly have expressed himself in such a form : It
would be little more than saying, “ If ye make these
distinctions, do ye not make a difference?” It is
reasonable to suppose, that the verb may here be
used in a judicial sense, conformably with the words
kpital and ºptºtipia which follow, and with the whole
tenour of the passage. Ita I Cor. xiv. 29. Ezek.
xx. 36. &c. Eisner. And it should be observed, that
the negative oil is not so placed, as properly to apply
to the latter verb, ºyávsgöe. Hamm. Now, if 8te-
kpiðrre be gºerstood judicially, and ényéveats be dis-
joined from the negative particle, the sentence cannot
pe ºf a wed interrogatively. These verbs, moreover,
are each of them in a past tense, as are the preced-
ing eio ÉX6;, &riſ8xéºnºre, cºrmºre, and also the following
jTudorate, wer. 6. The construction, therefore, of
the whole may be this ; “If there have entered into
your court a rich and a poor man, and ye have had
regard to the rich, and have said &c. . . . . ye have
both failed to exercise among one another a fair
adjudication, and have passed judgment from corrupt
arguments, or counsels”—Tum non dijudicavistis
(rem illam), tum pravos judices vos praebuistis.
Rosemm, tekptónTe is properly a passive verb, and
the sense is the same if we translate thus, ye have
not been fairly set in judgment.”—The latter ka?
may have an adversative sense, 1 Joh. ii. 20. Benson.
Hoogev. xxiv. 5. Mackn Prelin, Ess. S. 205. In the
Alexandrian and some other MSS, as also in most
of the antient Versions, the first copulative is want-
ing ; and it is rejected by Dr. Wells.
, V. 5–the poor] That the gospel should have
been first preached to the poor, and first received
JAMES. CHAP. II. 907
by them, was wisely ordered; because it shewed that
the propagation of it was owing not to human policy,
but to the power of God. Among the Gentiles, the
prejudices of the rich against the gospel were not
so great as among the Jews. Hence, more persons
of rank and education among the Gentiles were con-
verted than among the Jews. Mackm. See also
1 Cor. i. 26. with his note in loc.
—to them that love him & This latter clause is
well calculated to prevent any misapplication of the
former part of the verse, on the subject of election.
It is plainly intimated, that the inheritance of the
kingdom is promised only to those that love God.
If it be said, that they who are chosen must of
necessity love him, then the addition of this clause
becomes unnecessary, because they would inherit
the kingdom as a certain consequence of their being
chosen. We cannot suppose that every individual,
among the poorer converts, finally persevered unto
eternal life: The Apostle only means, that the
gospel was preached especially to the poor; because
they generally possessed a spirit more favourable to
its reception ; and in order to shew, that it’s bless-
ings and privileges were universal, that the rich
had no right to that distinction and ascendancy,
which they were always so ready to usurp.
W. 7.—by the which] Rather after which ye
are named.” The disciples were first called Chris-
tians at Antioch. Acts xi. 26. That this is the right
interpretation of Tô &Tik\m6évép Juas, see Acts xv. 17.
Locutio est Hebraea; “ vocatur momen meum super
eum,” i. e. ille dicitur de meo nomine. Gen. xlviii. 16.
Esai. iv. 1. Grot. Wolf. Schl. See also 2 Sam. vi. 2.
2 Chron. vii. 14.
W. 8–royal law] Macknight observes, 1. That
298 JAMES, CHAP. II,
the Greeks called a thing royal, which was excellent
in its kind : A royal law, therefore, is an excellent
law. (Thus Whitby. Schl. Rosenm.). 2. The same
Greeks, having few or no kings among them, called
the laws of the kings of Persia (3agiXtrol vöuot, royal
laws. In this sense, the royal law is the law made
by Christ our King—legem Dei. Grot. Syr. But it
is probable, that the expression may denote the
supreme and indispensable obligation of this law, and
its pre-eminence above every other; inasmuch as
it governs and includes all the duties which belong
to the second table—“ that law which is of principal
regard with respect to our duty to our meighbour.”
Wells. Ita Plat. Min. p. 566. ed. Francof. To ačv
op6ów vágos éat (3aaixtkös, Tó Sé an op66, où 3okeſ vduos
cival £3ao Xixós. Wetst. Thus Doddridge: “ The law
which ought, with a kind of imperial authority, to
govern all our sentiments.”
W. 9.--of the law] Tod vôuov sc. Toº 3agiXukov—
to which also the words &Aov Tów vöuov, wer. 10. more
especially refer.
V. 10.—guilty of all.] §voxos (ab &véxopal ‘astrin-
gor,” et quasi reus,) liable to punishment,’ as
having sinned against the whole. Thus I Cor. xi. 27.
&voxos #atai Tov adjuatos kai aiuatos Too Kvptov, “ liable
to punishment,’ as having sinned against the body
and blood of the Lord. Numb. xxxv. 27. 31. If the
law be considered as one connected whole, of course
the transgression of any particular command will
be an offence against the whole–Totam legem
violat, licet non totum legis. . . . quo modo totum
pactum irritum fit, si vel una ex multis ipsius con-
ditionibus violetur. Beza. See many other illustra-
tions in Pol. Sym.—The wilful and habitual violation
JAMES. CHAP. II. 299
of one point is further an offence against the whole,
as shewing clearly, that there cannot be any sound
principle of obedience in the heart, that none of the
commandments are kept from a proper sense of the
authority of God ; for, where such a sense does
exist, it will operate alike in regard to every com-
mandment, ver, 11. and he that deliberately errs in
one respect, will not scruple to err in others, when
he meets with an adequate temptation. See Abp. Til-
lotson, Serm. I. and Dr. Clarke, vol. VIII. Serm. xvi.
—Whitby, after Beza and others, observes that this
passage is directed against the Jewish motion, that it
was sufficient if they obeyed any of the divine pre-
cepts ; and that they had the liberty of choosing
which those precepts should be : They usually pre-
ferred those of the sabbath, of sacrifices, or of tithes,
looking upon them as the great commandments of
the law. And yet their Rabbies held a different
doctrine—“ qui transgreditur umum preceptum, ac si
transgrederetur omnia.” Grot. And this doctrine
was built upon scripture. Deut. xxvii. 26. Thus
Gal. iii. 10.
W. 13.—mercy rejoiceth] The sense of this
passage depends upon the reading which we adopt:
If we retain katakavyarat (as Griesbach does,
omitting the copulative,) it will be, “ Mercy triumphs
over judgment,” i. e. mercy, shewn to our fellow-
creatures, will mitigate the severity of God’s justice
toward ourselves—which is probably the true mean-
ing. If, with the Alexandrian and other MSS, we
read karavyaa 6a, the clause will be admonitory, “Let
mercy predominate in judgment,” let it soften the
rigour of your judicial sentence.
W. 14.— he hath faith,j . The import of Tiara
here will be best discovered by considering the con-
300 JAMES. CHAP. II.
text, and the people to whom it was addressed. The
Apostle has been shewing, how useless it is merely
to understand, or professedly to receive, the truths
and doctrines of religion, without adopting them as a
rule of life ; and his brethren were motoriously faulty
in this respect—existimabant omnem Israelitam, qui
modó professionem Judaismi non abjecisset, partem
tandem habiturum in altero seculo, i. e. in vità etermä.
Grot. Triates therefore may here be taken for a bare
assent to, knowledge, or profession of, the principles
of religion—muda cognitio religionis Christianae.
Schl. -
—save him "I This question demonstrates, that
St. James is not treating of the justification of the
believer in the eyes of men, as some fancy, but of
that justification which will issue in his eternal
salvation. Mackm.
W. 15.—maked, This word is applicable to those,
who are destitute of any part of their usual clothing.
Matt. xxv. 36. sqq. Acts xix. 16. 2 Cor. xi. 27. Job xxii.
6. &c. In Homer and other Greek writers, it often
denotes a man stript of his armour, as Patroclus,
II. §. 815, yyuvöv Smiðrnt. See also I Cor. iv. 11. The
Apostle, in illustrating his position, again enforces
the duty of Christian charity.
V. 16–Depart in peace, A Jewish expression,
denoting that their petition should be granted. Bené
vobis sit. Est enim bené precantis—eſs eipſumv, Mar. v.
34. Luc. vii. 50. viii. 48. Grot.
V. 18. Yea, a man may say..] The Apostle here
furnishes his brethren with a dialogue, by way of
argument against any man who should magnify his
profession of religion, and not concern himself with
its fruit. The words from ver, 18. to ver, 24, in-
JAMES, CHAP. II. 301
clusive, are addressed by a practical to a mere pro-
fessing Christian—fidem Suam ab operibus vacuam
praedicanti dicet pius aliquis bené suetus agere.
Grot, d\Ad wherefore, accordingly.” Hoogev.
—without thy works, Most of the printed editions
of the Greek New Testament read here, “ shew me
thy faith by thy works” (EK Tøv pyov), which Mill
thinks is the true reading, and he explains the Apos-
tle's reasoning in this manner; “Shew me thy faith
by thy works: It is the only way thou canst shew
it : But, as thou hast no works to produce, thou
never camst shew me thy faith : I will prove that
I have faith by my works.” Mackm. Matthaei.
Doddridge adopts the same reading, and paraphrases
thus : “Give me, then, the evidence I offer thee :
Shew me thy faith by thy works; I will also, in return,
shew thee my faith by my works: Let us, without
quarrelling about different explications of faith, make
it manifest to each other, that our profession is
truly solid, by its substantial effects upon our tempers
and lives.” The reading which our translators have
followed, Xapis rôv ép'yov, is supported by several
MSS and Versions. See Grot. Hamm. Whitby.
Wells. Benson. Griesb. Rosenm. &c. (Some have
conjectured Čša, others &rós. Bowyer, al. Ego qui-
dem in mullos (codd.) hactenus incidi qui ita legunt,
nec puto sic scripsisse Jacobum –éktós pro sine
musquam occurrit in Novo Testamento, uti mec apud
Lxx quidem Interpretes, quod Sciam. Mill.) This
reading is very intelligible : The Apostle would
prove the advantage and necessity of good works,
by intimating the impossibility of evincing the
existence of faith without them : “Convince me, if
thou canst, of the sincerity of thy boasted profession
without works, (which thou canst never do ; faith
being an internal act of the mind, and not to be
discovered but by its effects. Wells.), and I will shew
3O2 JAMES. CHAP. II.
thee by my works, that my profession (though not
boasted or magnified) is unquestionably sincere.”
V. 19.-believe, and tremble.] This verse most
clearly shews the nature of that faith, of which the
Apostle is speaking—that it is a bare assent to, or
knowledge of, the truth. Sic Apollinis Milesii, de
Judaeorum religione consulti, responsum,
ef y W *A V > \ , t Śē p
Öv Tpéuetat kal yata, kal owpavös, m éé 6axaqa'a,
f
Taptépeoí Te uv Yoi kal 3atuoves ékºppittovatv.
Conf. Suicerum, tom. II. p. 719. Wolf.
W. 20-vain man, kevös may here signify weak,
or foolish (sub. ºppévov), though some have supposed
it to allude to unfruitfulness or insincerity. Grotius
interprets it of those, qui vaná spe se lactant.
W. 21.- justified] Was he not approved and
accepted by God? Thus in ver, 25. it means, ac-
cepted so as to receive a reward, viz. the reward of
preservation or safety. comp. Heb. xi. 31.
—when he had offered] &vevéºykas. This verb
usually implies an actual sacrifice ; here it is taken
in the literal sense of offering (or lifting up) for the
purpose of sacrifice. See Heb. xi. 4.
W. 22.—made perfect 2] The command to offer
Isaac for a burnt-offering, Gen. xxii. 2. appearing
directly contrary to the promise, Gen. xxi. 12, “ lin
Isaac shall thy seed be called,” Abraham's faith was
thereby put to the severest trial, and was as perfect,
as if the sacrifice had been actually offered. Mackn.
In this passage St. James hath declared, that faith
and works are inseparably connected as cause and
effect; that faith, as the cause, necessarily produces
good works as its effect ; and that good works must
JAMES, CHAP. II. 303
flow from faith, as their principle; that neither of
them, separately, are the means of our justification,
but that, when joined, they become effectual for that
end. Wherefore, when in scripture we are said to
be justified by faith, it is a faith accompanied by
good works: On the other hand, when we are said
to be justified by works, it is works proceeding from
faith. Id. -
A great ambiguity on this subject appears to have
arisen from the word justification receiving different
interpretations. It is properly used to denote merely
a state of salvation — our being so far recovered
from the fall, as to have obtained the pardon and
favour of God, and thus to be capable of a final
return to his kingdom. This state is doubtless at-
tained by a vital belief in the truths and promises
of the gospel, together with those means of grace
which have been ordained for our salvation. But
the word justification is sometimes used to signify
the effects of this state, or our perseverance in it;
in which sense it is truly said, that works must co-
operate, not however as a primary cause, but as an
indispensable evidence and condition of our justifica-
tion ; and in this view alone can works be considered
as a means of our justification, inasmuch as without
them we shall not be finally justified. Works have
as much a part in our justification, as the fruit is
a part of a good tree; it does not, as an efficient
cause, render the tree good, but the tree could not
be good without it: So are good works a constituent
part of the Christian character, as well as the neces-
sary and only proof of a Christian principle; without
them there can be no final justification, because
there cannot have been a justifying faith. See Rom.
iii. 25. 28. 31. Of course these remarks are applicable
to those persons only, who have the means and op-
portunity of evincing the sincerity of their faith.
30+ JAMES, CHAP. II.
Most dangerous and delusive is the error of those,
who dwell inordinately on the doctrine of faith
alone: Though they do, indeed, maintain the ab-
solute necessity of works, they still may inculcate it
in such a manner, as to cause them to be neglected.
It is undeniably true, that, if the faith be sound,
the works will be good ; but a sound faith is seldom
produced, among the ignorant at least, by continually
and unduly depreciating the value of works. “To
leave an impression that works have no concern
with any man’s salvation, is a kind of sophism, which
the illiterate cannot be expected to unravel ; and
though in one sense it is the truth, it is by no means
the whole truth of scripture.” See a Treatise on
* Apostolical Preaching, p. 83. Lond. 1815. and es-
pecially Ch. v. 6, where the subject is ably con-
sidered. See also Dr. Jackson’s Works, Vol. 1. B. IV.
W. 23.−it was imputed i. e. because he so be-
lieved, as to bring forth good works. And thus the
scripture was fulfilled (or confirmed, Mackm.), which
says (Gen. xv. 6.), referring to what passed long
before this, “ Abraham believed God, and it was
counted to him for righteousness;” and, in conse-
quence of this, he was treated by God with such
peculiar endearment, that he was even called the
friend of God, as it is said (Isai. xli. 8.) “ the seed of
Abraham my friend.” (See also Joh. xv. 14.) This
very text St. Paul quotes in Rom. iv. 3. to prove that
Abraham was justified by faith; which plainly shews,
tlſat the faith by which St. Paul says he was justi-
fied, was such a faith as includes good works, being
a certain principle by which they are produced.
Doddr. It does not follow, that every passage of
scripture was intended as a prophecy of that parti-
cular event by which it is said to be fulfilled: The
Jews understood this and the like expressions in a
JAMES. CHAP. II.
30
5
great latitude, and often meant no more, than that
the passage was verified, that it might be fitly accom-
modated to the case in hand. Benson in Joc. See
also his introduction to vol. 1.
V. 24. Ye see then] This verse has been thought
directly to contradict the assertion of St. Paul,
Rom. iii. 28. But see the note on that passage.
W. 25.-Rahab] Macknight observes, that though
Rahab told a lie on the occasion, her faith in the
God of Israel was not lessened by that single sin,
which properly was a sin of ignorance, committed
agreeably to the false morality of the heathens,
among whom she had been educated.—She has been
represented by the enemies of revelation as a traitor
to her country, and an immoral person, who was
unworthy of the praise bestowed on her by the
Apostles Paul and James. But it should be con-
sidered, that after she believed the God of Israel to
be the true God, and was certain that he would
destroy Jericho, the concealing of the spies, instead
of being a blameable action, was a duty she owed to
the worshippers of the true God, and was the only
means by which she could preserve her own life,
and the lives of her parents and kindred. And her
reward was promised, not for the practice of deceit,
but for concealing the spies.
—harlot] Probably she might once have been such.
But some have observed that Trépyn has not necessa-
rily this sense—that it may signify a hostess, or inn-
keeper. Thus Schleusner here, and on Heb. xi. 31.
See also D'Oyly and Mant on Josh. ii. I. Macknight
remarks, that there is no occasion, in Rahab's case,
to depart from the common meaning of the word,
because the worthiness of a person’s character, what-
ever it may be in the estimation of men, doth not,
WOL. II. U
306 J AM ES. CHAP. IIIs
in the sight of God, depend upon what one hath
been formerly, but on what he is at present, and
continues to be to the end of his life. And Hallet on
Heb. xi. 31. observes, that the corresponding term
n)!. Josh. ii. 1. is never used in the mild sense
above-mentioned. See also Parkhurst on this Hebrew
word.
C H. A. P. III.
The Jews prided themselves on their knowledge of religion,
and were exceeding/y forward in assuming the office of
teachers, inveighing with bitterness against those who dis-
sented from them. The converted Jews fell into a similar
error, which the Apostle here endeavours to correct, observ-
ing what difficulty and danger there is in the management
of the tongue, and how indispensable it is for Christians to
preserve a meek, modest, and peaceable temper.
V. I.-masters, RATHER, teachers. 1 Tim. i. 7.
“Do not many of you become teachers.” Knatchbull.
Hammond has a long and learned note to shew, that
this charge is directed to the Judaizing Christians
and the Gnostics—it may be, to the zealots also.
Whitby. Doddr. See Dr. Clarke, vol. II. Serm. 3.
ad fin.
—condemnation.], i. e. if we fail to discharge our
high office with fidelity, or bear hard upon the de-
linquencies of others—plura à nobis, qui doctores
aliorum sumus, requiret Deus, quam ab aliis. Grot.
But ºpiua may here signify punishment, as Matt.
xxiii. 14. Mark xii. 40. Luke xx, 47. &c.
W. 2.—we offend all.] More properly, ‘ all of us
offend.’ Traſouev correctly signifies ‘we trip.’ And
J AM ES. CHAP. III. 307
Barrow (vol. i. p. 129. fol.) has justly observed, that
as the general course of life is called a way, and
particular actions steps, so going on in a regular
course of right action is walking uprightly, and
acting amiss is tripping or stumbling.
—is a perfect man, Hath arrived at the highest
attainable perfection, having overcome the greatest
difficulty. But the Levitical sense of TéAetos, as re-
ferring to a sacrifice, does not imply that the victim
was absolutely perfect of its kind, that there was no
quality in it capable of improvement—only that it
was free from any particular blemish. The word is
often similarly applied in a moral sense, Gen. vi. 9.
Deut. xviii. 13. I Kings xi. 4. &c.
—the whole body..] Grotius interprets it, will be
able to rule the Church ;’ adua sometimes has this
sense. But the construction is not natural, and it
appears from ver. 6. that the passions and appetites
of the body are signified. Mackn. The same is
evident also from the illustration in ver, 3. Linguae
rapidos motus qui cohibere noverit, potestates actus-
que ceterorum membrorum sub imperio haud diffi-
cultér habiturus est. Rosenm. The passions are
excited and inflamed by the tongue, and therefore
the government of the tongue extends to the
passions.
W. 4.—whithersoever the governor listeth.] ev6ºpov.
“he who directs the helm.’ (ev6/vrns, tºurnp, “rector.”
Grot.) opuſ, ‘impetus animi, voluntas.” But Mack-
night supposes it to signify the force which the pilot
exerts in turning the heim from side to side ; and
that goºmtat, which expresses the will of the director,
is poetically ascribed to the force which he exerts
in steering. Possibly the word may have been chosen
for the purpose of a double allusion.
V. 5. —boasteth] ueyaxavyet ‘shews its great
U
308 JAMES, CHAP, if I.
power' (magnificë sese effert. Beza.), like a horse
with a proud neck. OEcumenius paraphrases it thus:
weryd'Aa épyağouévn kaAd kai kakd. Whitby. Mackn.
—matter] úAm signifies materials of any kind, but
especially those which are proper for the fire. So
materia is used. Multam materiam ceciderat miles.
Q. Curt. vi. 6.
V. 6.—a world of iniquity :] This is a metaphor
of the same kind with “a sea of troubles,” and “a
deluge of wickedness.” (In the English language
the same figure is not unusual.) The Syriac transla-
tion is—et mundus peccativeluti ramus (vel silva) “and
the wicked world is as the wood,” which, in Whitby's
opinion, makes both the sense and similitude clear.
(And thus Rosenmüller, who supposes that the true
reading is déuctas WAm.) But it changes the similitude
by making the wicked world the fuel; whereas the
Apostle represents the body as the fuel. And there-
fore many commentators think this clause was ori-
ginally a marginal note, which afterwards was in-
serted in the text by some ignorant transcriber.
Mackm. Bowyer and others, following Elsner, would
render 6 kóa'aos ‘ the varnisher;' but the word will
hardly bear that sense, neither is it well suited to
the context—Tó koawº. Grot. Hamm.
—the course of nature; The natural (wheel or)
frame : So Tô Tpógorov tºs yewégeos, Ch. i. 23. is
the natural face. The wonderful mechanism of the
human body, and its power of affecting, and of
being affected by, the soul are in this passage aptly
represented by the wheels of a machine, which act
on each other . . . . The pernicious influence of the
tongue, in first spotting and then destroying both the
bodies and souls of men, arises from the language
which it frames, whereby it inflames men's passions
to such a degree, that, being no longer under the
direction of their reason, they push them on to such
actions, as are destructive both of their body and
soul. Mackn. But there is no good authority for
Tpoxos being used in such a sense.—Bos, Eisner,
Alberti, and others understand by this phrase suc-
cessive generations of men, as if the Apostle had
said, “The tongue inflamed our forefathers, it hath
the same bad influence on us, and is likely to have
on our posterity.” Doddr. Others understand by
Töv Tpoxów Tºs yevéaews the whole course of life, from
the period of birth till death, implying that the
tongue renders life miserable : Thus 'yevéaews is
used, Judith xii. 18. Wisd. vii. 5. Rosemm, Beausob.
Tövépéuov Tms Çons. Schol. apud Matthaei. This possibly
is the true meaning. Yet there seems to be little objec-
tion to the received translation, if we understand by
it “the natural course, or order, of human affairs.”
Wells. Hardy.
—of hell.] Macknight and others observe, that
hell, the place prepared for the devil, is put for the
devil himself, as, by a like metonymy, heaven is put
for God. The allusion may be, either to the incite-
ments and persuasions of the devil, or to future
punishment.—Jacobus sine dubio respexit ad vul-
garem Judaeorum opinionem, eam corporis partem
quà homo in håc vità imprimis peccasset, et inferno
imprimis puniri, sive igne cruciari. Sap. xi. 16, &
ºv TuS duaprável êud Toſtov koxdgetat. Rosenm.
W. 7.-every kind] Every nature of them (Beza)
is subdued.—-qºſa is 6mptov idem est ac 6mpia, Sic etian
pſals áv6potrivil est homo. Rosenm.
W. 8–the tongue] Macknight would connect
tºv yxóagav with av6ptóTrav–but unnecessarily.
Indeed, to make the figure, in that case, consistent,
the Apostle should have been speaking of the tongues
310 3 AMES, CHAP. IIf ,
of animals—Tºv y\óraav, moreover, need not be
restricted to one's own tongue, but may be spoken of
the tongue in general. “The fierceness and strength
of animals may be subdued by man, but the tongue
man cannot subdue.”
W. 9.-curse we men, Perhaps the Apostle in
this glanced at the unconverted Jews; who, as
Justin Martyr informs us, in his dialogue with
Trypho the Jew, often cursed the Christians bitterly
in their synagogues. Mackm. Pulchré hac con-
veniunt cum AEsopi dicto ; “linguam et optimam
esse et pessimam.” Est in utramgue partem
egregia dissertatio apud Plutarchum, Tepi drons.
Grot.
W. 12.—salt water and fresh...] The reading of
the Alexandrian and other MSS, adopted by Grotius,
Mill, Wells, Benson, Griesbach, and others, improves
the sense of this passage, and prevents a repetition
of the figure drawn from a fountain : It is otºros ojré
dAvkov y\vkº Totna at #80p, ‘ In like manner, sea-water
cannot produce that which is fresh.” Schleusner
remarks, that the Germans apply the epithet sweet
to water in a similar sense.—Yet it must be confess-
ed, that neither of the readings makes a very natural
sense ; and possibly the passage may be altogether
corrupt.
W. 13.−meekness of wisdom.] Id est év gopia
Tpgetº,ut hic rectè explicat Syrus, Sic Hor. Serm. II.
1. 72. Mitis sapientia Laeli. Grot.
W. 14.--glory not, This clause may be read
interrogatively. Bowyer. Griesb. Grotius observes,
that \!evdea 6e Kard Tris d\m0etas is a pleonasm, aS
Rom. ix. 1, 1 Joh. i. 6. &c.
JAMES. CHAP, III. 31 |
W. 15-sensual, j lºvyi) is the sensitive soul, or
the animal part of our frame, in opposition to
Tvewaa, the rational soul. Benson. Nºvytkol dicuntur,
qui spiritum Dei non habent, Jud. 19. Ista sapien-
tia a naturâ est, mom a Deo. Grot. 1 Cor. ii. 14.
W. 16-confusion,] Macknight supposes, that
here is an allusion to those seditions, which were at
this period so frequently occasioned by the intem-
perate zeal of the Jews for the law of Moses.—dka-
Taa Taata, however, has not often this sense in the
singular number: It properly signifies restlessness,
disturbance, or tumult—and thence confusion.
W. 17.-without partiality, Either, without
respect of persons among one another (Estius.),
or, without putting a difference between men of
their own nation and others, as the Jews did,
accounting all other mations as dogs, unclean, not
fit to be conversed with, and dealing with them
accordingly. Whitby. Ab omni contentione et
rixá alienus. Schl. But this latter sense is implied
in the words eipnvukij, Tielkijs, eúTet0)s.
V. 18.—the fruit of righteousness] Possibly it
might have been rendered, ‘The fruit of righteous-
ness in (or with) peace is sown for them that make
peace.” As if it had been said, that they who shew
a peaceful temper, (supposing it to proceed from
right principles,) may assure themselves, that they
shall reap a harvest in a world where righteousness
flourishes in eternal peace. Doddr. They who make
peace, shall reap the fruit of their mild and Christian
temper in peace (both present and to come). See
also Mackm.
C H A P. IV.
The Jews are reminded, that those insurrections and contest:.
«hich were continually excited among them, arose from,
their own evil passions,—that the cause of God should be
advocated with prayer and humility—that, instead of
arrogantly reckoning upon the future accomplishment of
their vain designs, they should “commit their ways unto the
Lord.”
W. 1–wars and fightings] This alludes to
their furious contests with the heathens, and with one
another; also to their various insurrections against
the Romans. Joseph. Bell. Jud. II. 17. 19. 21. Whitby.
Mackm. Pref. Benson observes, that though tróXeuos
commonly signifies war in general, and adºxn a par-
ticular battle, they are often put for strife and con-
tention. Thus Psal. xxxv. 1. Joh. vi. 52. &c. See
Raphel. Wetst.
—of your lusts mêovóv, concupiscentiis.’ Vulg.
(ériffvuta. Hesych.) Ita Jamblich. kal yap troXéuovs
kai aráaeis Kai udyas ovéév &\\o Tapéxel, à tê a ſoua Kal
ai avtoſ étriºvutat, Grot. Xen. Mem. 1, 2, 23. Schl.
W. 2. Ye lust, Whitby says, that they lusted
after two things, freedom from tribute, and dominion
over neighbouring mations. Others observe, that
their chief desire was to make proselytes to the
Jewish religion, as a prelude to the Messiah’s
kingdom, where they expected to pass their lives
in the enjoyment of every sensual pleasure. Doddr.
Mackm. Rosenm.
—desire to have,) {m\oºre. This word seems to
shew, that the Apostle was principally addressing
himself to the zealots, whose rage often carried
.# AM ES, CHAP. - ºr
IV 313
them to murder the heathems, and even those of
their own nation who opposed them. Mackm. Some
editions, however, for poveters have pºovette, which
c #cs +!, a o Aº, av
*º UA i U J L L R v / CGłłtext, but
Mill.
—ye ask not..] Deus promisit precantibus, non
pugnantibus. Grot.
Tº ſº.
1 tº I i
•+ ar! }^x an x; MSS
u \, W.A. ~ y ~~~~J - * ~ *-* ~ *
W. 3. Ye ask, Poterant quidam dicere: “At
verö si alii non precantur Deum, nos precamur:”
Etiam his respondet, nom mirum esse si non exaudi-
amtur, quia malê precantur ; mon ut, habentes me-
cessaria, Deo serviant, sed ut habeant quae in volup-
tates (vel concupiscentias) impendant. Grot.
V. 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, Macknight
would restrain these words almost to their literal sense,
but without any sufficient reason. He objects, that
the words can have no reference here, as they com-
monly have, to the idolatry of the Jews, because
from that sin they had long been entirely free. It
is true, that they had ceased to worship graven
images, but they were still idolaters in a spiritual
sense ; and this very passage implies a charge of
their having renounced the service of God for “the
friendship of the world.” The Apostle no doubt
alludes to lustful desires of every kind.
V. 5.—the scripture saith] Locus hic, si quis
alius, interpretes vexavit, ab iisdem vicissim vexatus.
Wolf. The words following n ypaſp.) Aéºyet are not
to be found in scripture, for neither Gen. vi. 3, 5, nor
Numb. xi. 29. (which have been cited for the
purpose) appear to have any relation to the passage.
Most commentators, therefore, have understood
the words as written by St. James himself, and have
read them interrogatively, taking the first clause
314 JAMES. CHAP, IV.
as a general intimation of the infallibility of the
word of God; “Do ye think that the scripture can
speak falsely 7 or does the Spirit, which dwelleth
in us, vehemently incline us to envy and rage 7”
See Witsius and others apud Wolf–Hamm. Whitby.
Wells. Doddr. Mackn. But the words ; ºpaq)))\éyet
must refer to some passage of scripture, expressed or
understood ; and they may be connected with the
following verse. Schleusner contends, that étratrobeiv
Tpós Tiva (as Têvaeïv Kard, Gal. v. 17.) signifies, ‘con-
trarium esse alicuiet adversarium’ (see also Pol. Syn.)
With this sense, the construction may be parenthe-
tical, “Think ye, that the scripture saith falsely 7
(The Spirit, that hath taken up his abode in us,
resisteth and subdueth the feelings of envy, and gives
us a more abundant supply of grace) wherefore this
scripture saith, God resisteth &c.” Or, if Schleusner's
version be objected to, the parenthesis may run thus:
“Does the Spirit, which has taken up his abode in
us, lust unto envy 7 yea rather it gives us more
grace.” The words Šid Aéyet naturally connect the
phrase jºypaſpi, Aé-yet with the quotation.—It may
be proper to mention, that Sir N. Knatchbull con-
nects 8tówal with jºypaqº), supposing the words Tpós
p0óvov K. T.A. to refer to some passage in the writings
of the prophets, which are lost. “Do you think the
scripture saith in vain, that the Spirit which dweileth
in us lusteth to envy 7 But it giveth a greater grace,
for that it saith, God resisteth the proud and giveth
grace to the humble.”
V. 6.—God resisteth] Prov. iii. 34. Lxx, where it
is Kºptos for 6 eeds. The quotation was probably
from memory. Thus Virg. AEm. vi. 853.
Regum est
Parcere subjectis, et debellare superbos.
J AM ES. CHAP. 3
--
IV.
T
Jºl
§
This passage is so like, as to induce St. Augustin to
suppose that Virgil had it from the Proverbs.
Hamm.
W. 8. Draw nigh] Those persons, who came
migh to the tabernacle to worship, were said to
draw nigh unto God, because the symbol of his
presence resided there.
—Cleanse your hands, Respicitur ad admoniti-
ones Veteris Testamenti, quibus precatores laware
se jubentur. Esai. i. 16. Psal. xxvi. 6. Plutarchus,
in Pericle, Töv atpatnyov ait od uðvov tás Xeipas ës.
kaðapds éxety &XXd kal Tós 6\rets. Wolf. And Hero-
dotus, speaking of Adrastus who had killed his
brother, says, ow kaðapós Xeipas éðv. Lib. I. 35. Thus
Matt. xxvii. 24. 2 Sam. xxii. 21. 1 Tim, ii. 8. Benson.
W. 9.—heaviness.] kar'ſ peta, dejection.’ Plutar-
chus trept ºvarottas docet, Katríqetav definiri Aſtny
kara (3Xé Trety Trotojoav. Wolf. Sic Etymol. Katríqeta'
dTo Too kºra, Ta qan (3d AAew rods ovetégouévows Kal
Avtovaévows. Wetst.
W. 11.- and judgeth] i.e. so as to condemn.
Nempe ob eas res, quas Christus in evangelio mon
dammat, qualia sunt observationes dierum, ciborum,
et similia. Idem sensus, qui Rom. xiv. 3, 4. Grot.
Whitby.
—of the law, i. e. the law of Christ. Gal. vi. 2.
The word vouc6é+ms in ver, 12. referring to Christ,
shews that this is the sense of vöuos here. Heb. viii. 6.
W. 12–law-giver, Griesbach and Wells adopt
the reading of the Alexandrian and other MSS, G
vogo067ms kai kpit is, Bentley would place the stop
after vöuov —“But there is one judge, the law-
giver, &c.”
316 JAMES. CHAP. IV .
V. 13. Go to 4-ye is used adverbially. Wetstein
cites numerous instances of its being joined with
a verb in the plural number, from Homer, Xenophon,
and others. It occurs only twice in the New Testa-
ment, viz. in this place, and in Ch. v. 1. and is con-
nected, in both instances, with a plural verb. Age
is used in a similar manner.
— continue] troujarajuev. Habes hoc loguendi
genus, Act. xv. 33. xviii. 28. xx. 3. 2 Cor. xi. 25. et
apud Hebraeos, Eccl. vii. 1. Sed et Latimi dicunt
acere cum aliquo paucos dies, annos multos. Grot.
Schl.—Ita Wolf et Wetst. in Act. xv. 33.
V. 14.— on the morrow :] Illustris est Semeca,
ille Epist. 101. “Quâm stultum est aetatem dispomere!
me crastino quidem dominamur. O quanta dementia
est spes longas inchoantium ! Emam, aedificabo,
credam, exigam, honores geram, &c. Et Pindari ille
Olymp. Od. XII. 10.
a ſuſ30Åov 8 otºris étrix0ovłov
Tia Tóv, duqi Tpdºtos éa-
gouévas, évpey Beö6ev. Wolf.
The learned commentator might have added the next
line, Töv će uéNAóvitov Terriſpxoviral ºppabat. The
correct reading is, a ſuſ30Xov 8 ot, Taj Tis, ed. Heyme.—
Grotius includes the whole verse in a parenthesis,
which Griesbach, seemingly with less propriety, sup-
poses to begin with Tota ydp.
—a vapour, In the writings of the heathem
moralists and poets there are many beautiful de-
scriptions of the brevity and uncertainty of human
life. Homer (ll, Ç. 146.) compares the successive
races of men, to the leaves of trees. The same
thought is more elegantly expressed, Eccles. Xiv. 18.
Isaiah says “ All flesh is grass, &c.” xl. 6. So like-
wise our Apostle, Ch. i. 10, II, But in no author,
JAMES. CHAP. IV. 317
sacred or profane, is there a finer image of the bre-
vity or uncertainty of human life, than this given by
St. James, who hath likened it to a smoke which
appeareth for a little time, then disappeareth, while
men are looking at it. Mackm. See Grot. Wolf.
Wetst.
W. 15.-If the Lord will, Acts xviii. 21. I Cor.
iv. 19. The expression is not unusual in heathen
authors—dy beds 6é\n. Xen. Cyr. v. 4, 10. Grot.
Wetst. &c. The Apostle does not mean, that these
words should always be used by us, when we speak
of our purposes respecting futurity ; but that, on
such occasions, the sentiments, which these words
express, should always be present to our minds.
Mackm.
• W. 16.—rejoice] You even vaunt yourselves in
your arrogant schemes and pursuits. Hamm. Whitby.
W. 17. —that knoweth] To him who has thus
been taught to do good and doeth it not, to him it
is sin. Grot. Wells. Beza and Estius consider it as
a general conclusion, enforcing the whole of the
reproofs given to the Jews, for acting contrary to the
divine revelations, of which they were the keepers.
Mackn. Rosenm.
318
C H A. P. V.
By an apostrophe to the unbelieving Jews, the converts are
reminded, how foolish as well as criminal it was to amass
riches by injustice and oppression. The Apostle thence
takes occasion to inculcate the duties offirmness and patience,
of prayer, and thanksgiving, and of a zealous concern for
the salvation of mankind.
V. l. Go to now, "ATE vºv. This is only a form
of transition, as Ch. iv. 13. as if he had said, “And
now, to speak to you that are rich, &c.” Whitby.
Josephus observes how much the rich men suffered
in the Jewish wars, Lib. IV. 5. v. 10.
—weep. Joel v. 1. Zech. xi. 2. The miseries, of
which the Apostle warns his brethren, were those
in which the Jews were to be involved in their war
with the Romans; and which, by the signs pointed
out in our Lord’s prophecy of the destruction of
Jerusalem, James, who wrote this letter in Judea,
knew were at hand—miseries from famine, pesti-
lence, and the sword. These fell heaviest, no doubt,
on the Jews in Judea, but they extended also to the
Jews in the provinces. Besides, when Jerusalem
was besieged by the Romans, the Jews in the pro-
vinces within the empire, and also out of its bounds,
sent help to their brethren in Judea. So Dion. Cass.
Dib. Lxv I. S. 4. The reader, who desires a particular
account of the calamities which befel the Jews, may
read Josephus's history of the war, where he will
find scenes of misery not to be paralleled in the
annals of any nation. Mackn. See also Tac. Hist. v.
Sub. init. Euseb. III. 5, 6.
W. 2.-are corrupted, a €antre. Raphelius con-
JAMES. CHAP. V. 319
venienter monet T\ojtov hic synecdochicè accipi pro
specie divitiarum eå, quae putredini sit obnoxia,
cujusmodi sunt carnes, fruges, fructusque arborum.
Wolf. Benson. Mackm. Schleusner objects, and in-
terprets it by the general word—periit. Yet it seems
from ver. 2, 3. that neither garments, nor gold and
silver, are here alluded to by TAoûtos, which therefore
may denote such possessions as Raphel has described.
—your garments] In the eastern countries, the
fashion of clothes did not change as with us. Hence
persons of fortune used to have many garments made
of different costly stuffs, which they laid up as a part
of their riches. See Gen. xlv. 22. Judges xiv. 12. 13.
2 Kings v. 5. This appears also from Q. Curtius,
who tells us, lib. v. 6. that when Alexander took
Persepolis, he found the riches of all Asia gathered
together there, which consisted not only of gold and
silver, but of garments—vestis ingens modus. See
also Hor. 1. Ep. vi. 40. Mackm, after Benson.
W. 3.-Shall eat påyeTai pro payetta, 2 fut.
med. Grot. Parkh. Shall consume your flesh, shall
be the cause of its destruction, as rust destroys
metals.
—have heaped treasure] In the original this
clause is elliptical—thesaurizāstis vobis iram. Vulg.
The Syriac understands it differently—ignem con-
gessistis vobis in dies ultimos. Those commentators,
who by the last days understand the day of judg-
ment, have adopted the latter translation. But, as
the Apostle is speaking of the last days of the Jewish
commonwealth, and of the miseries which were then
to fall on the mation, and particularly on the rich
men, we may suppose, with Whitby, that the word
to be supplied is misery, especially as their wealth
would be an inducement to the Romans to murder
them.--0mgavpišew opyriv, Rom. ii. 5. Prov, i. 18.
320 J AM ES. CHAP. V.
Mackm. Doddr. But even if we should join ºs tºp
with é0mgavpiaate, (which makes a good sense; how
have ye treasured up fire, &c.'), it is not necessary
to confine the meaning to the day of judgment; for
Túp is metaphorically used to denote punishment in
general. Rom. xii. 20. and it may here allude both to
their present and future condition. Hamm.—as tºp
"O é0mgavptorate, Verss. Arab. AEthiop.
V. 4. Behold, the hire, &c.] Lev. xix. 13. Deut.
xxiv. 14, 15. God hears the cry of the afflicted and
oppressed, Exod. ii. 23. iii. 7. xxii. 27.
—of Sabaoth.] Of hosts. It is an observation
of the Hebrews, that when God judgeth his crea-
tures, he is called Elohim (God), when he sheweth
mercy unto the world, he is called Jehovah, Exod
xxxiv. 6, but when he warreth against the wicked,
he is called Sabaoth. See Ainsworth on Exod. iii. 13.
Benson.
V. 5.-been wanton ;] érpvººja are kai éo Tata\ſ-
care, ye have lived in voluptuousness and debauch-
ery.’ 1 Tim. v. 6. Ezek, xvi. 49. See a striking de-
scription of the luxury of the Jews in the prophet
Amos, Ch. vi. 4. Tacitus calls them—projectissima
ad libidinem gens. Hist. v. sub. imit. Whitby. Mackn.
—of slaughter.] Some would render this as in
a festival,’ when many sacrifices are slain. Grot.
Beza. Benson. But Wolf observes, that the word
is always used in the Lxx to signify not a day of
feasting, but of slaughter, Doddr. “As the sacri-
fices, which are first fattened, and then slaughtered.”
Whitby. Similis locus est apud Philomem in Flacc.
p. 990. ed. 1640. ubi Flaccus, de salute suá desperans,
queritur, airta got kai Tord ka947tep Tois 6péuwaaw enri
a payrºv Štěoral. Rosenm. This, at least, is the more
natural signification—tds kapºtas Jaſov may be a pleo-
H*, * 321
Basm for jugs. Schl. in Kapò. §. 6.—év juépg for els
guépav, 3.S before, év éaxda'ats juépals.
W. 6.-the just ; This expression seems t
to no other than our Saviour, as Acts i. 14. vii. 52.
xxii. 14. But some have referred it, with Le Clerc
and Rosenmüller, to the Christians, whom the un-
believing Jews persecuted and put to death. It is
said, in vindication of this exposition, that the pas-
Sage applies to the rich only, whereas the death of
Christ is imputed to the princes and rulers of the
Jews, and to the people in general. The Apostle,
however, does not lay any exclusive accusation
against the rich; he only intimates that they were
instrumental to the death of Christ, and doubtless
they were the principal authors of it. The verb
dvºritdageral, indeed, cannot properly be applied to any
person who had been slain, except Christ, who, even
after death, was reigning with power to execute ven-
geance : “Ye have slain the Just one, and he does
not yet inflict punishment.” But it may be better,
with Benson and Bowyer, to read the clause interro-
gatively, especially as the Apostle has been denounc-
ing threats, and as the believers, in the following
verse, are exhorted to patience, until the time arrives
for the execution of those threats: “Ye have con-
demned, ye have killed the Just one; is he not set, as
in array, against you?” Bentley, with his usual in-
genuity, supposes (Phil. Lips. p. 74.) that the particle
OYK may have been altered from OKX (the abbrevia-
tion for O KYPIOx) and this will make good sense,
if Töv Čikatov be taken generally; and it agrees with
Prov. iii. 34. But since 6 Kiptos must, in that case,
be interpreted of Christ (as appears from ver, 7.), it
becomes superfluous, if Töv 8tratov be referred to the
same person. See. Grot. Whitby. Wolf. Mackn. Schl.
Dr. Middleton.
W 0 L, II. X
322 JAMES, CHAP. V.
W. 7 – early and latter] Tpºſiuov Kal &\tuov—
literally, ‘morning and evening;' but here, autumnal.
and vermal. The autumn was regarded as the be-
gimming of the year, at which time the seed was
sown—Tum dabo pluviam terrae in tempore suo ;
temporaneam in Marchesuan (October) et serotinam
in Nisan (March). Targum Jonath. Deut. xi. 14.
(Joel ii. 23.) Wetst. See also Shawe's Travels, p. 385.
2d ed. and Harmer’s Obss, vol. 1. p. 32. Parkh. Schl.
W. 8–for the coming] He speaks, saith OEcume-
mius, of the coming of the Romans to captivate the
Jews, which he calls the coming of our Lord, as
St. John xxi. 22. This exposition is confirmed by
Isai. xiii. 6. Ezek. xxx. 3. Joel i. 15. &c. Hamm.
Lightf. Whitby. Benson. Yet there are some dis-
tinguished commentators, who suppose that St. James
is exclusively speaking of the final advent of Christ.
See Bp. Horseley’s Sermons on this passage, and
Rosenm. on ver, 7. Others contend, that the Apos-
tles were in expectation of the immediate appearing
of their Lord, not only to punish the Jews, but to
judge the world. On this see 1 Thess. iv. 15. 1 Pet.
IV. 5. 7.
W. 9. Grudge not uſ a revågere. “Do not prefer
vexatious complaints, nor betray an impatient spirit
by secret murmurings.” Beza. Doddr. Much less
spread unfavourable reports. Schl. The Jewish con-
verts retained somewhat of the spirit of their un-
believing brethren, and were apt to be querulous and
disaffected. Hamm.
—before the door.] So Matt. xxiv. 33. Mark xiii.
29. Gen. iv. 7. Twperov Tepi 6iſpas Čvºros. Plut. apud
Pol. Syn. Ut Latinorum in limine adesse. Virg. Æn.
wiii. 656. Schl.
JAMES, CHAP. V. 323
W. 11.—happy". Or, blessed. Matt. v. 11, 12. The
papists, to countenance their practice of beatifying,
or making saints, have translated this text, “We
beatify those who have suffered with constancy;”
Makapišstv, however, does not signify to nake happy,
but to call or pronounce happy. Benson. Laudamus
adhuc constantiam eorum, qui talia mala pertulerunt,
beatosque eos hoc nomine praedicamus. Rosenm.
—of Job, The mention of Job here, and with
Noah and Daniel, Ezek. xiv. 14, 20, shews that he was
a real person, and not a fictitious character, as some
have imagined. Whitby. Videtur multis vera esse
haec historia, sed tractata poeticé. Rosenm. See Dr.
Hales on this subject, and Dr. Gray’s Key to the
Old Testament; also two very learned dissertations
by Dr. Magee, Illustr. Nº. xli. LXI.
—the end of the Lord ;) It is observable, that in
Job xlii. 7. sqq. God decides the cause in his favour,
and calls him his servant Job four times in the
compass of a few verses. Doddr. The words to TéAos
Kvptov are explained by the latter part of the verse.
W. 12.— swear not ; ) Let not your afflictions
move you to rash oaths, which men are wont to use,
when much provoked. See the note on Matt. v. 34.
(also Elsley in loc.). Or else, the oaths here for-
bidden may be illusive oaths, viz. such as the Jews
were free to use, because they thought them not bind-
ing (see mote on Matt. ix. 34.), and so made them, in
order to purchase their deliverance. Whitby.
—other oath :] Puta per Hierosolyma, per Tem-
plum, per Altare, per kopſ3av, per caput suum, Matt.
v. 35. xxiii. 16–22. Grot.
—yea be yea; Let the truth be declared by
simple affirmation—val et promissum significat et pro-
missi implementum, ut videre est, 2 Cor. i. 18, 19.
21. Grot,
x ‘2
• ‘s’
3:24 J AMIES. CHAP. V.
—into condemnation.] úró kptaw. Thus Griesb.
and Mill. Prolegom, S. 1208.—Beza, Grotius, Wolf,
Matthaei, and others prefer the common reading els
Jirókptow. But any false declaration is hypocrisy,
even without an oath: And wºrd kptaw agrees with
the context, ver, 9. -
W. 13.-let him pray.] Instead of any impatient
or extravagant ejaculations, the Apostle recommends
such private exercises of devotion, as were suitable
to their circumstances and frame of mind. Mackm.
On this and the foregoing verse, Wetstein has a
s tº º
good commentary from Sanderson de Juram. vii. 11.
V. 14.—elders] Bishops and deacons—those who
possess authority—who are ordained to any adminis-
tration in the Church. See Tit. i. 5. In this age
spiritual gifts were abundant; and particularly, in
every Church there were some, who possessed the
gift of miraculously healing the sick. Benson.
Mackm. But there is no evidence here, that this
power was exercised by deacons.—Whitby observes,
that the word being in the plural shews that the bishop
alone could not be intended : Possibly, however, it
may not imply a necessity of more than one being
present at a time. Thus Dr. Wells: “Let him call
for one or more of the elders of the Church, i. e. the
ministers of the Church above deacons.”
—anointing him] Ex instituto Christi, Mar. vi.
13. Nempe quiā oleum apud Hebraeos divinam
gratiam significabat ; ut et manuum impositio, quae
et insa circa agrotos adhiberi solebat, Mar. xvi. 18.
Act. xxviii. 8. Omnia autem ista fiebant in nomine
Christi. Grot. Lightfoot shews from the Jewish
writings, that anointing with oil was an ordinary
medicinal application to the sick, and that it was
very common among the Jews to use charming and
JAMES. CHAP. V. 325
anointing together. The Apostle therefore (seeing
anointing was an ordinary and good physick, and the
use of it not to be extinguished for the abuse)
directs them better; viz. to get the elders or minis-
ters of the Church to come to the sick, and to add
to the medicinal anointing of him their godly and
fervent prayers, far more available and comfortable
than all charming and inchanting. See Harmon.
New Test, on the Epistle of St. James.—It is plain,
that the custom was ordained and used for the mira–
culous recovery of the sick in general, and there-
fore this passage is but ill applied by the Romanists,
to authorize their sacrament of extreme unction, in
the agonies of death, and for the cleansing of the
soul. Hamm. Wolf. Whitby. Benson. See also the
note on 1 Joh. v. 14. 16. Rosenmüller contends, that
no miracle was wrought ; however, the recovery was
the immediate effect of divine power, because it is
said to be owing to the prayer of the elders.
W. 15.—the prayer of faith] i. e. the prayer of
the elders offered up in faith, in a full assurance
of its efficacy. See Rom. xii. 3. xiii. 2. Acts iii. 16.
where faith implies miraculous gifts. Whitby.
Benson. Doddr.
—the sick, käuvety is often applied to the dying
or the dead (Hesych. Suid.), and the context would
lead us to suppose, that the Apostle is speaking of
those who were dangerously sick, and required the
working of a miracle for their recovery. Benson.
ord (civ is properly applied to the recovery of the sick,
Matt. ix. 21, 22. xiv. 30. Mark vi. 5, 6, &c.
—sins, Quia sæpe peccata morborum causae,
Matt. ix. 6. Joh. v. 14. 1 Cor. xi. 30. Grot. So also
Whitby, who observes, that the healing of diseases
and the forgiveness of sins are sometimes used as
synonymous expressions. Matt. ix. 2, 6, 7, Isai. xxxiii.
326 JAMES, CHAP. W ,
24. Morbo curato, etiam peccatum ipsum con-
donatum esse dicebatur, 2 Chron. vii. 13, 14. Rosemm,
Hammond remarks, that the passage denotes a re-
mission of punishment of every kind, ecclesiastical
as well as divine. The whole verse is well explained
in the paraphrase of Dr. Wells: “If the minister
that prays, feels in himself the miraculous gift of
faith in this case, i. e. feeis in himself a strong
impulse of the Spirit to pray, and a strong persuasion
that his prayer wººl be effectual, then it may be
therice inferred assuredly, that such his prayer shall
be a means to save or recover the sick, and the
HA)rd shall raise him up from his bed of sickness
again ; and if he have committed sins, which were
the occasion of God’s sending this sickness upon him,
they shall be all forgiven him.”
W. 16. Confess] The confession here injoined
was only in cases of sickness—a confession from the
party who had committed wrong, in order that the
disease, inflicted perhaps as a punishment for his
offence, might be miraculously healed. Hence this
passage afiords no authority whatever for the Popish
practice of auricular confession, on every common
occasion, in time of health, and for the purposes
of eternal salvation. Wolf. Benson. Doddr. Ham-
mond remarks, that the word d'AX,j\ots belongs only
to the elders; and in confirmation of this he cites
1 Pet. v. 5. JToTaageq 8e dx}\mixous, ‘Be subject One to
another,’ i.e. let those be subject, from whom sub-
jection is due. So here : “Confess your sins to one
another, according as circumstances require,” i.e. let
those who are sick, and so punished for their offences,
confess them to such of the brethren, as are endued
with the power of healing; and let those brethren
pray for their restoration. Thus Wells. Benson,
Hardy. And this certainly agrees best with the
J AM ES. CHAP. V. 327
context, and with the last clause of the verse; also
with ver. 17, 18. Yet many suppose this direction to be
addressed to the brethren at large; who, in addition
to the elders, were to pray and hear confession.
Whitby. Beausob. Doddr. Mackn. Schl. Rosenm.
—effectual] This version occasions almost a
tautology.—Assidua. Vulg. Examimo profusa. Erasm.
Intenta, non languida. Grot. Hammond supposes
it to mean the inspired prayer, and is followed by
Benson, Wells, Macknight, and many others. Eph.
iii. 20. Col. i. 29. 1 Cor. xii. 11. And such appears
to be the natural interpretation of évépyovaévn, the
prayer inwrought by the Spirit.’ See also Bp. Bull's
Exam. Cens. II. S. 3.
W. 17–like passions] duototra6 is may signify of
like feelings and faculties with us:” not endued with
any powers, but such as are vouchsafed at the
present day—a frail mortal, working by divine
assistance. The Jews had probably fancied, that
Elijah was more than man.
—three years and six months.] So says our Lord,
Luke iv. 25. It is said indeed, 1 Kings xviii. 1, that
“in the third year the word of the Lord came to
Elijah,” i.e. concerning the rain ; but this was from
the time of his going to Zarephath, which was long
after the drought began. Previously to his going
thither, he had remained at the brook Cherith, till it
was dried up. I Kings xvii. 7.9. Whitby. Benson.
V. 18.— he prayed again, I Kings xviii. 42.45.
Comp. Numb. xvi. 4. Elsner has here a curious note
to shew, that the Jews and others had many stories
(probably founded on this instance of Elijah) of
successful invocations for rain.
W. 20.—shall hide a multitude of sins.] A consi.
328 JAMES, CHAP. W.,
derable question arises, whether this blessing should
be referred to the person who converts, or to him
who is converted. The latter sense is adopted by
Grotius, Macknight, Schleusner and others; the
former by Hammond, Whitby, Wells, Pyle, Bp.
Atterbury (vol. 1. p. 46.), and Dr. Scott (Christian
Life, P. i. c. 4, §. 9), to whom Doddridge inciines;
and certainly it is countenanced by some passages
in the Old Testament, e.g. Prov. xvi. 6. Dam, iv. 27.
But we may observe, I. That it seems hardly con-
sonant with the language and doctrines of the gospel,
that any sin should be forgiven, if it be unrepented
or persisted in ; and if it be repented and forsaken,
it will be pardoned without the meritorious act
here mentioned. 2. The verbs odore, and kaxi/\!et
more obviously apply to effects produced on one
and the same person.
It is urged, that, with the latter interpretation,
the last clause adds nothing to the sense : But this
objection probably arises from the passage being
improperly understood. The Apostle is treating
of the sick; and has been intimating, that there is a
close connection between the healing of diseases, and
the repentance and forgiveness of sins. If therefore
we connect the 16th verse with the 19th (and the in-
tervening passage is only a detached illustration,) the
meaning may be thus explained. “ Brethren, if any
of you shall have erred from the truth, and one shall
have converted him, know, that he who (in such
circumstances, i.e. of sickness or disease,) shall
have turned a sinner from the error of his way, (shall
have led him effectually to repent of his offences,
and have thus prepared him for the prayer and
blessing of the elders,) will be the means of saving
him from death, and of drawing a veil over many of
his transgressions, (of screening them from the sight
or remembrance of God, as well as men, i.e. of
JAMES, CHAP. v . 296
* m. º. * *_* * * *
obtaining for them pardon and entire forgiveness.)
This version of adjoet agrees with that in ver. 15. and
“ to save a soul” means to save the converted person
* º © *\ ^ * *
lik, own last h novº, ov, dre cº tº ryºn *** * ~ ; c. or à Gala l II. A
in A / W. R. L. A_y I L, ſº R, U.A. A J Lyº, º ſº, L. F iſ 0 & R. J. W. A 1 1 m i i º lju, ! ſº I Jº K_* † It tº , }J W. R. R. L. s. __ _ _{A, M.A.
the Apostle intended to speak of the soul in a future
state, he would probably have written Tºv Jrix}v
awtoo : In such a sense, Nºvyi) never occurs in
scripture without the article. See Ezek. xviii. 27.
Lxx. (The Alexandrian and some other MSS,
followed by Dr. Wells, have Nºvyºv attoº.)—It is
agreeable to the context, to interpret 6avarov of the
death of the body : The Apostle, indeed, could
scarcely say, that the person who turned another
from an error into which he had fallen, would save
his soul from everlasting punishment: This could
only be said of a total conversion from infidelity,
or irreligion; implying, moreover, a final perseverance
in the ways of life: But in such a sense the present
passage cannot be interpreted—the brother had once
erred, after conversion, and might err again. We
may therefore acquiesce in the paraphrase of
Benson ; “He saveth the soul of that man (i. e. the
man himself) from death, and covereth the multitude
of his sims from the face of God, who will not then
inflict the penalty of death, but miraculously restore
him to life and health,” And thus Beausob.
THE
FIRST EP I S T L E G E N E R A L
O F
P E T E R.
C H. A. P. I.
St. Peter, after a general salutation to his brethren, explains
the nature and end of that salvation to which they were
called, exhorting them to shew the fruits the eof in their
life and conversation ; and reminding them, that even
the precious blood ºf the Lamb was shed for their redemp-
tion, and that they had been purified by the Spirit of God.
V. l. Peter, THIs name was given by our
Lord to Simon, son of Jonah or John, and cor-
responds with the Syro-Chaldaic Cephas, both of
them signifying a stone : Simon, being first called,
might be denominated the first stone that was laid
in the foundation of Christ's church, to the stability
of which he greatly contributed by his diligence and
zeal. He was a native of Bethsaida, Joh. i. 44, and
the brother of Andrew : They were fishermen by
trade, and when they became the disciples of our
Lord, he promised to make them fishers of men.
Matt. iv. 19. From Christ’s address to Peter, “ upon
this rock will I build my Church, &c.” Matt. xvi.
many have concluded, that he had privileges and
powers conferred upon him above the rest of the
Apostles. But others with more reason suppose,
that though Jesus directed his discourse to Peter,
I PETER. CHAP. i. 33}
it was intended for them all, and that the honours
and powers, granted to Peter by name, were con-
ferred on them all equally. For no one will say,
that Christ's church was built on Peter singly :
It was built on the foundation of all the Apostles
and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner-stone. As little can any one say, that the
power of binding and loosing was confined to
Peter; seeing it was declared afterwards to belong
to all the Apostles. Matt. xviii. 18. Joh. xx. 23. They
were all equal in office and authority, as is plain
from our Lord’s declaration, “one is your Master,
even Christ, and all ye are brethren.” Matt. xxiii. 8.
The only distinction among them was that which
arose from personal talents and qualifications, a
distinction which never fails to take place in every
society. . . . Lastly, it appears from St. Peter's epistles,
that he did not think himself superior in authority to
the other Apostles. For, if he had entertained any
imagination of that sort, insinuations of his authority,
if not direct assertions thereof, might have been
expected in his epistles, and especially in their in-
scriptions. Yet there is nothing of that kind in
either of his letters. The highest title he takes
to himself, in writing to the elders of Pontus, is
that of their fellow-elder, 1 Pet. v. 1. Jerome him-
self says, “ the Keys were given to all the Apos-
tles alike, and the Church was built on all of them
equally. But, for preventing dissensions, precedence
was given to one. And John might have been the
person, but he was too young : And Peter was pre-
ferred on account of his age." Mackm. See also Lightf.
on Matt. xvi. 18, 19, and Benson on this Epistle.
After the descent of the Holy Ghost, St. Peter
was the first who preached to the Jews, Acts ii. 14.
And he had afterwards peculiarly committed to him
the gospel of the circumcision, as St. Paul had
332 I PETER, CHAP. I.
that of the uncircumcision. Gal. ii. 7. St. Peter,
however, first preached the gospel to the Gentiles
as well as to the Jews, Acts x. 45. It seems to be
agreed, that St. Peter suffered martyrdom by cru-
cifixion, agreeably to the prediction of his Lord,
Joh. xxi. 18, 19. But in what place he suffered, is
not so clear. Many writers have asserted, that he
was crucified at Rome, others deny that he ever was
there. See Lardner, who observes thus ; “As our
Lord's prediction concerning the death of Peter
is recorded in one of the four gospels, it is very
likely that Christians would observe the accomplish-
ment of it, which must have been in some place.
And about this place there is no difference among
Christian writers of antient times : Never any other
place was named besides Rome, nor did any other
city ever glory in the martyrdom of Peter.”
—strangers scattered] Commentators are much
divided, respecting the persons here alluded to :
some supposing the epistles to have been addressed
to none but Jews, Beza. Grot. Hamm. Cave. Mill.
Wells. Schl. others to Gentiles only, Wetst. Sykes.
others to both, observing that some passages belong
to Jews alone, and some to Gentiles. Whitby.
Lardner. Wolf. Doddr. Mackm. Rosenm. The
latter opinion is probably true ; though it may be
doubted, whether any passages occur, which are not
applicable to Christians in general—6tag tropo pro-
perly denotes a settlement, or dispersion, of Jews in
a heathen country : Thus biao Topd A\ſivov is inter-
preted of the dispersion of the Jews among the
Greeks. See Elsley on Joh. vii. 35. And it was
natural for St. Peter, a Jewish convert, to apply the
same word to Christians. James i. 1.
Benson, Michaelis, and others ingeniously attempt
to solve the difficulty by supposing the epistle to be
addressed to those who were born heathens, but
| PETER. CHAP. I. 333
had become proselytes to Judaism, and them were
converted to Christianity. And thus trapertènuot
(literally ‘strangers’) will be used to denote “pro-
selytes,’ in imitation of the Rabbinical writers, whe
called the proselytes to their religion by the name
of Dºn) or strangers. But we have no reason
to think, that Christians of this description ever
formed themselves into a separate community, much
less that there was a dispersion, or settlement, of
them in any of the particular provinces here men-
tioned : Neither is there any thing, in the general
argument or scope of the epistle, peculiarly suited
to them. See the mote on Ch. ii. 10. Scripta esse
videtur ad Christianos, é Judaeis pariter et Gentibus
extra Palestinam (ev tº 8tag tropä) collectos, imprimis
verö ad Judaeo-Christianos. Pott. apud Rosenm.
W. 2. Elect] Lardner observes, that this cannot
be interpreted of an absolute and necessary election
to life eternal, because in that case no one could
have received the letter, as addressed to himself,
mo one being certain of such an election, till it
was made sure by his final perseverance : It means,
those who were called to the gospel, agreeably to
the original purpose of God, as manifested in the
prophetical writings. Thus the Scholiast; Tô Đeg
Td ué\\ovra Tøpeativ obs ov éºyva, evoleſłeis kai ovº-
wópºpovs The eikóvos Tov viou avrov, Toſtovs Tpoſéptoe
kai ékáAeae kai éðukatwale. Matthaei. See Eph. i. 5.
Rom. viii. ix.
—sanctification] 1 Cor. i. 2.
—sprinkling] When the old covenant was ratified
and consented to, Moses sprinkled the blood of the
sacrifices on the people, Exod. xxiv. 7, 8. so all, who
receive the gospel, are emblematically sprinkled with
the blood of Christ. Heb. ix. 14. x, 19, 20. xii. 24.
I Joh. i. 7. Hamm. Whitby. Benson.
334 i PETER. CHAP. I.
V. 3–a lively hope, Some would read ÉXTíða
Çons. But @aav may have the same meaning. Joh.
iv. 10. vi. 51. vii. 38. Heb. x. 20. &c. Spem vivam pro
spen vitae, Vulg. Syr.—Beza. The common trans-
lation, however, conveys a sufficient sense: “Unto
a hope which shall never again, as it were, die (as
it did at the crucifixion and death of Christ), but
shall for ever live, or remain unshaken.” Wells.
V. 4.—incorruptible, This happy country is said
to be incorruptible, because it shall neither be de-
stroyed by the waters of a flood, nor by fire, as this
earth hath been, and in the end will be. Also it is
said to be undefiled, because it shall not, like the
earthly Canaan, be defiled with the sins of its in-
habitants, Lev. xviii. 28. For into the heavenly
country nothing shall enter that defileth, Rev. xxi. 27.
Lastly, it is said to be unfading, because it will never
wax old, and because its beauties will remain fresh
through all etermity, and its pleasures will never
become insipid by enjoyment. Mackm. Tnpeia'6at hic
idem quod dºroketo 6at. Col. i. 5. Hardy.
V. 5. Who are kept. $poupovuévovs. This word is
very emphatical, and properly signifies, being kept
as in an impregnable garrison, secure from harm,
under the observation of an all-seeing eye, and the
protection of an Almighty hand. It may allude also
to believers being attacked by evil spirits and wicked
men their enemies. Blackw. Benson. Doddr.
— through faith Rather, during your faith,’ as
ëld often signifies. Benson. Pyle. The common ver-
sion includes this sense; for if faith was to keep
them, they could be kept only while they continued
in the faith. “By the power of God as the efficient
cause, through your stedfastness in the faith as the
conditional cause.” Wells. Si credideritis. Rosenm.
1 PETER. CHAP. [. 33.
h
*
—unto salvation, Some refer this to a deliver-
ance from the destruction brought on the Jewish
nation by the Romans, but the whole context shews
that it is otherwise. From ver, 9–12. we find ex-
plicit mention of the salvation of the soul. Whitby.
Mackm. The word Totany does not necessarily
imply, that the salvation was near at hand; only
that it was destined to be at some future period.
Parkh. Schl. See Ch. iv. 5. It was prepared, because
the last dispensation had been given to man. The
last time, Kapòs éaxatos, had arrived—érotum' wéA-
Aovac. Rosenm. eſtporos' eitpetria weyos. Hesych.
V. 6-ye greatly rejoice, Macknight, after
Austin, takes dºya)\Xiao 6s in the imperative mood.
Others suppose, that in some copies the future tense
was used. Orig. Vulg. See Mill. Griesb. Perhaps
the present may be put for the future, as the past
often is. OEcumen. Benson. Thus ver. 8. Or the
Apostle might mean that they had cause to rejoice,
(thus kaſynua ‘matter of glorying.” Rom. iv. 2. Gal.
vi. 4.), that they rejoiced in the hope of salvation,
even though it exposed them to trouble and persecu-
tion. Rom. v. 3. James i. 2.
W. 7–the trial] Si aurum. . . . probatione per
ignem redditur hominibus pretiosum et carum, cur
mon Deus fidei probationem exigat per afflictiones,
ut ea coram ipso resplendeat, et gratior fiat. Estius.
Their faith, if it endured the trial, was more precious
to themselves, as the foundation of everlasting life;
and to mankind, as affording a substantial proof of
the truth of the Christian religion.
W. 8-having not seen, etë6Tes. Some MSS, and
most of the antient Versions, have tº vres. Raphel,
336 } PETER. CHAP. I.
Mill. But eièéval may signify to know personally.”
Benson. Thus Luke xxii. 34. Joh. i. 31. &c. Dr.
Wells judiciously remarks, that ióðvres is probably
a gloss, by some person who did not understand the
meaning of eið6Tes——and he supposes the Apostle to
allude to the case of St. Thomas, and to the words
which our Saviour uttered on that occasion; “Blessed
are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Joh. xx. 29.
W. 9.—the end] Mercedem. Beza. Grot, réXos
denotes the consequence of any action or event,
good or bad. Rom. vi. 21, 22. 2 Cor. v. 10. xi. 15.
Phil. iii. 19. &c. Kypke. Parkh, Schl.
W. 11.—what, or what manner] eis riva # Totov
Kalpöv. Macknight and others translate, ‘of what
people, &c., but such an ambiguous ellipsis is not
very probable—Quod, i. e. an propinquum, an longé
adhuc distans—quale, i. e. quietum aut bellicosum,
libero populo an serviente. Grot. There is the same
distinction between ris and Troios. Rosenm. Dan. viii.
13. ix. 24, xii. 6.8.
—the Spirit of Christ] This is, at least, a cor-
roboration of the doctrine of our Lord’s pre-exist-
ence. To say that, in this case, “ the Spirit of
Christ” means “the same Spirit that was in Christ”
is certainly a forced construction. Whitby shews it
to be the opinion of the Fathers, that Christ spake
by his Spirit in the prophets. See also Benson. This
and the following verse afford an irrefragable proof
of the inspiration of the antient prophets.
V. 12—to look into.] trapakºlai. In allusion no
doubt (as Saurin has beautifully illustrated it, Disc.
II. 266. and many others have remarked) to the bend-
1 PETER. CHAP. I. 337
ing posture in which the angels were represented on
the mercy-seat. Doddr. See also Blackw. Sacr. Class.
vol. I. ad fin. James i. 25. Eph. iii. 10.
W. 13.-gird up] This is a very bold metaphor,
from the oriental custom of fastening the loose and
flowing garments with a girdle, on occasions of
activity and exertion. The same figure occurs, Luke
xii. 35. Eph. vi. 14, though it is not carried quite so
far. See Shawe's Travels, p. 227, 2d ed. The Ro-
mans used equivalent expressions in reference to
the toga.
Altius ac nos
Praecinctis. IHor. I. Serm. v. 5.
Altius praecimgebantur strenuiores, remissiones de-
missis tunicis incedebaut Gesmer in loc. cit.—n)N.
is similarly used in Job xxviii. 3. Prov. xxxi. 17.
Jerem. i. 17. Schl.
W. 16.— I am holy.] Lev. xi. 44. xix. 2. Many
copies have &aea 6e for yéved 6e, thus the LXX. The
Hebrews use the future for the imperative. Grot.
Wells.
W. 17-respect of persons] Here Peter repeats
what he said to Cornelius, Acts x. 34. Mackn. See
also Rom. ii. 11. James ii. i.
—sojourning] Most of the commentators justly
interpret this in a spiritual sense : But it cannot be
irrelevant to suppose, with Hammond, that the Apos-
tle had also in view the state of peregrination, in
which the converts, here addressed, were then living:
And this appears the more probable, from his re-
minding them, as dwelling with a strange people,
that God is no respecter of persons — a doctrine
which the Jews did not always relish or receive
WOL. II, Y
338 1 PETER. CII AP. H.
V. 18. — from your fathers ; Tatporapačátov,
This word is fully as applicable to the corrupt tradi-
tions of the Scribes and Pharisees, as it can be to
any heathen rites. Whitby is mistaken in sup-
posing, that avaa Tpop) has any necessary or peculiar
reference to the Gentiles, because we have in Gal.
i. 13. avao Tpoºpiiv Tote év Tó 'lovoaia aſ and indeed
his remark is confuted in this very chapter, for the
word is used in ver, 15. 17. as being addressed, accord-
ing to his own opinion, to Jews as well as Gentiles.
W. 19.-without blemish] In i.ev. xxii. 21, 22. the
things reckoned blemishes, in the animals to be sacri-
ficed, are enumerated. Mackn. The Apostle could
scarcely have used a phraseology more calculated to
teach the doctrine of atonement. The price paid
by Christ is distinguished, in an express and pointed
manner, from the corruptible riches of this world ;
and the sacrifice is remarkably compared with that
of the Paschal Lamb, or with the sacrifices of the
lambs that were daily offered as sin-offerings for the
whole nation: So Joh. i. 29. (Elsley in loc.) Rev.
xiii. 8. Whitby supposes, that the “silver and gold *
refer to the half shekels, which were paid for the
purchase of the daily offerings. Exod. xxx. 14—16.
W. 22–fervently: So Gºreyós may be well trans-
lated. GXol, ºxws' Tpo6.jwa's. Suid. Wetst. Macknight,
without good authority, turns it “ continually.”
W. 23. Being born again, Rather, ‘having been
regenerated (dvayeyeviºuévoi) of water and the Holy
Ghost. In this expression the Apostle insinuated to
the Jews, that they were not the children of God,
and heirs of immortality, by their being begotten of
Abraham (of mortal seed), nor by their obeying the
ław of Moses, but by their being begotten of the
} PETER. CHAP. II. 3.3%
incorruptible seed by the living word of God
(ver. 25.), which word, together with its seed, en-
dureth for ever. Mackm. Wells. Benson. This ex-
position is confirmed also by ver, 24. “ For all flesh
is grass.” (ovros may be joined either with Xóryov or
€cow, but the conjunctive particle seems to shew,
that Øvros and uévovºros refer to the same substantive;
and if so, they both refer to X6)ov, as ver. 25. Si
clogia haec ad Deum pertimerent, scribendum potius
fuerat Sid Aóryov ecov @vTos cal uévoytos. Wolf.
Whitby. Benson. A670s (ºv is the same as Xóyos
@oirotov, (as A6-yta @vta, Acts vii. 38.) the word
that gives the principle of life.’
W. 24.—as grass, Xóptos, herbs of any kind.”
Isai xl. 6.8. Hom. II. C. 146. sqq. Comp. James i. 11.
and the remark there made on the use of the past
tenSe.
C. H. A. P. II.
The brethren are erhorted to a benevolent and charitable
temper, to which they were obliged by a consideration of
the heavenly character of their Redeemer: It behovetſ:
them to be a pattern to those with whom they sojourned—
to shew obedience to governments of every kind, for con-
science' sake, setting before them the perfect example of their
JLord.
W. I.-malice, KAKIA, ‘treacherous or evil pur-
poses towards others.” Malitiam, quam Graeci kaktav
vocant ; mam malitia certi cujusdam vitii momen est,
citiositas omnium. Cic. Tusc. Iv. 15. Pyle.
W. 2. As new-born babes, Discipuli Rabbinis
vocantur lactentes wel sugentes, Wetst, Wolf. Here,
Y 2
340 f PETER. CHAP. II.
therefore, it alludes to such as were newly converted.
Benson observes, that the phrase was especially ap-
plied to those, who came over from the heathem to
the Jewish religion.
—milk of the word, Tó Xoyukov yd Na, the milk
which rational creatures feed on,” (so Xoyuki Na Tpeia.
is the service performed by men of reason. Rom.
xii. 1.) It appears to be the same, in sense, with the
ingrafted word, James i. 21. Whitby. Others think,
that To Aoyukov is put for Tov A6-yov, it being a form
of speech similar to ver. 13. Ch. iii. 7. and thus it
is more naturally connected with Ch. i. 23. Wolf.
Benson. Mackn.
—may grow] A great number of MSS, Ver-
sions, and Fathers have avčnflºre eis a totriptau, Grot.
Hamm. Wells. Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb, which may
be regarded as the true reading.
W. 3. If so be] eſtep quandoquidem.” Blackw.
Hoogev. xvi. 3. See Psal. xxxiv. 8, and the note on
Eph. iii. 2. Grotius has observed, that the verb
'yeſea-6al signifies not ‘ to taste lightly, but ‘to have
experience’ of a thing. Matt. xvi. 28. Mark ix. 1.
Luke ix. 27. Joh. viii. 52. Heb. ii. 9. vi. 4. Benson
Sic Joseph. Amt. II. 10. 3. Krebs.
W. 4.—a living stone, X609 (6vra—X400 (ºvres.
ver, 5. The Christian Church was not a building
made up of materials without life, as was the
temple of Jerusalem ; but a spiritual building, con-
sisting of the members of Christ's body, living by
the Spirit communicated from Christ their head, and
the fountain of life to them. Eph. iv. 16. Col. ii. 9.
Whitby. Wells. The prophecy, here alluded to, is
that of Isai. xxviii. 16. the sense, but not the exact
words, being given. See also Eph. ii. 16. 21, where
the formation of the Christian Church, for the spi-
| PETER. CHAP. II, 341
ritual worship of God, is foretold under the image of
a temple, which God was to build on Messiah
as the foundation. Mackm. Others think, that the
word (ov is used Hebraically, as merely denoting
excellence. Wolf. Schl. But that idea is implied in
the following clauses. The Apostle seems to be
using a common phrase in a peculiar sense. Sic Ov.
Met. xiv. 714. Saxo quod adhuc Vivum radice tene-
tur. Virg. Æn. I. 167. Wivoque sedilia saxo. Wetst.
—disallowed] Psal. cxviii. 22. Christ applies this
prophecy to himself, Matt. xxi. 42. Luke xx. 17
V. 5.-an holy priesthood, Christians are called
a priesthood in the same sense that the Israelites
were called a kingdom of priests. Exod. xix. 6. The
Apostle may further intimate, that Christians are all
as priests, pure and holy ; and that there is no need
of the mediation of priests to present our prayers to
God. Mackn.
V. 6.—it is contained] Teptéxel pro Teptéxerat—
sic exeiv, neutro sensu, Herod. ii. p. 147. ed. Steph.
Tv6ówevot Tov Tepi Tô pov éxorta vóuoy. Raphel. Thus
Joseph. A. J. XI. 4. S. 7. BoöAouat 'yevéabat Tavtd
Kabaºs év awtºn (Sc. th étta Toxii) Teptéxet. Kypke. Krebs.
Parkh. Schl. Rosenm. There is no occasion, there-
fore, for the proposed alteration Tepiéxel j . ºpaq)),
which appears in some MSS, and was probably taken
from the Vulgate. Thus i Treptoxi) Tº ºpaq,7s the
passage of scripture.’ Acts viii. 32.
—precious :] evtuov. Rather having great
honour;' this word being explained by rºuſ, in ver, 7.
where it is said, that Christ is to believers an honour,
or held in honour, or the fountain of honour; “But,
as to the disobedient, the rejected stone, notwith-
standing their disobedience, is received into honour,
being made the head of the corner, and thereby
342 1 PETER, CHAP. II.
reflecting disgrace on those by whom it was disal-
Howed.” evtuoul êid rms 6eóTortos intepoxiv. Schol.
apud Matthaei.
V. 7–the stone] For X.4000 several MSS read
\{90s. Vulg. The Syriac leaves out the whole,
from Xiéoy to X400s in ver, 8. See Wolf. But Mack-
might observes, that the words are exactly quoted
from Psal. cxviii. 22. and it is not necessary that
they should accord in their construction with the
words of the context where they are inserted. The
passage in the Psalm may be eliiptical ; or it may
be, as Grotius observes, constructio qualis illa “ urbem
quam statuo vestra est.” Virg. Æm. I. 569.
W. 8, whereunto. Unto which stumbling.
—they were appointed. According to the passage
alluded to it, Isai. viii. 15, they were appointed “to
fall and be broken,” i. e. to be broken in consequence
of their stumbling and falling, of their taking offence
at the doctrine of Christ. Hamm. Whitby. Mackm.
où Too €eoû eis Touro ovva,0ſo avºros avTows, d\\ at Tot
éč avtºv Towto tra66vTes, Č, Šv eixov pox6mpdv yväpnv
kal Tpoaipegw. Schol. ut suprā.
V. 9.—a chosen generation,] Whitby here (and
Hamm. on ver, 6.) has a long dissertation on the
import of this phrase, shewing that it affords no
countenance whatever to the Calvinistic doctrine
of particular election. It is addressed to the converts
in general, as members of the visible Church of
Christ, and no more implies the final election of each
individual, than the phrase éðvos &ytov implies the
actual sanctification of each. They were all sancti-
fied, or set apart, as a body (1 Cor. i. 2.), and in the
same sense they were chosen. It required the same
care to “make their election sure,” as it did to
* -- - - - - - -sam. - - - - - - - «º 4 º'
1 PETER. C. H. A. P., 11. *Dº Itº X
preserve their sanctification. See 2 Tim. ii. 10. Thus
the Israelites were called yévos ék\ektów. Isai. xliii. 20,
21. The Apostle, no doubt, uses these expressions
with a reference to the Jewish phraseology ; to
shew that Christians are now, what the Jews former-
ly were, the people of God. See Eph. i. 4.
—a peculiar people; Eph. i. 14.
—the praises] aperds, the excellencies, the
perfections, and the glorious attributes' of God,
especially of mercy and truth as exhibited in the
gospel. See Krebs, and Marsh's Michael, Ch. Iv. S. 13.
V. 10. –not a people, Hosea ii. 23. which St.
Paul applies to the Gentiles, Rom. ix. 25. But that
is only by way of accommodation, as it is called : For
it appears, that the passage in Hosea alludes to the
ten tribes being again received as God’s people,
after their rejection and divorce. Jer, iii. 8. Hos. i.
6. 0. And the same words may be very properly
applied to the Jewish converts, during their state
of unbelief; for, after the preaching of the gospel,
the Jews were no more the people of God, than the
ten tribes were in their state of alienation. The
adverb Troté may refer, not to a distant period, but to
that which immediately preceded their conversion.
So Tijv čumv avao Tpoºpiiv Troté Év Tø 'lověaigaº. Gal. i. 13.
The passage is, therefore, applicable to converts in
general, Jewish as well as Gentile. Thus Rosenm.
They who adduce this passage to support the con-
jecture, that St. Peter wrote to those Christians,
who had previously been converted from the
heathem to the Jewish religion, must suppose him
here to suggest, that they had become “ the people
of God” in their intermediate Jewish state; whereas,
the expression, vov Šć Xads 0éoù maturally implies, that
the Apostle is not, on the present occasion, con-
sidering them as the people of God, until the period
344 1 PETER. CHAP. II.
of their conversion to Christianity.—Thus Hammond :
“Who at first continued in unbelief among your
brethren the Jews, and so were become a kind of
heathen people, were not at all within the obedience
of Christ, the pale of his Church, but now are received
into it.”
V. ll.—strangers and pilgrims, Doddridge
and others suppose, that human life in general is
here described as a state of pilgrimage; yet it appears,
not only from the next verse, but from the whole
tenour of the epistle, that the Apostle intends a
primary reference to the state of dispersion in which
his brethren then were ; it being especially incum-
bent on them to be circumspect in their conduct, for
the honour and recommendation of their religion in
a foreign land.—Trápotkot, qui Sedem habent extra
patriam —Tapertèmuoi, qui extra patriam peregri-
mantur.” Ex praesente ipsorum statu, eos admonet
sortis communis omnium hominum, qui in terris
agunt ad tempus breve, nec tanquam in suo ; planè
ut supra, I. 17. Alludit hic ad cap. 1. 1. simulque eos
revocat ad exempla Patriarcharum, qui se peregrinos
confessi eramt. Grot. Psal. ciz. 19. 1 Chron. xxix. 15.
Heb. xi. 13, 14. Possibly the word o Tpatetſov'Tat H}{}
contain an allusion to the opposition which they
had to encounter in a strange country : Their lusts
were the most formidable enemies—warring against
the soul. - t
W. 12–whereas] &v (; in whatever,” or when-
ever.’ Joh. v. 7.-èv 6 (Sc. xpóvº) et év huépg éttakotºs
opponuntur, tanquam tempus praesens et futurum.
Wetsf.
-—which they shall behold, Or, ‘having seen
and fully proved them ; we may understand either
Taota or Waas after & Totteſo avºres. Macknight and
others join the particle with ék Töv ka)\ov ćpyov,
i PETER. CHAP. II. 345
‘when they behold some of your good works.’
The sense is weakened by this construction ; and it
is rather a Galicism than a Graecism.
—the day of visitation.] Of affliction and per-
secution, isai. x. 3. Jer. vi. 15. x. 15. Wisd. iii. 7.
Ecclus. ii. 14. xviii. 20. Whitby. Mackm. Especially
in the destruction of the Jewish state. Hardy. Ham-
mond and Raphel suggest, that the passage alludes
to those judicial enquiries, or visitations, that were
commonly instituted concerning Christians, especial-
ly the Jewish converts, who were often accused
of turbulent and seditious practices, and so exposed
to trial and persecution. This opinion agrees well
with the context ; and, doubtless, an unblameable
life is the best means of refuting calumnious ac-
cusations. Being justified in the day of trial, they
would glorify God by doing honour to his religion,
and by verifying those promises of deliverance which
he had made to his people. Moreover, the enemies
of Christianity, having proof of the fortitude, the
constancy, and the purity of its converts, were often
led to glorify God by embracing the gospel.—
Schleusner interprets this phrase of the infliction of
divine punishment on the accusers and persecutors ;
but there seems to be no necessity for such an ex-
position, neither does it suit so well with their glorify-
ing God.-Rosenmülier would understand it thus :
Die salutis, quando Deus pro suá benevolentiã iis
salutem per evangelium offeret. Luc. ix. 44. But,
in St. Luke, the day of visitation does not imply a
knowledge or acceptance of salvation, for the Jews
were punished because they would not know their
day of visitation. And this day had already appeared
to the Gentiles, of whom the Apostle is speaking,
but they had not known it.
W. 13-ordinance of man] Macknight has fol-
346 T. PETER. CHAP. II.
lowed many others (Pol. Syn.), in supposing that
k+ºrts here alludes to the Roman phrase—creare
consºlem. But this is a necessary; for kTigetv was
sin, arly used by Cheek writers, before their com-
rfer Ce With the Romans, and is indeed a Hebraism.
— cº-iſºty ºn inter alia et ordinare significat, ut
diximus in Proiegom. Now, Test. Adde Sirac. VII.
15. XXXIX. 29. XLI. 10. Wolf. KT-foret, i. e. Tööet kal
Toxºteig, neque enim aliud declarat iſ ktſa is hoc in
loco, quâm illam civilis gubernationis dispositionem,
ut recte exponit Graecus Scholiastes. Beza. Sic CEcu-
men. apud Wolf. oièe ydp m Ypap) kai Tijv 6éow kTiatv
ca\giv, “ solet enim scriptura ordinationem vocare
k+ſaw.” The zealots, as Macknight observes, main-
tained that obedience was due to no magistrates,
but those who were appointed by God, as the
Jewish kings had been. He further remarks, after
Beza, Grotius, and others, that the king here men-
tioned is the emperor. For, though at Rome the
name of king was odious, the people in the provinces,
especially the Greeks and the Jews, gave that name
to the emperor. Joh. xix. 15. Acts xvii. 7. Joseph.
B. J. v. 13. §. 6. Wolf. Rosenm. This epistle was
written in the reign of Nero ; which may teach us,
that the bad character or conduct of a ruler will not
excuse us from a lawful obedience to him ; and the
same doctrine is confirmed in wer. 14. 18.
V. lºº. — for the punishment] . The Roman
governors (jºyeuéves) had the power of life and death
in such conquered provinces as those mentioned in
Ch. i. 1. There is, therefore, the exactest propriety
in the style, as Lardner has observed, Cred. I. 167.
Doddr.
- tº-f * º º f
V. 15. — well doing] av6alpéra's alpovºwevot ºrd.
dyaba, Kai un dvdykm vöuov JTotaTTówevot Tº &ovatº,
1 PETER. CHA P. II
-* * * - -a, -ę, e.
34
º
g
kai am direiðoovtes, Šid Tiju ev Xptatiº \ev6eptav. Schol.
apud Matthaei.
—of foolish men :] i.e. of those Gentiles, who,
- tº r an ºn | Yt rº Arº. #
foolishly and ignoratit
y CŞtimating you by the tur-
bulent Jews, are apt to represent you also as éðvos
Q , \ § \ A. \ w y
övaapktov Kai Öva Teiffés ºptoet Tpós Toijs £8aat)\éas.
Joseph. B. J. H. 6. § 2. Whitby. (piaoüy literally
signifies to put on a muzzle.” Benson. Pyle.
W. 16. As free, They were free, as well from
the obligations of the ritual law, as from the cor-
rupt and idolatrous practices of the countries in
which they sojourned, but not exempt from submission
to their government; for a conscientious obedience
to those executive powers “ which are ordained of
God,” is in fact a service of God ; and therefore,
to refuse submission on the ground of liberty, would
be using their liberty as a cloke of evil.—The Jews
always boasted of their freedom, as being amenable
only to their own laws. Joh. viii. 33.
W. 17.—all men.] All your superiors. Macku.
Omnes quibus honos aliquis debetur. Rom. xiii. 7.
Rosenm. Pyle.
V. 18. Servants, This was also a lesson need-
ful for the Jews; because the Essenes among them,
say Philo and Josephus, thought it against the law
of nature to be servants to any ; and their Rabbins
allowed not a Jew to be servant to a heathem.
Whitby.
—the froward.] The masters, having despotick
authority over their servants and slaves, were wont
to contract an asperity of manners towards them,
and often to inflict the most severe and unjust punish-
Hients. Ver. 19, 20.
W. 19.-thank-worthy, Toºro xàpis, ‘This is
348 1 PETER. CHAP. II.
conduct worthy of favour or reward.” Luke vi. 32.
sqq. x&pis proxaptev, Hebraeorum more. Beza.
— conscience toward God] §ud avvetónow Geov,
quëd ei sit religio Deum offendere, cujus voluntate
intelligit hoc onus sibi impositum. Id. Thus I Cor.
viii. 7. ) avvetøya is toº elée Nov implies a notion or
feeling of what is due to the idol. This phrase may,
however, be a Hebi aism, denoting a godly conscience,
as eixtkpweta €eow, 2 Cor. i. 12. is used for a godly
sincerity, and Geod (j)\º, 2 Cor. xi. 2. for a godly
jealousy. Some copies have avvetématy dºya%), which
might have been an interpretation.
W. 21-for us, Jaſor. Wetst. Griesb. &c. Christ
suffered even for slaves. And so, in what follows,
it should probably be buiv instead of juiv. Id. Matthaei.
—an example, "Torypaupiðv, Translatio a picto-
ribus vel pasdagogis sumpta. Nos vulgó vocamus
wn patron de peinture, vel exemple d’ ecriture.
Beza.
—his steps :] Sic Latini : “ vestigiis alicujus in-
sistere.” Rosenm.
W. 22. Who did no sin, Isai. liii. 9, 2 Cor. v. 21.
Heb. vii. 2s. Joh. iii. 5. Christ says the same of
himself. Joh. viii. 46. xiv. 30. Mackn.
W. 23–committed himself] Tape&idov, subaud.
Čavròv–haec ellipsis petita videri potest ex idiotismo
conjugationis Hebraeae Hithpahel, sicut €7ta Tpéqew
sapissimo in his libris accipitur pro convertere se.”
Beza. Or we may, with the Syriac, understand
kptow, or Tºv atttav attoo. Rosenm.
W. 24.—bare our sins. From its being so em-
phatically said, that he, who did no sin, bare our
sins upon the cross, Whitby has justly inferred tha
the doctrine of Christ's vicarious sufferings is hereby
strongly confirmed ; and he has illustrated his
1 PETER. CHAP. II. 349
remark by numerous citations from the Old Tes-
tament, where the mention of bearing sin has a
similar import. Lev. vii. 18. xix. 17. Numb. xiv. 33,
34, Lament. v. 7. Ezek. iv. 4–6. xviii. 20. &c. We
might observe, indeed, once for all, that the doctrine
of the atonement is so constantly taught or implied
by the Apostles, that the only possible means of
disproving it is, to invalidate the authority of holy
writ.
—being dead] droyevéuevot. Several modern com-
mentators have followed Beza and Erasmus Schmi-
dius, in interpreting this word being freed from ;’
but that is only its metaphorical sense; its true
import is having become dead’ (Phav. Hesych,
Suid.), and so it is opposed to Çifa’aluev. Hoc quid
denotet, dilucidius exprimit Paulus, Rom. vi. 2. &me-
0ávowev Tº duapria. dToyevéa 6at enim est 7mori, ll Ł
docuit Raphelius, a Wolfio ad h. I. laudatus. Krebs.
See the note on Rom. vi. 11.
—by whose] oi. . . . at Toº. In the preceding verses
the relative pronoun is repeatedly used; in this
passage the Lxx version has avtov–these circum-
stances, taken together, may account for the use of
both pronouns, here : But this form of speech is not
unusual either with Greek or Latin writers. Schl, in
at Tös, §. 12.
—stripes] The word uſXoy, which signifies a
mark on the flesh occasioned by a severe stroke, was
especially applicable in an address to slaves. It is
here used in a figurative sense from Isai. liii. 6.
W. 25—Shepherd and Bishop] Our Lord called
himself “ the good shepherd,” Joh. x, 11. 14, and
often assumed this appellation. So I Pet. v. 4. Heb,
xiii. 20. See Ezek. xxxiv. 11. 23. LXX, whence both
these titles may have had their origin. Mackn
350
C H. A. P. III.
After describing the duties of wives and husbands, the Apostſe
proceeds to inculcate Christian duties in genera/, especially
those of concord and (ove. The sufferings of life are nothing,
Žf ſhey be endured with a good conscience. Christ is our
pattern, who suffered to purchase our redemption, and was
afterwards advanced to glory and universal power in
heaven.
W. I.--without the word] TN this sense the phrase
is commonly taken, as standing opposed to Tô Aóryº,
“That they may, by the behaviour of their wives,
be won over to Christianity, without having the
gospel further preached unto them.” Benson. Others
however suppose, from the omission of the article,
that X&ryov may here be used in the sense of a
question, or controversy, Acts xv. 6. xix. 38. and
therefore, that ùvev Xà-yov may exactly answer to the
Latin sine controversió—mon garrulitate et disputa-
tionibus, quae rixas alunt, et animum viri ab uxore et
doctriná Christi alieniorem redderent. Wetst. Grot.
Raphel. Wolf. The former is a more matural com-
struction: Rosenmüller's interpretation is not very
different—sime cohortatione, sponte suá.
W. 2–with fear :] With reverence for the hus-
band. So St. Paul, Eph. v. 33. Wells. Benson. Wetst.
Mackm. This interpretation is confirmed by the
position of év (p684, between the article and the ad-
jective. Doddridge, as usual, makes the sense as
comprehensive as possible, including both reverence
for the husband and a fear of God.
W. 3.-let it not be Let not the ornaments of
AP. III. 35i
dress be your chief concern. Comp. Joh. vi. 27, with
1 Tim. v. S. Doddr. Damnat imiaodicum hujus vani-
tatis studium—cultum superfluum, in decorum, affec-
tatum. Po!. Syn. See Benson in ioco, and Simawe's
Travels, Part III. ch. iii. S. 7. Sic Lucian. in amor.
p. 1057. ed. Salm. To & TAeta Tov duaxtokei Aépos m
TAoki, Tóv Tpixſov, K. T. A. Kypke. Rosenm.
W. 4.—the hidden man] Pari modo 6 &ao & 9poros,
Rom. vii. 22. et év Tó Kputtg 'Iověaios, Rom. ii. 29.
Hardy. See also I Cor. xiv. 25. The phrase here is
singular; either &vöpwTos or Tris Kapòlas appear re-
dundant. Some indeed conjecture köguos for 496poros.
Others would read avt/p67Tots— the ornament of the
heart, hidden to men.” Mark], ap. Bowyer. Yet the
construction will not bear it. For an illustration of the
sentiment contained in this verse, see Blackw. Sacr.
Class. Vol. 1. P. II. Ch. i.
—not corruptible, & p?aptov hic idem quod dºp-
Bapata, Eph. vi. 24. Tit. ii. 7. Hardy.
V. 6.—as Sara] Gen. xii. 5. xviii. 12. &c. Whose
children ye have been made, not so much by birth
as by a similitude of principle (Joh. viii. 89.), by
doing good like her, and not being deterred from
your duty by any womanish fears—Tékvov is often
used in this sense, 1 Joh. iii. 10. Rev. ii. 23. The
last clause is a Hebraism, as wer. 14.—non est quod
metuatis quicquam mali; velut, me maritis vestris
displiceatis, si minus compta inceditis; aut me ser-
wiliter vos tracterit, si faciles ad obsequium vos prae-
beatis. Estius. Pyle.
W. 7...] The sense of this verse varies a little with
the punctuation. Many of the best critics place a
comma after yvyatkettº, thus connecting a keiſel with
wvvotkowTes, Mill. Benson. Griesb. Rosenm. We may
352 } PETER. CHAP. III,
observe, however, that a prudent and suitable cor-
duct (kata yuá riv) would have been just as requisite,
if the wife had not been the weaker person ; also,
that the copulative kal, which follows the latter par-
ticle djs, seems to imply a second reason why the wife
should be treated with proper tenderness and regard
—not only as being the weaker of the two, but also
as being a joint heir of the inheritance of life. Had
the proposed construction been intended, it is pro-
bable that the particle ka? would have preceded
dºrovéaoutes—Some understand Tywi)w of maintenance,
or provision. Hamm. Doddr. Mackn. But this, as
Whitby justly contends, does not seem to be the
meaning of it here. The husband would probably
have mainlaimed the wife without an Apostolick in-
junction, but this would have been performing only
a small part of his duty. Neither does it agree with
the reason assigned “as being fellow-heirs of the
grace (or gracious blessing) of life.”—Tuju, ‘hones-
tam curam ac solicitudinem.” Beza. Wetstein has
abundantly illustrated the classical import of Tianju
drovéaety – to shew honour, or respect.” For the
sense of aſkegos, see 1 Thess. iv. 4.
—heirs together] Many MSS have avºyk\mpovčuot.
Mill. Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb. With the common
reading, the expression a keiſei Tô yuvauketº will have
a plural sense. The meaning is much the same,
either way. -
– hindered.] §rykóTTeabat. Mill. Wells. Wetst.
Matthaei. Griesb. Non enim placent Deo preces, nisi
quae ex tranquillo proficiscuntur animo. Grot. Thus
Benson : “ Christian husbands and wives should
behave with mutual love and kindness, that they
may not by their passion, or any imprudent behaviour
towards one another, hinder their joining in frequent
and daily prayer to God’” But this interpretation is
not strictly warranted by the text.
} PETER. CHAP. III. 353
V. 8-ofone mind, Free from contention and strife.
—courteous ;..] For pixóq poves Griesbach adopts
Tatretváq poves, which introduces a new sentiment.
Rom. xii. 16. xv. 5. 1 Cor. i. 10. Phil. ii. 2.
V. 10. –he that will love] dyatray has here been
translated to enjoy.” Mackm. Schl. But, after all,
BéAtov dyatrav is an unusual expression ; and it is
probable that the passage ran, 6 ydp 66Adv Çorlu,
dyatów Kai (or kai dyaróv) têeiv nuépas dyabas, Syr.
as it is doubtless a quotation, from memory, of Psal.
xxxiv. 12. (LXX), where the order is 3 06Nov Końv,
dyatów huépas têeiv dya&ds.
W. 13.−that which is good?] toº dyaéoù, of the
good one.’ Matt. xix. 17. Pol. Sym. Mackm. But this
is unnecessary. Too dyaboo pro Töv dyatºv. Syr. Lat.
Pro upºntal alii bené legumt (n\total. Rosenm. Grot.
..Wells.
W. 14.—afraid of their terror.] A Hebraism. See
Hsai. viii. 12. where the prophet warns the Jews not
to fear the Assyrians (as some did), who were ever
desirous to confederate with them : So the Apostle
warns the Christians, not to fear their persecutors,
nor be led by their threats or punishment to any
conduct unbecoming the Christian name. Whitby.
W. 18.--suffered] It is plain, say the Socinians,
from what goes before, that Christ's suffering for
sins does not mean his dying to atone for them ; but
the latter part of the verse shews that this notion is
included. That "repi has a vicarious import, see
Heb. x. 6. 8. Exod. xxx. 15. The Jewish Chris-
tians could understand it in no other sense. The
passage is well explained by Matt. xxvi. 28. on which
see Elsley.
VOIL. II. 7,
354 H PETER. CHAP. III.
—put to death, &c.] His death procuring our re-
conciliation, and his rising again being an earnest
of our resurrection.—Meo quidem judicio, aut nihil,
quod ego queam intelligere, dicit. Petrus, aut voca-
bulo Trveſaari causam indicat efficientem resurrec-
tionis Christi. Quaº causa cüm anima non sit Christi,
sed divina ejus natura, illis accedere haud dubito,
qui rvebaa divinitatem Christi hic indicare arbitran-
tur. Mosheim. apud Wolf. Per omnipotentiam di-
vinae maturae. Hardy. Kootou,6els] #Tot th avrov
6edtnri. Schol. apud Matthaei. The following pas-
sage confirms this interpretation. See also Rom. i. 3.
ix. 5. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Bp. Horsley contends (Serm. xx.),
that the words @oTou,0els Tº Tveiſuatt do not imply
that Christ was quickened by the Spirit, any more
than the words 6avata,6els capki imply that he was
put to death by the flesh; and he adds, that the
word quickened is often applied to signify not the
resuscitation of life extinguished, but the preserva-
tion and continuance of life subsisting. And Dr.
Middleton renders it, “ dead carnally, but alive spiri-
tually.” Thus Mich. Rosenm. and most of the
antient Versions. But no satisfactory instance has
been adduced, in which Çootroteſv is used, by any
scriptural writer, without reference to the extinction
of life, either literal or metaphorical. Since 6avato-
6ers implies, that Christ was previously alive, it is
reasonable to infer from Çootouj9els (not that he was
preserved from death, but) that he was previously
dead, that he was restored from death unto life.
Had the Apostle intended to express the other mean-
ing, “being alive in the Spirit at the same time that
he was put to death in the flesh,” he would probably
have written (6v 33 Trvetuatt. There seems to be
a plain allusion to the reanimation of Christ's body.
Thus Rom. viii. 11. Çootoufa et kai Tô Đunro adjaara
vaſov. and 2 Kings v. 7. Tov Çaloirotºral à Tov 6avtaróa'at.
} PETER. CHAP. III. 355
Tromm. Biel. See Benson's dissertation subjoined
to his notes on this epistle.
W. 19.-spirits in prison; Many commentators
understand from this most difficult passage, that our
Saviour went and preached (or rather, proclaimed
his kingdom) to the antediluvians in Hades, and this
opinion is strenuously maintained by the learned
prelate above-mentioned. See also the remarks of
Cyril in loc. in the scholia of Matthaei. Others con-
sider this notion to be so strange and absurd, that
it cannot possibly convey the true meaning of the
text: Such, however, is the natural construction ;
and it is not to be rejected, merely because it con-
tains an extraordinary or unaccountable doctrine.
Man indeed, on this point, is not an adequate judge ;
the subject lies entirely beyond the reach of his
knowledge : And we may apply to this case the
remarkable words of St. Paul—To utopov toº €eoſ,
aroqºrepov Tów drºpóTov ča Tí. I Cor. i. 25. “If the
clear assertions of holy writ are to be discredited,
on account of difficulties which may seem to the
human mind to arise out of them, little will remain
to be believed in revealed, or even in what is called
natural religion : We must immediately part with
the doctrines of atonement—of gratuitous redemption
—of justification by faith, without the works of the
law—of sanctification by the influence of the Holy
Spirit; and we must part at once with the hope of
the resurrection. ‘How are the dead raised up, and
with what body do they come 7' are questions more
easily asked than answered, unless it may be an
answer, to refer the proposer of them to the pro-
mises of holy writ, and the power of God to make
good those promises.” Bp. Horsley, Serm. xx. Vol. II.
p. 191.
The words puxaki, and Tveſwagt have been differ-
Z 2
356 1 PETER. CHAP. III.
ently interpreted. The latter commonly signifies
spirits (Heb. xii. 23.), but some suppose it here to
mean persons, or men. Bp. Law, in the learned
appendix to his Theory, has shewn that the Hebrew
wo), which is rendered a soul or spirit, very frequent-
ly denotes a person; as does the Greek lºvyºff. Yet
it does not appear, that Tvewaa is ever so used in
a general sense. There are, indeed, several instances
in which it has reference to a person, as 1 Cor.
xii. 10. 1 Tim. iv. 1. but then it is a person actuated
by some particular spirit; and it is either put for
Trvevuatikos, the abstract for the concrete, or for the
spirit itself by which the person is influenced. In
ver. 21. we have Nºvyal, not rveiſuara-One antient
MS exhibits Tveiſuati, and some of the Latin copies
have quo spiritu. Griesb. But the same sense would
be clear without the repetition of Tveſ watt. If Tveiſ-
gaat be the true reading, of which the present copies
leave but little doubt, it properly signifies departed
spirits : And thus, we may observe, it establishes
the doctrine of a separate existence of the soul.
Heinsius and others have remarked, that this import
of the word is materially confirmed by its use in the
apocryphal book of Enoch. See Rosenm.
dowXaki) may be rendered a safe keeping,” and may
very properly be applied to the place of disembodied
souls. Rev. xx. 7. Hammond, Whitby, Wells, and
others take it as a figurative expression, to denote
the wicked, who are said to be in the bonds of sin,
Isai. xlii. 7. xlix. 9. lxi. 1, 2. But this, at the most,
is only the metaphorical language of prophecy ; and
it seems unlikely that the Apostie, in his narration
of a fact, would characterize the wicked by such an
unusual and ambiguous phrase : Neither does the
legitimate sense of Tveiſuagi admit of this explanation.
Macknight has followed Beza, in supposing that the
words toſs év puxakh Tveiſuaq, do not necessarily
1 PETER. CHAP. III. 357
imply, that the spirits were in prison at the time
when Christ preached to them ; but that our Saviour
preached by his Spirit to the antediluvians, who are
now in prison—(qui Petri tempore jam erant in
tartari carcere. Elsner.) i.e. reserved for punish-
ment at the last day. The Apostle, as Beza says,
proposes this example to the brethren, to deter them
from being corrupted by the vices of the people
around them. And thus Benson ; who understands
the phrase of “the custody of death,” or “the state
of the dead.” The passage may perhaps admit of
such a construction ; yet it must be confessed,
that, in this case, the words Tois ev ‘puxakn Tveiſuaq,
have little to do with the subject.
The conjecture of Lord Barrington on this text
is certainly ingenious. He supposes, that pu)\aki)
may refer to the ark, and therefore that Tols ēv
pvXakfi may denote the family of Noah ; and it is
very remarkable, that St. Peter in his 2d epistle,
when speaking of the family of Noah being preserved
from the flood, uses a similar expression, 6-yôoov Nõe
. . . . Gqºxaše. Ch. ii. 5. Benson objects, that there
is no evidence of Noah's family being disobedient.
But neither is there any evidence to the contrary :
And we often find an allusion to historical facts,
which are not recorded, as 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude 14. &c.
It is moreover observable, that, in the history of the
flood, mention is continually made of the righteous-
mess of Noah, but never of that of his family.
Gen. vii. 1. &c. This exposition sufficiently agrees
with the context, but it is opposed, l. By the na-
tural signification of Tveiſuage (Lord Barrington, how-
ever, would obviate this objection by reading Tveſ-
aart.) 2. By the phrase év Juépats Nöe—because
these words, with such an interpretation, would
properly represent a period different from that, to
which rols áv puxaxi must refer ; one denoting the
358 i PETER, CHAP. III.
time of the flood, and the other, the time before the
flood ; whereas, “the days of Noah’ cannot be
placed in opposition to the time, when himself and
his family were in the ark-For other opinions on
this passage, see Elsner. Wolf. Benson. Rosenm.
The received translation undoubtedly gives the plain
and obvious sense.
W. 20.—saved by water.] Were conducted safely
(Acts xxiii. 24.) through the flood. Benson. Mediis in
aquis—éuditerüm pro èv, R. Raphel. Rosenm.
W. 21–whereunto] }, Several MSS read 6,
Vulg. Grot. Griesb. that which is the antitype,’
viz. baptism. Wells. Benson. Quac aqua &c. sensu
duriore quidem, sed eodem. Rosenm. Hammond and
others think, that o was originally written with a
mark above it for où, which was not unusual. Or, it
may be put for ka8 6 (Syr.) Rom. vi. 10. according
to which.” The common reading is perfectly clear;
but avtºrvros is usually followed by a genitive case.
Tūtrov (q. TpotóTvTov) the type, or original model —
ava-tº-virov, the copy,” which is made after that model.
But here avºrſtvºrov may signify only a similitude, or
resemblance, in the two things compared. Raphel.
Benson. Schl.
—the answer] &repaſtnua. This word may allude
to the custom of catechising at the time of baptism,
Acts viii. 37. Tertull. de Bapt. 18. and may imply
not only the question, but the answer, an inward
answer. Mackn. A stipulation, or promise, on
the part of the catechumen. Beza. Benson. Mill
cites a gloss on the old law, published by Labbe,
which explains étépôtmaſts by duoxo'yta. And thus
Grotius; Tcp67mua est vox Juris, ut videre est
apud Graecos Juris Romani interpretes. In glossario
#Tepotó, stipulor : * Sed per metonymiam, ut in
1 PETER. CHAP. lv. 359
Jure Sapë, nomine stipulationis comprehenditur et
responsio, sive promissio. Nam et éreporóual sig-
nificat promitto, spondeo, in eodem glossario. See
also Elsner. Wolf. Doddr. Parkh, Schi, and Bp. Bull,
Apolog. pro Harmon. Iv. 9. It is well observed by
Whitby, in reply to the Anabaptists, that this passage
no more contradicts infant baptism, than Rom. ii. 29.
does infant circumcision. -
CHAP. IV.
The erample of Christ is again proposed as a dissuasive from
evil of every kind, and an encouragement to virtue. The
converts are apprized, that the troubles, which were impend-
ing over the Jewish nation, would first visit them , but
this circumstance, instead of a reproach, would be a hap-
piness and glory to them, if they suffered as Christians.
V. I.-arm yourselves] ‘ PUT on, provide by way
of armour,’ against the enemies which assail you. Sic
6TAlaad v T' #ia. Od. £3. 289. et àwašav 67TAla'at. Il. w.
190. Eustathius ad Îl. 3.325. TAtćea 6at interpretatur
trapaakevägeabat. Wolf. Hesych. Et ita Davides apud
Josephum, Ant. VI. 9. 4. Tov Geov &TAtaſual. Krebs.
See Rom. xiii. 12. Eph. vi. 2, 14. &c. Some would
refer 3 tra60}v év a apki to Christ ; but he who did no
sin, could not be said to have ceased from sin. The
sense may be this, “Since Christ has suffered for
our sakes, we should endeavour to be like him—
being content (as he was) to suffer wrongfully; and
thus shewing, as he did, a guileless spirit: For any
one who has submitted to undeserved sufferings for
the sake of the gospel, must have renounced the
* ** ~ 5 & º
interests and pleasures of sin, and have resigned
360 I. PETER. CHAP. IV.
himself entirely to the will of God.” Thus Dr. Wells:
* As he that has undergone a natural death in the
flesh or body, has thereby naturally ceased from
committing any more sin in the flesh, so he that has
suffered in the flesh in a spiritual sense, or by spiri-
tual mortification thereof, has spiritually ceased from
sin.”
V. 3.-when we walked] retropevuévows. Macknight
calls this the accusative absolute, but Juds may be
understood before Katepyga aa 6at.
—idolatries :] Whitby and Doddridge think it
certain, as the Jews in this age were averse to Idol-
atry, that the Gentiles alone were here addressed ;
but the word need not be restricted to the worship
of false gods, and the use of the plural rather shews
the contrary. Hammond supposes, that the Jews
had imitated those abominations which were prac-
tised by the Gentiles, at their idolatrous feasts and
entertainments. Thus Rosenmüller, who renders
the word—moribus idololatricis. The description
applies to most of the converts in those days ; the
gospel found mankind in general, Jews as well as
Gentiles, abandoned to corrupt and vicious practices.
W. 4.—think it strange fevićeagal eleganter Graecis
dicitur, rei movitate in admirationem adduci,’ ut
Joseph. Ant. I. 1, 2. Krebs. Kypke. ‘ Re aliquá in-
solenti et peregrind perturbari.’ Polyb. III.49. Elsner.
Sic Bos in ver, 12.
—run not] Some have supposed an allusion
to the Bacchanals running about the streets in wild
disorder and frantick mirth—dvdºxvors a profusion.’
Benson. Kypke. Doddr. Hardy. Sordes, inquina-
mentum. Sic Hesych. dvdzva'w' ‘puppov, {3\aktav. Vox
q}vpuds ab eodem exponitur woxvaads, pºros, wiaaaa.
Bos. A sink, or gulph. Elsner. Wetst. Rosenm.
1 PETER. CHAP. IV. 36H
Mackmight translates the passage, a slough of
dissoluteness.’ The common version is sufficient.
V. 5.-that is ready. The words érotatos éxovir,
most certainly shew, in their obvious sense, that the
Apostle was in immediate expectation of the coming
of Christ to judgment ; but they may admit of
another interpretation, and only imply that all things
were in readiness for that event, that it would one
day come to pass : Thus étoium dirokaxwſp67val,
Ch. i. 5. Also 2 Cor. x. 6. Acts xxi. 13.
What is meant by the dead, in this and the following
verse, has been matter of great dispute. Indeed,
the whole passage is extremely difficult. “Dead in
trespasses and sins.” Benson. Øvras kal verpoºs,
* Jews and Gentiles.” Mackm. But this is not a
matural meaning of the words, as they stand in the
context. Still less admissible is the interpretation
of Whitby, who understands ºpt00g, kard div6pºrous
gapki of “ contending with, or striving against, sin.”
vexpoſs Ruth i. 8. Non postguam mortui fuissent,
mortui enim praecomem audire non possunt ; neque
hoc usquam dicitur : Sed intelliguntur ii, qui Christo
nomen dederunt, et proptered mortem obierunt.
Corpus quidem ab hominibus occisum est, at animus
Deo vivit. Wetst. Rosenm. Yet neither is this the
matural construction of the passage, which may,
perhaps, be best obtained by comparing it with
Ch. iii. 19, to which it seems to bear some analogy.
If this be admitted, the Apostle may be understood
to assert, that the gospel had been preached, or
proclaimed, even to the dead (kai verpois), that they
will be judged by the law of nature for the things
dome in the body, and be rewarded, in proportion
to their deserts, by a spiritual life, according to
the will and power of God. Wide Schol. apud.
Matthaei.
362 | PETER. CHAP. IV.
V. 7.--the end of all things] Either, the end of
the world, or the destruction of the Jewish polity:
If we adopt the former sense, the words may be
referred to the verses immediately preceding (see
Grot. Doddr. and Bp. Horsley’s Sermons, I, II, III.);
if the latter, they may refer to the whole chapter,
in which the Apostle is discoursing on the sufferings
of the disciples; and this is the opinion of most
commentators.—To all those who perished in that
destruction, it is evident that the coming of our
Lord to destroy the Jewish state, was, in effect, the
same thing as his coming to judgment. Many, in-
deed, suppose the Apostle to have written under a
persuasion, that the two events would altogether
coincide. Thus in ver, 5. See on 1 Thess. iv. 15.
V. 8. –shall cover] This expression, as that of
James v. 20, more properly applies to the sins of
him that is beloved, than to those of him who loves.
And this sense agrees well with the context: “Love
will prevent quarrels and differences among you, and
lead you to overlook a multitude of faults.” Thus
Prov. x. 12, whence the phrase is borrowed. Benson.
Hardy. Mackn. Rosenm. Yet, though this is pro-
bably the true interpretation of the text, there is a
sense in which charity may be said to cover our own
sins ; inasmuch as without it they will not be
covered. We are taught by the Saviour to pray for
forgiveness, only on the condition that we forgive.
And thus Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar: “O king, let
my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off
thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by
shewing mercy to the poor.” Dam. iv. 27. Charity,
says Bp. Sherlock, is the essential part of that re-
pentance, to which the promises of life are made in
the gospel. See his second discourse on 1 Pet, iv. 8.
vol. III.
I PETER. CHAP. IV. 363
V. 10,-the gift,' Xaptaua. Many take this word
in a general sense, as importing any means or en-
dowment, bestowed by God, for the benefit of our
fellow-creatures— facultatem aliquam. Grot. Rosenm.
Rom. i. 11. v. 15, 16. But, though the admonition
may be thus extended, the following clauses make
it probable, that St. Peter is here especially alluding
to spiritual gifts. Whitby. Benson. Mackn.
W. 11–to whom 6 refertur ad Deum Patrem,
de cujus 36&n fuerat locutus, ut Heb. xiii. 21. Wetst.
Others refer it to Christ, as Rev. i. 6. Mackn. But
the relative may belong to the remote antecedent,
and it is more usual with the Apostles to ascribe such
doxologies to the Father. Gal. i. 5. Rom. i. 25. xi. 36.
2 Cor. xi. 31. &c. Benson. Rosenm.
W. 12.-the fiery trial] This alludes to the custom
of trying the worth of metals by fire, as Ch. i. 7. and
very emphatically expresses the nature of those
trials, in the furnace of affliction, which were in-
tended to refine their graces, and separate all their
dross and alloy from the pure gold. Doddr. So Psal.
lxv. 9. Zech. xiii. 9. The fiery persecution. Benson.
Tº Tów 9Xbºeov êokiuag tº. Schol. apud Matthaei. How
vain and weak the argument of the papists from
hence for purgatory is, evidently appears from this
single consideration, that the Apostle speaks of this
Túpoa is as yuyouévn, actually them befallen, or befall-
ing, them in this world. Wells.
W. 14.—the Spirit] to the 86&ns kai ºvváuews kai to
Toº Geo Tveijua. Griesb. The glorious and powerful
Spirit, (or the Spirit that will give you glory and
power,) even the Spirit of God, resteth upon you and
dwelleth within you, See Isai. xi. 2. Lxx.
364 I PETER. CHAP. H.V.
W. 15.—as a murderer..] Whoever reads Josephus
will find, that there was the greatest reason to give
these cautions to the Jewish nation, which then
prodigiously abounded with thieves, who were em-
ployed in murdering not only heathens, but their
own brethren. Whitby.
—an evil doer, kakotroids here denotes the per-
petrator of some notable crime, as Joh. xviii. 30.
—a busy body in other men's matters. dAXorpio
striakotos has been differently interpreted. It proba-
bly alludes to that inquisitorial propensity of the
Jews, which led them to pry into the conduct of
others, especially of those in authority, for the pur-
pose of holding them up to reproach, and of raising
commotions in the state. Le Clerc. Lardner. Doddr.
Schleusner has a singular exposition of this word—
hominem omnibus sceleribus deditum. Such, he ob-
serves, is the Hellenistic sense of dAXóTptos, Psal. i. 1.
according to some copies of the Lxx. But what
becomes of €7ttoricotros in this case? The import of one
half of the word would thus be lost.
V. 16.-on this behalf] gy Tú wépet Toºre. ‘Hr, this
respect.” Beza. 2 Cor. iii. 10. ix. 3. Many copies
have év Tó Gyöuart Toºro. Wells. This, with Acts
xi. 26. xxvi. 28. are the only passages of scripture,
in which the disciples are called Christians. Mackm.
W. 17-house of God:] So the believing Jews
are called, because they were now become the
people and family of God, in the room of the un-
believing Jews. Mackm. Tim. iii. 15. Heb. iii. 2.6.
X., 21. But the phrase may properly be applied to
Christians in general. See 2 Thess. ii. 4.—There is
a probable allusion to Ezek. ix. 6. “Slay utterly old
and young—and begin at my sanctuary.” Also
} PETER. CHAP. IV. 365
Comp. Ezek, ix. 5, 6. Prov. xi. 31. Jerem. xxv. 29.
Pyle,
V. 18.—if the righteous] This is an exact quota-
tion from Prov. xi. 31. Lxx. If, in such times, inno-
cence and fidelity will hardly shelter men from the
rage of enemies, what shall be the fate of those, who
are justly chargeable with delinquencies and revolt?
Doddridge would extend the signification of p3Xts
aggeral to the difficulty with which good men attain
to heaven ; yet neither the words nor the context
authorize such a construction. The phrase both
alludes to the trials which the Christian had to en-
counter, and implies a doubt whether, after all, he
would be preserved or not; whereas, in a heavenly
sense, if he were really 8tratos, there would be mo
doubt; but the most perfect righteousness might not
be able to protect him from sufferings and death, for
it did not protect his Redeemer.
W. 19.--commit] Committant quasi depositum in
Dei manus, ut Luc. xxiii. 46. vel commendent in
tutelam et custodiam ; tum utvires patiendi suggerat,
tum ut victoriae parandae invigilet; ut si mors ipsa
eis inferatur, ultimum illum difficilemdue vitae agonem
sine salutis periculo obeant. Pol. Syn. Tia Tój aspiſºel
gºſNakt. Schol. ut supra. See 2 Tim, i. 12.
366
C H A P. V.
The elders are exhorted to an exemplary discharge of their
duty—and all, who are under them, to be stedfast in the faith,
being reminded of the glory to which they were called.
The Apostle joins those who are with him in a salutation
to the brethren.
W. 1–also an elder, THE commentators justly
observe, that if Peter had been the prince or chief
of the Apostles, as the papists affirm, he would in
this place, and in the inscriptions of his two epistles,
certainly have assumed to himself that high prero-
gative. Mackm.
—the glory] The glory at the last day : Of
this St. Peter was a partaker at that time in the
promise, and in the earnest of it—the first-fruits of
the Spirit. Whitby. So wer. 4. Rom. viii. 18.
V. 2.--a ready mind; Tpo6.jaws is opposed to
ataxpokepèós, and therefore must imply a readiness
and desire to take the office for its own sake, without
any view to emolument. Tootºutos' Aapós. Hesych.
Tpóðvuos étribunſov, 6peyóuevos. Suid.
W. 3.−heritage, Tóv k\ſipov. Whitby at first
inclines to Dodwell, who translates the word hacred:-
tates, understanding thereby the possessions of the
Church ; and doubtless there is abundant authority
for the word being used in this sense. It is objected,
that there is no evidence of the Church having at
that time any possessions—yet neither does the
contrary appear. There were certainly contributions
in the early ages, and so there might have been a
fund. We may safely object, however, that this
1 PETER. CHAP. V. 867
sense of Tév KAmpóv does not suit the passage—kara-
kvpteſa is more properly applied to persons than to
things ; and the elders could not be proposed as ex-
amples to the flock on the subject of managing a fund,
because the flock had no fund to manage ; but a mild-
mess and meekness of conduct might be imitated
by all.
KXmpos properly signifies a lot : But because the
land of Canaan was divided among the Gentiles by
lot, the word came to signify a heritage. Wherefore,
since believers were God’s people, or portion, the
different churches, or congregations for worship, are
called here God’s heritages.—In process of time, the
name k\mpos, clergy, was appropriated to the minis-
ters of the gospel; because, being considered as the
successors of the Levitical priests, they were regard-
ed as God’s lot, or portion. (It was natural for the
Apostle, who was a Jew, to make use of this word.
Deut. iv. 10. ix. 29.) From the prohibition contained
in this verse, it would seem that, in the Apostle's
days, the bishops and rulers were beginning to
assume that dominion over their flocks, which, in
after times, they carried to the greatest height of
tyranny. Or, St. Peter, by inspiration foreseeing
what would happen, condemned in this prohibition
the tyranny which the clergy exercised in after
times. Mackm. after Grot. Hamm. Wolf. Benson.
Doddr.
W. 4.—fadeth 720t away.] duapdvtwov. Alluding
to the antient chaplets or crowns, which were be-
stowed as a reward of victory and honour. It may
be derived from a and uapaiva, or, according to
H. Stephens and others, from dućpavros the ama-
ranth flower,” so named from its not fading. This
flower was often used to make garlands. See Wolf.
Wetst,
368 1 PETER. CHAP. W.
V. 5.-be clothed] Gºykóagoua denotes an upper
garment in general (Hesych.); often one that was
used for ornament (Suid.), and so Isai. iii. 22. Julius
Pollux (IV. 18.) says it was a white cloke worn by
slaves, and Longus (Past. II.) speaks of it as the outer
garment of a shepherd—Eccombomata genera ves-
tium puellarum. Marcell. xiv. 36. Wetst. The ety-
mology is kößos (an ornamental knot), from this
garment being fastened with knots: And Schleusner
observes, that we have an instance of a like deri-
vation in éuTop Tova 6a–as dryptotépav éatretropirouévol
gadºrnta. 3 Macc. vii. 5. (éute"TopTnuévol. Exemp. Wat.)
And thus tróptmua signifies a garland fastened with
a buckle—pºpas dºr' duov evarpeth TopTijuata. Eur.
Electr. 820.—éatrepôumua and Trepévnua are used in a
similar manner. Theocr. Idyll. xv. 34.79.—The word
may here import, that this humility should be visible
in us, above all other Christian virtues, in our whole
conversation, our words and actions. Whitby. For
the latter clause of the verse, see Prov. iii. 34. James
iv. 6.
V, 6–mighty) i. e. able to humble the proud,
and to make all the events of life subservient to the
accomplishment of his own wise designs. Isai. x.
Psal. xvii. Doddr.
W. 8–the devil, St. Peter might well give such
a caution as this, having himself received such par-
ticular and express warning from Christ his master
(Luke xxiii. 31, &c.), and so shamefully fallen im-
mediately after, for want of the watchfulness here
recommended. Doddr. Since the article is not pre-
fixed to 3d 90Xos, some would render it a malicious
accuser:' But Dr. Middleton observes, that the
article before durièukos properly belongs to 8tdºoxos,
‘ your opposing evil spirit.’ This sense is confirmed
* -- - -— - O
1 PETER. C H A.P. W. U U
by the word being in the singular mumber; and
moreover it includes the other sense.—The passage
probably alludes to Job i. 7, where Satan is spoken
or in a similar way. Pyle.
W. 13.—at Babylon,] There is a great question
concerning the place here denoted. I. Mill, and
others, think it is Babylon in Egypt; but if St. Peter
had founded a Church there, it would have been of
some note: Yet Lardner remarks, that there is no
mention made of any Church, or bishop, at the Egyp-
tian Babylon in any of the writers of the four first
centuries. 2. Grotius, Hammond, Whitby, Wells,
Lardner, and all the learned of the Romish commu-
hion, are of opinion, that by Babylon St. Peter meant
figuratively Rome, called Babylon by St. John, Rev.
xvii. xviii. and their opinion is confirmed by the
general testimony of antiquity (see Whitby), which,
as Lardner contends, is of no small weight. (But
many suppose that Babylon, in the book of Revela-
tion, denotes Jerusalem.) 3. Beza, Lightfoot, Wet-
stein, Schleusner, and others think the Apostle meant
Babylon in Assyria. And, in support of this opinion,
Benson observes, that the Assyrian Babylon being
the metropolis of the eastern dispersion of the Jews,
Peter, as an Apostle of the circumcision, would very
naturally, when he left Judea, go among the Jews at
Babylon; and that it is unlikely he would date his
letter from a place by a figurative name. See Mackm.
Pref. Sect. v. The expression j ču BaſłvXóvi avvek-
Xekt) is elliptical; and most of the commentators
supply it by ékk\mata, the Church which is in
Babylon.”—Mill and Wall translate it, “ she who
is in Babylon,” thinking that the Apostle meant
his own wife, or some honourable woman in that
city. But this would be rather an unnatural peri-
phrasis for a wife : And, as Lardner says, it is not
W. Q J . . . [. A. A
370 I PETER, CHAP. V.
probable that Peter would send a salutation to the
Christians of so many countries from a woman not
named. -
The passage is capable of another construction.
Babylon may here denote, not a city but a country;
and it is doubtless so used by the prophet Daniel,
and many antient writers. So also Matt. i. 11, 12.
And the ellipsis can be supplied by Staatropó, so as
to agree well with the phraseology in the inscription
of this epistle. It is indeed 3ao Tropäs IIóvrov, not ev
IIóvre, but either phrase is admissible. St. Peter
addressed himself principally to the elect Jews, dis-
persed in certain countries; and therefore it would
be matural for him to send them a salutation from
their brethren, also elect, who were dispersed in the
country which he was then visiting. It is not neces-
sary, that all the brethren in the Babylonish disper-
sion should have been made acquainted with the salu-
tation here sent, so as to have expressed their assent
to it; for St. Paul, in like manner, sent a salutation
to his Corinthian converts from the Churches of Asia.
1 Cor. xvi. 19. *.
—my son.] Macknight observes, that Heuman,
following the opinions of some of the antients alluded
to by OEcumenius, supposes this Mark to be Peter's
own son, by his wife. But others are of opinion,
that he calls him his son, because he had converted
him : And thus CEcumenius himself, Mápkov & Judy
kard Tveijua kaxel, ou kata adpka. It is entirely Ulſ) -
certain ; perhaps the former is more probable:
Schleusner appears to contradict himself on the
question. Cf. in Möpkos, Š. 3. et in Juds, S. 9. St. Peter,
after his liberation from prison by the angel, Acts
xii. 12. “ went to the house of Mary the mother of
John, whose surname was Mark.” This same John
Mark was the companion of St. Paul, Acts xii. 25.
xv. 37. Col. iv. 10, 2 Tim, iv 1 1. Philem. 24. Many
1 PETER. CHAP. V. 37]
have believed this John Mark to be the author of
the Gospel “according to Mark.” But Schleusner
agrees with Grotius in opposing this opinion : The
Evangelist Mark being never called by the mame of
John, by any writer of antiquity.
A A 2
SEC O N D EP I S T L E G E N E R A L
P E T E R.
C H A P. I.
After the general salutation, the Apostle exhorts his brethren
to abound in every Christian virtue—to make their calling
and election sure. Fle intimates to them his approaching
death, and reminds them of the exalted nature of Christ and
his gospel, and of the glorious evidence with which it is
attested.
V. l. Simon] It is literally Symeon, Svaedy–
Simeon est Hebraicum, et Simon Hellenisticum.
Rosenm. Peter is called Simeon in Acts xv. 14. In
the inscription to the first epistle we have IIárpos
only, and some have urged this as a corroboration of
the doubt, respecting the genuineness of this second
epistle : It is rather the contrary ; for any impostor,
who wished to pass off this epistle as the production
of the Apostle Peter (as he here calls himself), would
doubtless have taken care not to deviate from
St. Peter's mode of address in his first epistle. Such
a casual and immaterial variation is a substantial
proof of genuineness. St. Luke uses the appellation
of Simon Peter, Ch. v. 8. and St. John uses it con-
tinually.—it is truly remarkable, that Grotius carries
so far his prejudice against this epistle, as entirely
to alter the inscription, without the authority of a
2 FETER. CHAP, [. 373
single MIS, or Version—he leaves out the words
IIérpos kal dirógtoNos. This shews what violent
means are necessary, to expunge this epistle from
the canon.
—obtained] Xaxojat. This may possibly contain
an allusion to the Jewish inheritances, which were
obtained by lot. Xaryxávetv. KAmpouv. Hesych. See
I Pet. v. 3. The phrase properly applies to Christians
in general.
—of God and our Saviour.] Toº €eod juſov kal aro-
Tºpos, of our God and Saviour.” Eph. v. 5. Tit. ii. 13.
This exactly agrees with the construction of ver, 11.
of this chapter, Too Kvptov muſov kai ato-Tºpos, where
the article is not repeated before gotºpos, because
there is no change of person. Thus Ch. ii. 20. iii. 2,
When there is a change of person it is repeated, as
Tov tratépa kal Töv viðv. 1 Joh. ii. 22. See Dr. Middleton
in loc. And thus Hardy: Manifestum est divinitatis
Christi testimonium in his verbis Too Geow judju ka?
owTripos, omisso articulo, quae conjunctim sunt
legenda.
W. 3.−hath given] §ečapnuévms. It is possible to
take this participle in a passive sense: ‘His divine
power having been given unto us, in every thing
that appertaineth to a godly life.’ A similar con-
struction of Tdvra occurs in 1 Cor. ix. 25. Phil. iii. 8.
And this agrees with our translation of 3e36pm rat,
ver. 4. The words, however, will admit of an
active sense in both cases—mam in verbis quae per-
fecto vel alio tempore mediae vocis carent, loco tem-
poris medii passivum adhibetur. Philo de Sacr.
Abel. et Cain. p. 147. ed. 1640. wvpia yöp halv j ‘piſa is
étruſ?d A\ovra divěpaſtrov yévet Seódentat. Rosenm.
—to glory and virtue :] The phrase kaAeiv 3rd
does not signify to call unto—36éns kai ºperns may
be referred to God, or to Christ, who hath called
374 2 PETER. CHAP. I.
us through his glory and goodness, or ‘ his glorious
goodness”—per gloriosam benignitatem. Krebs,-
by his glorious power. Benson. Pyle. This con-
struction of aper) with kaxégavros exactly corresponds
with 1 Pet. ii. 9, 67ta's Tøs diperds éčayyetanTe Too €k
okorous Juás ka)\égavros ets to 6aſuaa Tov autov ºpós
—and that verse may likewise shew, that if the
Apostle had intended what is expressed by the
English translation (which indeed some of the best
commentators have adopted), he would have used
ets 368 av and not Sid 86&ns. Some copies read tâu?
86&n kai dpeth (which serves, at least, as an interpre-
tation), and, in the next verse, 3, 8v for 3 ºv,
which verse should be in a parenthesis.
V. 4.—of the divine nature, Of holy and heaven-
ly qualities, of truly spiritual and godlike dispositions
—being followers of God and of Christ here, and to
be made like him, and happy in him, hereafter. Pyle.
Benson. Saepe Graeci pºortv usurpant pro indole.
Kypke. ubi plura ex Joseph. Facti estis Dei similes,
ut 1 Joh. iii. 3. 7. 1 Pet. i. 15. Hanc interpretationem
totus contextus confirmat. Rosenm.
V. 5. And besides] kai avto Toºro. Some con-
jecture cat' auto. The sense depends upon some
preposition, expressed or understood. Many under-
stand ets from trapetaevéºykavtes, ‘ bestowing all your
care upon this very thing.” Benson. Schl. But this
does not explain the use of trapd in the compound
verb : Connected with ver, 3. the sense may be this,
“Since we are aided by divine power . . . . . do ye,
on this very account, or, to the same purpose,
using in addition to it all diligence,” &c. We have
the same sentiment in Phil. ii. 12, 13.—See also
1 Pet. i. 15. Whitby. Wolf. Rosenm.
—add] étrixopnyngate Ç supply additionally ; ”
2 PETER. CHAP, I. 375
thus in ver, 11. The Apostle used the verb xopmyely
in I Pet. iv. 11, and here étrixopmyńorate év Th Tiaret
may be the same as xopmyſia ate étri Tº triates. The
preposition ev may either be merely the sign of a
dative case, or it may be put for eis, as it frequently
is. “Join with your faith.” Benson. Exhibete
cum fide. Rosenm. The common translation appears
to be preferable.
—virtue; apetºv. Many suppose this word here
to mean courage, asserting with truth that the Chris-
tians had great need of it in those times of perse-
cution, and that other virtues are enumerated below.
Hamm. Benson. Doddr. Hardy. Mackn. Rosenm.
Courage in professing the faith. Wells. The chief
objection is, that the word is never so used by sacred
writers. Schleusner has a copious illustration of the
general sense of dperſ. But probably it may be
derived—ab #fffinv, masculus, ut virtus à viro. Gesner.
in Hor. Carm. III. Od. III. 9. And the import may
ber-studium recti et homesti. Id, in Od. II. 17.
W. 6.—godliness; Perhaps it may suit the con-
text better, to interpret ejoregetav of such a spirit of
godliness as shews itself in our converse with the
world—a godly temper and behaviour. So ver, 3.
Końv kai evaſeſ}stav ‘life and godliness,’ i. e. a godly
life: By the figure Hendiadys. Comp. 1 Tim. ii. 2.
iv. 7, 8. v. 4. vi. 3. 2 Pet. ii. 9. iii. 11. Thus evaſeſ}eiv
Tepi Śēvows. Eurip. apud Scap.
This chain of virtues the Apostle begins with
faith, because it is the root from which they must
all spring ; and ends with love, because it is the
point to which they all tend. Mackn. Benson.
V. 9.—cannot see afar off.] avoird (ov from uſew
tas &ras to close the eyes.” This may be regarded
as an explanation, or qualification, of Tvºds, “He
376 2 PETER. CHAP. f.
is blind, i.e. ‘ he winks and contracts his eyes, like
a person who has a weak or short sight, so as to pre-
clude himself from discerning the truths of the
gospel '-tvq?Xds avoiráčov is dicitur, qui ideo cacus
est, quia sponte claudit oculos, ut me videat ; aut
qui videre se dissimulat, quod vel invitus cernit.
Woff. Wilfully shutting his eyes against the light.
Benson. This was a very proper admonition to the
Jews, who took upon themselves the boastful appel-
lation of guides of the blind Gentiles. Rom. ii. 19.
Mackin.
—hath forgotten] Añ0my Nagely vim amittere,’
sic Joseph. Ant. II. 9, rms éčovartas €7tXav6&ved 6at, vim
imperii amittere, non exercere. Krebs.
—that he was purged] In allusion to baptism,
by which the sinner, being admitted into covenant
and favour with God, is washed and purged from
the stain of guilt. This text powerfully corro-
borates two important doctrines. 1. That the rite
of baptism, duly administered, purifies from sin.
2. That men may fall from a state of purification
and grace.
V. 10.—calling and election] Macknight con-
cludes, since men’s election to eternal life cannot be
made more firm than it was at first, that the Apostle
is speaking of the brethren's calling and election to
be the Church and people of God, which they were
to make firm by acting upon the principles above-
mentioned. But since their calling to eternal life
was conditional, there seems no impropriety in the
converts being injoined to make that calling firm
and effectual. They were, at that time, in a state
of election ; but it was a state from which they
might fall; they were elect only so long as they
were careful to maintain faith and good works. It
follows, as Whitby remarks, from the latter clause,
gºn Way pay
ER. CHAP. i. O
that even the elect, by not “doing these things,”
may fail of an entrance into this heavenly kingdom—
Tavra Totovytes as long as ye do these things.”
V. I 1. For so) The particle otra, here is of great
force and importance, for it shews that the final
reward of the converts was conditional. Their em-
trance into Christ's kingdom depended upon their
performance of the Christian duties above-mentioned,
for which the divine power had been communicated.
Wer. 3—5.
—ministered] We might include ver. 8, 9, 10. in
a parenthesis; and thus étrixopnynóña'etat will be
more immediately joined with ver, 5, 6, 7.
—everlasting kingdom] That kingdom which our
Lord and Saviour hath obtained and prepared for
us, “eternal in the heavens.” Mackn.
W. 13.−this tabernacle, to stir you up, Here
the Apostle seems to apologize to his brethren, for
writing a second letter to them, so soon after the
first. Mackm. The same commentator remarks, that
St. Peter calls his body akāvoua, to intimate that
the soul is a distinct substance from the body. Yet
this, though a reasonable, is not a necessary conclu-
sion; for akāvos, which is equivalent to a knivoua, Suid.
was a common expression for the body. See 2 Cor.
v. 1.-The Apostle is doubtless alluding to his ap-
proaching death, foretold by Christ, Joh. xxi. 18, 19.
At what precise period this event took place, we
have no sufficient grounds to determine ; probably
it was not later than than A. D. 70. See Mackm. Pref.
Sect. II.
V. 15.-may be able] éxew Juás—uviumv Toteio 6at,
ut possitis. Matt. xviii. 25. Luc. vii. 41. Marc. xiv. 8.
Wolf. It is remarkable how nearly the Greek idiom
378 2 PETER. CHAP. f.
coincides here, as it frequently does, with the English.
—“ that ye may have to make mention of these
things.” The expression is elliptical—that ye may
have power, or opportunity.
W. 16.-eye-witnesses] &róttal. Macknight, after
Benson and others, refers this word to the mysteries
of the heathens, which none but the initiated were
permitted to behold. And it is supposed, that by
“ cunningly devised fables” the Apostle alludes to
the appearance of the heathen gods on earth in
human forms; which the heathen priests had con-
trived, in order to aggrandize their particular temples,
and which the legislators and statesmen had adopted
for the purpose of supporting the popular religions.
Elsner has a learned note in loco. But it is probable,
that étréºrtal might be considered merely as synony-
mous with avT3Trai ‘ eye-witnesses.”—étróttas kal
papTwpas, Plutarch. apud Schl. and so the verb étoir-
Teſa is used generally in I Pet. ii. 12. iii. 2. The
érô7-7 at here mentioned were Peter, James, and
John ; all of whom have declared the power and
coming of Christ.
—of his majesty.] This alludes to the trans-
figuration of Christ. Thus aeſya)\otſperous 66&ns in
ver, 7. Benson observes, that this was properly an
emblem of his final appearance in power and glory
—and the phrase ºvauw kai Tapova tav may denote
his coming with power.” (Per év čud 8vow, potentem
et efficacem adventum, 8vvarmv trapova tav. Elsner.) This
agrees with 1 Pet. i. 5–14. See also Hamm. Mackn.
Macknight further contends, that the appearing
of Moses and Elijah, at the transfiguration, is a
proof that the dead have not lost their existence,
that there must be a separate existence of the soul.
But it must be confessed, that this doctrine, how-
ever true (Phil. i. 21. 24. Heb. xii. 23. I Pet. iii.
2 PETER. CHAP. I, 379
19.), does not derive any great support from the
present passage. Neither Moses nor Elias died or
were buried like other men. 2 Kings ii. 11. Lightf.
on Luke ix. 31. Yet as Moses was buried, it is
probable, as Whitby suggests, that he was raised
to life on this occasion, and miraculously appeared.
See Elsley on Matt. xviii. 3. However this may be,
the Lawgiver and the Prophet must have appeared
in some bodily form, and therefore their appearance
can be no argument for the existence of the soul in
an unembodied form.
Benson truly remarks, that this epistle was written
by one of the three who were present at the trans-
figuration. Now St. James had been long dead, Acts
xii. 1. and the style bears no resemblance at all to
the writings of St. John ; neither is it ever ascribed
to him; we may conclude, therefore, that St. Peter
was the author.
V. 18.--from heaven] i. e. from God himself
(Luke xv. 21.), as the voice, which was uttered, also
proves. Mackm.
—the holy mount.] Probably mount Tabor. See
Elsley on Mark ix. 2.
W. 19.—a more sure word of prophecy; £3e3al6-
Tepov. Many think, with Beza, that no comparison
is here intended, but that it is merely an enallage,
or denotes a superlative sense, as Heb. xiii. 23. Acts
xxv. 10. Of those who take it in a comparative sense,
some have imagined that a comparison was intended
between the sure evidence afforded by prophecy, and
that of the transfiguration; but others, with greater
probability, infer that the Apostle speaks of the evi-
dence of prophecy being confirmed by the miraculous
event alluded to : “We have the word of prophecy
made surer and clearer.” See Grot. Wolf. Benson.
380 2 PETER. CHAP. f.
Bowyer. Doddr. Mackn. There is a question also,
to what the words róv Tpopntiköv X6-yov refer. Some
understand them of the gift of prophecy in the Chris-
tian Church ; others, of Christ's second coming.
But they are more commonly and properly referred to
the prophecies of the Old Testament, especially those
which relate to the Messiah. Bp. Horsley interprets
the phrase of the whole body of the prophecies
which were extant at the time when this epistle was
written. Serm. xv. This miraculous manifestation
of our Saviour on the Mount was, doubtless, a strong
confirmation of all the prophecies concerning him;
for had he mot been, as he declared himself, the pre-
dicted Messiah, such a miracle would not have been
worked to verify his pretensions.
—ye do well kaxós Totévre Tpooréxovtes. Graecis-
mus, vertendus merito, recte, praeclaré animum
advertitis.’ Sic Act. x. 33. Ka}\tos érotna as Taps yeróuevos.
Elsner. Wel potius cum Luthero, bene facietis—
si illi verbo divino fidem habeatis.” Krebs.
—the day-star Mackmight refers this to the day
of judgment, because our Saviour calls himself the
bright and morning-star, Rev. xxii. 16. But it may
be merely figurative here, to denote the manifestation
of Christ's kingdom, and the consequent illumination
in the hearts of men. This, indeed, the words év
Tais Kapòtats vuòv fully prove. “Ye look upon pro-
phecy, uttered in an age of darkness, and not un-
derstood till it's accomplishment, as upon a lamp
shining in an obscure place; until the day shall have
diffused it’s light, and the gospel, like the brightness
of a morning-star, shall have shone in your hearts.”
Thus Luke i. 78. Joh. i. 9. Mal. iv. 2. Though the
day-spring had arisen, the ignorance and prejudice
even of the believing Jews were not yet entirely
dissipated, nor had religion shed its purest influence
on their hearts. The shades of unbelief would gra-
Q PETER. C. H. A. P. ſ. 38H
dually vanish away, as the progressive fulfilment of
prophecies reflected a clearer light, and displayed
more fully the nature of divine revelation.--It is
probable, that this light will not shine in full glory,
till the last ages of the Church.
W. 20.-of any private interpretation.] Several
expositions have been given of this passage.
1. “Prophecy gave no light to the age in which
it was delivered, and therefore was a lamp shin-
ing in a dark place; and let this be impressed
upon you, that prophecy was so entirely and ex-
clusively designed for the benefit of future ages,
that its import was not always fully understood,
even by the prophet himself, who was aware that
his words were often inapplicable to the people
immediately addressed (1 Pet. i. 11, 12.), and uttered
them not from the suggestions or persuasions of his
own mind, but from the inspiration of the Holy
Ghost.”—é TſAva is occurs in no other passage of the
New Testament, but the verb étriXi'a is twice used,
and both times in the sense of interpreting, or ex-
plaining. Mark iv. 34. Acts xix. 39. To this exposi-
tion Bos and Schleusner accede. 2. Others agree
with Hammond, Whitby, Doddridge, and Macknight,
and understand by éiriNiſaetes “private suggestion,
impulse, or invention.” And many, who adopt this
sense, suppose that the true reading is étréXeſarews or
éarnxſa'ews, étréoxouat being commonly used to denote
the afflatus of the Spirit, Luke i. 35. Acts i. 8. and
being also applicable to the natural suggestion of
the mind — Tó Tapia Tatat kai étri voov ćpxetal, otov
étrépxstat poi etirety. Demosth. apud Schl. But this
proposed reading rests on no authority; and Benson,
who adopts this sense, understands the words thus:
“ In writing, the prophet did not interpret or explain
ſº - * Ara ~ : - - * - 24 __ _ " i i ſe s Tº *ºr ºr
his own mind, but the mind and will of the Holy
382 2 PETER. CHAP, I.
Spirit, with which he was inspired.” Yet this is
rather a strained sense of éirtNvais. 3. Nullum vati-
cinium in sacris literis propriae esse interpretationis,
ex se et per se explicari posse, nisi vaticinium et
eventus secum invicem comparentur. Rosenm. Per-
haps the first and last of these senses should be
united. It is probable, as Dr. Wells suggests, that
the Jewish Rabbies and doctors were in the habit
of interpreting their prophecies according to their
own fancy or persuasion, not considering the real
mature and object of prophecy, and not comparing it
with the event: Very appositely, therefore, does the
Apostle remind them, that mone of the antient pro-
phecies are of private solution.
See the four Sermons of Bp. Horsley on this text,
who renders the passage, “No prophecy is of self
interpretation;” and he observes, that “ the scrip-
ture prophecies are not detached predictions of sepa-
rate, independent events, but are united in a regular
and entire system, all terminating in one great object
—the promulgation of the gospel, and the complete
establishment of the Messiah’s kingdom. Every par-
ticular prophecy is to be referred to the system, and
to be understood in that sense, which may most aptly
connect it with the whole.” Serm. xv. In Serm.
xv.111, the learned prelate shews, that the full mean-
ing of a prophecy was not understood by the prophet
who uttered it.
W. 21.--as they were moved] See Dr. Jennings
* On the Prophets.” Jewish Antiquities, Book 1.
Ch. vi. Also D'Oyly and Mant on Nehem, ix. 30.
3
8
3
C H.A. P. II.
- L. L -L.A. J.L e
St. Peter cautions the brethren against false teachers, at the
same time denouncing vengeance against them ; instancing
the case of the fallen angels, and bringing examples also
from the old world, of the preservation of the righteous and
the destruction of the wicked: In conclusion, he especially
warns the apostatizing teachers. -
FRoM this chapter have principally arisen the
doubts respecting the genuineness of this second
epistle. It has been asserted, that the style is so
entirely different from that of the first epistle, that it
cannot have proceeded from the same pen. But
the style of the second chapter does not differ more
from that of the first epistle, than it does from that
of the other chapters of this second epistle, which
strongly resemble the first, both as to subject matter
and phraseology. Doddridge follows Bp. Sherlock
and Benson in supposing, that St. Peter in this
chapter adopts the language and sentiments of some
Jewish author, who had written on the character of
false teachers and prophets. (And thus also of St.
Jude; the subject as well as the style of whose epistle
so nearly resembles those of this chapter). But
Macknight and others observe, that the difference
here spoken of is not greater than what the subject
would naturally occasion : The practices of the
faise teachers would of course excite, in the breast
of the Apostle, sentiments of the highest indignation ;
and it is no wonder that his language should be
singularly vehement in his denunciations against
singular enormities.
it is well observed by Dr. Paley, that “whoever
writes two letters or two discourses, nearly upon the
384
2 PETER. CHAP. II.
same subject, and at no great distance of time, but
without any express recollection of what he had
written before, will find himself repeating some
sentences in the very order of the words, in which he
had already used them ; but he will more frequently
find himself employing some principal terms, with
the other inadvertently changed, or with the other
disturbed by the intermixture of other words and
phrases, expressive of ideas rising up at the same
time ; or, in many instances, repeating not single
words, nor yet whole sentences, but parts and frag-
ments of sentences.” Hor. Paul. Ch. VI. The same is
true, though in a less degree, when the subjectis some-
what varied ; and from a comparison of several
words and phrases, in this second chapter, with
others contained in the unquestioned writings of
St. Peter, its genuineness will more plainly appear.
First Epistle. Second Epistle.
Ch. i. 18. éXvtpø6mte ék Ch. ii. 7, 10. 18. JTo Tºs
Tºs uataias vaſov duaa Tpo- Töv C6éguav čv do exyetg
‘pºis. avao Tpopns éppúa'ato—ud-
Atata èë rows 6Tiao gapkos
év ćT10vutº utaa woº Topevo-
iv. 3. Tetopevuévows év aévovs—waſ époyka ydp Awa-
Tatórntos pêeyyáuevot 3e-
Aedº ovatv čv étrifluutats oap-
kös, Öv doexyetals, toºs
ëvros dropvyövtas Toºs év
TAdvn avao Tpeºpouévows.
doſex') stats, ézriffvutais, oivo-
f /
‘pxurytals, Kºwols, Tótols, kai
9 p
d6eatrols etºa-XoAarpetals.
tº º t º tº º º A e
Ch. ii. 15. 3rt of Tws éati Ch. ii. 12, oùTot 8é, (OS
Tö 9éXmaa too €eov, dyaba-
Totovutas ºpiuovv Tºv Tów
dºppóvov dvěpdºrov dyvo-
&
Q & C. W.
&\oya (0a ºpvaukd, ‘yeyev-
vmuévaeis &Awaw Kai pºopdu,
évois dyvoovoº gºaq pmuovu-
Tes, év Tn pôopó autov Ka-
Tap6.apão'ovtat,
2 PETER. CHAP. II. 385
First Epistle. Second Epistle.
Ch. iv. 8, kai et 6 &tkaios Ch. ii. 9. oièe Kvptos ev-
f / t 2 \ \ * y * p
wóXts Gºetal, 6 doeſºs kal aeſłeis & Teipaquod pſea Bat,
t \ ~ * » (N (N Jº t s
awapTwAds Tov paveirat; dótkovs 86 ets muépau ºpt-
OT6 (US Koxagouévows Tmpeiv.
In the two passages last compared, we have a similar
vein of thought, though differently expressed.
In this second chapter, the Apostle reproves the
false teachers, a.S KupióTntos kataqipovo0ntas—Toxun-
Tai, aw8ačeis, 868 as ow Tpéuoval £3Xaaq muovures (the
construction of the latter phrase may be compared
with Ch. i. 19. 6 kaAós Toteite Tpogéxovres.) In the
first epistle, he had enlarged more upon this subject.
Ch. ii. 13–17. — Compare also I Pet. ii. 12. with
2 Pet. ii. 2. “If some of the coincidences alleged
appear to be minute—this very indirectness and
subtilty is that which gives force and propriety
to the example.” Hor. Paul. p. 8.
There are also some further coincidences observa-
ble between the second chapter, and the other two
of the second epistle.
Ch. i. 1, 2. čv ðucatooſun Ch. ii. 20. śv étrºyvºore,
Top 9eoû nuðv kai gotnpos toū Kvptov kai a ornpos
'Ingov Xplatoo—x&pts waiv 'Imaoû Xptatov.
kal eipſum TAm{}vv6ein év
étrºyväget too €eoo kai *
Tngoo Tov Kuptov mutov.
Ch. iii. 14, &a TriNot kal Ch. ii. 13. atrixot ka:
duajuntot. 46.40t.
Ch. iii. 6. 3 Tóte kóa'uos Ch. ii. 5. Katak\vauðv
e * > f / -: 3, 2-4
#3ari KarakAvogels arºxero, Këgue doeſłów Táčas.
The word -a+akx wages is not necessary to the sense
3. i & W.” w w \º R. W. A fu UA, & vº v v. & J & rº' - wºe s •) º
WOL. II. B B
386 9 PETER. CHAP. II.
and possibly proceeded from a recollection of kata-
KAva Adv.
The verb égakoxov6éw is used, in the New Testa-
ment, by St. Peter alone; and we find it 2 Pet. i. 16.
ii. 2. 15. The same is true of Taxwds, 2 Pet. i. 14.
ii. I. The use of p80p6, to denote a depravation of
manners or pride:ple, seldom, if ever, occurs in any
writer but St. Peter, and we find it in this sense,
2 Pet. i. 4. ii. 12. This Apostle, in a manner unusual
to the sacred writers, puts the present for the future,
Ch. ii. 9. iii. 11, 12, 13. The adjective daripucºros is
not found in the New Testament, except in 2 Pet.
ii. 14, iii. 16. So also of &flea-isos, Ch. ii. 7. iii. 17.
—It appears, moreover, that this second chapter
formed a part of the epistle, when St. Jude wrote ;
because he has largely borrowed from the third
chapter, as well as from the second.—From all these
circumstances therefore, weighed together, we may
venture to conclude, that this disputed chapter was
the genuine production of St. Peter.
V. l.—false prophets] Deut. xiii. xxxii. 1 Kings
xxii. 6. Jer. xxviii. 1. Benson.
—the people,) Tº Nađ, the people of Israel.
Acts xxi. 28. xxvi. 17. 23. xxviii. 17. &c.
—false teachers] l. The Judaizing Christians
2. The Nicolaitans ; which seems to have been the
antient opinion. Scho!. apud Matthaei. 3. The
Gnostics. Hamm. Perhaps they may all be included.
—the Lord] This is referred by many to God
the Father, to whom the word Sea Tórms is usually
applied, Luke ii. 29. Acts iv. 24. 2 Tim. ii. 21.
Whitby. Wetstein. But this term is equally appli-
cable to the Son, of whom, in this case, it may be
more properly understood. See Parkh. in loc, and
Nares on the ‘Improved Version.’ p. 229, sqq.
-- that bought them, Quiet illos redemit sanguine
$2 PETER. CHAP. II. 387
suo. Hardy. This is the natural interpretation—
Others, however, take the expression in the sense in
which God is said to have bought the Israelites to be
his subjects and neonle namelv h v world in or miracles
e *~ & A_2 “ A * ~ *-* : * * *-> 2 ..º. & ºr it iſ # *-* † º w ºf “” dº. .iº. A. A. E. Jº. :---- * * * * *
for their deliverance out of Egypt, and their intro-
duction into Canaan. Exod. xv. 16. Deut. xxxii. 6.
Benson, Mackm.
W. 3.-covetousness] Hammond supposes this to
signify inordinate lusts, but Whitby supports the
common version, from wer. 15. Jude 1 1. See also
Tit. i. 10, 11. 14. And this agrees with jaas Šatopeſ-
aſovtat, ‘ they will make a gain of you,” as it were
by merchandize. Raphel. Kypke ex Joseph, et
Phil. Mackmight thinks, that this prediction respects
the Romish clergy, who have rated all crimes, even
the most atrocious, at a fixed price ; so that, if their
doctrine be true, whoever pays the price may
commit the crime, without hazarding his salvation.
See also Benson.
—now of a long time) ékTaxa should be joined
with Kptua, whose judgment ordained of old,” as it
is explaimed, Jude 4. See Blackwall on this passage,
and Eustath. in Il. p. 668. apud Wetst.
W. 4.—to hell, taptapaſa as hic tantùm occurrit,
idemque est quod eis Táprapov pºlas, et caligine, quasi
catenis, constrictos . . . . . Quod verö dicumtur angeli
degeneres, catenis teneri, id more humano dictum est,
quoniam ita custodiri solent criminum rei, ne effu-
giant. Hardy. It appears that the Greek writers
use the word rāptapos, to demote a place where the
rebellious Titans were confined. Hesiod. Theogon.
720. Hom. Il. 6. 13. Pol. Syn. Parkh. Mackm. Sic
Dionys. Halic. Ant. Rom. II. p. 90. ed. Sylburg.
karakAetov čv tº beguornpip row raprápov. Bos.
Dissert. de Etymol. Graec. quem wide. St. Peter
B B 2
388 2 PETER. CHAP. II.
therefore, uses the word to signify the place where
the evil angels are confined, whatever and wherever
it may be. Whitby observes, that it cannot be a
place of torment, because they are not yet punished,
being only reserved for punishment, Jude 6. There
is little doubt, that the heathem stories of the battle
of the Gods were made up from some traditionary
account of the fallen angels.
V. 5.-the eighth person, Some have supposed
this to mean the eighth from Adam, whereas Noah
was the tenth. Gen. v. It is, “ the eighth of those
who were saved from the deluge,” i.e. one of the
eight. Thus Plutarch says of Pelopidas, that he
came ete oiktav Šalčákatos, into his house with eleven
more : So here, Noah was saved with seven besides.
The hill where the ark rested is called the hill of the
eighth, or Themanim ; and a village near it bears
the same name. See Hamm. Whitby. Noa cum
septem alis—Tottos autos & Atovva 68wpos direviſãato,
* Dionysodorus cum duobus aliis enatavit.’ Polyb. Hist.
xvi. 2. ad fin. Raphel. See many more instances in
Kypke. Also Hoogev. ad Viger. III. 2. ad fin. Bp.
Pearson thinks it means “the eighth preacher of
righteousnes,” i.e. supposing Enoch to be the first;
but there is no evidence in favour of this conjecture;
and 3-yôoov should in this case have been placed next
to khovka.—Bryant, Mythol. vol. II, has shewn that
the knowledge of the ſlood, and of the eight persons
who were saved, has been preserved among the
different nations of mankind, by tradition. Mackm.
V. 6.--an ensample] Jiróðetyua may signify a
type or pattern, Heb. viii. 5. ix. 23. and so Estius
understands it here ; and the genitive case following
confirms his interpretation. If the sense had been
a warning, or example,’ the noun would probably
2 PETER. CHAP. II. 389
have been followed by a dative case. Thus the
same people of Sodom are described in 3 Macc. ii. 5.
Tapáčeiyua Tois étriywouévois—Vocem wºróēet'yua, ut
minūs probam, cum alterā trapáðetyua permutari
jubet Phrynichus, p. 6. Illius verö judicio adver-
Santur Polybius (Hist. xv. 20. KøXXiaºrov jaráčevºyaa
Tpós étavépôoatv), et plures apud Raphel. et Albert.
—Wolf. Tois Sé véots Jiróðetyua, 2 Macc. vi. 28.
êeiyua. Jude 7. Exemplum disciplinae. Ter. Adelph.
v. 1. Benson. Schl. See also Kypke.
W. 8-seeing and hearing, Erasmus, following
the Vulgate, has joined 3Aéauari ka? dkon with 3
êtratos, instead of égaardvićev. But, in this sense, it
would have been 6 ydp £3Aéugatt kai dkon 8tratos.
Beza. Luculentër Camerarius: “Widendo et audiendo
affligebatur anima ipsius.” Raphel. Lot dwelt
sixteen years in Sodom, after he parted with Abra-
ham, which was a long space of severe trial. Grot.
Benson. Mackn.
V. 9.-knoweth] God's knowledge here, as it
often does, includes his power and his will. Whitby,
Doddridge, after Wolf and others, observes that
this verse must be connected with ver, 4. et yap eeds
K. T. A. oièe Kºptos. “If God spared not the angels
and the old world, and delivered Lot, it is a proof
of his favour to the good, and of his punishment of
the wicked.” Either such a construction is requisite,
or we must suppose an ellipsis.--This passage shews,
that the evils, which wicked men suffer in this
life, will not exempt them from punishment in the
life to come. Whitby. The multitude of the in-
habitants of the old world did not prevent their de-
struction; nor were the righteous, though few,
overlooked by God. These instances, therefore,
of the Apostle were extremely apposite, intimating
390 2 PETER. CHAP. II.
that God was able to deliver the disciples, though
few in number, from a host of false teachers and
persecutors,
W. I l.—against them] Some refer at Tøv to 86&as.
Others take it in the sense of €avºrów, speak not
reproachfully of one another.’ i. e. the good of
those who fell. Pol. Syn. Wolf. oùx Upaptaşova,
Tiju Too Kpltov čova tav. Schol. apud Matthaei. Pro-
bably the former construction is right; unless indeed
we take the passage to be elliptical, and under-
stand duoptma divrov from ver. 4, which would agree
better with the illustration in the parallel passage
of St. Jude, ver. 9, 10.
—before the Lord.] Coram Deo. Wolf. A Deo,
quasi auctoritate à Deo data et concessa. Schl. See
Jude 9, 10, where the archangel alone is adduced
as an instance. Several MSS and Versions omit the
words Tapd kvptº.
W. 12–natural brute beasts, As beasts which
have no reason to guide them, and accordingly are
governed only by their natural appetites. Wells.
—in their own corruption ; Rather, By their
own corrupt principles and practices.’
W. 13.—in the day-time :] Schleusner renders &y
juépg by quotidianus, but without bringing a single
authority for it : It would have been kat} muépav, or
as in ver. 8, juépav č8 muépas. Grotius and Estius
refer it to the transitory mature of pleasure—“ even
for a day,” but then it should have been eis juépav.
The sense is, “esteeming it pleasure to revel in
licentiousness even in the day-time.” There would
be nothing so extraordinary in choosing a short-
lived pleasure, or even in indulging therein daily ;
but to wanton in debauchery through the day, is an
2 PETER CHAP II. 39 i
excess to which few are addicted, especially in the
east. The phrase év juépg and indeed the whole
passage is illustrated by Rom. xiii. 12, 13, where
+ o 4 la -
U
~~~~ c.; , ; a “ or o c. l, Al, * * * *
- Uy U 1 i V-2
Sticii CX CCSSèS aii’é CGil S}{{C}'C (; āS #3 CH (; ; ;
might-season. St Peter has before used év juépg
to signify in the day.' I Epist. ii. 12. Thus aiso
Benson, who refers to 1 Thess. v. 7.
—with their own deceivings]. For drárats many
would read drydºras, after the Alexandrian MS and
several Versions, and probably induced by Jude 12.
Haec tamen ratio mihi mon satis valida videtur, quia
mihil cogebat eos, qui aliorum verba citant, ita ser-
wiliter omnia describere, ut me semel quidem inde
deflectant, Wetst. It may be rendered; “Com-
mitting excess, when they feast with you, by means
of their deceits and imposture.” The excess is de-
scribed in the following verse—év is thus used ver. 18.
And Satan is said to work v Tráon &rd Tn Tàs détktas,
2 Thess. ii. 10. — wrpvpda) is found in Isai. lv. 2.
lvii. 4. Hab. i. 10. and in many classical writers.
Elsner. Wetst.
V. 14.—that cannot cease] The probable reading
is & caratraſarov. Bos. Grot. Matthaei. Griesb. Dr.
Wells observes, that uoixàxiēos is an adjective, and
properly agrees with duaprias.
—beguiling] §exed (ovtes. See James i. 14.
—covetous practices ; For TAeovečiaus some of
the best copies have TAeoveštas, which Mill connects,
not with yeyvuvaguévnv, but with Kapòtav. The con-
struction, however, is harsh and untiecessary ; for
Wetstein cites, from Philostratus and others, several
instances of this participle being followed by a genitive
Case ; as 6a)\{TTms—-troXéuov—aoqias 'yer/vuvaguévos.
Insatiabili avaritiã pleni; quasi dicas, “ animus peri-
tus avaritiae.” Rosenm. Grot. A heart thoroughly
392 2 PETER. CHAP. II.
exercised in covetous practices. yuavdgetat dakeitat.
Hesych.
W. 15.—of Balaam] He loved wealth and honour
so immoderately, that to obtain them he acted con-
trary to his conscience. (Wide Vitring. apud Krebs.)
To “follow in his way ” therefore, is to be guided
by the same base passions, and to commit the same
base actions. He is called, by Moses, the son of
Beor, and his city was Pethor. Numb. xxii. 5, where-
fore, either Balaam’s father had two names, or, as
Ainsworth and Lightfoot conjecture, the Apostle
adopts the Chaldaic orthography, in which letters
are often changed; as, in this name, the letter Ain
is changed to Samech. Mackm.
—the wages of unrighteousness; Balaam re-
fused at first to curse the Israelites, Numb. xxii. 7.
But the offers of Balak, at his second message, were
so tempting, that he more earnestly solicited per-
mission to go. He was suffered to go on the express
condition, that he should not in any thing “go
beyond the word of the Lord.” He appears, how-
ever, to have set out with very corrupt views and
dispositions: For, 1. “God’s anger was kindled
against Balaam because he went.” ver, 22. notwith-
standing he had been permitted to go. 2. An angel
was sent to stop him on the road, because his way
was perverse, ver. 32. 3. After the angel had re-
buked him, Balaam confessed that he had sinned ;
surely not in going, because God had permitted him
to go, but in going with a resolution to curse the
Israelites. And though he did bless them, Ch. xxiv.
1. it is plain, that his love of the hire still continued,
that he even counselled Balak to entice the Israelites
to fornication and idolatry, in order to bring the
curse of God upon them. Ch. xxxi. 16. Rev. ii. 14.
QO ©
• DJ U.
All this he did in defiance of the known will, and the
irrevocable purpose, of God. Ch. xxiii. He there-
fore gave the advice, not in the persuasion that it
would be effectuai, but merely to gain the promised
hire, which is therefore called the hire (or wages)
of unrighteousness.-In these things the false teach-
ers, who to draw money from their disciples en-
couraged them to commit all manner of lewdness,
might well be said to follow in the way of Balaam ;
and their doctrine might justly be called the doctrine
of Balaam. Mackm. See Jude 11. Whitby shews, that
Balaam not only loved, or desired, but actually
received the wages. Deut. xxiii. 4. Nehem. xiii. 2.
He also introduces an apposite citation from Joseph.
Ant. Iv. c. 6. §. 5. It appears, moreover, from the
fifth section of the same chapter of Josephus, that
the benedictions of Balaam were not voluntary, but
constrained by the Spirit of God.
W. 16.-man’s voice, pov) is here used, as in
Ch. i. 17, 18, to demote words as well as sound ;
especially indeed the former, as appears from the
expression ºrogºytov & povov. This passage directly
and circumstantially attests the truth of this historical
fact. It has often, and very unreasonably, been
regarded as incredible. It was doubtless miraculous;
and an animal’s becoming, whether rationally or
otherwise, an instrument of speech, presents mothing
more extraordinary than what we find in any other
miracle. Balaam’s conduct is deservedly called mad-
ness (Tapaºppoviav q. d. Tapd Thu ºppéva, * beside his
mind.” Parkh.), for, notwithstanding this remarkable
occurrence, he was so infatuated with the expecta-
tion of riches and honour, that he blindly persisted
in his intention of cursing the Israelites, till he was
warned by the angei, and even then his repentance
was but momentary. He is justly called a prophet,
394 2 PETER. CHAP. II.
Numb. xxiv. 15, though he abused his prophetical
endowments; having recourse to enchantments and
soothsayings, and being finally slain. Numb. xxiv. 1.
Josh. xiii. 22.
V. 17.—without water, There being few wells,
and little rain, in the Eastern countries, it was a
grievous disappointment to a thirsty traveller, to
come to a well that had no water. The husband-
man was equally disappointed, to see clouds arise
which gave him the prospect of rain, but which,
ending in a tempest, instead of refreshing destroyed
the fruits of the earth. By these comparisons the
Ostentation, hypocrisy, levity, and permiciousness,
of the false teachers are set forth in the strong-
est colours, Jude 12. Mackn. — The best MSS
and Versions for vehéXal read kal daty Nat, Mill.
Griesb. Rosenm. which is more expressive, as sig-
nifying a dark cloud, and thus affording a greater
promise of a fruitful shower, and consequently
a greater disappointment in not producing rain.
Probably vehéAat might have been taken from
Jude 12. -
V. 18. — through much wantonness, Several
MSS have not v before doeXºyetals, in which case it
should be rendered to much wantonness.” Others
have do exºſetas. For 8vra's many read ÖAtºyos. But
this word scarcely occurs in any writer. If such be
the true reading, it must be in the sense of 6Xiyov,
‘ for a little while,” I Pet. i. 6. v. 10. (and some have
8xt you here, Markl, ap. Bowyer) “ those who had
escaped ſor a time the path of error.” Possibly the
common reading was altered, under an idea that the
phrase àv70s & Topvryövt as could not be applied to
those, who had again been led astray: But the ad-
verb does not imply any final conversion, any per-
Tº Tra *d s ºr
<2O
*
* * : * *
JL. It a W_y. IT tº it . It .
• DJ
*_J
severance in the true faith; only that they had really
and actually escaped for a time. — drope'ſ yetv is
followed either by a gemitive or an accusative case,
as appears from 2 Pei. i. 4. ii. 20. and from the best
classical writers. Steph. Thesaur.
W. 19-liberty, By teaching their disciples to
despise government, ver, 10. they promised them
liberty to gratify their lusts without restraint, ver, 18.
which they pretended was the true Christian liberty.
The latter clause, according to Le Clerc, is an
allusion to the antient custom of making those per-
sons slaves, who were conquered and taken in battle;
such men being called servi, because they were
preserved from death, to be made slaves. Justin.
Inst. Lib. I. Tit. 3. Our Lord said to the Jews, who
boasted their freedom, “ whosoever committeth sin,
is the slave of sin.” Joh. viii. 34. See also Rom.
vi. 16–20. Mackm. It is remarkable, how these
words of St. Peter apply to the doctrines of the
French Revolutionists, who professed to set up the
idol of liberty on the ruins of religion. See Russel's
Modern Europe, vol. v 1. p. 385. sqq.
W. 21.—the holy commandment] Bp. Sherlock
understands this of some directions drawn up by
the Apostles, and delivered to the Christians, con-
cerning their conduct, with respect to the false
teachers of that age. But it is capable of a larger
interpretation ; and may he understood of the com-
mandments delivered in general, throughout the
New Testament. Doddr. Mackm. dyta èvroX) iterium
Katº &oxºv est religionis Christianae sancta doctrina.
Rosenm. St. Jude, ver, 3. has Tapačobetan Tiaret.
W. 22.—the dog] This proverb, with great pro-
priety and strength, marks out the sottishness and
396 2 PETER. CHAP. III.
odious manners of wretches enslaved to sensual ap-
petites, and carnal lusts; and the extreme difficulty
of reforming vicious and inveterate habits. Blackw.
vol. II. p. 82. ed. 1737. 12mo. The same learned
critic also remarks, that the words Ös Novoſauévn ets
köAigua 3opſ36pov form almost a moble Iambic. But
on this, as on many occasions, his zeal for the beauty
of the text carries him too far. It is probable, that
the structure of the words was merely accidental;
but even supposing it to have been a metrical pro-
verb, it is difficult to discover in what the noblemess
of it consists. In point of metre, it is not remark-
able for correctness; and the sentiment, though
strongly and appositely describing the character of
the false teachers, is far from elevated.— Benson
supposes, that Horace alludes to these proverbs,
1 Ep. i. 2, 26. Wixisset canis immundus vel amica
luto sus.—The former is found in Prov. xxvi. 11,
C H A P. III.
The Apostle again declares his view in writing these epistles,
and then reminds his brethren, that in the last days scoffers
shall appear, disbelieving the coming of Christ ; but his
coming is nevertheless sure, when this world shall be de-
stroyed, and there will be new heavens and a new earth.
The brethren are therefore erhorted to diligence and sted-
fastness.
V. l. This second ABP. TILLotson has followed
Grotius in conjecturing, that this is the beginning
of a distinct epistle; but besides there being no
evidence of the kind, the manner is too abrupt to
Warrant such a conclusion, and implies that the
second epistle was already begun.
Q PETER CHAP. III. 397
V. 2.—of us the Apostles] Töv droatóXav judov–
verborum trajectio, quae Petro familiaris. Hardy.
Some would translate, “our Apostles; so intending
io make the author of this chapter not an Apostle :
But such a phrase is no where to be found; and
there were no Apostles who belonged peculiarly to
these brethren. It is not impossible, however, that
the pronoun may here be misplaced; it would come
better either before &Too TóNov, or after Kuptov, thus
making it agree with the parallel passage in Jude 17.
Or, it might be clearer still to place judov čvto\ms at
the end of the verse.
W. 3.-in the last days] &r' éaxdºrov Tów muépwu.
There is a doubt, whether these words relate to the
destruction of the Jewish polity, or to the final
judgment. It has been commonly supposed, that
their import depends upon the interpretation of the
following passages: Yet this may not be necessary;
especially as, 1. These scoffers were soon to come,
for otherwise there would have been no occasion to
caution the disciples so particularly respecting them;
and in the days of Jude they actually were come,
wer. 18, 19. and therefore this passage must have
related to some event, or judgment, near at hand.
But 2. It will appear, that many expressions, in the
following passages, can be interpreted only of the
final change. How the two subjects have been here
connected will be explained at ver, 7.-Schleusmer
adopts the reading of the best MSS and Versions.
év éuTaiſywovn êu TalkTat, which is a Hebraism for
great or violent scoffers. (See Mackn. Prelim, Ess.
iv. 27, also his supplement to the same in vol. IV.)
Here the Apostle has laid open the great source of
infidelity, and of men's scoffing at religion. “ They
may pretend to religion, but t
1.
I 1
sense and appetite; and they tak
e
e refuge in infidelitv
8-> y
398 2 PETER. CHAP. III.
and scoff at religion, to make themselves easy in
their vices.” Benson. Mack.n.
V. 4.— all things] i. e. in the creation — the
constitution of the heavens and earth, as the next
verse shews.
V. 5.—willingly] The words will admit of another
interpretation. “ Latet eos qui hoc volunt, i. e. qui
ita censent : Nam 6éAcw Graecis, et velle Latinis,
saepe idem est quod existinare, vel statuere.” Hero-
dianus, geºſovo i öö vTepºpwos AT6AXova eiwat 66Aoutes.
Tullius, “ Quatuor emim maturas ex quo omnia
constare censet, divinitàs esse vult.” Heins. Mede.
Hamm. ex Pol. Syn. But the usual construction is
very intelligible. “ This they wilfully pretend to be
ignorant of.” Wells. The heavens here mentioned
denote the atmosphere, which surrounds this globe,
as appears from the Mosaic account of the creation,
and from wer. 7. 10.
—standing out ovyearða'a, consisting.’ So the
like phrase is used in Greek writers—-ex aq6pov
avvta Tata, it consisteth of different things.’ Aristot.
de Poet. Heraclitus said, Ta Tóvºa €k Twpos avuta Tóvat.
And Thales ék Tow ūčatos avuto Tavat Távra. Pyle.
Consistems. Vulg. Quae condita est. Kypke ex Elsner.
in Col. i. 17. quem vide. Ita Rosenm.
V. 6. Whereby 8. §v, sc. otpavāv kai yº, by the
heavens and earth being so constituted, as to pro-
duce this effect. Wetst. And so Beza. Whitby.
Wolf. Benson. Sub quibus, seu quibus ita existen-
tibus. Krebs. Markl. ad Lys. p. 553. Schl. This
exactly agrees with Gen. vii. 11. Macknight has a
long mote to disprove this, supposing Tov Geov Aéryq)
the antecedent to ºv, either by the plural being put
for the singular, or, by considering the phrase in the
2 PETER. CHAP. III. 399
sense of “God and his word.” But neither of these
suppositions appears to be admissible—kógaos is here
used for the world and its inhabitants. 2 Pet. ii. 5.
W. 7–the heavens and the earth] From the
circumstantial manner in which the final conflagra-
tion of the heavens and the earth is contrasted with
the destruction of the old world, it appears that the
Apostle has given, not a figurative, but a real
representation of what will hereafter take place.
tºs ydp Taxat Sid Tów ovpavóv kal tiſs yns dra,Xeto kata-
KAva 6els ö cóa woe, oùTws avaa tolyetovuévov Tov oupauſov
kai Tàs yns Sud Twpos, duotos of daegers Twopmóña ovtat.
Schol. apud Matthaei. Some however, with Ham-
mond, Lightfoot, Cave, and Wetstein, understand the
passage altogether figuratively, and apply it to the
Jewish state. This opinion has been drawn from the
language of the old prophets, who prefigured future
events in a similar manner by changes in the heavens,
Isai xxxiv. 4. Ezek. xxxii. 7. Joel ii. 10. 30, 31. Amos
viii. 9. Hagg. ii. 6. But in all these predictions, the
context itself proves the language to be figurative ;
and by the same mode of proof St. Peter's words are
to be taken only in a literal sense. The prophets,
moreover, speak merely of wonderful signs in the
heavens ; St. Peter affirms the utter demolition of
this mundame system : And his specific mention
of new heavens and a new earth in ver, 13, is a
further confirmation of this argument. Neither is
it likely, says Benson on ver, 9.. if he had been al-
luding only to the impending destruction of Jeru-
salem, that he would have talked of a thousand years.
Since, then, this passage seemingly alludes to a
period different from that which is referred to
in ver, 3. it remains for us to trace the probable con-
nection between them. The scoffers alluded to above,
.1 -_ _-_ _** ***. ~ 4'42, v. tº . e. * - &
who arose soon after the writing of this epistle,
400 2 PETER. CHAP. III.
clearly expected the coming of Christ to be accom-
panied, or preceded, by great changes in the earth
or heavens ; and it is not unlikely that their persua-
sions on this point were derived from the prophecies
of Christ in Matt. xxiv. xxv. which they interpreted
in a literal manner of the destruction of their state ;
at which time many concluded that Christ would
judge the world, Matt. xxiv. 3. Apprehending,
therefore, that destruction to be very near, they
reproachfully enquired for the promised signs there-
of-the changes of the heavens, and the gathering
of all nations, (too eativ m étrary/exia ; ‘what is become
of the promise?’ &c.) observing, at the same time,
that such a change in the constitution of things had
never been known, and thence implying a disbelief
of the possibility of such events. The Apostle,
instead of a complete refutation of their error,
directs his answer to the latter part of their reproach ;
reminding his converts, that the assertion of no such
change having ever taken place was manifestly and
knowingly false, for it was disproved at once by the
circumstance of the flood : And that event, he adds,
may be regarded as an earnest of the future destruc-
tion of the heavens and earth by fire, at the last day.
St. Peter might hereby intimate, that the above-
mentioned prophecies of Christ are not to be con-
fined to the Jewish polity, but are to be interpreted
also, perhaps chiefly, of the day of judgment; for
which the heavens and the earth are treasured
wp., (quasi in thesaurum divinae justitiae et vindictae
reconditi. Hardy.) It is remarkable, that in these
very prophecies, Noah's flood is expressly mentioned
as an example and a warning, Matt. xxiv. 37–39.,
which renders the instance of this event, on the
present occasion, peculiarly apposite.
V. 8–a thousand years, From Psal. xc, 4. The
9 PETER. CHAP. III. 40}
lapse of ages does not at all affect the accomplishment
of God’s designs ; they are as certain of being ful-
filled, as if they were brought to pass at the very
moment, when they were declared.—See Abernethy’s
Serm. vol. 1. pp. 218, 219. Mackm. Benson.
V. 9.-concerning his promise,] This appears to
be the true version (1 Tim. iii. 15.), áveka being un-
derstood before Tns étrayyeXtas, Camerar. apud Wolf,
&c. Grotius would read tas Širayyexías, without any
authority ; and it was not the promise, but the ful-
filment of it, which these scoffers supposed to be de-
layed. Macknight follows those who join Kºptos with
Tns étrayyeXtas the Lord of the promise ; ” or, ‘ the
Lord who hath promised; yet this is an unnatural
construction. Schleusner supplies the ellipsis by
avatAmpwatv, TeXelajaw v. t. a. but the common accep-
tation is more simple, and the verb Bpaôſva is usually
intransitive. Gueraſ?dºros, duri Toº (3paôus 'ytvoual. Phav.
The phrase eis aeravotav xopmaat is somewhat unusual,
but not unclassical—ets werovoſav ćTi Tois Tpax6etat
xºphoras. Plut. de flumin. de Maeandr. Kypke.
W. 10,-the day of the Lord] This phrase is
general, but more commonly applied either to the de-
struction of Jerusalem, or to the day of Judgment.
Schl. Many of the best MSS and Versions omit the
words évvvcrt. Mill. Wells. Griesb. But Macknight
observes, that there was a Hebrew proverb, com-
paring any sudden and unexpected event, to the
coming of a thief in the night. See Thess. v. 2.
—elements] This cannot properly mean here the
elements of which the earth is composed, because
that is afterwards separately mentioned. Mede,
Wolf, and others interpret it of the heavenly bodies,
and this sense is approved by Whitby and Wells,
who refer to Wisd. viii. 18. The word atoxeta denotes
WOL. II. C C
402 2 PETER. CHAP. III.
the elemental principles of which any thing is formed,
or from which it proceeds (a totyéw, ‘procedo')—Túp,
iſºap, yń, kal amp, dºp' tºy ra adjaara. Hesych. And we
may refer it to oi oºpavo!, which goes before, and
explain it of the electrical matter, the sulphureous
vapours, the clouds, and whatever else floats in the air,
together with the air itself. Mackm. Benson. Rosenm.
—therein, Rather thereon. As Ch. i. 18. Šv Tó
ëpet rô dyiſo, upon the holy mountain.” Baxter on
ver. 10, says, “lt is a marvellous prepossession, that
could make any learned man think, that all these
words signify nothing but the destruction of Jeru-
salem. Benson.
V. ll.—shall be dissolved, Xvouévov. Praes, pro
fut. Sic Ch. ii. 9. Koxagouévows. Buxtorf observes,
Thesaur. Ling. Hebr. p. 94, that among the Hebrews,
“Frequentissima est. . . . temporum commutatio et
enallage, ut praeteriti pro futuro, et futuri pro prae-
terito . . . . in continuatá etiam sententiá, sequens
tempus trahitur plerumque in naturam praecedentis.”
See Mackm. Prelim. Ess. Iv. 10. and his supplement
to the same in vol. IV. Haec verö participiorum
enallage mon Hebraeis tantùm, sed et Graecis scrip-
toribus recepta est. Wolf. So Tijkerat, ver, 12. Karot-
kei, Ver. 13.
W. 12.—-hasting unto] are ſéovras cannot be so con-
strued ; for in whatever sense the day of God be
taken, the brethren could neither be said to hasten
to it of themselves, nor to hasten its approach : It
must signify anxiously desiring,’ and so it is used
by the best classic writers. Pol. Syn. Raphel. Wolf.
Wetst. Ita Eur. Hecub. 1165. arreſów x&ptu Tºv a riv,
‘ favoris tui cupidus.’ et 1191. Tha 3& Kal otewºov xápw
quam verö captans gratiam.” Kypke ubi plura.
This interpretation shews, that we should refer the
2. PETER. CHAP. III.
Ad zºn ºn
expression Tis Toº GeoV maépas to the day of judg-
ment; for there could be little reason why the
brethren should so anxiously desire the miseries
attendant on the destruction of the Jewish state ;
but to the judgment they would look as to a day of
recompence, and cessation from trouble ; which day
would, in effect, to all intents and purposes, coincide
with the day of their death.
—being on fire, That the world is to be destroy-
ed by fire, was the opinion of Anaximander, Anaxa-
goras, Archelaus, Leucippus, and other antient
philosophers : And Burmet (Theor. III. 3. p. 21. ed.
1600.), having considered the antiquity and univer-
sality of this opinion, says, “We have heard, as it
were, a cry of fire through all antiquity, and among
all the people of the earth : But St. Peter describes
it, as if he had been standing by.” Mackm. Benson.
From the words Av6maſovitat and Trike Tat it is plain,
that the Apostle is speaking not of a superficial con-
flagration, but of a total dissolution and collique-
faction of this mundane system. -
W. 13.−his promise,] Isai. lxv. 17. lxvi. 22. The
patriarchs and believing elders were not without the
expectation of such felicity. Gen. xvii. 7. Dan. xii. 2.
Matt. xxi. 31, 32. Acts iii. 21. Gal. iii. 16. 29. Heb. xi.
10–16. Benson. They who apply the foregoing
passages to the destruction of Jerusalem, interpret
this verse figuratively : But it is remarkable, that
Whitby, who opposes the former opinion, should
adopt the latter; for unless the Apostle had intended
the words oºpavows and yńv to be taken in the same
sense as before, he would have been using them
in a most ambiguous manner. And indeed there
was no such change at these times, in regard to the
state of religion, which could be denoted by the
expression a new heavens and a new earth.
C c 2
404 2 PETER. CHAP. III.
Whitby and Macknight satisfactorily shew, that
this verse can have no reference to the Millennium ;
which will happen, as it is supposed, before the
general judgment. I. Our Lord has expressly told
his disciples, that they are not to be received into
the place which he has prepared for them, until his
coming again. 2. The Millennium of St. John is
a state peculiar to the martyrs, Rev. xx. 4, 5, where-
as, the new heavens and the new earth are repre-
sented as the common expectation and desire of all
Christians. 3. The destruction of the heavens and
earth by a conflagration is contemporary with the
day of judgment, ver, 7. and the scripture, in other
places, describes the destruction of the wicked as to
happen at the end of the world. Matt. xiii. 49, 50.
2 Thess. i. 7–10. but the Millennium must be at an
end before the day of judgment. Rev. xx. 11. xxi. 1.
sqq.
W. 15.-hath written] It is not agreed, to what
particular epistle St. Peter here alludes: St. Paul
treated on this subject, Rom. ii. ix. xi. and Heb. x.
They who conclude, with Wells and Wolf, that the
latter is referred to, of course regard this passage
as a proof that the epistle to the Hebrews was
written by St. Paul. See Pref. to Hebr. Benson,
however, well observes, that St. Peter directed his
epistles to the Christians dispersed in Asia Minor,
and therefore the phrase éºypayev Juiv shews that
those epistles of St. Paul are here alluded to, which
were sent to the same persons, i. e. to the Churches
of Asia. For although we find no epistle of St. Paul
actually and immediately directed to any of the
provinces above-mentioned in 1 Pet. i. 1. yet it is
very probable (Eph. i. 1.) that all the epistles, though
addressed in the first instance to peculiar Churches,
were intended for general circulation. And there-
2 PETER. CHAP. III. 405
fore the epistles sent to the Galatians, Ephesians,
Colossians, and to Timothy when at Ephesus, are
justly described as being sent to the Asiatic Churches
in general. We find, in these epistles of St. Faul,
frequent mention of the subjects here treated of
by St. Peter—the day of judgment—the obligation to
holiness and godliness—the future state of righteous-
mess and glory, &c. St. Peter indeed has expressly
declared, that his brother Apostle has spoken of these
things év táaats rais étria roxals. From this last ex-
pression Macknight infers the probability, that
St. Paul was dead, when this epistle was written :
But the phrase might possibly imply no more, than
“ all the epistles which were written at that time; ”
or, “all which St Peter had seen.” Among other
similar passages in St. Paul's writings, see Rom. xiv.
10. 1 Cor. xv. 22. 2 Cor. v. 1–10. Eph. ii. 3. Col. i.
21. Phil. iii. 10. 1 Thess. iii. 13. iv. 14—18. 2 Thess.
i. 7–10. 1 Tim. ii. 4. Tit. ii. 13. Heb. iv. 9. xii.
14–24. Benson cites many more.
V. 16.—in which] Some have understood this as a
charge of obscurity in St. Paul’s mode of writing; but
with the greatest injustice. The common reading év
ots appears to be best supported, which we may re-
fer to Toºrov, and then the sense will be, “ St. Paul
has spoken upon these subjects, which contain some
things hard to be understood.” But even if, with
Mill and Wells, we do read &v als, or, with Mack-
night, refer of to some word not expressed, as
'ypdauaori, it would then only be saying, that the
writings of St. Paul contain matters not easy to
be comprehended. They are dangerous however,
only to the ignorant and unteachable (Heb. v. II.),
to the wavering and insincere, who torture them
(at peſ8Xojaw) to meanings, which they are not de-
signed, or calculated, to bear. And this they do,
*…* †- * * * * * *-* * **, *, *...* * *
with regard to all the other scriptures. Macknight
406 9 PETER. CHAP. III,
observes, that the expression ºrds Notºrds Ypaqids bears
testimony to St. Paul's inspiration ; and that the
manner in which St. Peter here speaks of that Apos-
tle, deserves great praise ; as he had been formerly
rebuked by St. Paul before the brethren at Antioch.
Gal. ii. 11–14.
The inferences of the papists from this passage
are, “That the scriptures are not sufficient for
deciding controversies concerning the articles of
faith ; and that the decision of these matters is to be
sought from the Catholic Church,” by which they
mean the Church of Rome. But the falsehood of
these inferences must be acknowledged by every
candid person, who recollects, that the papists hither-
to have never determined among themselves, what
person or persons, in their Church, can infallibly
judge of controversies; and to whose decision all
Christians ought to submit; whether it is the pope
alone, or the pope in conjunction with his own
clergy, or a general council of Christian bishops, or
any particular council, or any other body of men in
their church, distinguished by a particular denomi-
nation. The truth is, in leaving this undetermined
they have acted wisely ; because all to whom they
have attributed infallibility, whether they were in-
dividuals or bodies of men, have erred in their
decisions, as the papists themselves have been obliged
to acknowledge. Mackm.
V. 18.—To him] This doxology is manifestly
addressed to Christ.
—for ever.] i.e. literally, the day of eternity,”
ets jºépay atóvos, which shews, according to Bengel,
that eternity is a day without night. Mackn. But
nuépa is not here opposed to wº, and denotes only
time in general : So dies in Latin. It is properly
a Hebraism sºy nº to ã diebus seculi' (Buxt.)
‘ of old time.” Ezra iv. 15.
THE
FIRST EPIs TLE GENERAL
OF
J O H. N.
C H A P. [.
This epistle begins with an attestation of Christ's corporeal
existence upon earth ; and proceeds to assure us, that
holiness and virtue are essential parts of the Christian
character ; but yet, that no man can be free from sin.
V. I.--from the beginning.] "AI'dpxis, ‘from the
first establishment and promulgation of the gospel.”
So Luke i. 9. dar’ dpxms airóTrat.-Joh. xv. 27. Acts
i. 22. and in this epistle, Ch. ii. 7. 24. iii. 11. Whitby.
Also 2 Joh. ver, 5. Thus Mackn. Rosenm. But Bp.
Bull and many other distinguished critics understand
the phrase of the beginning of the world, which
sense it bears in Ch. iii. 8. Yet even if this should
not be the true interpretation here, the doctrine
which it contains is implied in ver. 2. #Tis fiv Tpós Tov
Tatépa.
—we have seen] The author of this epistle speaks
in the name of all the apostles and disciples, who
had ocular proof of the fact asserted. That the
author was John the Evangelist appears, 1. From
the concurring voice of antiquity. Wetst, Lardn.
Mackn. 2. From the internal evidence of the epistle
itself, and from the sentiments and style bearing
a remarkable resemblance to those of the gospel of
408 1 JOHN. CHAP. I.
St. John. In many instances the expressions are
nearly the same: Compare, among others, Ch. ii. 8.
iii. 11. of the epistle, with Ch. xiii. 34. of the gospel—
Ch. ii. 8. with i. 5. 9. –iii. 8. with viii. 44.—iv. 9, with
iii. 16.—iv. 12, with i. 18.-v. 13. with xx. 31—v. 14.
with xiv. 14. See Macknight's Preface to this epistle.
St. John’s not mentioning his name, is no argument
against this conclusion; for he studiously avoids the
mention of it in his gospel, Ch. xiii. 28. xix. 26. 35.
Hamm. His declarations, moreover, are not made
in his own name, but are general. See Pref. to
Hebr. Obj, 1.
—looked upon, Non est tautologia, sed amplius
aliquid significat Tó 6eao Bat, (i. e. Spectare) quâm
videre : “Quod ego his oculis widi, iddue mon seme},
neque obiter, sed quod ego veré et penitus sum con-
templatus; me praestigias aliquas fuisse existimetis.”
Beza. Wells. Herodotus, in a similar manner, dis-
tinguishes between opáto and 6edouat – td ačv vov
petéopa Töv otkhudºrov avTot Te épéowev êtečovres, Kal
avrot bema duevot Aéryowev. II. 148. Raphel. Wolf. Wetst.
Sic Aul. Gell, v. 14. Ipsum sese. . . . widisse oculīs
suis. Rosenm.
—hands have handled, Doddridge refers this to
Thomas; it will likewise apply to all the Apostles,
for they had frequent opportunities of handling their
Master, so as to know that he had a real body. See
Luke xxiv. 29. “Handle me and see, for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have ;” which
was addressed to them all, and even after the resur-
rection. Mackm. These words of St. Luke, as well
as the present passage of St. John, were especially
designed to subvert the motion of the Docetae and
others, who held that Christ existed in appearance
only, and not as a bodily substance (&okºrns à èokeiv,
‘ to appear.”)
—the Word of life; A Hebraism for the living
1 JOHN. CHAP. I. 409
word. Joh. i. 4, 14. Mackm. Yet in this case it
would probably have been row @vros, as 9eoſ, toº
@vtos, Matt. xvi. 16. et passim. It may rather mean,
“Jesus Christ, the author and the principle of life—”
qui est essentialitër ipsa vita, et causalitër fons et
auctor vitae. Hardy. Ita Schol. apud Matthaei. Tºs
avtoKońs Tms Tnya Kočans To Çnv. See also Bp. Bull,
De necessitate credemdi, cap. II. §. 5. Whitby says,
that 6 Aóryos and n (o), absolutely put, are spoken of
Christ, but that 6 Aéryos Tns (wns is never used con-
cerning the person of Christ. The fact is, that this
phrase never occurs at all elsewhere: When the
reference is only to the written word, or the gospel,
it is used without the article, as A6-yov Çons étréxovires.
Phil. ii. 16. And St. John is evidently speaking of a
person. Joh. xi. 25. xiv. 6.
W. 2–with the Father. It is plain, that j (or,
in this, as in the former verse, denotes the person of
Christ (Benson.), and therefore the phrase #ris my
Tpós Tov Tatépa is a confirmation of his pre-existence.
—n Çor) m aid vios eternae salutis auctor.” Rosenm.
W. 3.−have fellowship] kowovía is here used in
its most extensive sense, for a common bond of
union—“ that ye may be of the same society with
us,” partaking of the same blessings, enjoying the
same spiritual communications—kowovíav ćxeuv idem
quod koivovely, 1 Pet. iv. 13. Hardy. In declaring
God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ to be the
head of this community, the Apostle might intend to
contrast the dignity and advantages of the Christian
society with the vain and degraded rites of heathen
fellowships (kowovia, sodalitia). Mackn.
V. 5.- God is light, This is a figurative ex-
pression, to signify the most perfect immaculate
410 1 JOHN. CHAP. I.
purity—a kotta, darkness,’ is directly the contrary,
a mixture of all impurity. Rom. xiii. 12. St. John
here especially opposes the corrupt doctrines and
practices of the Gnostics, who nevertheless called
themselves TéAetol, OT yvajo Tukot : And, though living
in a sink of all uncleanness, say they have not
sinned. ver. 10. Hamm. Our translators justly pre-
fer the reading of dy'yeXta to that of éirayyeXta.
Wells. Wetst. Matthaei. Griesb.
W. 6. If we say] Verbo aut animo. Estius.
—and do not the truth :] Amant Hebraei, ctim
quid valde affirmare volunt, verbo aliquo posito,
addere negationem contrariam. Grot. Joh. iii. 21.
Elsley on Joh. i. 20.
W. 7.—one with another, Some would read aer'
airov, with him,' which either is the true reading,
or leads to the true sense of the common reading,
“we have communion with God, and God with us.”
—as is evident from ver, 6.-Of this communion the
Apostle speaks, Ch. ii. 5, 6, 24. iii. 24. iv. 13. Whitby.
Benson. Ut nos amemus Deum, et nos amemur ab
eo. Rosenm.
—from all sin.] From the guilt and punishment
of sin. Benson. Mackn. Rosenrn.
V. 9. If we confess] i. e. with sorrow, and a full
purpose of amendment, with which a humble and
sincere confession will always be attended.
—faithful and just] Many commentators here
render étratos merciful, but it seems rather to be
used in its common signification. For a promise
(when its conditions are performed), confers a right
on those, to whom it is made : And therefore when
God has once promised, he is not only (triaros
‘ faithful”) a Being of the strictest veracity, but he
J J OHN. CHAP. II. 41]
looks upon it as just to perform his engagements.
(See Gataker’s M. Antonin, ed. Wits. p. 350.) Ben-
son.—This so evidently refers to our confessing
sins to God, and not to the priest, that one could
hardly forbear being astonished, that it ever should
have been urged in behalf of auricular confession,
if it were not for the many examples we have of
such shameful and preposterous reasoning, in the
arguments which are pleaded in favour of popery.
Doddr.
W. 10. If we say] If with the Nicolaitans we say,
that we have not sinned by any thing we have done,
because all actions are free to us, (the gospel, as
they maintain, forbidding no particular vices,) we
endeavour to make God a liar ; who, by appointing
his Son to die for a propitiation, and by promising to
pardon us on account of that propitiation, hath de-
clared that we are sinners; consequently his word
is not in us. Mackm. See Psal. cxliii. 2. 1 Kings
viii. 46.
C. H. A. P. II.
Though Christ is the propitiation for our sins, it is indis.
pensable for us to keep his commandments, and especially
to be filled with brotherſy love. The Apostle severally
addresses himself to Christians of every condition, and
dissuades them from a love of the world: He concludes with
a description of the antichrists, and injoins his brethren to
abide in the true faith.
V. I —that ye sin moi..] To discourage, or pre-
vent, you from sinning ; to shew you that wilful
and habitual sin is not tolerated under the gospel
412 1 JOHN. CHAP. II.
(as some hereticks pretend), but is incompatible
with it.
—an advocate] trapdkArrow (ā trapakaxeſv, * patro-
cinium alicujus implorare’) advocatum, one who
defends and pleads for another in time of need—
Nomen Christo tribuitur opposité ad diabolum, qui
dicitur katiyopos, ‘accusator sive calumniator.” Apoc.
xii. 10. Cameron. apud Pol. Syn. See also Elsley on
Joh. xiv. 16.
—the righteous :] Innocentem et sanctum, et
quidem perfectissimè, qui Patri per omnia placet, ac
reconciliatore prose non eget; neque enim idoneus
est advocatus, qui ipse sit reus: Qui meretur ex-
audiri, quique justè pro peccatis nostris satisfecit.
Pol. Sym. Vide Cap. 1. 9. Töv 8tkatov, Conject.—
Markl. Bowyer,
W. 2–the propitiation] In the Old Testament,
the sin-offering, which made atonement for a trespass
that it might be forgiven, is called 6 kptós Too i\agaoû,
‘ the ram of atonement,” Numb. v. 8, and that which
in the law is ºpépetv, or Tpoo dyew, Tó Tepi duaprias, is
in Ezekiel Tpoo pépetv Aaguóv, to bring an atonement
or propitiation.” Ch. xliv. 27. In 2 Macc. iii. 33. IXaa-uds
has the same sense. It occurs again in Ch. iv. 10.
of this epistle, and no where else in the New Testa-
ment. Jesus Christ was our propitiation in the same
sense, as were all the sin-offerings of the Jews for
them, viz. by suffering in our stead, to make atone-
ment for our sins, and so to render God propitious
to us in the forgiveness of them. Whitby. See
Rom. iii. 25.
W. 3– we know] Frequentissima wox yuaſareas
repetitur, quam Gnostici jactabant. ver. 4, 5, 13, 14.
18. 29. iii. 1, 6, 24. iv. 2. 6. 13. Wetst. The only true
knowledge is that which leads to obedience.
1 JOHN. CHAP. II. 413
| Sam. ii. 12. Hos. v. 4. Jer. ii. 8. ix. 3. Tit. i. 16.
Also Jer. xxii. 15, 16. xxiv. 7, Joh. x. 4. Eph. iii. 19.
Whitby.
V. 5.— the love of God] i. e. his love towards
God, as Joh. v. 42. 1 Joh. v. 3. Whitby. Terexeſoral,
‘ is brought to perfection;’ the advances to perfec-
tion being measured by the purity of his life.
W. 6.—abideth in him, This phrase, which so
often occurs in St. John’s writings, is founded on
our Lord’s discourse, Joh. xv. 1–10. and particu-
larly on ver. 10. “If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my
Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”
Wherefore, to be in Christ is to be the object of
Christ's love ; and to abide in Christ is to continue
in his love, by keeping his commandments.-It
seems, that the false teachers boasted of their abid-
ing in Christ through the power of knowledge.
Mackn. -
V. 7.—no new commandment] The old command-
ment is referred by Macknight to ver, 5. by which
he understands the word, or command, of God de-
livered to the Israelites, Deut. xviii. 15. and the new
commandment, spoken of in the next verse, he refers
to ver. 6. observing, that it is new in regard to the
measure and the patterm of their obedience, since
they are injoined to walk as Christ walked. This con-
struction, however, appears somewhat confused and
ambiguous.-Hammond, Whitby, Benson, and most
other commentators have referred both the 7th and
8th verses to what follows in the 9th, to Christian
love, which in some senses was an old command-
ment, in others a new one. It was old, as having
been injoined by the Mosaic law, “Thou shalt love
414 1 JOHN. CHAP. II.
thy neighbour as thyself.” And yet (TóAlv, at-
tamen et.” Grot.) other circumstances and consi-
derations entitled it to the appellation of new ; both
with respect to Christ and themselves, (6 at-ly dA)0és
év avrò kai év Juiv.). 1. Christ, having chased away
the clouds of darkness by his incomprehensible love to
mankind, laid upon them a new obligation to love
one another ; and since the true light was shining
with increasing splendour, owing to the accomplish-
ment of prophecies, that obligation was continually
receiving additional force. 2. It was new to them,
8-) & &
as having been seldom and imperfectly received ;
whereas they were bound to imitate the perfect love
of Christ. See Bp. Horsley’s Sermon on Joh. xiii. 34.
also 2 Joh. v. 6.
V. 10.—stumbling in him :] ºr airſº, to him.”
Mackm. Prelim. Ess. 163. Év abundat, Grot. Rather
“There is no occasion of stumbling in him.” Wells.
See Joh. xi. 9, 10. Malevolence blinds a man’s
reason to such a degree, that he doth not see what
is right; it extinguishes every virtuous inclimation,
and puts him wholly under the power of anger and
revenge. Mackn. Doddr.
W. 12–little children, Wolf understands rekvía
of Christians in general, Tatēta of those who were
either young in years, or lately converted to Chris-
tianity. And it is unlikely that these two words
should have occurred so near together, in exactly
the same sense. The former is used generally in
ver. I. of this chapter, where the phrase is similar;
and the expression dºpéovtat vuòv at duapriat does not
apply with any peculiar propriety to children, but to
Christians of every denomination : The context also
furnishes a good reason, why these words should be
immediately connected with ver, 11. because the
1 JOHN. CHAP. II. 445
remission of sins, through the name of Christ, is
a main argument to Christians for the exercise of
mutual love. This use of the word Tekvia might not
improbably suggest to the Apostle the idea of ad-
dressing himself to the three gradations of Christians,
denominated by children, young men, and fathers.
Tatēta uév /dp kaxel, Toºs etorayoyºyov waſ nudºrov
êeouévovs’ TaTépas ôé Tows uéaos éxoviras Tris 0etas
Tatēečgews' weaviakovs 86, Tovs Katd Töv Tabov tºs
dTijutas GTpatevouévous, kal Katd too 8tagóAov TpóTata
ºpépoviras. Schol. apud Matthaei.
But still, there is much ambiguity left, on account
of the tautology remarkable in the following verses.
Many with reason adopt the conjecture of Doddridge,
and suppose, from the great similarity of expressions,
that some were corrections of others; and that,
by mistake, all of them, original as well as corrected,
were received into the text: And there does appear
altogether, from MSS and Versions, no small un-
certainty respecting the true reading. A consistent
interpretation of the passage might be obtained,
by omitting the two first clauses of ver, 13. as far as
Töy Townpou, and by beginning it with &ypala waiv
Tatóta, instead of Ypdºpa, which reading is supported
by some of the best authorities, and it will agree
with what follows. (Griesbach indeed observes, “ La-
tini tām Ypdºpo quam éypaya vertunt scriboº-it
may often be so, but the version can hardly con-
tinue the same, where the tense is so suddenly
changed.) ypápo, in ver, 12. is used in conformity
with ºver. I. and én/paylºa may denote a certain change
or extension of the subject, “I have undertaken to
write, &c.” This construction is supported by the
context: The Apostle wrote to the new converts,
because they had known the Father; to the elders,
because they had known him from the first (or
rather, “ him that had been preached to them from
416 1 JOHN. CHAP. II.
the first” viz. Jesus Christ,) to those who had been
long converted, but not from the beginning, he
wrote, because they were strong in the faith, and
had overcome the wicked one. He wrote to en-
courage and admonish them all ; whence it is plain,
that even those who had overcome, might fall into
sin. A similar construction might be obtained by
omitting ver. 14, and retaining ver, 13. and then
there would be no change of tense, and more regula-
rity in the gradation—After all, many may be satis-
fied with the observation in Hardy, “Haec non est
otiosa repetitio, Sed utilis resumptio argumenti, ad
attentionem excitandam.”
W. 15.-the world, i. e. in opposition to the
gospel, as appears from ver, 16. So Joh. xv. 19.
Rom. xii. 2, kógaov, Tiju kooratkºv ©i\méovíav kai čićxvow
Xéºyet, is éotiv ćpxov 6 ëld Goxos. Schol. ut suprä. Sic
Philo. Jud. F ragm. duſkavov avvvrapkeiv Tiju Tpós
Káanov dyātmy tº Tpós Tov eedy dyath. Pyle.
W. 16.-the lust] $110wata rather signifies here the
indulgence, or the objects, of desire. So Tibúumaa.
Ezek. xxiv. 16. Parkh. Schl. Comp. ver. 15, 17.
Some confine m &tièvuta Töv 640a)\!wów to lascivious
excess, as Matt. v. 28. 2 Pet, i. 14. Others to covetous-
ness, Matt. vi. 23. but there is no reason why it
should not be extended to all those objects, by which
evil desires may be excited through the medium
of the eye.
—the pride of life, That ambitious turn of mind,
by which men are prompted to engage in all those
pursuits, which will supply materials for their vanity,
and enable them to make a figure in the world.
Doddr. Wolf. It applies to every thing that engen-
ders pride and boasting.—The Apostle shews us, in
the end of this verse, that though God, as our
1 JOHN. CHAP. i I. 4}
7
ha
l
Creator, is the author of our natural appetites, the
ai)use of them “is of the world.”
V. 18.-antichrist shall come, At that time—in
the last hour. And this being represented as the
character, by which they might know that the last
hour was now come, it is manifest that the last hour
cannot signify the end of the world, or include the
times of the last judgment, but must be restrained to
the last times of the Jewish state, which only were then
instant, or near at hand. Whitby. So Grot. Hamm.
Lightf. Benson. Mackm. Schöettgenius and others
have interpreted €ax4+m épa by periculosa, pessima,
et abjectissima tempora,’ induced perhaps by the
authority of Suidas. Wolf. Rosenm. Doddridge
paraphrases thus : “The last dispensation God will
ever give to the world is now promulgated.”—The
former is the true meaning. See Dr. Wells in loc.
The word du-typiatos is no where found, but in
St. John’s first and second epistles. It may have
two meanings : For if the preposition divºr signifies
in place of the name will demote one who puts him-
self in the place of Christ; consequently antichrist
is a false Christ : But if dyr implies opposition, anti-
christ is one who opposeth Christ. The persons to
whom this epistle was written, had heard of the
coming of antichrist in both these senses. For the
first sort of antichrists were foretold by our Lord,
Matt. xxiv. 5, the second, Matt. xxiv. 1. From
what St. John hath written in ver, 22. of this chapter,
and Ch. iv. 3. 2 Ep. 7, we may infer, that by anti-
christ he meant those false prophets, or teachers,
who were foretold by our Lord to arise about the
time of the destruction of Jerusalem, and who were
now gone abroad. When the Apostle mentions these
false teachers collectively, he calls them the anti-
£hrist, in the singular number, as St Paul called
* () I.. I [. D D
4.18 1 JOHN, CHAP. II.
the false teachers collectively, of whom he prophesied,
2 Thess. ii. 3. the man of sin. But when St. John
speaks of these teachers as individuals, he calls them
many antichrists. Mackm. after Benson. And thus
Schleusner.
Whitby explains the many antichrists of un-
believing Jews opposing Christianity ; but we may
rather understand them to be apostates, who had
once professed themselves Christians, and brought in
permicious, heretical notions. Doddr. The next
verse corroborates this latter opinion, for éé judov
čij}\6ou properly signifies “ they went out from us
Christians.”
V. 19.—not all “All are not of us who profess
to be so " (Doddr.). Rather, “They all are not of us,”
i. e. mone of them are of us : As in ver. 21. Tav rej-
êos ék The dN,0etas owk att, “no lie is of the truth.”
—ojk &v to 60m Tao'a ordpå, no flesh should be saved.”
Matt. xxiv. 22. Rom. iii. 20. Gen. iv. 15. Ps. cxlii. 2,
Luke i. 37. Whitby. Wells.
W. 20.—have an unction] Under the law, persons
called to offices, to the execution of which singular
endowments were requisite, were anointed with
perfumed oils. Exod. xxix. 7. xl. 9. 19. This unction,
though applicable to spiritual gifts of every kind
under the gospel, may have here an especial refer-
ence to the gift of discerning spirits, according to
Ch. iv. l. Mackm.
—from the Holy One, i. e. a Christo, qui Sanctus
peculiariter dicitur, ut Luc. i. 35. imõ verö peculia-
riter Sanctus Sanctorum, i. e. Sanctus Sanctissimus.
Dail. ix. 24. Sed et Deo Patri hoc tribui potest,
qui mos ungat in Filio, et peculiariter etiam dicitur
ab Hebraeis tºp. Vel etiam Spiritui Sancto, qui
Sanctus propriè dicitur ab hoc eflectu : Est emim
l J O LIN. CHAP. II. 4} {}
Dei virtus essentialis, ut qui et inse sit Patri et Filio
ðuooſatos et aequalis per omnia, quo nos Pater ungit
in Filio. Beza. Whitby agrees with the first of
these interpretations, and supports it by Acts iii. 14.
Rev. iii. 7. And this was probably the Apostle's
meaning, as in ver. 27. So Wells. Doddr. Mack-
night adopts the latter sense, and supposes ºrvetuatos
understood. Jesus himself was anointed with the
Holy Ghost, Acts x. 38. The expression is true in
all these senses. The Spirit was promised “ to teach
them all things,” Joh. xiv. 26, and “to guide them
into all truth,” Joh. xvi. 13. Hamm. Intellige ergo
hic omnia illa, quae sunt necessaria ad salutem, et
ad vitandos tales impostores. Grot. Beza. Wolf.
Travta is used in this limited sense, I Cor. ix. 22.
XV. 27.
V. 22.—a liar, The liar, or deceiver. & Speiſa Tºys
is the same with d dyrºxptazos, which follows.
Dr. Middleton.
—that denieth the Father] To deny the Father
here, is not to deny him to be the true God,
as the heathens did ; but to deny, I. The truth of
his testimony, Ch. v. 10. Joh. iii. 33. 2. The doctrine
of the Father, or that doctrine which proceedeth from
him, for “ he whom God hath sent, speaketh the
words of God.” Joh. iii. 34. Whence it is evident,
that he who denieth the Son, cannot retain the
true knowledge of the Father, because he can be
known only through the Son. Joh. i. 18. iv. 23, 24.
viii. 19. 55. xiv. 6, 7. xvi. S. Matt. xi. 27. Whitby.
Dicebant Christum esse merum phantasma ; Ne-
gabant igitur eum matum, mortuum, et resuscitatum
fuisse, quia haec humilitas eos offendebat. Wetst.
W. 23.−hath not] The phrase où8é tov Tatépa éxe.
is elliptical : We have it in its complete form, Rom.
In D $2
420 1 JOHN. CHAP. II.
i. 28. Top Geów éxew év étrºyva aet, wherefore očé éxel is
here properly turned, doth not acknowledge, whicl
appears also from its being opposite to denying.
The Syriac has “neque in patrem credit.” Mackm.
That part of the verse, which appears in Italics in
our translation, though not found in the common
Greek copies, appears in many of the best MSS and
Versions, and is admitted by Matthaei, Wells, and
Griesbach. See also Mill and Wetstein.
W. 24.—ye have heard] The grammatical con-
struction may be made out, either by taking vacis
absolutely (ad vos autem quod attinet. Hebraism.),
or by admitting a trajection, for 3 obv Jaels incoiſaate.
See Raphel on ver. 27. Some however suppose, from
this and ver, 27. that the Apostle ended his sentence
differently from what he intended when he began it.—
Incipit enim orationem quasi dicturus, ‘‘ vos quod
ab initio audistis retinete; ” sed pro illo retincte
posuit, quod idem valet, ananeat in vobis. Rosenm.
W. 25.-eternal life.] T}v Çojv Tiju aidſvtov. Phrasis
solaeca videtur—at recte jam monuit Grotius, phrasin
hanc similem esse illi “ urbem quam statuo, vestra
est,” Virg. AEm. 1. 577. Wolf. Thus on I Pet. ii. 7.
This promise John has recorded in his gospel,
Ch. v. 25. vi. 27. xvii. 1, 2, Whitby. Mackn. Benson
ingeniously supposes, that the accusative case is here
put in opposition with étrayycAtav understood after ºv.
W. 26.-that seduce you..] Töv TXavoſvrov, who
<could deceive you.’ Wells. Blackw. Doddr. We
have a similar construction in Rom. ii. 1. 1 Tim. iv.
10. Joh. i. 9. Heb. ii. 9. Rev. xii. 9. Benson.
W. 27—nced not It appears, I. That when
St. John said to his disciples, “ ye have no need that
1 JOHN. CHAP. II. 4:3
any one should teach you,” his meaning was, that
they had no need to be taught how to distinguish
pretenders to inspiration, from those who were
really inspired. This the connection shews plainly.
2. That the persons who had no need of this kind of
teaching, were those who had an unction from the
Holy Spirit; and especially those, who possessed the
gift of discerning Spirits ; different gifts and powers
being bestowed on different persons. I Cor. xii. 10.
The Apostle therefore did not mean to say, that
Christians in general had no need of being taught
the doctrines of the gospel, in the ordinary method,
but that those who had received this unction, with a
view of enabling them to discern the Spirits, had no
need of any human assistance, or direction, for this
purpose.—The Quakers and other fanatics, who infer
that all believers have still an unction, or inspiration,
from the Holy Ghost, and hold that such inspiration
is superior to the scriptures, are in a most dangerous
error ; as they dignify the productions of their own
distempered brain with the name of revelations of
the Spirit. They also err greatly from the truth,
who, on pretence that the inspiration of the Spirit
is continued to believers in every age, contend that
the outward ministry of the word, by pastors and
teachers set apart for the office, and even the
scriptures themselves, are unnecessary in the Church.
Holding such principles, is it any wonder that these
enthusiasts and fanatics have fallen into the grossest
extravagances, and licentiousness 7 Mackm.
Bp. Lavington cites some curious passages from
the writings of Whitefield, on this subject; from
which it appears, that the impostor had been obliged,
in a great measure, to give up his pretension to
inspiration : “I find I have frequently wrote and
spoke too much in my own spirit, when I thought I
was writing and speaking entirely by the assistance
4.2.2 1 JOHN. CHAP. II.
of the Spirit of God .... I have likewise too mucli
made impressions, without the written word, my
rule of acting.” See Part II. of the “Enthusiasm
of Methodists and Papists compared.” p. 80. A
similar confession would be suitable in many other
cases.—Against those who maintain, that such an
inspiration supersedes the necessity of a Christian
ministry, Doddridge well remarks, that the Christian
ministry was in the highest repute in the Church,
when the gifts of the Spirit were poured down upon
it in the greatest abundance.
W. 28. And now, kal has an illative sense,
wherefore. Macku. Hoc jam est momentis. Grot.
Nunc igitur. Some have unnecessarily taken vºv as
an expletive. It may signify, “under such circum-
stances, in such a case : " With this the English
idiom agrees ; “Come now let us reason together,”
where the Greek is kal Score. Isai. i. 18. In Psal. ii.
10. we have, kal vov gºvere. In the present passage,
however, the adverb may have its usual acceptation
—kal vºv “quamdiu in his terris vivitis;” opponitur
emim “ quum veniet in adventu ejus.” Rosenm. Wells.
W. 29.-born of him.] yeyévrntat, ‘ hath been
begotten,’ says Macknight; who observes, that born
of God is an idea no where else found in scripture.
And it is remarkable, that in all those passages of
similar import, where we find the expression “born
of God,” “ born again,” the verb is 'yevvda, and not
'ytvo/wal, Ch. iii. 9. iv. 7. v. 1. 4. Joh. iii. 3–8. I Pet.
i. 23. &c. In the passage before us, the figure is
applied to believers, who are righteous ; sometimes
it is applied to all those who are members of the
visible Church of God, without any regard to their
qualifications; the title was so applied to the Israel-
itish nation. Exod. iv. 22. Deut. xiv. 1.
C HAP. III.
The Apostle proceeds to shew, that the sons of God must be
pure, that a life of sin is incompatible with their privileges
and profession ; and he again inculcates at length the neces-
sily of mutual ſove.
W. I.--what manner] TIOTAHOs, qualis quan-
tusque, how great and of what kind. Parkh. Quâm
insigne amoris documentum. Schl.
—should be called] Several of the best MSS and
Versions add kal équev, which was probably received
into the text here from a marginal comment, or from
the next verse: The words k\m66aev kal éguev would
not agree in point of construction. Wolf. The
former includes the latter—“ he acknowledges us to
be his sons, and gives us the privileges that belong
to such.” Hamm. So Thucyd. v. 9. Aakedatuovtov
avuudyovs KékXma-6at, “ to be called the allies of the
Lacedaemonians,’ i.e. really to be so, and to have the
honour and benefit of that title. See Parkh. on kaAéa,
and Benson, who quotes, among other passages, a
speech of Juno to Jupiter from Hom. Il. 3. 60. ka?
oùveka aº Tapdrottis kék\maat. Wide Eustath. in loc.
It appears from the preceding verse, that the Apostle
alludes to those, who actually were the sons of God
“ by doing righteousness.”
W. 2.—when he shall appear, Whitby has abun-
dantly shewn, that édv often signifies when. Judg.
vi. 3. 1 Sam, i. 22. Prov. iii. 24. Joh. xii. 32. xiv. 3.
xvi. 7. See also Adam Clarke’s Pref. to Rom. p. 21. n.
and Hoogev. Ch. xvi. 9. §. 5. Schleusner remarks,
that si has the same sense in Latin, Virg. AEm. v. 61.
Cic. Verr. Iv. 1 1. vide Muret, ad Catull. xiv. 17. The
424 i J U H. N. CHAP. i iſ,
old English Version has, “when it shall appear,” to
which Benson inclines, in order to avoid, what cer-
tainly is very uncommon, the usage of a verb both
as a personal and impersonal in the same verse :
though he candidly cites an instance of this usage
from Juv. Sat. xi. 199. In effect, the sense is much
the same, because at the manifestation of Christ, it
will appear what we shall be.—Macknight observes,
that the Apostle is speaking not of a transient, but
an abiding sight of Christ; for a transient view
would not be a reason for our being like him. See
also Tillotson’s Serm. 132. and Sen. Epist. 102, on
divine light. Doddr.
W. 3.--as he is purc.] kaflajs similitudinem iterüm
significat, non autem paritatem. Quis enim ita purus
est ut Deus (Christus), in cujus conspectuipsi etiam
angeli sordent, si cum ipso comparentur, Job. iv. 17.
Ideo non dicit ifyvaev purificavit, sed dyvićet puri-
Jicat ; ut puritatis studium, non autem perfectam
aliquam puritatis &ly significari intelligamus. Neque
ex hoc activo verbo statuendum est, purificationis
facultatem esse nobis a matură insitam, quim tota
sit a gratiã, mos a peccati servitute asserente, et
creamte in nobis velle et faccre. Beza. It is said
also of God, that we must be holy as he is holy, and
perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Vain
then is that objection of the Socinians, that were
Christ truly God, we could not possibly expect, nor
therefore would it be our duty, to imitate him ; for,
seeing the example of God himself is made the
matter of our imitation, the argument must equally
conclude against the imitation of God the Father.
In a word, a likeness to him, as far as human frailty
will permit, may be our duty, though he should be
God; a perfect likeness to him, who did no sin, could
never be our duty, though he were but man. Whitby.
J J OHN. CHAP. IIH. 423
V. 4.— committeth sinj i. e. wilfully and habi-
tually. Beza. Mackm. &c. Thus Ch. ii. 1. va u :)
duºprºte “that ye should not live in sin.” See Rom.
ii. 1. The hereticks, whom the Apostle is refuting,
maintained that knowledge was sufficient to secure
the favour of God, and reserved to themselves the
liberty of sinful indulgences: Such persons not only
transgress, but renounce their allegiance to, the ſaw
of God. (dvouía has a stronger sense than Tapavonia.
Doddr.)
V. 5.-take away our sins ; The phrase aipeiv
duaprias, as used in a Levitical sense, signifies, to
take away the guilt and punishment of sin;’ and so
it is used of Christ, Joh. i. 29. 1 Pet. ii. 24. (See
Ch. ii. 2. Rom. iii. 25.) But here, as the context
shews, it denotes our being purified from the power
and dominion of sin. Rom. vi. 6. And so the neces-
sity of holiness is built on the doctrine of the atone-
ment. Hamm. Whitby. Doddr. Mackn. Rosenm.
V. 6.-hath not seen him, Macknight imagines,
that the hereticks had boasted of their ocular know-
ledge of Christ ; but édépakey and é/vokev are here
taken in a figurative sense, as in Joh. vi. 46. 3 Joh. I 1.
“Hath never duly considered, nor understood, his
character, so as that he should “ dwell in him and
he in him,” wer. 24. Tooto yap &oti 'yvíoats & Two Tmuovuk)
kai évôtd.6e Tos Katavómats 9eow, Tô pº daap+dvew. Schol.
apud Matthaei.
W. 7. — that doeth righteousness] So Xenoph.
Mem. Iv. 6. §. 6. oikoup of ye Tá číkata Totovytes číkatót
early ; Wolf. This book of the Memorabilia abounds
with similar sentiments.-13enson observes, that this
verse entirely overthrows the doctrine of imputed
righteousness. For Christ was righteous, mot by
496 | J O II N. CHAP. III.
imputed righteousness, but by his own personal
holiness.
V. 9.—his seed] The word of God. Benson. Schl.
Rosenm. This sense is, doubtless, comprehended in
a Tépua, but the word seems to require a more ex-
tended interpretation. Being commected with the
expression yeyevvmuévos ék Too €eod, it probably de-
notes generally a principle of life.” Doddridge
paraphrases thus; “An immortal principle implanted
by God in the heart.” And thus Parkhurst; “A
vital principle of a holy life, derived from the Spirit
of God by means of his word.” To Twevaaraków X4-
to A1C1, 8 uérov čv juïr, avettöckTow duaprias Töv votiv
Totòt. Schol. ut suprā.
—cannot sin, Raphel and Doddridge cite many
instances to shew, that the plurase ov Čºvarat is some-
times used with great latitude : But it should be
likewise observed, that the word sin is so used several
times in this epistle, denoting a wilful and habitual
indulgence in sin; and in this sense it is true, that
a child of God, while he continues such, cammot
possibly sin; because, he that deliberately and habi-
tually “allows himself” in the commission of evil,
cannot be born of God. That mone are free from
sim, is plainly asserted in Ch. i. 8.
It cannot be hence inferred, that it is impossible
for the saints to fall away; for the numerous exhor-
tations and threatenings, contained in this epistle,
shew not only the possibility, but the danger of
falling away. Whoever would see “the possibility
of the saints falling away ” proved at large, may
consult Episcopius on this place. Benson. Thus
Whitby from Gataker: “He that is born of God
sinneth mot,” i. e. vitam a peccato immunem, quan-
tum potest, sibi propomit; mec peccato unquam sponte
dat operam : Si aliquando praeter animi propositum
1 JOHN. CHAP. III. 427
deliquerit, non eodem persistit; sed errore agnito
ad institutum vitae pristinum, quâm primūm quantùm-.
que potest, festimus revertitur. Wetstein has many
parallel passages from Seneca. Epist, 72. 121. De
Benef. vi. 21. See also Hammond, who quotes thus
from Memander, among others — ºcatos &Sucev ovk
€7tara Tat TpóTos.
V. 10.—children of the devil : ] Hebraică loquendi
formulá, filium alicujus dici, qui opera alicujus facit,
sive ad exemplar ejus se componit (ut Joh. viii. 41.),
rectè observat et ostendit Cl. Schöettgenius, Hor.
Hebr. p. 1058. Neque tamen Graeci ab efi aliemi esse
censendi sunt, quod vel ex proverbiali illā formulā,
Toº Tattpos to trauðtov, constat. Wolf.
— his brother.] Hominem quemvis, ex naturá
legis evangelicas. Hardy. That the word should be
taken in this general sense, and not as denoting
merely a Christian brother, appears from ver, 15. 17.
W. 12. Not as Cain, There may either be an
ellipsis here—ow katºs Káiv (6.) ék Toº Tovmpov ºv, as
Joh. viii. 44. (subaudimus ºnw8 ex Hebræorum more.
Beza.), Or, there may be a stop after Káiv–º not
being as Cain; he was of the wicked one.” Thus
ék Toº SuagóAov, ver, 8. The former construction is
preferable.
W. 14.—have passed Joh. v. 24. We know that
we have passed over from that state, in which we
were liable to the second death, into the state in
which we have a well-grounded title to immortal life.
Benson. Wells.
—because we love] Our loving the brethren is not
assigned as the cause of our having passed from
death unto life, but only as the token, whereby it is
known that we have passed. q. d. “Since we love
4
| J ORIN. CIl AP. III,
2
8
the brethren, we know that, &c.”—Charitas igitut
Texuñptov est vitae, non causa. Beza. Est. Schleusner,
without any apparent necessity, renders 671 by ideo,
proptered, as Luke vii. 47. &c.
W. 15.-a murderer j Macknight would restrain
the sense to manslaughter ; but it appears that Cain,
whose offence seems to have occasioned here the use
of this word, slew his brother not from accident, but
from malice prepense. The truth is, that the word
dv600Toktóvos is figuratively used in a much greater
latitude, to denote misery of every kind, as well as
death ; so the devil is called, Joh. viii. 44. dv6pw-
TokTóvos dºr dpxis. Schl. He who hates his brother,
therefore, is called a murderer, because he possesses
those principles, which may lead, as they did in the
instance of Cain, to misery and even to death.
W. 17.—this ºcorld's good, 3tos is thus used in
Luke viii. 43. xv. 12. &c.
—bowels of compassion] So 2 Cor. vi. 12. vii. 15.
&c. See Parkh. Schl. and Mackm. Prelim. Ess. Iv. 34.
W. (8.-in tongue; Ita Theogn. 973. ºf uot drºp
cºm yAdjaan ºptAos, dAAd kal épyg—mon ut Gnostici
jactatores. Wetst.
W. 19. — shall assure] Teto'owev, suadebimus.’
Vulg. Erasm. Neuter intellexit quid sibi velit Apos-
tolus, mec emim de suasione, sed de persuasione
animi loquitur, i. e. de TAmpoqoptº illâ, quae facit ut
nos filios Dei esse certö statuamus. Itaque quâm
optimé Syius vertit, tranquilla reddemus. Beza.
And thus Schleusner; though his interpretation is
rather a paraphrase of the word. It is opposed to
Katayudakh, ver, 20, and is explained by trappmatav
exowev, ver, 21. See Chap. iv. 17. We shall have
l JOHN. CHAP. III. 429
a well-grounded confidence towards God, that we
are acceptable to him. Wells.
W. 20. For iſ] The repetition of Śri in this
verse has occasioned much discussion. Whitby shews,
that it may be translated “surely God is greater’’
&c. And thus Schl. But it is improbable, that the
Apostle should have so suddenly and entirely
changed the sense of the word ; for it would be
6T1 . . . . 6T1 weſov, “ because surely God is greater”
&c.—H. Steph. Beza, and others conjecture &rt.
We may either suppose, that a sentence is lost (e. g.
“If our hearts condemn us, God will condemn us also,
for &c.”), or rather, with the Alexandrian MS and
several Versions, omit the latter particle altogether.
Grot. Wells. Ita. Schol. To êeſ repov ‘OTI Tapé\ket'
t", NA f * f 3. 2. * t / * §:
O C. § \éºyet ‘TO LGU’TO ºf € OTT ty). 6t Tycip awapta voyTeS Tºpy Kap [Cly
• * * 3. W p t V * 3. y /
eavºrów Xaffeiv oi, ovvdue{}a, VTo Tow totov vuTTówevot avvet-
S. - -" / T \ \ W \ <\ / > \ ,- Šf
Čoros, Togº Awax\ou Tow {}eov, os Metſov ea Tu Tns capotas.
Matthaei.
W. 21.--—have we conſidence] It is objected, that
the wicked may have so hardened their hearts, as
not to be conscious of their errors; and yet they
could not be justly said to have confidence before
God. But the Apostle is not contemplating any
such extreme case : He is here addressing himself
to his disciples (Tekvia wov, ver, 18.), and exhorting
them to have a conscience void of offence.—“lf
our heart condemn us not upon due examination.”
Wells.
W. 24.—dwelleth in him, and he in him :] This
is an allusion to our Lord’s words, Joh. xiv. 23.
* If a man love me, he will keep my words ; and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him.” Mackm,
43 ! J O Iſ N. CI1 A P. iV .
—by the Spirit] By the ordinary as well as the
extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. Rom. viii. 16.
C H. A. P. H.V.
The Apostle exhorts his brethren to try the spirits, and gives
them directions for that purpose : . He then returns to his
injunctions of brotherly love, which he enforces by various
considerations.
V. 1.-cvery spirit, TINEYMA h. I. est doctor,
impulsu Spiritús se loqui perhibens, 1 Tim. iv. 1.
1 Cor. xii. 10, Rosenm. The allusion is, doubtless,
to false teachers, but the word, in its literal sense,
may denote the spirit by which they are actuated.
W. 2, 3–Jesus Christ is come in the flesh] The
words Xplotów év a'apid é\m)\v667a al' (2 found, according
to the common editions, in both these verses : They
are rejected by Griesbach from ver, 3. It can make,
however, but little difference in the sense ; because
the third verse is only to corroborate the second, by
an affirmation of the converse. Corresponding to
6 wº, buo)\oyei, in ver, 3. the Vulgate has qui solvit,
which has induced Socrates (Eccl. Hist. vii. 32.) to
maintain, that the true reading is 6 X ſet Töv 'Injo'oùv,
in allusion to those hereticks, who separated the
matures of Christ. But it is supposed, that these
words crept into the text of the Vulgate from a
scholium or gloss, as they are not countenanced by
a single MS, mor by the Syr. Arab, or Æth. versions.
See Wolf. Wetst, Benson. Matthaei. Pyle's Pref. § 3.
The Socinians contend, that to confess “Jesus
Christ come in the flesh,” is to confess that he is a
1 JOHN. CHAP. IV. 431
wnere man ; and, according to their interpretation,
it would be a mark of a false teacher to assert, that
he was more than a mere man : Consequently,
St. John has condemned himself by so doing ;
because, having declared, Ch. iv. 15. V. 5. that Jesus
is the Son of God, he hath confessed that he is more
than a mere man. For all the Jews, the learned
doctors as well as the common people, believed the
Son of God to be himself God ; as is evident from
St. John’s own gospel, Ch. i. 14. &c. See also
Ch. V. 5. of this epistle. Mackn. We must bear
in mind the tenets of those hereticks, against which
the Apostle is cautioning his disciples. See Ch. i.
St. John by no means demies, that Christ had a
nature more than human ; but it was not necessary
for him, on the present occasion, to enlarge, or insist
upon, that doctrine, since it was not doubted by
those hereticks, against whom he was writing. He
has denied that Christ was, as they held, a merum
phantasma : but he has not asserted him to be
merus homo . On the contrary, the clear inference
from the words év a apki éAmAv66ta is, that Jesus Christ,
though God, had assumed the human nature, and
had appeared upon earth in the form of a man.
W. 3.-antichrist, From this, as well as from
Ch. ii. 18. it appears that antichrist is not any par-
ticular person, or succession of persons, in the
Church, but a general name for all false teachers
in every age. Mackn.
W. 4.—overcome them ; ) i. e. pseudoprophetas.
: D → ~ 2.2–~." * \ sc, W
comm. i. Pro ajroºs habet at Töv Vers. Vulg. (contra
codices) probante J. Millio, prol. 502. Tov Townpou,
Vers. Afth —Wetst.
V 6 ---he that knoweth] By the great pains
#3:2 ! J O II N. CHAP. IV.
which the Apostle takes here, and in ver, 7, 8, ii. 3, 4.
to shew who the persons are that know God, it is
probable he had the Gnostics, and other false teach-
ers in his eye ; who, by placing the whole of Chris-
tianity in the speculative knowledge of God, en-
couraged their disciples in all manner of licentious-
mess. Mackn.
V. 8. IHe that loveth not, He that loveth not
(his brother), hath not known God aright. Whitby.
V. 9.-only begotten] Some have referred this
phrase to the Divinity, others to the humanity of
Christ: It may refer to both, denoting the only one
so begotten, viz. by the power of the Holy Ghost—
and moreover, the only one so partaking of the divine
nature and essence. See Parkh. The words & Téa -
Taxkev eis Tov Köopov further corroborate the pre-
existence of Christ; this truth, indeed, is continually
either expressed or implied.
W. 12. No man hath seen] Macknight says, it is
difficult to discover the connection of these words,
either with what goes before, or with what follows.
The Apostle is speaking of the advantages of mutual
love: Now, it is one of the greatest of these ad-
vantages to have God abiding in us, &c. and there-
fore it is naturally observed, that although God can
never be perceived, as an object of our senses, yet
have we an assurance that, if we love one another,
he actually dwelleth in us, and his love towards
us increases even to perfection.
On the subject of seeing God, we may refer to
Shuckford's Connection, vol. 111, p. 36. sqq. 2d ed.
W. 17.—have boldness] See Ch. iii. 21.
l JOHN. CHAP. IV. 433
V. 18.—perfect love] i. e. He that has a perfect,
or true Christian love of God, duly shewing itself
in love to others here on earth, has no fear, or
dread, of appearing before God at the day of judg-
ment, Wells.
—casteth out fear :] This cannot mean the fear
of losing or suffering any thing by means of our
brother ; for, in truth, perfect love might not always
exclude such a fear : But the expression plainly
refers to the preceding verse, and is contrasted with
a joyful confidence in the mercy of God; and the
word kóAaats, which follows, is properly opposed to
that feeling of satisfaction and delight, which flows
from such a confidence.—Sic Xen. Cyr. III. 1 S. 13.
Aéyels ov, Šºpm, dºs Ó ‘pd{30s too épyº kakova 6a wax\ov
Koādget Toys dvěpáTovs. Ita Plinius, Ep. VIII. 17.
Parvulum differt, patiaris adversa an expectes ; nisi
quod tantùm est dolendi modus, non est timendi :
doleas enim, quantum scias accidisse, timeas quantum
possit accidere. Raphel. Wolf. § 36 poſłośuevos pro
6 obv ‘poſłoſuévos. Sic, Luc. xv. 3. Acts vi. 2. ix, 8.
Kypke.
W. 19. We love] Rather, with the Vulgate, “Let
us love.” Benson. Pyle. Rosenm.
W. 20, 21.] The Apostle's argument may be
clearer, if we take both these verses together. He
is contrasting our love of God with the love of our
neighbour: In a religious point of view, the obliga-
tion to both is the same ; both being equally injoin-
ed, ver, 21. And with respect to circumstances
purely natural, we have more powerful motives to
the love of our neighbour, as being more fully
acquainted with him by ocular experience, than
we can possibly be with God. See Pol. Syn. Hamm.
Whitby, Sic, Philo de Dec. Orac, 11, p. 201. l. 7.
Y Q L J I E. F.
434 1 JOHN. CHAP, IV,
ed. Mangey, dańxavov 3' evaſeſ}cio Bat Tov dépatov wºrd
ºraju eis Toºs éuqavels kai éºyºyºs évºras doeſłośvtov. Grot.
Benson supposes an allusion to the well-known
proverb “ignoti mulla cupido,” and observes that in
Ch. v. 1. it is intimated, that “every one who loveth
God will love Christians, who are his children and
resemble him.” Here we are taught, that he who
loveth not Christians, who are the visible image of
God, cannot possibly love the invisible God, whose
image they bear.
St. John probably glances at the character of
some of the heretical teachers; who, being Jewish
converts, had brought with them into the Christian
Church that malevolent spirit, which in Judaism
they had cherished toward the heathems; and which
they still retained against all, who did not accord
with their religious tenets. Mackn.
C H A. P. V.
He that loveth God, will keep his commandments: To believe
that Jesus is the Son of God, is the principle of eternal
life; and that principle will necessarily shew itself in our
abstaining from sin.
V. I.—born of God:] Ch. ii. 29. The Jews in
general thought themselves the peculiar children of
God, as being heirs of the promise: The Apostle,
therefore, reminds them that a true and lively faith
in Jesus Christ is the only foundation of their being
the children of God in the gospel. Whitby. Doddr.
Mackm.
—him also that is begotten] i. e. every Christian,
l J O H. N. C# A.P. V. 435
as the connection fully shews. Wells. Benson.
Rosenm.
V. 2. By this we know] Facilis sit connectio, si
trajectio fiat ; qualem ego libenter facerem, si librum
aliquem veterem haberem auctorem—év Tolſtº ytvaſa-
Kowev Útt Tov 9eov dyatówev, ôTav Gºya Towev Tó Tékva
attoo, kal tas ŠutoAds at Tow Tºpówev. Grot. Pyle. And
this agrees with the Apostle's usual argument, Ch.
iii. iv. But the reading is not supported by any
antient MS, Version, or Father. Some suppose,
that &rt and 6 rap should change places (Bowyer.
Rosenm.), but this would not suit Tmpôuev in the
latter clause.--We may observe, that the Apostle
is not speaking to his brethren of the proof of their
love towards God, but of the truth and genuineness
of their love towards one another – describit hic
rectae et sanctae dilectionis fratrúm et notam (nempe
dilectionem Dei, quae illius causa est, et origo), et
normam (quae est mandatorum Dei observatio); et
ostendit quaenam vera sit charitas, nempe quae ad
Deum refertur. Ergö sicut priès effectum urgebat,
ita munc causam urget. Pol. Syn. One Christian
might love another upon common worldly principles,
but such is not the love which God requires; then
we love Christians in a worthy manner, when our
love to them is grounded upon the love of God,
Benson.
W. 3.--not grievous.] This must refer not to ex-
treme but to ordinary cases, especially indeed to
mutual love. Christ himself declared, that “ his
yoke is easy, and his burden is light.” Matt. xi.
28–30–But the following verse shews why his com-
mandments are not grievous, because (6+) the ob-
servance of them enables men to overcome the world.
Benson. Wells.
E E 2
* * *
436 1 JOHN. CHAP. V.
V. 4.—whatsoever] tav Tó. It is generally sup:
posed, that the neuter gender is used to include all
sorts of persons, males and females, old and young,
Jews and Gentiles, freemen and slaves. Thus to
'yevvaluevoy & airms. Herod. I. S. 108. “ that which is
born of her.” Est. Benson. Mackm. Rosenm. But
the masculine gender would have conveyed this
general sense, as well as the neuter; and indeed the
fifth verse is as general as the fourth. The neuter
gender may possibly be used, to comprehend not
only every regenerate person, but every regenerate
principle in the soul; and this is confirmed by the
immediate transition to faith, the fundamental prin-
ciple, which is begotten by the Spirit of God, and
enableth us to overcome the world,
V. 5.--the son of God 2) That the Jews univer-
sally believed their Messiah, or Christ, was to be the
Son of God appears from the following passages of
Scripture, Matt. xvi. 16. Luke iv. 41. Joh. xx. 31.
Acts ix. 20, and that the Jews universally believed
the Son of God to be God, appears from Joh. v. 17, 18.
x. 33. Matt. xxvi. 63–66. From these indisputable
facts it is evident, that the modern Socinians con-
tradict the gospel history in two of its essential
articles, when they affirm that the first Jewish Chris-
tians, before their conversion, had no idea that their
Messiah was to come down from heaven, having
never been taught to expect any other, than a man
like themselves. Next, since St. John hath so fre-
quently declared, and in what followeth the verse
under consideration hath proved, that Jesus is the
Christ and the Son of God, the same Socimians must
be mistaken when they affirm, that in this epistle
John is silent concerning the Divinity of Christ, and
hath not, in any part of it, censured those who deny
it. Ch. iv. 3. note 1. Mackn.
1 JOHN. CHAP. W. 437
That most profound scholar and divine, the late
Bp. Horsley, in his Sermon on 1 Joh. v. 6, has the
following passage : “Son of God is a title that be-
longs to our Lord in his human character, describing
him as that man who became the Son of God, by
union with the Godhead; as Son of Man, on the
contrary, is a title which belongs to the eternal
Word, describing that person of the Godhead, who
was made man by uniting himself to the man Jesus.
To believe, therefore, that Jesus is the Son of God,
is to believe that he is God himself incarnate.”
V. 6.-by water and blood, Venit et per aquam
baptism; scilicet, quem instituit ut eo homines ex-
piaret; et per sanguinem in cruce profusum, quo
mundum purgavit ac redernit a peccatis: lu utroque
enim luculenta erant testimonia, ipsum fuisse Filium
Dei. Matt. iii. 16, 17. xxvii. 51, 52. Pol. Syn. And
thus Whitby. Doddr. Mackm. Schl. But Bp. Horsley,
in his sermon above-mentioned, adopts the opinion
of Hammond, Benson, and others; who suppose the
Apostle to mean the blood and water that issued
from the Saviour's side, when it was pierced, at the
time of the crucifixion ; to which circumstance St.
John has borne testimony in a very urgent and
remarkable manner, Ch. xix. 34. as if it were a mira-
culous appearance which demanded a most particular
attention. The following words, however, strongly
militate against this interpretation—oºk Čv tº 58art
advov, d'AA' ev Tø Jóatl kai Tø atuatt—for, in such
a case, these terms would probably have been thus
reversed, owic Čv Tø aiwatt wóvov, dAN' év Tſo aiwatt Kai Tø
§§art, not by blood alone (for that would have been
nothing remarkable) but by blood and water;
whereas, the water alone would have been quite as
remarkable as if it were mixed with blood: And
it is curious to observe, that the learned prelate
438 } JOHN. CHAP. V.
himself argues on this very ground, and uses thie
following expression; “ Not of blood alone, but
of water with blood,” “ the extraordinary circum-
stance must have been the flowing of water with
the blood.” Neither is it likely, that the phrase
O EA69N 8. §§atos kal aiuatos would have been
applied to the blood and water streaming from the
Redeemer's side, (and besides, it would have been,
as we may reasonably suppose, Ši' aiwatos kai iſéatos,
exactly to agree with the phraseology of the Gospel,)
but the phrase applies with great propriety, and in
perfect order, to the distinct and distant events of
the baptism and death of Jesus: The Spirit more-
over bare witness on both these occasions ; at the
former, by visibly descending and proclaiming him
to be the Son of God; and after the latter, by
raising him to life again.—Possibly the water and
blood, issuing from the dead body on the cross,
might have been designed as an emblem, or memo-
rial, not only of Jewish atonements and purifications,
which were then abolished, but also of the means of
salvation by Christ; viz. baptism and shedding of
blood; but that is another question, which the pas-
sage before us does not involve.
W. 7, 8.] According to the opinion of most critics,
the words from év Tó owpavó to Čv Tº yi, inclusively,
are interpolated. Few are unacquainted with the
celebrated controversy to which this passage has
given rise. Trinitarians have been anxious to es-
tablish its genuineness, under an impression, that it
is one of the main pillars on which the doctrine of
the Trinity rests; and, under a similar impression,
many heterodox writers have shewn an equal anxiety
to banish it from the text. Certainly it does con-
tain a direct allusion to the Trinity; but the phrase
oùrol of Tpels ēv etc., which has been supposed by the
1 JOHN. CHAP. V. 439
generality of expositors incontestably to prove the
Unity of Three Persons in the Godhead, seems to have
been erroneously interpreted: And it may be proper
to notice this preliminary point. Some perhaps,
whose zeal may exceed their judgment and candour,
will be ready to suspect the orthodoxy of a person,
who questions any of the arguments by which this
high and holy doctrine has been defended. True
indeed it is, that we cannot proceed, on such a
subject, with too great diffidence and caution ; but
we are as much bound to relinquish those grounds
of defence, which appear to be wholly untenable,
as we are to maintain those numerous positions, by
which the doctrine is substantially confirmed. Truth,
it has been remarked, has often suffered not less from
the indiscretion of its advocates, than from the
violence of its opposers.
The words &v etat cannot be so correctly referred
to a unity of substance, in the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Spirit, as to a unity and agreement
in their testimony. A phrase of the same kind
occurs twice in the gospel of St. John. In Ch. x. 30.
we have, éyò kai o Tarno Šv čawev, i. e. “ one in
power and design.” Comp. Gal. iii. 28. This sense
appears probable from the context, and is further
explained and confirmed by Ch. xvii. 1 1. Tó rep & yie,
Tºpmaſov awtoºs év Tø ovć watt aſov, obs 3680 cas got, tra
&a w św, ka9a)s muets, i. e. “ that they may be united in
their views and desires, as we are,” may join together
in the defence and promulgation of those doctrines,
which we are establishing upon earth. And so
I Cor. iii. 8. § pvretſov če kai o Trotſ@v ću etat. The
planter and waterer were not literally one, but they
had the same end in view ; they were, as it is after-
wards expressed, eeow a ſvepºyot, and were not to be
regarded as the founders of different sects or
opinions.—The texts here cited in illustration have
440 1 J O H.N. CHAP. V.
been explained in the same manner by many other
commentators.--It is plain, then, that the sense of
the neuter ºv thus used with the verb etal, must
depend upon the context ; and here it may be pro-
perly applied to a unity of testimony. The words
ets to £y cirt, in wer. 8, have a similar meaning ;
“ the Spirit, the water, and the blood, are for this
one purpose,” i.e. unite in testifying this same thing.
—Hence it may appear, that we have not sufficient
ground for building upon this passage, if genuine,
the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity: To this opinion
Bp. Horsley and Dr. Middleton accede: It is contrary,
however, to the interpretation of the Fathers, and to
that of most Trinitarian writers. See, on the whole
of this subject, Mr. Nolan's most learned treatise on
the integrity of the Greek Vulgate.
With respect to the genuineness of this passage,
if our judgment were to rest merely on the authority
of MSS and Versions, we must allow it to be a
manifest interpolation. It is wanting in all the Greek
NISS before the 16th century, and in most of the
Versions: And it is mentioned by mone of the Greek
Fathers, though they have cited the words which
precede and follow it. The testimony of the Latin
Fathers has been much disputed : Many critics have
supposed, that the passage is expressly alluded to by
Tertullian, Cyprian, and others; See Nolam, p. 291.
who strenuously defends this position, and urges
many cogent reasons, why this text should be re-
ceived on the authority of the Latin Church, shewing
that, in this instance, the Greek copies had been pro-
bably adulterated. We cannot, on this occasion,
enter into any detail of the long and laborious ar-
guments on this question, nor do we presume to
decide upon their result.
In opposition to this passage, we may refer to
Sir Isaac Newton’s observations at the end of vol. v.
1 JOHN. CHAP. V. 441
of his works by Bp. Horsley—Benson's dissertation
subjoined to this epistle—Wetstein in loc.—Porson’s
Letters to Archdeacon Travis—Marsh’s Michael.
vol. Iv. 31.—Butler's Horae Biblicae, vol. 11. Append.—
Matthaei. War. Lect.—Griesbach’s Dissertation at the
end of vol. 11, of his Greek Testament.— Sir I.
Newton, indeed, Michaëlis, and others, have ex-
plained, how the doubtful sentences might have been
taken at first from the margin of the Latin copies
into the text : Yet their accounts, however correct,
do not go so far as to prove, that the marginal mote
could not have existed in any original copy; it might
possibly have been inserted not from a gloss, but
as a restoration of the true reading.
The text itself certainly affords no inconsiderable
argument in favour of the genuineness of the dis-
puted passage : Many have justly observed, that
if it be rejected, the construction becomes wholly
unaccountable : In the phrase, Tpets eta v of wap rv-
povytes to Tveijua, kai to iſºap, kai To aiwa, the adjective
and participle are both masculine, whereas all the
substantives, to which they refer, are neuter; and
one of those substantives (the only one of them,
to say the most, which could have authorized the use
of the masculine gender,) is actually constructed
in the preceding verse with a neuter participle,
Tveijua eart to wapTwpovv. Now, although it is
scarcely possible to reconcile this, on any ground,
with the plain rules of grammar ; yet the error may
be accounted for, by supposing it to have proceeded
from a repetition of the phraseology of the disputed
passage; or from, what grammarians call, the figure
of attraction. See Port Royal Gr. Grammar. B. vii.
c. 1. p. 319. ed. Lond. 1797. as quoted by Nolan,
p. 565. This solecism was first noticed by Eugenius,
Abp. of Cherson. See Matthaei’s Preface to the
general epistles, Nolan, p. 257.
442 1 JOHN. CHAP. V.
Dr. Middleton, though he concludes the passage to
be spurious, shews in a learned note, that the expres-
sion TO €v properly implies a reference to something
which has gone before : Now, if we suppose év to
have preceded in ver, 7. the use of the article (TO
&v) in ver, 8. is accounted for ; otherwise, it violates
the common rules of Greek Syntax.
In regard to the context, some have asserted that
the doubtful passage embarrasses the sense ; others,
that is necessary to the argument: The two verses
are connected together, says Bengel, adamantiná
cohoerentiá; and such does appear to be the case.
As far, however, as the context only is concerned,
it might be argued, that the connection is more
matural and plain without either of these verses.
After the declaration in ver, 6. that Christ came by
water and blood, and that the Spirit beareth witness
to this fact, we should scarcely have expected such
an immediate change of diction, as to represent the
water and blood to be witnesses together with the
Spirit: Nor should we have expected any mention
at all of a plurality of witnesses; for the phrase to
arveſpa &art to uapTwpovy may seem to imply, that the
Apostle had in view no other testimony, than that
of the Spirit ; just as the following phrases Tpels
etorty of wapTwpoovtes were designed to imply, that there
are no more than three witnesses in heaven, and
three on earth. The connection, moreover, between
ver, 6. and ver, 9. is clear and strong : “It is the
Spirit that beareth witness, for the Spirit is truth :
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God
is greater;” the witness of the Spirit being in truth
the witness of God himself, as the latter part of ver, 9.
proceeds to shew. And this may be confirmed by
ver, 10. the witness in himself being the witness of
the Spirit; though some have referred this to
ver, 11. as if the testimony were put for the thing
l j OHN. CHAP. V. 443
testified, viz. eternal life ; but such an interpretation
is by no means requisite : The ordinary and extra-
ordinary operations of the Spirit are the witness
that God hath given us eternal life.—If we could
suppose that wer. 7, 8, were originally a marginal
annotation, it might have proceeded from Joh. viii.
18. xv. 26, and ver. 6, of this chapter : But this
supposition, be it observed, rests on no authority
whatever ; and nothing but a strong case in regard
to the context, together with the great variety and
confusion observable in different copies, can at all
warrant such a conjecture.
W. 9.-the witness of men, See Joh. viii. 17, 18.
If the 7th and 8th verses be retained, the whole
of the testimony, before mentioned, must be included
in the witness of God, as being in subordination to
him, and tending to confirm and to illustrate the
same great design. Mackm.
W. 14–17.] If the two first of these verses be
taken separately, as they probably should be, they
may refer to the prayers of Christians in general;
but if they be connected with the latter, they must
be addressed to the Apostles only.
Many conjectures have been offered on the nature
of the sin not unto death, for which prayer was
to be made. Wide Pol. Syn. But the passage appears
to have been misunderstood. The words (anju and
6dvarov are probably to be interpreted, not of the
soul but of the body. St. John seems to allude
to those discases, which were inflicted as a punish-
ment for sin, and which were often healed by the
prayer and anointing of the elders. 1 Cor. xi. 30.
xii. 9, James v. 14. They were endued with a
power of discerning, in what cases their gifts of
e * s
healing should be bestowed ; and whether, or not,
444 i J O H.N. CHAP. T.",
(according to the nature of the offence, or the
offender,) the sin committed was a sin unto death,
Thus of the sickness of Lazarus it was said, ovk att
Tpos 6&vatov, Joh. xi, 4. i. e. it was a sickness, from
which he would be restored.
St. John cannot be speaking of Christians in
general, or of the life and death of the soul, because
we have no reason to believe, that the prayer of one
Christian for another is sufficient to procure etermal
salvation ; much less can there ever be placed in it
the degree of confidence here mentioned. Mackm.
Rosenmüller renders duapria Trpos 6&vatov “ crimen
capitale,” and understands the passage of intercession
being made to the magistrate in behalf of the
offender. But, to pass over other objections, aird-
Me6a and at Tijuata in ver, 14, 15. are evidently
referred to God, and therefore it is not to be
supposed, that attija et in ver. 16. has any other
reference.
On this passage, together with James v. 14. the
papists have built, what they call, the sacrament of
extreme unction. The absurdity of this doctrine
will appear from the following arguments taken
together. I. If this unction convey pardon and
etermal salvation, it should (according to the real
nature and end of a sacrament) be administered to
all that require it, i. e. to the healthy, as well as to
the sick; for great numbers, who are suddenly or
hastily taken off, are entirely deprived of this in-
calculable benefit on a sick bed ; since it is minis-
tered only to those, who are apparently on the point
of death. 2. This unction either excludes the
mecessity of repentance, or it does not ; to affirm
that it does, is plainly unscriptural ; and if it does
mot, where is its efficacy? If repentance and unction
are both necessary, then no man can have been
saved, who has wilfully neglected either. But this
l JOHN. CHAP. W. 445
is probably more, than any even of the Romanists
will maintain. 3. The Apostles, James and John,
both of them speak of a full expectation and per-
Suasion, that the sick man will recover : If then, in
future ages, the circumstances of this unction be
similar, whence is it that the assurance has been so
seldom verified ? And how does it agree with the
custom of using this rite chiefly at a time when
there is little hope of recovery. 4. If the adminis-
tration of this sacrament, as it is called, be indis-
criminate, it is contrary to Apostolick direction; and
if it be not, it would be satisfactory to know, by
what marks the officiators can distinguish those cases,
to which it ought to be applied. For these obser-
vations, see Mackm. Hamm. Whitby, and Benson's
2d dissertation annexed to this epistle.—Here a say-
ing, which Bengel hath quoted from Whitaker, may
be introduced as a fit conclusion of this important
controversy. “Let them, says he, anoint with oil, who
can procure health for the sick; and let those who
can mot, abstain from the vain symbol.” Mackm.
V. 18.-toucheth him not..] ovk &rretat. This
word occurs in various senses, which depend upon
the context: Here it is, “ has no hurtful communi-
cation with him.” The Hebrew y} is similarly used;
as also the Latin, tango. Burman, ad Propert. p. 476.
Schl. Thus I Chron, xvi. 22, unj čvrea 6e Töv Xptorrów
aov, and Job i. 1 1. xi. 5. Lysias, Orat. I. p. 17. ed.
Hanov, Plutarch. Anton. p. 923. ed. Francof. Elsner.
W. 19.-in wickedness.] Rather, under the power
of “ the wicked one.” Benson. Wells. The ex-
pression év tº Townpº may be opposed to €k row 9eoû,
and is analogous to év Tó d'Ambivº, ver. 20. Besides,
we had 6 Tovmpos in ver, 18. Doddridge thinks, that
the verb Keira may allude (as it often does in Homer)
446 } JOHN. CHAP, W.
to a body which lies slain ; the whole world (i. e. the
wicked world, as Ch. ii. 16.) having fallen by the
stroke of this formidable enemy, and being insulted
over by him as his prey. But the usual import of
the phrase is sufficient—kelotal év Tſvi may signify
“ to be in the power, or to be devoted to the service,
of any one.” Ita Polyb. Hist. vi. 13. Šv Tº avºykAfrº
kei rat, ‘in voluntate positum est senatüs.” Raphel.
Others, however, take the verb in a neuter sense.
Sic Čy kakois keto 6at, Eur. Androm. Diu in istis vitiis
jacuinus, Sen. Ep. 59. Rosenm.
W. 20.-This is the true God, From the words
*Imao, Xptatio, immediately preceding, this passage
has been considered by many as a complete proof
of the Deity of Christ. Eternal life, moreover, is
in this very chapter thrice ascribed to the Son, as
the author of it. ver, 1, 12, 13. He is styled Koń, life,
Joh. i. 4. v. 26. xiv. 6. xvii. 2. our life, Col. iii. 4.
Christ is here also styled 6 dx1,0tvös, the true ; as also
in Rev. iii. 7. xix. 11. Whitby. It appears too, that
Arius confessed himself vanquished in a controversy
by Athanasius, who cited this text, as a written
demonstration, that Jesus was the true God. See
Glass. Philolog. Sacr. p. 714. who refers to Athan.
Oper. tom. III. p. 705. Mackn. Yet others observe,
that the pronoun oitos is not necessarily to be re-
ferred to the immediate antecedent, but may possibly
be connected with avTov, and denote the Father—
ośros being the same as 6 at Tós. Benson. Wetst.
Schl. If this were the sense, we might suppose an
ellipsis, oùTos éa Tuv 6 dAmbuds Oeos Kai (air)) m Çom
duºvaos, in conformity with Joh. xvii. 3, or thus, kal
(6 Juds alſTow) ā (or, Guðvios. But such an ellipsis, even
if it be admissible, does not give the natural con-
struction; and certainly, it is just to refer both
clauses to the same person; and if so, they should
1 JOHN. CHAP. V. 447
both be referred to Christ ; for the Father is never
called m Çor), OP m Çom duévios.
W. 21–from idols.] See I Cor. viii. x. From every
thing that may be construed into a participation
of idolatry. Hammond supposes it to mean the idols
of the Gnostics, and quotes Eusebius to shew, that
they were charged with having forsaken the idols
of the heathens, for others of their own.—Auñu is
probably spurious. Griesb.
*
SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL
O F
J O H. N.
St. John, after his first address to the object of this epist/e,
and his expression of joy in the purity of herself and her
children, encourages her to advance in works of ſove; but,
at the same time, peremptorily cautions her against receiv-
ing the false teachers, as that would be affording counte-
nance to their deceitful and dangerous doctrines.
V. l. The elder] Sox E have imagined from this
title, that the epistle was not written by St. John,
but by an elder at Ephesus: But this opinion is not
countenanced by any other circumstance, and the
title is not unsuitable to an Apostle. See Benson.
Elsley. Respicit hic, vel 1. aetatem, agebat enim
jam ammum 97, vel 2. dignitatem sive officium, ex
collat. 1 Pet. v. 1. Pol. Syn.
—the elect lady] There have been four interpre-
tations of these words. I. The English translators
have supposed them to be addressed to some person
whose name was not particularized. Beza. Mill.
Wells. Lardner. Doddr. Mackm. The objections are,
that this anonymous mode of address is unusual, and
that the article ought to have been placed before
ék\ektn, II. The antient opinion, of ékk\mata being
here understood, is adopted by Hamm. Whitby, Pyle.
2 JOHN. 449
Michael. (See Elsley.) But though the words might
possibly bear this application, and the members of
a Church might be called children, no reason can be
given why a Church should be addressed in such an
obscure and unusual manner; and indeed ver, 10.
seems incompatible with such an exposition ; neither
does it accord with ver. 5. III. Others, with Grot.
Wolf. Wetst, suppose it to mean “ The Lady Electa.”
Beza objects, that it would then have been written
Kupic, 'Ex\ektfi. Dr. Middleton, on the contrary, ob-
serves that such a title of honour follows the proper
name ; and without admitting the article. Thus
TIavXos diróa Toxos passim. St. Basil’s letter Lxxx is
inscribed 'Eva Tabºo tarpio. LXXX111, Aeoviriº goſptorſ.
LXXXVI, Boo Toptºp éttakóttp, &c. But 1. Though this
rule is perfectly just, as applied to a calling or pro-
fession, yet it does not appear, that the common
appellations kupia, or kūptos, have been ever so used.
2. We must either understand rms ék\ektºs, at the
end of this epistle, in a different sense; or suppose,
that there were two sisters of the same name, which,
though not unexampled, was not customary: And
it is, at least, highly improbable, that such a name
as 'Ek\ekri) should have been given to more than one
in the same family. Dr. Middleton, in order to
avoid this, supposes that the words tºs ékAekirijs are
spurious; that they were written in the margin of
some copy, in order to shew who was meant by Tris
déexpñs gov. But this conjecture is not supported
y any MS or Version; neither does the context
cquire any emendation ; and therefore such an
erasure can hardly be admitted, in order to suit a
particular hypothesis. IV. Others, again, take kupić.
as the proper name. Verss. Syr. poster. Arab. —
Heuman. Benson. Rosenm. Schleusner shews, that
Kyria was not an unusual proper name; and that
ék\ext) may denote either the excellence of her
VOL. II. F F
450 2 JOHN,
character, or mercly that she was a Christian convert.
But, in this case, it should have been, as Dr. Middle-
ton observes, Kupt. Tº k\extſ, as Ep. 3. is inscribed
Tatº Tô dyarturg. So Apollon. de Synt. p. 46. ed.
Francof. Tov påv Tó dryabarrárq).
It is possible, after all, that the common interpre-
tation may approach nearest to the truth : There is
no occasion, however, to render the words “to the
elect Lady,” as if there were only one, nor does the
omission of the article warrant such a version : It
may be “to an elect Lady,” to a Christian convert :
And since it was a private letter, and the direction
sent with it would shew for whom it was designed,
there was no necessity for the mention of her name,
however usual such mention might be. It is remark-
able, indeed, that the phrase, in this sense, mearly
corresponds with the mode of epistolary address in
modern times.
—whom obs may refer both to kvpig and Tékvots,
or to the latter only ; for the neuter Tékrov does not
require a neuter relative. So Philem. 10. Tékov,
8v čºyévvna'a, and ver, 4. of this epistle. See also
Gal. iii. 16. iv. 19. Parkhurst, indeed, has well ob-
scrved, that relatives in general may agree with
their antecedents, not as to their gender, but as to
their sense; and he has produced many instances of
this remark from the New Testament. See Gr.
Gramm. Sect. XII. …”
W. 2. —in us, In me and in all true Chris-
tians.
V. 7. For many] út aut TXeováče, sicut Hebr. 5,
aut vertendum quia, et connectendum cum ver, 8.
Rosenm. Perhaps this verse may be connected with
the preceding by means of an ellipsis, q, d. Toºro
Aéryw, ôte K. T. A.
2 JOHN. 451
— is come] Or, did come. Špxówevov. Beza
observes, that this is the imperfect participle,
which has often the sense of an aorist (venisse.
Vulg.), that obtos is for Totovtos, and that no par-
ticular person is alluded to from this change to the
singular number.
W. 8.—full reward.] If these words, from the
change of person in the verbs, be applied exclusively
to the Apostles, they cannot refer to their heavenly
recompence, (for that would scarcely be affected
by the misconduct of their converts,) but to the
joy and satisfaction which they would naturally
derive from the complete success of their labours.
Yet many would read, with the Alexandrian MSS
and most of the antient Versions, droxéants. . . .
etp:/doraorée. . . . atroAdſºn Te—and even if this be not
the true reading,it may convey the true sense of the
passage.
W. 10.—God speed:] The Apostle is by no means
recommending an uncharitable disposition towards
heretical teachers, but forbids the use of those
customary salutations to them, which, by implying
a welcome reception, might afford some countenance
to their doctrines.— The Jews were forbidden to
say "2/8, or “God speed,” to an excommunicated
person, or to a man that was ploughing on the sab-
bath-day, or in the seventh year—they were also
forbidden to come within four cubits of a heretick,
much more to receive him into their houses. Lightf.
Whitby. Benson. Wetst. Doddr. Wide et Seld. de
Synedr. I. 7. Vitring. de Synag. c. xv. Nec pagani
eodem cum improbis hominibus tecto utebantur, vide
ad Matt. viii. mec colloquio eos aut salutatione dig-
nabantur. Philto apud Plaut. Trimumm. Act. ii. Sc. 2,
Ver, 4.
F F 2
452 2 JOHN.
Nolo ego cum improbis te viris,
Gnate mi, neque in vià neque in foro ullum sermonem exegui.
Wide et Lamprid. de Alex. Sever, c. xv.1:1. p. 907. ed.
Casaub. xxv. p. 923. id. Elsner.
To illustrate further this Apostolick injunction, we
may recollect, 1. That as there were no inns in the
eastern countries, strangers were accommodated and
entertained in private houses ; and this custom espe-
cially prevailed among the Christians, and still more
one towards another. 2. When the brethren had
occasion to go to any Church, where they were not
known, they carried letters of recommendation, from
persons who were acquainted with some of the mem-
bers of that Church, or else made themselves known as
sincere disciples of Christ, by an explicit declaration
of their faith. And therefore, as the Apostle remarks
ver, 11. formally to admit a false teacher, as such,
would have been an actual participation of his error
and deceit; and a salutation would, in those days
and under such circumstances, have been construed
into nothing less than a welcome of his arrival, and
a formal admission of his doctrines. 3. It is probable
that this lady, being an eminent Christian convert,
was in the habit of receiving many Christians into
her house; and therefore it was the more incumbent
on her to take heed, that their principles were sound;
for otherwise, they might not only corrupt her
family, but spread abroad their pernicious tenets
with the greater facility, under the sanction of her
hospitality and support. Mackm. Rosenm.
V., 12–paper] x&prov. Hence Bengel observes,
that in writing this letter St. John made use of paper,
not parchment. Mackm. This is not improbable,
for in the next epistle we find him making mention
of parchment, ver, 13. — xàptns, vox sine dubio
$2 JOHN. 453
Latina. Schl. But Eustathius derives it from Xaparta,
and Parkhurst from the Hebr. nnn to engrave.”—
TdTwpos yvaptuds eart traatu, dºp' is 6 xáptns KO.T.O.O’Ke U-
d'état. Dioscor. apud Scap. in xàorns. Ad chartas
parare papyrum. Ulpian. apud Steph.
W. 13–Amen.] This, as in the former epistle, is
a spurious addition. Griesb.
THE
THIRD EPISTLE GENERA. I.
{y tº
J O H. N.
The Apostle commends the benevolence of Gaius, to whom
this epistle is addressed, encouraging him in his work and
dabour of love : He inveighs against the conduct of Diotre-
phes, who appears to have been a turbulent and malicious
person ; and, on the other hand, he extols the character of
Demetrius, who had shewn his zeal for the welfare of the
Church.
V. I. The elder] SEE 2 Ep. 1.
— Gaius, Frequent mention has been made of
the name Gaius in the New Testament, and it is
not easy to determine whether they are all of them
distinct persons. Acts xix. 29. xx. 4. Rom. xvi. 23.
I Cor. i. 14. It was a Roman name, and by no means
an uncommon one. Lightfoot, Whitby, Wells, and
Doddridge have supposed that the Gaius here spoken
of, from the benevolence of his disposition, was St.
Paul's host at Corinth, Rom. xvi. 23. yet this, as
some contend, hardly agrees with St. John’s expec-
tation of seeing him immediately—an expression
which seems to denote that his residence was not
very distant. See, however, Elsley on this epistle.—
In the antient history of the Church, we meet with
three persons of the name of Caius. One of them
$ J OHN. 455.
a bishop at Ephesus, another of Thessalonica, and
a third of Pergamos; all about this time. Whis-
ton and Mill have concluded, that the bishop
of Pergamos was the person to whom St. John
wrote this epistle. But, as Lardner observes, they
said this on the testimony of the pretended aposto-
lical constitutions, which, in the present affair, are of
mo authority at all, ižesides, from the epistle itself
it is evident, that Caius, to whom it was written, was
at that time a person in a private station.—Lardner's
account of Caius is, that he was an eminent Chris-
tian, who lived in some city of Asia not far from
Ephesus, where St. John chiefly resided after his
leaving Judea. Mackn. The latter conjecture ap-
pears the most probable.—From ver, 7. it has been
supposed, that he was a Jewish Christian, who had
taken a Roman name. Benson.
W. 2.- above all things] Suprā omnia. Beza.
Hallet says above all persons, vol. 1. p. 62. of his
Notes and Discourses; but Wolf well observes, that
the order of the words would, in this case, pro-
bably have been etxoad, O'6 Tepi Tavrov. It may be
rendered in, or with respect to, all things.’ &v Taaw
evočova 6a, 1 Joh. ii. 27. Grot. Benson. Pyle. Doddr.
Mackn. And thus Verss. Syr. Arab. Afth. Vulg.
“I wish that you may be blessed in all things,
as much as you are in your mind and heart,” in
things temporal as well as spiritual. This is a very
high and delicate commendation from the Apostle.
W. 3.--even as] Who bore a full testimony to
the purity of your principles and conduct, even as
they do in reality appear in your life and con-
versation.
V. 4.—grea ter joy] - weigotépav Toſtov sc. Xapóv---
456 3 JOHN.
Utitur enim plurali numero, emphasea's causā ex
Hebraeorum more. Beza. Several of the later MSS
for Toºrov read TaúTns (Verss. Syr. Arab. AEth.), but
that reading doubtless arose from a desire of cor-
recting the original. Mill.—Subaud. Épyov, Tpayuá-
Tov. Rosenm. And this probably conveys the Apos-
tle's meaning.
—than to hear] ºva droſa, than when I hear.’
Many have supposed this sense of iva peculiar to
St. John ; but that it is not, see Mackm. Prelim. Ess.
Iv. 199. and Schl. in loc. It does not, however, ap-
pear necessary, that tva should have this meaning
here; “I have no greater joy than what this cir-
cumstance affords, viz. — to hear (or, that I may
hear) &c.”
V. 5.-doest faithfully] Sic Joseph. Bell. Jud.
II. 12. To Tuatov del Trapééety. Prov. xii. 22. 3 Totov
attoºrets. Kypke, ubi plur.
—to strangers ;..] Probably Christians, who had
travelled to the city where Gaius dwelt; either to
avoid persecution, or for the sake of preaching the
Gospel ; as ver, 7. Varèp row ovówatos éðA60w for the
name’ which they bore or revered.—The Romanists,
without the slightest reason, translate this word pil-
grims, (as also Ševočáxnarev, 1 Tim. v. 10.) in order
that it may afford a countenance to their absurd
pilgrimages. Benson, Mackn
V. 7.—for his name's] Most of the MSS omit
avrov — However, it must be understood. Benson.
And we may observe, that it properly refers to
Jesus ; whereas there is no antecedent but 0éoù.
Dr. Middleton.
—taking nothing of the Gentiles.] This shews,
that Tporéºlas in ver. 6. alludes to contributions, or
provisions, for their journey, as Tit. iii. 13, and
3 JOHN. 457
cannot be understood, as Doddridge has conjectured,
in a spiritual sense : And this is further confirmed
by the verb droNauſ?dvew ver, 8. ‘ hospitio accipere.”
—the Gentiles.] §6vów (or €6vików), being here
put in opposition to déexpods and ščvows, refers, as
some think, to the unconverted Gentiles ; because
many of these brethren and strangers might have
been of the Gentile world. But as it could not
be imagined, that the unconverted Gentiles would
contribute to their wants, we may adopt the para-
phrase of Benson—“took mothing of those Gentiles,
whom they converted, as a reward for their labour.”
Acts xv. 26. 1 Cor. ix. 18. Beza would connect drö
Töv č6vów with éénx609, but the order of the words
will hardly admit of such a construction : He says,
that if €6vöv depended on Naugavovires, it would have
been trapd, instead of diró, and he cites 1 Cor. xi. 23.
which, according to his own MS, certainly favours
his proposition. But it is remarkable, that there
are numerous passages to shew that Tapd is common-
ly used with Xaw3ávetv, and that this passage, in the
first epistle to the Corinthians, should be one of the
very few in the New Testament, which may be
adduced as authority for its being followed by &rd—
it is, according to the best MSS, trapéNagov atro Toº
Kvptov. The common construction is trapaxaa/24vely
trapd twos, 2 Thess, iii. 6, &c. In Heb. vi. 7. we
have weta\awſ&civet . . . . atro Too Geov. See also Matt.
xvii. 25, 26. I Joh. ii. 27.
W. 9. I wrote] One or two of the later MSS read
4-ypaya ów, “I would have written, but” &c. which
is countenanced by several antient versions. The
particle dºv, however, is sometimes omitted while
its sense is retained. Hoogev. Iv. 7. Benson. Pyle.
Mackm, Rosenm. But the received translation may
express the meaning of the passage : “I have before
458 3 JOHN,
written a catholic epistle to the Church ; but, as
Diotrephes receives us not, I therefore write to you.”
To this it is objected, that the first epistle was
generally received : Yet it might have been sup-
pressed for a time.
—Diotrephes,) It appears, from the power which
Diotrephes exercised in the Church, (in oppressing
the brethren and strangers,) that he was the bishop,
or head ; or, at least, that he assumed the direction
of ecclesiastical affairs (6 Jqaprágoy to Tpoteia. Schol.
apud Matthaei.) And especially, as it was customary,
when letters were written to the Churches, to send
them to the bishops and elders, who would of course
have the power of suppressing them, if they thought
proper. See on 1 Thess. v. 27. From John's autho-
ritative manner of inveighing against Diotrephes,
and from the threatening implied in the word into-
Avijaw, ver, 10. there is additional reason for believing
that he was John the Apostle.
V. 10–I will remember] Some have thought
this remembrance of injuries unworthy of the Apos-
tle; but, as Whitby observes, “Private offences
against ourselves must be forgiven and forgotten,
but when the offence eis Tijv triativ ćuTóētov pépet,
‘ is an impediment to the Church,” it is to be opposed
and openly reproved.” Comp. I Cor. v. 5. 1 Tim. i. 20.
—casteth them out. It is not agreed, whether it
was the strangers, or those who received them,
that were cast out; the text is certainly in favour
of the latter.—Some commentators think, that
Diotrephes excommunicated those, who received the
brethrem and strangers. Mackm. ex Tris Škk\matus ék-
(3d A\ew est ITT) dºpopſew, quod aliter Judaei dicebant,
atroovydºya, yov Troteiv. Grot.
W. 12.—hath good report] By bearing testimony
3 JOHN , 459
to a person, the Jews meant the praising him for
his good qualities and actions. Mackm. But this is
not necessarily implied in the verb papTupelv -the
sense of which must depend upon the connection,
for see Joh. vii. 7. &c.
—and ye know that our record is true..] This ex-
pression is twice used by St. John in his gospel,
Ch. xiv. 35. xxi. 24. which is a clear internal
evidence, that this epistle was written, not by John
the presbyter, but by John the Apostle. Mackn.
W. 14.— Our friends] Or, the friends.’ of pixot
i. e. the Christians. This is the only instance in
which this expression occurs in the New Testament.
Mackn.
'T H E,
GENERAL E PISTLE
OF
J U D E.
After a general inscription and salutation, the Apostle de-
nounces threats against certain deceivers, who had abused
the grace of God, and sets before them several examples
of punishment. He describes, in the most forcible language,
the characters of these false teachers, observing that their
delusions and apostacy had been predicted, and cautioning
the faithful against their evil principles.
W. 1. Jude,-brother of James, This designation
alone affords great probability, that the author of
this epistle was Jude the Apostle; for, in the enume-
ration of the Apostles, Jude is called the brother of
James. Luke vi. 16. Acts i. 13. being thus distinguish-
ed from Judas Iscariot. And this opinion is directly
confirmed by the testimony of Clement, Origem, and
Tertulliam, and concurs, in a great measure, with the
general voice of antiquity. But in the catalogue
Matt. x. 3. in the place of Judas there is Lebbaeus,
whose surname was Thaddeus, and in Mark iii. 18.
we find merely Thaddeus ; wherefore we must con-
clude, as all the evangelists agree that there were
only twelve Apostles, that Judas the brother of
James was Tptºvvaos, as he is called by Jerome
J U D. E. 461
(Schl.), that he had the additional names of Lebbeus
and Thaddeus.--It is commonly believed, that James
the son Alpheus was the brother (i.e. cousin-german)
of our Lord, Ep. James i. 1. and therefore, that
Judas stood in the same relation, Matt. xiii. 55.
Mark vi. 3. Whitby. Mackn.
Grotius imagined, that the author of this epistle
was not the brother of our Lord, but the fifteenth
bishop of Jerusalem. This, however, appears to be
a vague and unsupported conjecture. The style
and contents of this epistle so nearly resemble those
of the second epistle of St. Peter, as to shew that
they were both written about the same period: And
the manner in which the learned commentator en-
deavours to get rid of that objection to his opinion,
which is furnished by the text itself, at once proves
the weakness of his argument and the force of his
prejudice : He proposes, without the countenance
of a single MS or Version, to strike out the words
dèexpos 3& 'Iakóðov as a gloss. But they have not
even such an appearance; for a copyist, who wished
to explain 'Iow8as in a marginal note, would scarcely
have inserted the particle 36. The circumstance of
Jude mot mentioning his Apostleship, can be mo
sufficient argument against his being an Apostle,
as appears from Pref. to Heb. and James i. 1. But
the most important objection to the authenticity of
this epistle is derived from internal evidence, and
principally from ver. 9. 14, 15. where the author is
supposed to quote from apocryphal, or fabulous
writings ; these arguments will be moticed as the
passages occur.
—to them that are sanctified] See I Cor. i. 1.
(jºyarnuevois, MSS Alex. Vat. &c.) This general
address seems to establish the opinion of Estius,
Hardner, and others; that this epistle was written
for Christians of every denomination.—Hammond
462 JUDE.
thought it was addressed to Jewish Christians alone :
The reason which induced him, as well as other
commentators, to such a supposition, was probably this,
that St. Jude makes use of arguments and examples
taken from the sacred books of the Jews. But the
Apostle Paul followed the same course in writing to
the Gentiles ; and both Apostles did so with pro-
priety, not only because all, who embraced the
gospel, acknowledged the authority of the Jewish
scriptures, but because it was of the greatest im-
portance to make the Gentiles sensible, that the
gospel is consonant to the antient revelations. Macku.
Pref. § 3. Yet the epistle might have been prin-
cipally designed for the use of the Jewish believers,
though addressed to Christians in general, as con-
taining instruction common to them all, especially
in those parts, where the false teachers had most
prevailed.
—-called:] Perhaps this passage may be so con-
structed, as to refer both its clauses to the word
k\rrois (Hamm. Wells. Benson.) “ Jude . . . . to the
elect (i. e. to all the Christian brethren, Rom. i. 6, 7,
I Cor. i. 24.), who have been sanctified by God the
Father, and have been kept stedfast in the faith of
Jesus Christ.”
W. 3–all diligence] “Having a great desire,
and using all diligent haste, to write to you concern-
ing our common salvation, I have judged it necessary
to write with the following view, viz. to exhort you,
&c.”—Bp. Sherlock, followed by Blackwall, vol. II.
p. 2. c. 3. supposes that there is an opposition between
the words cormoſas and ºria Tel, as if the Apostle
had first intended to address them upon one subject,
and afterwards found it requisite to enter upon
another. Yet there does not appear to be any
necessity for such an opposition ; for in whatever
J U U E. 463
sense the latter clause be received, it is referable to
the general term kotyńs a totmpias. We have kotyńv
Trfor riv, Tit. i. 4. See also 9 Pet. ii. 21.
—once delivered] Many think, that the Apostle
is guarding against any addition being made, in
a future age, to the doctrines of the gospel ; as if
he had said, “they were delivered all at once, as
a depositum to which nothing can be added, and
from which nothing can be taken away.” Est. Beza.
Whitby. Benson. Pyle. This is not the exact
meaning of drač, which signifies at one time ; yet
the interpretation may by inference be true; because,
an injunction to contend for the doctrines delivered
at one time, implies an opposition to doctrines
delivered at any other time.—In the lexicons it
is observed, that &raš may be rendered by prorsus,
omnino, and Schleusner has abundantly illustrated
this sense : Thus it would be, ‘‘ from the faith
(or doctrine) so fully and plainly delivered to the
Apostles and disciples of Christ.” There appears,
however, to be no cogent necessity for departing
from the more usual acceptation of the word. In
the parallel passage, 2 Pet. ii. 21., we have ék Tris Tapa-
300etans . . . . e.vto\ms.
W. 4.—certain men] The Carpocratians. Grot.
The Gnostics. Hamm. The Nicolaitans. Mackm.
In fact, the Nicolaitans and Carpocratians were
two of those several sects, which bore the common
name of Gnostics, though it is doubtful whether
the sect of the Carpocratians was founded or not,
at the time when this epistle was written. See
Broughton and Mosheim on these sects. The tenets
of the Gnostics, in general, were licentious in the
extreme ; and the Nicolaitans, in particular, are
mentioned with detestation, Rev. ii.6.
—crept in unawares, Tapetºva'ay. In Gal. ii. 4.
464 JUD E.
2 Pet. ii. 1. Tapd has the same force in composition,
Wide Elsner. Kypke. Krebs.
—of old ordained] Tooyeºypaupévot. We thus sec
how the ellipsis in 2 Pet. ii. 3. should be supplied.
—Many suppose that there is an allusion to the
prophecies of St. Paul, St. Peter, and Christ himself,
2 Thess. ii. 8, 9. 2 Tim. ii. 16. 2 Pet. ii. 3. Matt. xxiv.
Pol. Syn. Yet the word Tpoysºypaupévot does not
necessarily allude to any particular prophecies, but
may denote those frequent denunciations of punish-
ment, contained in the word of God, against such
offences as are here condemned. The term was
applied by the Greeks “ to those whom the Romans
called proscriptos, whose names were posted up
in writing in some publick place, as persons doomed
to die.” Doddr. Mackn. Parkh, after Elsner and
others.- kpiwa often signifies punishment. See
James iii. 1. This passage does not afford any
stronger ground of defence for the Calvinistic doctrine
of predestination, than what is afforded by prophecy
in general. If it were foreknown and foretold, that
false teachers would come, and if vengeance were
denounced against them, then it might truly be said,
that their punishment was fore-ordained, or (which
is the same thing) that they were ordained to punish-
ment. There is no intimation whatever of any
restriction upon their free agency; but their punish-
ment was ordained from a fore-knowledge, that, in the
exercise of their free judgment, they would deter-
mine to do wrong. The sense of this verse may
be explained by ver, 14, 15. See also Rom. viii. 29.
— the grace of our God] The privileges and
blessings of the gospel, which display the mercy
of God : The doctrine of justification by faith had
been so perverted by these false teachers, as to free
believers from all obligation to the moral law.
Whitby, Mackm. Because God is merciful to the
J U D.E. 465
penitent, these teachers represented his mercy as
boundless, and equally extended to all. Benson.
—the only Lord God, This passage has been
regarded as similar to Eph. v. 5, &c. where €eoû, on
account of the article being omitted, is referred to
Xpta row. This interpretation is more than probable,
if €eów be the true reading, but it is omitted by the
Alexandrian and other MSS, and by several Ver-
sions. Grot. Mill. Hamm. Bengel. Griesb. See
Matthaei and Dr. Middleton—Sea TóTms is oftener ap-
plied to the Father, but not necessarily. 2 Pet. ii. 1.
Rev. vi. 10. It is a word of general import.—Judas
hic Christum Dominum, unicum ecclesiae regem et
caput, Čaºpatucós vocat Töv advov čeo Tórny Geóv Kal
Kiptov. Bos.
V. 5.— once knew Commentators here, as in
ver. 3, are divided on the meaning of &rać–either
sense will suit the passage.— Juas which follows
eióðTas, may be put absolutely, or be redundant; in
several of the best MSS it is wanting. Wells. For
Touro many MSS and Versions have travra, as 1 John
ii. 20. Id. Griesbach would omit both, and read
etë67 as āraā āti.
—that believed not..] Unbelief being the cause
of their apostacy, and all their sins. Numb. xiv. 22.
Psal. cvi. 24. Heb. iii. 18, 19. iv. 2. Whitby.
V. 6.—their first estate, The state which they had
at the beginning; or, their own station of honour
and dignity. Luke xx. 20. Benson. Doddr. Mackii.
– everlasting chains, This is a metaphorical
expression denoting a perpetual confinement. 2 Pet.
ii. 4. aelpais (Gºov raptaptógas. Mackm,
V. 7. Even as] as, “ so also '-referring to the
preceding verses.
WOL. II. 63 G
466 JUDE.
— the cities] viz. Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar.
Deut. xxix. 23.
—in like manner] §uotov Toſtols. Some would un-
derstand Toºrols of the fallen angels: But Blackwall
and others more properly refer the pronoun to Sóðowa
Kai Tôgogpa, remarking moreover, that Toſtols, by
a common euallage, is in the masculine gender, as
denoting the inhabitants of those cities: Wolf, who
agrees in this interpretation, justly observes, that
Toºtous is neuter, Sočowa and Tów.oppa being neuter
substantives.
— suffering the vengeance] Sic Stºcas UTéxetv.
Polyb. Exc. Leg. IV. 133. 6avárov kotgu JTéxeiv. id.
de Wit. et Virt. ex Lib. xii. Raphel. Weist. Wide
plura apud Kypke.
—etermal fire.] Whitby remarks, that the in-
habitants of the cities are not actually yet in torment,
and interprets duévtov in a limited or metaphorical
sense.—“That fire, which burned till it utterly con-
sumed them.” Benson. But we may join Twpós
diovtov with Seiryūa (which may be taken in the sense
of jºtóðetyua, as 2 Pet. ii. 6. Kypke. Schl.), “These
cities, in the punishment which they suffered, are set
forth as an example, or type, of everlasting ven-
geance” to all such offenders ; and therefore espe-
cially to those debauched and abandoned men, who
were in this epistle the more immediate objects of
reproof. Dr. Wells has a similar interpretation.
W. 8. Likewise also] duotas may extend to the
two preceding verses; the vices of the false teachers
are compared, in the first instance, with those of the
rebelling angels, and, in the second, with those of
Sodom and Gomorrah.
— filthy dreamers] evvarvidſea bat does not imply
any notion of impurity: The Apostle may allude to
those dreaming and delirious fancies, by which the
J UD E, 467
Gnostics corrupted and dishonoured their religion,
Whitby. Qui vigilantes somniant, ut loquitur Apu-
leius. Rosenm. Dreaming idle dreams, turning the
grace of God into licentiousness, and promising
themselves and their disciples security and lasting
happiness in those courses, which the Gospel con-
demns. Benson. ovéév d\m6és évôvuoſºevol, dAN as év
#Tvø ‘pavTagówevot Kal êoyuatigov Tes 36 yuata doeſłetas
TAñpm. Schol. apud Matthaei. Nihil tam praepos-
terum tam inconditë, tam monstruosè cogitari potest,
quod non possumus somniare. Cic. Div. II. 71. Schl.
— despise dominion,] Disown the authority of
governors, and revile the magistrates.— Adversus
superiora rabiem de sui vilitate sumunt, genusque
libertatis putant odisse majores. Quintil. de Simil.
Decl. x1. Rosenm. Schleusner and others interpret
this passage of despising angels, probably on account
of the following verse. But the connection is suffi-
ciently clear without this interpretation. “ The
Gnostics imitate the fallen angels in their rebellious
speeches and conduct; the archangel will afford them
a better example, who, even under the greatest pro-
vocation, refused to pronounce a harsh sentence of
condemnation against a fallen spirit.”
W. 9. — Michael the archangel,] Michael is
mentioned, Dam. x. 13. 21. xii. 1. as standing up
in defence of the children Daniel’s people.—
Because it is said in Rev. xii. 7. hat Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon and his angels,
Estius conjectures that Michael is the chief, or
prince, of all the angels; yet he might only bear
rule over some of the “legions of angels.” Mackn.
The Jews reckon four archangels, Michael, Uriel,
Raphael, and Gabriel (Schi. in dipxdyyeXos), the first
of whom had the peculiar charge of their polity and
nation
G G 2
468 J U D.E.
—the body of Moses, Hammond and others in-
terpret this of the Jewish church and state ; just as
the Christian Church is called by St. Paul “ the body
of Christ,” I Cor. xii. 27. Eph. i. 23. iv. 12. 16. Col.
i. 18. but in all these passages the sense is sufficiently
explained by the context. Most of the commen-
tators suppose an allusion to Zech. iii. 1, 2, the angel
there mentioned being the guardian of the Jews ;
and these words of the prophet, “ the Lord that hath
chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee,” have been thought
by some to justify Hammond's interpretation : But
the passage immediately following, “is not this a
brand plucked out of the fire tº is quite as applicable
to the common motion, of the natural body of Moses
being conveyed away from the presence of the Jews.
This ſalier sense is adopted by Beza, Estius, Whitby,
Wolls, and others: They suppose that the devil con-
tended for the dead body of Moses being buried
publickly, on pretence of doing him honour; but in
reality to give the Israelites an opportunity of raising
his body and worshipping it. We learn from the
scriptures, as Whitby remarks, that Moses was not
buried by the Jews, Deut. xxxiv. 6. and therefore
Philo saith he was buried xépaw ow Buntais dAN' d6avá-
Tots ºvváaegu. Wit. Mos. sub fin. And thus Josephus,
vegoos dºpvtºvou Virép abrow a Tavros, dq,avićetat kata
Tivos qāpayyos. Ant. Iv. fin. The expression in
Deuteronomy is indeed remarkable, “And he buried
him in a valley in the land of Moab,” where the
pronoun he has no antecedent but the Lord. It is
probable, however, that he was buried by Joshua,
under the express command and protection of the
Lord.
On this passage Michaelis principally rests his
objection against the genuineness of this epistle.
He observes, that in the whole of the vision, men-
tioned by Zechariah, there is nothing which has the
J U D. E. 469
least similarity to Jude 9. except the expression
“ the Lord rebuke thee.” Yet if we compare this
with 2 Pet. ii. 11, the two passages together, as
Lardner observes, have a mearer resemblance to
Zech. iii. 2. Certainly, however, there is no clear
evidence, that the prophet is alluding to this event
of Moses ; and since mention is made in other parts
of this epistle of traditionary facts, it is not improba-
ble that such is the allusion here ; especially as it is
plain, that the Jews had a tradition to this effect.—
Origen positively asserts, that the passage is taken
from a fabulous book, called the “Assumption of
Moses,” which is full of gross absurdities. But it
has been truly remarked, that the Jewish fables
were intermixed with some true facts, and that an
inspired writer will distinguish these from the fabu-
lous parts : And therefore, supposing that St. Jude
quoted from the work above-mentioned, he might
quote no more of it than what is true. (Thus
ver. 11.) The same Father observes, that the ac-
count of Jammes and Jambres 1 Tim. iii. 8. is taken
from a book which bears a title to that effect.
Others, with Rosenmüller, suppose that a quotation
may be made from an apocryphal writer without
its being authentick, that St. Jude is merely instruct-
ing his Jewish converts from one of their own fables.
Yet it is difficult to believe, that an inspired Apostle
would enforce, or recommend, his doctrine by a mere
fable ; and besides, he evidently mentions it not as a
fable but a fact; and the converts, at least, would con-
clude that he was persuaded of its truth.--Lardner,
however, contends that there was no such book extant
as “ the Assumption of Moses,” when this epistle
was written; but he brings no evidence on the sub-
ject, and Origen must have been better qualified to
judge.
—durst not ovk TóAanae. Many, with Blackwall,
470 J U DE,
have rendered this he would not,’ ‘ he resolved
not, &c.” But the common translation does not
imply any fear of Satan, but a fear of exceeding his
authority, of doing what it was not his duty to do:
“He did not venture to bring a railing accusation,”
or, “to pronounce sentence of reviling and rebuke.”
Non sustinuit, non induxit animum impingere illi
motam maledicti, i. e. ultionem maledicendo Sumere :
Non quod timuerit diabolum, sed quëd ex decoro
omnia agere voluit. Witsius, Misc. Sacr. tom. II. p. 123.
De Michaele.
V. 10–as brute beasts, Those ungodly teachers,
notwithstanding they made high pretensions to
knowledge, had no knowledge (concerning the use
of their body), but what they derived from natural
instinct, like brute animals : They made their lusts
the only rule of their actions; and instead of using
their knowledge from instinct rightly, they thereby
destroyed both their soul and body. Mackn. Rosenm.
Pol. Syn.
W. 11. – of Cain, Invidiá, homicidio, simulta-
tibus, et odio fratrúm, Dei contemptu &c. . . . Sicut
Balaam mercedis causã incentor fuit libidinum (vide
2 Pet. ii. 15.), et Core, qui insurrexit in Mosem et
Aaronem, ut sacerdotium ad se transferret; quem
ipsi imitantur contradictione, et seditiosā ordinis ac
statüs ecclesiae perturbatione. Pol. Syn.
—ran greedily] §§exºnoav. Hammond conjec-
tures ééekaiſºlaar, ‘exarserunt'—which agrees with
the Syriac. But it is not requisite, nor is it sup-
ported by any MS. Effuse ruerunt : sic Polyb. de
Virt, et Wit. ex lib. xxxi. of 3’ eſs éTaipas éčekéxvuto.
Elsner, ubi plur. Etiam Rabbini in scelera effusos
vocant nºt ºntov. Lex Buxt. in poty. Kypke.—Ita
£xc. ex Diod. Sic. II. p. 598. ed. Wesseling. Tods rae
JUD E. 47]
aiaxiatas jóowds ékkexuévov, Eodem modo apud Lati-
mos effundi pomitur, “Mascemati . . . effuso in amo-
rem.” Tac. Ann. I. 54. Schl.
—for reward, uta'600, subaud. &veka vel divrt.
Benson. In errorem Balaamitica mercedis, i. e. in
peccatum quod Balaam mercedis causā commisit,
incitans populum ad scortationes et adulteria cum
Moabitis. Rosenm. Mackm. But Dr. Middleton con-
tends, that in this sense it would have been Too
uta'600 Baxadu (or rather perhaps Tow worêou Too
BaNadu) and justly defends the English Version from
AEsch. de falsā Leg, ed. Reiske p. 328. X6-yovs 'ypdqovra
ato 809, i. e. propter mercedem.
—gainsaying] dutiXoyia rebellion,’ for such it
is when princes and magistrates are contradicted.
Mackm. attºovºro, the past, according to prophetick
usage, is put for the future, thereby denoting in
stronger terms the certainty of punishment. Doddr.
W. 12.—spots] orixáčes. The usual meaning of
a triXds is a rock, just at the surface of the water
(Wetst. &c.), and most of the modern interpreters
explain it so here. Beza and others follow the
Vulgate (maculae) which agrees with our Version,
and with 2 Pet. ii. 13. and conveys a more appro-
priate figure. Hesychius appears to consider a triNdèes
as an adjective, explaining it by weataguévot—“ these
are spotted, or defiled, members of your feasts of
charity,” changing iove into lasciviousness.
—your feasts of charity, drydºra, may refer to all
those feasts, which the Christians held in common,
as a mark of their mutual affection; not only before
the celebration of the eucharist, but at other times,
Tertull. Apol. c. 39. Benson. See on 1 Cor. xi. 21.
—when they feast with you, Some would connect
ovvevoxoſaevot with dipoſłęs, supposing it to denote
a wanton and luxurious feasting. Griesb. Schl. Yet
472 JUDE.
this does not appear to be necessary—securé se
pascentes i. e. “ animos in patinis habentes,” de
nullā alià re cogitantes. Rosenm. With impudent
effrontery pampering themselves, when the object
of their meeting was to have all things common, and
to enjoy a social and frugal repast.—Macknight, after
others, conceives that the word Toluaívovires is empha-
tical, containing an allusion to the name given to
the ministers of religion, both under the old and
new dispensation. Thus Ezek. xxxiv. 2. “Wo unto
the Shepherds of Israel, that do feed themselves:
Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”
—clouds they are without water, Such clouds,
saith OEcumenius, refresh no places with their
showers, for they have no water in them, but the
blacken and darken the places over which they hang
—even so these men distil the waters of life upon
none, but blacken them with their filthy practices,
being moved to them by the impulses of Satan, as
these clouds are moved (Tapaqepôuevat. Griesb.) by
the winds. Whitby, Comp. 2 Pet. ii. 17.
—whose fruit withereth, p8woTºpyd. This term
is commonly understood of trees withering in the
autumn. Vulg. Scap. Wetst. Others derive the word
dard row ºpético 3at Tds at Töv 3rd pas (arbores emarcidae.)
Beza. Wolf. So i”indar, ºptivākapiros éoida (sc. Öpus).
Pyth. 3. 471. Phavoriaus observes, that there is a
disease called pºurétopov (a blight) to which trees
are liable : So Pindar again, (pêwoTopis civéutor Xétue-
pia Karatvod. Pyth. c. 161. And this sense appears to
be more applicable here, because the withering of
autumn does not imply any corruption in the tree.
—twice dead, it is possible, this ºs may here be
used merely for the sake of energy (hyperbole ad
amplificandum. Piscat.), prorsus, omnimo.’ Pol. Syn.
Schl. More than dead — twice dead (if it were
possible). Sic Hor. Carm. III. Od. Ix. 16. Pro quo
JUD E. 473
bis patiar mori. Rosenm. The adverb is similarly
used with &rač, 1 Thess. ii. 18. Thus Job xxxiii. 14.
Psal. lxii. 11. Tim. v. 17. Many, however, would
construe this adverb literally, in which case we must
limit, in an unusual manner, the sense of daroğavóvra.
1. They had borne no fruit for two years, or two
seasons. Benson. Mackm. 2. They had been to all
appearance twice dead : Having been once spared
when seemingly about to die, they had revived and
afterwards had drooped again, and actually died.
And this describes with peculiar force the condition
of these false teachers: They had been dead under
the law and apparently lost, but had revived under the
gospel; by the scandalous abuse of which they had
fallen again, and had utterly perished. As Mack-
might well expresses it, they had died once in the
Jewish, and a second time in the Christian vineyard :
The climax is remarkable; they were like trees that
had been blighted, had become barren, had been
twice dead, and finally rooted up.
W. 13.−foaming out. As mire and dirt are de-
posited by the foam of the wave. Isai. lvii. 20. Wisd.
xiv. 1. Benson.
—wandering stars, Stellas vocant Hebraei eos,
qui doctores sunt ; doctorum sibi personam sumumt.
Wide dicta ad Matt. xxiv. 29. Grot. Rev. i. 2. ii. 1.
The Apostle may intimate, that these teachers re-
sembled not the intrinsick brightness of the fixed
stars ; but rather the planets, whose motions are
irregular, whose appearances deceive, whose lustre is
not their own. Doddr. Wolf. Parkh. The scholiast
gives a true illustration — portanov ćTayye)\óuevot,
TXavóvres éé kai TXavºwevot. Matthaei. Sic Gell. Ix. 2.
Erraticum esse hominem—et nullius rei. Rosenm.
W. 14.—the seventh] Adam, Seth, Enos, Caiman,
Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch.
474 JUDE.
—of these,] roſrois, To, for, or against these,
The prophecy, or denunciation, though immediately
designed for the people of old, is applicable to the
wicked of every age. Hamm. Doddr. Mackm. It
can by no means be proved, that this is a quotation
from that foolish book called “Enoch’s Prophecy,”
as BP. Sherlock has very rightly urged ; nor would
it prove, in any case, the inspiration of the book
from which it was taken, but only the truth of this
particular passage. The Apostle was enabled to
distinguish between what was genuine, and what
was spurious in the tradition. Doddr. Thus ver, 9.
There is no evidence, however, that it was taken
from any book at all ; it might be a prophecy of
Enoch’s preserved by tradition. Others suppose,
that St. Jude is delivering the substance of Enoch’s
prophecy in his own words, which was not unusual
with the Jewish writers — Solebant Rabbini et an-
gelis et magnis hominibus tribuere ea verba, quae
verisimilitër dicere potuerunt. Ileb. xii. 21. Act. vii.
26. Grot. See Lardner.
—ten thousand of his saints, With his holy
myriads (of angels). Mackm. Deut. xxxiii. 2, Psal.
lxviii. 17. Zech. xiv. 5. &c. Abe aor, pro fut, ut
Vel’. I l.
W. 16.- swelling words, wºrépoyka Sc. pf wara.
This may in part be rederred to the Deity, as agree-
ing with yo:/yva Ta, and aerºſºftopol. See Dan. vii. 8.
xi. 36. It seems, however, from the para.iei passage,
2 Pet. ii. 18. ("Tépoºka paratóTnTos), as if the ex-
pression were intº ided to be more general, including
all kinds of extravagant a “d monstrous asso.tions, by
which the Gāostics duet, ded and inculcated their
libidinous practices. Hanum. Whitby.
W. 17. –of the Apostles] . By the Apostles. Acts
J U D.E. 475
xx. 29. 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, 2 Tim. iii. 1. iv. 3, 4. &c.
Intellige autem mon tantùm quae scriptis mandata,
sed et quae voce dicta tradebantur. Cf. 2 Pet. iii. 2, 3.
Rosenm. Håc ipsā appellatione, Judas mom magis
Apostolorum numero se exclusisse putandus est, quâm
Paulus, Heb. xiii. 7. doctorem se eorum esse megavit,
scribens, avnuoveſete Tów jºyovuévov vuov, oftives éAd-
Amaav waiv Töv Aéryov toº Geov. Wolf.
V. 19.—separate themselves, Who form them-
selves into heretical bodies, corrupting the doctrines
of the Gospel. Their associating with Christians at
the love-feasts, is no objection to this interpretation,
because they did it eſs ºrd Totmatvetv Šavroſs.-In the
Alexandrian and several other MSS avºroës is ounitted,
in which case the clause may be interpreted of those
teachers separating Christians from one another,
and thus causing divisions in the Church : So it will
agree with 2 Pet. ii. 1. Grot. Benson. Pyle. Rosenm.
Wide Matthaei War. Lect. Ita Schol. apud cund. of T&
axta aata trototyTes év Tais (3Aao pmutats kai daevyetals
avtſov kai Tàs ékk\matas Šiao Tóvºtes Tó ué\m.
—sensual, Hammond and Whitby observe, that
the Apostle retorts upon the false teachers their own
boastful appellations: Fancying that they were
purer than others, they called themselves Twevaarikoł,
and the rest of mankind Nºvytkoł, animal mem.” The
truth, as it is here intimated, was strikingly the
l'C Wel’Sé.
W. 20.—yourselves] Gavrots here is more usually
rendered ‘one another ;' but there is no necessity
for such an interpretation. — Praestantissimae reli-
gionis fundamento inmixi, crescite in omni bono.
Rosemm.
W. 21. Keep yourselves] Hence it is evident, that
476 JUDE.
we are not so kept by the power of God, but that
something must be done on our parts to preserve
ourselves in the divine favour ; and also that men,
who are once in this state, may neglect to keep
themselves in the love of God. Whitby.
W. 23.−out of the fire; Some regard this as
an allusion to the place of torment, which is so fre-
quently described under the image of fire; but it
may be merely a proverbial expression, denoting a
deliverance from evil, as Amos iv. l I. Zech. iii. 2.
Ellipsis particulae quasi, ut alibi saepe. Hardy. The
same figure is frequent in Heathen writers—rv på
êevrépa ék Tupos éðev. Theoc. II. 131. Blackw. 6a+Tov
•ydp kal, as eitreiv, Šk Tupos apardº ovaty. Artemid. I, 50.
Wetst, ubi plura. See on 1 Cor. iii. 15.
—the garment spotted] Hyperbole ab interdictis
pollutionum legalium sumpta. Beza. Holding in
abhorrence every kind of impurity, which spreads
itself by the least communication, as the leprosy, or
plague, does by an infected garment. Levit. xy. 4.
io. 17. Impurity is often denominated by a filthy
garment. Zech. iii. 4. Rev. iii. 4. This passage in the
Revelations may have induced Estius and Erasmus
to imagine, that St. Jude alludes to the eustom of
putting on white garments, especially at the time
of baptism, as an emblem of innocence and purity.
But how were they spotted by the flesh Z ča Tºwaévov)
Töv čk Tów daupttſov Kekmåløwaérov ptov. Schol, ut
suprā.
W. 24. Now unto him." It has been doubted, to
whom this doxology is addressed. If after in Cu, in
the next verse, we read with Gyiesbach, Wells, &c.
Šid 'Inaco Xpta Tow Tow is vptov jºon, the point is settled,
and the address must be to the Father: This ad-
dition is found in the Alexandrian and other MSS,
J U D.E. 477
as well as in the Vulgate and most other Versions.
The same doxology is addressed to the Father,
Rom. xvi. 27. Macknight observes, that the Father
has the title of gaſtrip, Luke i. 47. 1 Tim. i. 1. Tit. i. 3.
and that Christ will come to judgment in the glory
of the Father, as well as in his own glory. Matt.
xvi. 27.
W. 25. To the only wise God] To the wise God
alone. Mackn. But gopº appears to be spurious.
Hamm. Mill. Wells. Bengel. Griesb. After §§ovata
several of the best MSS and Versions have ºrpo
Tavrös toº dióvos. Griesb. Thus the passage would
agree with the common form of doxology in our
Church service, “As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end.”
479
G. R. E. E. K
A
"ABBA, Rom. viii. 15.
dyabaya ſvn, 2 Thess. i. 11.
&yoyºos, 1 Cor. vii. 8.
dydrat, 1 Cor. xi. 21. Jude 12.
&yºyeXol, Rom. viii. 38.
&ye, Jam. iv. 13.
dyić(civ, 1 Cor. i. 2.
dèeXqriv yvvaſka, 1 Cor. ix. 5.
cièuaxet'irroe, Rom. i. 9. 1 Th.
i. 3.
wièukta, 1 Cor. xi. 1. 6.
cºčákipos, 2 Cor. xiii. 5.
dôſvarov, Heb. vi. 4.
citov, Gal. i. 4.
ditov d pºwv, Heb. ii. 5.
duovas, Heb. i. 2.
diovious Xpdvois, Rom. xvi. 25.
dkpodivia, Heb. vii. 4.
&Amíðeta, Rom. iii. 3.
dAAnyopeſo bat, Gal. iv. 24.
dAAotpoetríakotoc, 1 Pet. iv. 15.
duapºvſtvov, 1 Pet. v. 4.
duwpºria, 2 Cor. v. 21.
dvačotupeſv, 2 Tim. i. 6.
dvd Beſſa, Rom. ix. 3.
dvdºvais, 1 Pet. iv. 4.
&v6potov kard, Rom. vi. 19.
1 Cor. xv. 32.
tivöpwTokTévos, 1 Joh. iii. 15.
IN DE X.
divºravatAmpo, Col. i. 24.
civ-Tifféorets, 1 Tim. vi. 20.
dvºriNoyfa, Jude 11.
dv7írvTos, 1 Pet. iii. 21.
&vvopot, Jude 12.
d:tov, Rom. viii. 18.
dºrać, Jude 3.
dard Tap, duritop, Heb. vii. 3.
draw:/cºopa, Heb. i. 3.
direpto-ºrda Tos, 1 Cor. vii. 35.
&rA6tne, Rom. xii. 8.
a royevduevo, 1 Pet. ii. 24.
dTokapačokía, Rom. viii. 19.
dºroké7tteq 0a1, Gal. v. 12.
droNúTpworts, Rom. iii. 24.
&T Teg 001, Col. ii. 21, 1 Joh. v.
1 S.
cipe Taft, 1 Pet. ii. ().
dpet), 2 Pet. i. 5,
cippidavvot, 2 Cor. xi. 2.
dipTaypºds, Phil. ii. 6.
doxºi, 1 Joh. i. 1.
... ºr ověos, Rom. i. 3 I.
do Topºns, ibid.
& Tooros, 2 Thess. iii. 2.
dq/optºeiv, Pom. i. 1. Gal. i. 13.
B.
BoaX, Rom. xi. 4.
ſ346,16v KaNov, 1 Tim, iii. 13.
£3&th)s T \odºros, 2 Cor. viii. 2.
480
IN DEX.
GREEK
ſ3a.Trtto juos, Heb. vi. 2.
ſ3apJs, 2 Cor. x. 10. 1 Thess.
ii. 6. -
/3aortAetſeev, 1 Cor. iv. 8.
ſ3aortAtkos, Jam. ii. 8.
ſ3ao kaf vetv, Gal. iii. 1.
/3paxiſ T-t, Heb. ii. 7.
T.
Tevea Noºyiat, 1 Tim. i. 4.
yevvda, 1 Joh. ii. 29.
ſpapixa Teus, 1 Cor. i. 20.
1j ypaſpri pro 6 ſpaghov, Gal. iii.
S.
7upavos, 1 Cor. iv. 11. 2 Cor. v.
3. Jam. ii. 15.
A.
Aénorts, Eph. vi. 18.
deAea (ſoprevos, Jam. i. 14.
èéxeg 6at, 2 Cor. xi. 16.
Beornrot ne, 2 Pet. ii. 1. Jude 4.
Sta6,fkm, Heb. ix. 5.
Stakovía, Rom. xii. 7.
Bicikovov, Rom. xvi. 1. Heb. iv. 1.
Ctakpivetv, 1 Cor. xi. 28, 29.
Stakpſveo'6at, Jam. ii. 4.
ètao 7ropa, Jam. i. 1. 1 Pet. i. 1.
8ſkatos, Rom. iii. 26. 1 Joh. i. 9.
ètkatoo vvn, Rom. i. 17.
8ukatovv, Rom. viii. 30.
êtkatopia, Rom.i. 32.
ètkaſtos, 1 Cor. xv. 34.
ètkafoorts, Rom. iv. 25.
84xnv Utréxeev, Jude 6.
Els, Jude 12.
Bokovvtes, Gal, ii. 4. 6.
Boko ëxciv, 1 Cor. vii. 40.
ook ako, Rom. viii. 30.
E.
'Eav, cúm, 1 Joh. iii. 2.
Eyyvos, Heb, vii. 22.
eyyiſtepov, Rom. xiii. 1 1.
éykopſ3opa, 1 Pet. v. 5.
et, Heb. iii. 11.
e#ye, Eph. iii. 2.
eiorakova, Heb. v. 7.
ékôfknorts, 2 Thess. i. 8.
ék7popa, 1 Cor. xv. 8.
éAaxto Torrepos, Eph. iii. 8.
#AAmves, Rom. i. 14.
éA7tſ(etv, 2 Cor. viii. 5.
éA7rts, Rom. viii. 24.
ép:/3a.Tevetv, Col. ii. 18.
#pºpvrov, Jam. i. 21.
évépynixa, 1 Cor. xii. 10.
évepyns, 1 Cor. xvi. 9.
évépyovprévn, Jam. v. 16.
#vTijwov, 1 Pet. ii. 6.
évTvyxdvet, Rom. viii. 27.
évvar vaak eo 0at, Jude 8.
é#eſyeſpeuv, Rom. ix. 17.
é#eAkóprevos, Jam..i. 14.
é#exiſdnorav, Jude 8.
é#ov0evnprévot, 1 Cor. vi. 4.
é#ovoºſa, Rom. xiii. 1. 1 Cor. xi,
1 O.
é7revoltorag-6at, 2 Cor. v. 2.
érrepoºrnpaa, 1 Pet. iii. 21.
ezrt6avarriot, 1 Cor. iv. 9.
éataka AeTorflat, Rom. x. 13. 1 Cor.
i. 2.
eartMapſ3dveo'6at, Heb. ii, 16,
er tiAvorts, 2 Pet. i. 21.
GREEK
INDEX. 481
dartorvorragis, 2 Cor. xi. 28.
ënritpowos, Gal. iv. 2.
érô7rrat, 2 Pet. i. 15.
#oroºrrpov, 1 Cor. xiii. 12.
#orxa Toi. 1 Cor. iv. 9.
é-repoövºefv, 2 Cor. vi. 14.
éroſpatos, 1 Pet. iv. 5.
«ijdokſa, 2 Thess. i. 1 1.
eöAaſ3eta, Heb. v. 7.
sjareptor ratov, Heb. xii. 1.
evoré/3eta, 2 Pet. i. 6.
eijo Ynprovtos, Rom. xiii. 13.
evxapto ria, Eph. v. 4.
Z.
Zijv Tavi, Rom. xiv. 8.
Oorſpeïv, 2 Tim. ii. 26.
(ooowrointels, 1 Pet. iii. 18.
H.
'Hprépa dv6pozrſvn, 1 Cor. iv. 1.
#TTnua, 1 Cor. vi. 7.
G9.
Gavarro6els, 1 Pet. iii. 18.
6éAetv, 2 Cor. viii. 10. Col. ii. 18.
2 Pet. iii. 5.
0epréAtov, 1 Tim. vi. 19.
€9eos, vocativ. Heb. i. 8.
6ptap:/3evetv, 2 Cor. ii. 14.
6vuds, Rom. ii. 8.
tºpa, 1 Cor. xvi. 9.
I.
'Iôtoºtns, 1 Cor. xiv. 16. 2 Cor.
xi. 6.
tAao-pads, 1 Joh. ii. 2.
1Aao rijptov, Rom, iii. 25.
VOL. II.
K.
Ka6' ete, Rom. xii. 5.
ka6 juépav, Heb. vii. 27.
kapot, 1 Thess. v. 1.
kakia, Rom. i. 29. 1 Pet. ii. 1.
kakondeta, Rom. i. 29.
kaAeſo dat pro etvat, 1 Joh. iii. 1.
kavov, 2 Cor. x. 13.
kaarnAetſetv, 2 Cor. ii. 17.
kara AAaynv, Rom. v. 10, 11.
karavapkdo, 2 Cor. xi. 9.
i karavvËts, Rom. xi. 8.
kardpa, Gal. iii. 13.
karao'Tpnvtav, 1 Tim. v. 11.
kateyvoorprévos, Gal. ii. I 1.
kaTévavrt, Rom. iv. 17.
katrijſpeta, Jam. iv. 9.
karoTTpičeorflat, 2 Cor. iii. 18.
kavorov, Jam. i. 1 I.
kavtmpid(etv, 1 Tim, iv. 2.
Keſwat, 1 Tim. i. 9.
kéAevorua, 1 Thess. iv. 16.
kegbaXis, Heb. x. 7.
kAnpos, Col. i. 12. 1 Pet. v. 3.
koitnv ëxetv, Rom. ix. 10.
zopav0ldgetv, 1 Cor. x. 8.
koopkos, Rom. i. 8. iv. 13.
kpaÖo, Rom. viii. 15.
kpnti&euv, Tit. i. 12.
kpittipta, 1 Cor. vi, 2.
kºtſ erv, 1 Pet. ii. 13.
kTforis, Rom, viii. 19.
kvpſakov Beſtrvov, 1 Cor. xi. 20.
A.
Aapſ3dvetv dard, 3 Joh. 7.
Aétev, 2 Tim. iv. 16.
H H.
482
GREEK INDEX,
Aníðnv Aage iv, 2 Tim. i. 9.
Aoyáčea 6a, Rom. iv. 3.
Aoyuki, AaTpeta, Rom. xii.
Aoyukov Yd Aa, 1 Pet. ii. 2.
Mſ.
Maptupeſv, 3 Joh. 12.
pºdºtatos, Eph. iv. 17. Jam, i. 26.
péyas, Heb. xi. 24.
puebſelv, 1 Cor. xi. 21.
peptingal, Phil. iv. 19.
uéofºrms, Heb. vi. 17.
perauêAoua, 2 Cor. vii. 10.
get divota, ibid.
acTaoxmuatičeiv, 1 Cor. iv, 6.
perptotraffeiv, Heb. v. 2.
adAts ordićetal, 1 Pet. iv. 8.
pºpºpwo iv, Rom. ii. 20.
gvwºrdićev, 2 Pet. i. 9.
N.
Nai kal ou, 2 Cor. i. 18, 19.
vépos, Heb. xii. 1.
vſkos, I Cor. xv. 54.
vdpºos, Rom, ii. 12. Gal. vi. 13.
voortºv repi, 1 Tim. vi. 4.
pººl
* .
Ževíčeg 6a, 1 Pet. iv. 4.
O.
'Otkovduoc, Gal. iv. 2.
6&Taijuepos, Phil. iii. 5.
Guototra this, Jain. v. 17.
&rAa, Rom. xiii. 12.
JTAf{eiv, 1 Pet. iv. 1.
defloroueiv, 2 Tim, ii. 16.
Jºſeiv, Rom, i. 4.
|
dp/in, Jam, iii. 4.
doum, 2 Cor. ii. 14, 15.
oux' otov, Rom. ix. 6.
dqetMérns, Rom. viii. 12.
6\!, diviov, Rom. vi. 23.
II.
IIaiêaywyds, Gal. iii.
Tatēţa, 1 Joh. ii. 12.
Traíčeiv, 1 Cor. x. 7.
TrøAtv &vo9ev, Gal. iv.
tratrupos, 2 Joh. 12.
trapd{3aats, rapczkoi, Heb. ii. 2.
Trapaſ}oAfi, Heb. xi. 19.
Tapaſ}ov\eſerv, Phil. ii. 30.
Trapačdaeis, 1 Cor. xi. 2.
Tapathiknv, 2 Tim. i. 12. -
TrapdikAnºrov, 1 Joh. ii. 1.
Tapakiſta-etv, 1 Pet. i. 12.
Tapdºr-alpa, Rom. v. 15. 20.
Trapagºveru, Heb. ii. 1.
Trap6évos, 1 Cor. vii. 25.
Tape&Göute, Rom. vi. 17.
Trapeta mädev, Rom. v. 20.
Tao Xa, 1 Cor. v. 7.
Tetfloſs Adyots, 1 Cor. ii. 4.
reſtºw, Gal. i. 10.
Tepiéxei, 1 Pei. ii. 6.
reptºddapua, 1 Cor. iv. 13.
Treptoſolos, Tit. ii. 14.
Treptºroimats, Eph. i. 14.
Treptora etc., Rom. v. 17.
Tepſy, mucº, I Cor. iv. 13.
7 eptepeſeta, 1 Cor. xiii. 4.
tria Tojo 6a, 2 Tim. iii. 12.
migrós A6-yos, 1 Tim. iii. 1.
TAavrytal, Jude 13,
TXeftov, Heb. xi. 4.
&REEK
INDEX,
483
otéppata, Gal. iii. 16.
atteſåeuv, 2 Pet. iii. 12.
a Ti) dºes, Jude 12.
attºpata, Gal. vi. 17.
otpnviów, 1 Tim. v. 11.
attºos kai éépcºopa, 1 Tim. iii.
I 5.
a vºykp'ºvelu, 1 Cor. ii. 13.
avčnt nºrms, I Cor. i. 20.
oriuq.vtol, Rom. vi. 5.
ovvayoºn, Jam. ii. 2.
ovvaviriXapſ3dveral, Rom. viii. 26.
avveſongs, I Cor. viii. 7.
avved Taxpévos, 1 Cor. vii. 29.
avvía Tnpu, Col. i. 17.
ovvočível, Rom. viii. 22.
a ppaºls, 2 Tim. ii. 19.
ga;&eiv, Rom. viii. 24. Eph. ii. 8.
gapatikós, Col. ii. 9.
a 60a kat.nottow, Heb. x. 5.
owºpoveſv, Rom. xii. 3.
T.
7Aeovešía, Eph. iv. 19. v. 3. 5.
TAmpoupévov, Eph. i. 13.
Tveijuata, Heb. i. 7, 1 Joh. iv. 1.
roup.afuovºtes, Jude 12.
Toxtrevua, Phil. iii. 20.
troX\o pro Tavres, Rom. v. 15.
Toympía, Rom, i. 29.
Topetals, Jam. i. 11.
“Topveta, 1 Cor. v. 1.
Tpearſ3\ſºrns, Philem. 9.
Tpoyeypaſpévot, Jude 4.
Tpoext{ev, Eph. i. 12.
Tpo6/10s, 1 Pet. v. 2.
Tpoia Tctuévov, Rom. xii. S.
Tpooraywyn, Rom. v. 2.
Tpoorépxegdai, 1 Tim. vi. 3.
Tpórkoppa, Rom. xiv. 13.
Tport cºrts, Rom. xvi. 1.
Tpopiſtns, Tit. i. 12.
TporóTokos, Col. i. 15. Heb.
xii. 25.
Trrateuv, Jam, iii. 2.
Trvpos Šid, I Cor. iii. 15.
P.
‘Pd/330s, 1 Cor. iv. 21.
Sº
* *
X&#3ariouds, Heb. iv. 9.
oraívea flat, 1 Thess. iii. 3.
oapkikos, 1 Cor. ii. 14.
oréflagpa, 2 Thess. ii. 4.
orkdvča)\ov, Rom. xiv. 13,
o-ketos, 1 Thess. iv. 4.
orkmvos, 2 Cor. v. 1.
orkía, Heb. x. 1.
gºrévôopal, Phil. ii. 17.
gréppa, 1 Joh. iii. 9.
Taprapos, 2 Pet. ii. 4.
Tekvía, 1 Joh. ii. 12.
TeXefois, 1 Cor. ii. 6. Eph. iv. 13.
Phil. iii. 15.
TeXetood flat, Phil. iii. 12.
TéAos, Rom. xiii. 7. 1 Th. ii. 6.
Tipº, Col. ii. 23. 1 Tim. v. 3.
Toxſwav, Jude 9.
Tpaxnx{{elv, Heb. iv. 13.
Tpdxn}\ov Útotitéval, Rom. xvi.
4. -
Tpixov éutaokm, 1 Pet. iii. 3.
'Y.
"YTakoj Trío rews, Rom. i. 5,
H H 2
484
INDEX.
GREEK
wrepſ3oxrïv, 2 Cor, iv. 17.
ūTép twos droflaveſ, Rom. v. 5.
Uztóðelyna, 2 Pet. ii. 6.
JT66ixos, Rom, iii. 19.
Urgo-Taorus, Heb. xi. 1.
Jortépnua, 1 Cor. xiii. 17.
datepriuata tºt\!zewy, Col. i. 24.
th!/wpta, Rom. viii. 38.
q,wornpes, Phil. ii. 16.
potio-bévres, Heb. vi. 4.
X.
q).
‘Pappſaketa, Gal. v. 20.
‘pdo Rev, Rom. i. 22.
ºpeA6vijs, 2 Tim. iv. 13.
ºpéptov, Heb. i. 3.
‘pdivoropud, Jude 1 2.
q6ope, Rom. viii. 21.
ºptAot, 3 Joh. 14.
ºppove?v, Rom. viii. 5.
‘ppovoe ſo flat, 1 Pet. i. 5.
©iſoel, Eph. ii. 3.
Xaipeiv, Jam. i. 1.
X&pts, 2 Cor. viii. 1. ix. 8.
Xaptopa, Rom. i. 11. 1 Pet. iv.
10.
xºptns, 2 Joh. 12.
xelpºpaqov, Col. ii. 14.
Xpeta, Phil. ii. 25.
Xpmuatíčev, Rom. vii. 3.
Xpóvot, 1 Thess. v. 1.
XpwoodokTºtos, Jam. ii. 2,
^{r.
Yevorpa, Rom. iii. 7,
Wreſortmº, Rom. iii. 4.
Nºvytkós, 1 Cor. ii. 14,
485
E NG LIS H IN DE X.
A.
ABEL and Cain, Heb. xi. 4.
xii. 24.
Abraham, Rom. iv. 3. Heb. xi.
31. Jam. ii. 23.
AF.ons, Col. ii. 9.
Agapas, 1 Cor. xi.
13. Jude 12.
Agar, Gal. iv. 25.
Agonistical figure,
1 Cor. ix. 24.
Album, Phil. iv. 3.
Allegory, Gal. iv. 24.
21.
2 Pet. ii.
B.
Amen, 1 Cor. xiv. 16. 2 Cor. i.
2O.
Anathema, Rom. ix. 3.
xvi. 22.
I Cor.
Angels, Rom. viii. 38. 1 Cor. vi.
3. xi. 10.
Anger, when sinful, Eph. iv. 26.
Anointing the sick, Jam. v. 4.
Antichrist, 1 Joh. ii. 18.
Apostacy, 2 Thess. ii. 3.
Astrological notions, Jam. i. 17.
Atonement, Rom. iii. 25. v. 6.
vi. 10. 1 Cor. vii. 23. 2 Cor.
v. 21. Eph. v. 2. 1 Tim.ii.5.
Heb. ix. 12. 28. 1 Pet. i. 19.
ii. 24, 1 Joh. ii. 2.
Rom. ix. 30.
Baal, Rom. xi. 4.
Babylon, 1 Pet. v. 13.
Balaam, 2 Pet. ii. 15.
Baptism by laymen, 1 Cor. i. 16.
Baptism purifies, 2 Pet. i. 9.
Baptized for the dead, 1 Cor.
XV. 29.
Baptized unto, Rom. vi. 3.
Baptized in the name of, 1 Cor.
i. 13. x. 2.
Barbarian, Rom, i. 14.
xiv. 11.
Before the door, Jam. v. 9.
Beginning of days, Heb. vii. 3.
Bishops, Phil. i. 1. 1 Tim. iii. 1.
iv. 14. v. 22. Tit. i. 5.
1 Cor.
| Body raised, not numerically the
same, I Cor. xv. 37.
Book of life, Phil. iv. 3.
Born again, 1 Pet. i. 23.
Bowels of compassion, 2 Cor.
vi. 12. vii. 15, 1 Joh. iii. 17.
Burning land, Heb. vi. 8.
C.
Cain, Heb. xi. 4. I Joh. iii. 1 2.
Captivity led captive, Eph. iv. 8,
| Carpocratians, Jude 4,
486
INDEX,
ENGLISH
Caught up in the clouds, 1 Thess.
iv. 17.
Celibacy, 1 Cor. vii. 35.
Charity covers sins, I Pet. iv. 8.
Cherubim, Heb. ix. 5.
Chief of sinners, 1 Tim. i. 15.
Child-bearing, 1 Tim. ii. 15.
Children holy, 1 Cor. vii. 14.
Christ called God, Rom. ix. 5.
Chosen, Eph. i. 4.
Church in a house, Rom, xvi. 4.
1 Cor. xvi. 19.
Circumcision of heart, Rom. ii. 9.
a seal of grace, Rom. iv. 11.
Clement, Phil. iv. 3.
Coals of fire, Rom. xii. 20.
Collections for the Saints, 2 Cor.
ix. 14.
Concision, Phil. ii. 2.
Confession, Jam. v. 16.
Corner-stone, Eph. ii. 20.
Covetousness idolatry, Eph. v. 5.
Creation new, Eph. ii. 10.
Cup of blessing, 1 Cor. X. 16.
of devils, 1 Cor. x. 21.
Cup to the laity in the eucha-
rist, 1 Cor. Xi. 24, 25.
D.
Damnation, Kpºcz, 1 Cor. xi. 29.
Darkness, Rom. xiii. 12.
Day of the Lord, 1 Thess. iv. 15.
v. 2. Jam. v. 9. I Pet. iv. 7.
Day-star, 2 Pet. i. 19.
Days last, latter, 1 Tim. iv. 1.
2 Pet. iii. 3.
IDeaconess, Rom. xvi. 1.
Dead preached to, 1 Pet. iv. 5.
Demons, 1 Cor. x. 20.
Devil, the serpent, 2 Cor. xi. 3.
Diana temple of, Eph. iii. 18.
Diotrephes, 3 Joh. 9.
Divinity of Christ, Rom. i. 3.
viii. 3. ix. 5. x. 13. 1 Cor.
viii. 6. Gal. iv. 4. Eph. V. 5.
Phil. ii. 6—11. Col. i. 15. ii.
9. 1 Tim. iii. 16. 2 Pet. i. 1.
Divorce, 1 Cor. vii. 10.
Docetae, 1 Joh. i. 1.
Dogs, Phil. iii. 2.
Door, opportunity, 1 Cor. xvi. 9.
Col. iv. 3.
Double sense of prophecy, Heb.
ii. 6. 2 Pet. iii. 10.
Draw nigh to God, Jam. iv. 8.
E.
Earnest of the Spirit, 2 Cor. i. 22.
Eating meat, &c. 1 Cor. viii. 13.
Elder, see Bishop.
Elect, Eph. i. 4. 1 Pet. i. 2. ii. 9.
Elect angels, 1 Tim. v. 21.
lady, 2 Joh. 1.
Election, Rom. viii. 30.
of nations, Rom. ix. 11.
Elements, Gal. iv. 3. 2 Pet.
iii. 10.
Elijah, Jam. v. 17.
Elisha and Gehazi, Col. ii. 5.
Elohim, Jam. v. 4.
End of all things, 1 Pet. iv. 7.
Eucharist, 1 Cor. xi. 23—34.
Evangelists, Eph. iv. 11.
Excommunication, 1 Cor. v. 2.5.
Xperiences, doctrine of, Rom.
V. 4.
ENGLISH IN DEX.
487
F.
Fables of the
i. 4.
Faith, miraculous, 1 Cor. xii. 9.
Faith, assent, Jam. ii. 14. 19.
Faith and works, Rom. iii. 28.
–31. Jam. ii. 21–26.
Father of lights, Jam. i. 17.
Fiery trial, I Pet. iv. 12. Jude
23.
Final perseverance, Rom. viii. 39.
1 Cor. ix. 25–27. Gal. v. 4.
Heb. vi. 4. 2 Pet. i. 9. Jude 22.
Fire, as by, 1 Cor. iii. 15.
First-born of every creature,
Col. i. 15.
First day of the week,
xvi. 2.
First fruits, 1 Cor. xv. 20.
Flesh and blood, 1 Cor. xv. 50.
Gal. i. 16.
Footstool, Heb. i. 13.
Foreknowledge, Rom. viii. 29.
Form of God, Phil. ii. 6.
Fornication, 1 Cor. v. 1.
Forty stripes save one, 2 Cor.
xi. 24.
Fought with beasts, 1 Cor. xv. 32.
Fruit of our lips, Heb. xiii. 15.
Fulness of the Godhead, Col. ii. 9.
G.
Gaius, 3 Joh. i.
Garments, store of, Jam. v. 2.
Genealogy of sin and death,
Jam. i. 15.
Gifts, I Cor. xii. 8–31,
Girdle, 1 Pet, i, 13,
Jews, 1 Tim.
1 Cor.
*
Glorified, sense of, Rom. viii. 30.
God, existence of, proved from
the creation, Rom. i. 20. 1 Cor.
i. 21.
God, heathens acknowledged one,
Rom. i. 21.
God manifest in the flesh, 1 Tim.
iii. 15.
God over all, Christ, Rom. ix, 5.
God speed, 2 Joh. 10.
Golden censer, Heb. ix. 4.
Granville Sharp, Eph. V. 5.
Grieving the Spirit, Eph. iv. 30.
Guilty of all, Jam. ii. 10.
II.
Habitual sin, 1 Joh. ii. 1. iii. 4.
Hades, I Cor. xv. 55.
Hands, imposition of, I Tim. iv.
14.
Hand-writing
Col. ii. 14.
Hardeneth, sense of, Rom. ix. 18.
Hating, Rom. X. 13.
Head covered, Rom. xi. 4.
Heathens, quotations from, I Cor.
Heavens and earth, 2 Pet. iii. 7.
Heir of all things, IIeb. i. 2.
Hellenists, Phil. iii. 5.
Hereticks, Tit. iii. 10.
Hidden man, I Pet. iii. 4.
Holy hands, 1 Tim. ii. 8.
Horsley, Bp. on the Gifts, I Cor.
xii. 8, 9, 28. on Prophecy.
2 Pet. I 9.
Human parts and passions as-
cribed to God, Heb. iii. 1 1.
of ordinances,
488
ENGLISH INDEX.
I.
K.
King of kings, I Tim. vi. 15.
Kiss of charity, Rom. xvi. 16.
Knowledge of each other in a
future state, Col. ii. 28.
L.
Lamb without blemish,
i. 19.
Lannentation for the dead, I Thess.
iv. 14.
Last days, 2 Pet. iii. 3.
Last hour, I Joh. ii. 18.
Law of liberty, Jam. i. 25.
Law's Letter to Bp. Hoadly,
I Tim. i. 1 3.
Laying on of hands, 1 Tim. iv. 14.
Letter of the law, 2 Cor. iii. 6.
Liberty, abuse of, 2 Pet. ii. 19.
Lie, liar, Rom. iii. 4.7.
Life, happiness, I Thess. iii. 8.
Life from the dead, Rom. xi. 15.
Life, shortness of, Jam. iv. 14.
book of, Phil. iv. 3.
Lights, Father of, Jam. i. 17.
Likeness of men, Phil. ii. 7.
Limborch on final perseverance,
Rom. xiv. 15.
Living stones, J Pet. ii. 4.
Lying wonders, 2 Thess. ii. 9.
M.
I Pet.
Idleness, dissuasive from, 2 Thess.
ii; 10.
Idols nothing, I Cor. viii. 4.
Idols, dumb, I Cor. xi. 2.
Ignorance not always an excuse,
| Tim. i. 13.
sins of, Heb. ix. 7.
Imitation of Christ, I Joh. iii. 3.
Imprecatory Psalms, Rom. xi.
9, 10.
Imputed righteousness, Rom, iv.
3. l Joh. iv. 7.
Inspiration, I Joh. ii. 27.
Intercession of the Spirit, Rom.
viii. 27.
Intermediate state, Phil. i. I.
1 Pet. iii. 19. 2 Pet. i. 15.
Interpretation of tongues, 1 Cor.
xii. 10. xiv. 14. 27.
J.
Jacob and Esau, Heb. xi. 20.
xii. 16.
Jannes and Jambres, 2 Tim. iii.
8.
Jehovah, Jam, v. 4.
Jerusalem above, Gal. iv. 26.
Jesus accursed, 1 Cor. xii. 23.
Jew, meaning of, Rom. ii. 29.
Jews, fulness of, Rom. xi. 12.
—obliged to marry, 1 Cor.vii. 36.
Job, a real person, Jam. v. 11.
Judge the world, I Cor. vi. 2.
Just by faith, Rom. i. 17. Gal.
iii. 11.
Justification, Rom. iii. 25–30.
Macedonia and Achaia, 1 Thess,
i. 7.
Magistrates, authority of, Rom.
xiii. 1.
Male nor female, Gal. iii. 28,
ENGLISH INDEX.
489
Man Christ Jesus, l Tim. iii. 5.
Man of God, I Tim. vi. I 1.
of sin, 2 Thess. ii. 3, 4.
Manna, I Cor. x. 3, 4.
Maranatha, 1 Cor. xvi. 22.
Mediator of one, Gal. iii. 20.
Mediator one, 1 Tim. ii. 5.
Melchizedec, Heb. v. vii.
Men-stealers, 1 Tim. i. IO.
Alessenger of Satan, I Cor.
xii. 7.
Michael, Jude 9.
Middle wall, Eph. ii. 14.
Ministering spirits, Heb. i. 14.
Ministers not to be entangled in
secular affairs, 2 Tim. ii. 4.
Money, root of evil, 1 Tim. vi. 10.
Moses, IIeb. xi. 23, 24.
body of, Jude 9.
Murderer, 1 John iii. 15.
Mystery, Rom. xvi. 25. 1 Thess.
ii. 7.
N.
Natural face, Jam. i. 23.
Naked, without a part of clothing,
I Cor. iv. 1 1. Jam. ii. 15.
New commandment, I John.ii. 7.
Nicolaitans, Jude 4.
Nicopolis, Tit, iii. 12.
O.
Oath for confirmation,
vi. 16.
Oaths rash or illusive,
V. 12.
Oil, anointing with, Jam. v. 4.
One bread, I Cor. x. 17.
One God, Eph. iv. 6.
Heb.
Jam.
One faith, Eph. iv. 5.
Onesimus, Philem. I 1.
Outward man, 2 Cor. iv. 16.
Ox treadeth the
1 Cor. ix. 9.
Out COrn,
P.
Paradise, 2 Cor. xii. 4.
Paradoxes Stoical, alluded to,
2 Cor. vi. 10.
Passover, I Cor. v. 7.
Paul married, I Cor. vii. 8.
Peace, Rom. i. 7.
Peace of God, Phil. iv. 7.
Perfect man, Jam. iii. 2.
Peter had no superiority over
the other Apostles, Gal. ii. 7.
Pref. to Pet.
Pharaoh hardened, Rom. ix. 18.
Poor, gospel preached to, Jam.
ii. 5.
Potter, figure of, Rom. ix. 20.
Power of the air, Eph. ii. 2.
Power on her head, I Cor. xi. 10.
Praetorium, Phil. i. 31.
Prayers hindered, 1 Pet. iii. 7.
Preaching to the dead, 1 Pet.iv. 5.
Pre-existence of Christ, Rom. x.
6,7. I Cor. xv. 45. 2 Cor. viii.
9. 1 Pet. i. 1 1. 1 Joh. iv.2, 3, 9.
Principalities and powers, Col.
ii. 15.
Prophesying, Cor. xi. 4.
Propitiation, see Atonement.
Psalm viii. 6–9. Heb. ii. 6.
xlv. Heb. i. 8.
cx. Heb. v. 10.
Putting on Christ, Gal. iii. 27.
190
ENGLISH INDEX.
Q.
Quakers, claim to inspiration
ill-founded, 1 Joh. ii. 27.
mistake concerning the
Lord's supper, I Cor. xi. 24.
R.
Rahab, Heb. xi. 31. Jam. ii. 25.
Reconciliation, Ronn. v. 10.
Redemption, Eph. i. 7.
Regeneration, Tit. iii. 5.
Remove mountains, 1 Cor. xiii. 2.
Reprobates, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 2 Tim.
iii. 8.
Rest of God, Heb, iii. l I.
——of heaven, Heb. iv. 9.
Resurrection not known to the
heathen, 1 Thess. iv. 13.
—not incredible, 1 Cor. xv. 12.
past already, 2 Tim. ii. 18.
Right hand of God, Fph. i. 20.
Righteousness of God, Rom. i. 17.
Root of bitterness, Heb. xii. 15.
Royal law, Jam, ii. 8.
S.
Sabaoth, Jam. v. 4.
Sacrifices, of divine appointment,
Heb. xi. 4.
Salem, Heb. vii. 11.
Salt, Col. iv. 6.
Salvation, state of, Rom. viii. 24.
—nearer, Rom. xiii.
Sammael, 1 Cor. x. 10.
Sanctified, 1 Cor. i. 2.
Sanctified, the wife, 1 Cor. vii. 14.
Sanctuary worldly, Heb, ix. 1.
Sarah, Rom. iv. 19. I Pet. iii. 6.
Satan, delivering to, 1 Cor. v. 5.
Savour, sweet Smelling, Eph.v. 1.
Saviour, God so called, 1Tim. i. 1.
Scripture, old, inspiration of,
2 Tim. iii. 16.
Sealed, Eph. i. 13.
Separated, Roni. i. 1. Gal. i. 15.
Serpent, the seducer, 2 Cor. xi. 3.
Shepherd and bishop, 1 Pet.
ii. 25.
Shields of the antients, Eph. vi.
17.
Sick, recovery of, Jam. V. I.4.—
20. 1 Joh, v. fin.
Sign, I Cor. i. 22.
Sin unto death, 1 Joh. W. 14-
17.
Sin personified, Rom. vi. 6.
Sinai, Gal. iv. 25.
Sinaitic covenant imperfect, Heb.
ix. 14.
Slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Jani. i. 19.
Soame Jenyns, 1 Tim, ii. 5.
Sojourning, I Pet. i. 17.
Son of God, I Joh. v. 5.
Soul surviving the body, Phil. i.
21–24. Ileb. iii. 23. I Pet. iii.
| ().
Spirit, personality of, Heb. x. 29.
Spirits in prison, 1 Pet. iii. 19.
Spiritual meat, I Cor. x. 3, 4.
Spotted garment, Jude 23.
strangers and foreigners, PPh.
ii. 19-
ENGLISH
INDEX. 491
Stretching forth the hands, Rom.
X. 21.
Subjection to higher powers,
Rom. xiii. 1.
T.
Tabernacle, house of, 2 Cor. v. 1.
Table of the Lord, 1 Cor. x. 20.
Heb. xiii. 10.
Temple, 1 Cor. vi. 19.
of Diana, Eph. iii. 18.
Temporal promises, 1 Tim. iii. 8.
Temptations, Jam. i. 2.
Tertius, Rom. xvi. 22.
Tesserae hospitalitatis, 2 Cor.iii. 1.
Testament, Heb. ix. 15.
Themselves by themselves, 2 Cor.
X. 12.
Thorn in the flesh, 2 Cor. xii. 7.
Thou art my Son, IIeb. i. 5.
Thousand years, 2 Pet. iii. 6.
Tongue, management of, Jam. iii.
Touch not, taste not, &c. Col. ii.
21.
W.
Vail, the Jews under, 2 Cor. iii.
14, 15.
Vanity subject to, Rom. viii. 20.
Vision, 2 Cor. xii. 1.
Visitation, day of, I Pet. ii. 12.
Voluntary humility, Col. ii. 18.
W.
Wages of sin, Rom. vi. 23.
Wake or sleep, I Thess. v. IO.
Washing away of sins in baptism,
2 Pet. i. 9.
Water and blood, I Joh. v. 6.
Water from the rock, I Cor. x.
3, 4.
Weakness, Rom. xiv. 2.
Weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17.
Whitefield, 1 John ii. 27.
Whole spirit, 1 Thess. v. 23.
Wife of one man, 1 Tim. v. 9.
Without the camp, Heb. xiii. 1 1.
Wisdom, Jam. i. 5.
Women prophesying, I Cor. xiv.
34.
Word of life, I John i. 1.
Word ingrafted, Jam. i. 21.
Wordsworth, Dr. Eph. v. 5.
Work out salvation, Phil. ii. 12,
13.
Works, good, Tit. iii. 8.
Worldly sanctuary, IIeb. ix. I.
Worshipping of angels, Col. ii. 19.
Transubstantiation, 1 Cor. xi. 24.
Trinity, 1 Cor. vii. 4. II. 2 Cor.
xiii. 1 4.
Trump of God, I Thess. iv. 16.
Trumpet, 1 Cor. xv. 52.
U.
Unction, 1 Joh. ii. 20.
extreme, Joh. v. 14—17.
Unknown tongue, 1 Cor. xiv. 19.
END OF WO I, , II ,
Đ{JPL
t
!
|
.
|
B 354029
t
t
CHIGAN
54 5311 !
ſt
§NIHTITIATIII]
g|TTTTTTT|WX3
º ºſ-º
Eºſ a [[º. f ſº. -
#º g; . .
ºrs
=
Fº
ºN
£º-
É
..
…
ſº
F-
sºrºry º
i
: ºs
>
Cº-º-
F.
#
| TIIE GIFT OF #
THE T.V. lxi > \ N Plk Es IR Y - #
: :=º TER I.M. N. A SSOC I & T ION #
| E; :#
- ãìºi























































§
#
:
sº
º
§
§
&
wº
sº
º
sº º
º
º
§
§
º
t
§§
{
§
º
& §
º
º
º
º
º
§
§ §
§
t
§§
§§
:
º
f
º
* & zºº.º.º.
º r
º º: *. º
*f;
tº ſº. & ºf P.
ºrº
º
- Zº º
ºn sº ºr ,
º,
º
ºr
a ar: º, ºr -º
º º
3, 4',
;
§
|
. . a 't
******
*~ *
* *
;
A wº. . . . . .
* * * * * * *.*.*
º
a twº º
tº $, ºr ºf wº
* * * * * * *
R. º
* * it
*
º
º º: * *
º wº
º
ºf,"
s
. -
... v. º. ºxx
erº, ºw
º *.
tº # * * * *
Eºº
“...º.º.º.º.
º º tº
*.*.*.
i
:
|
º
issº
As sº *** *