7%ou art called a Jew^ i. e. one of the people of God. The word Jew is evidently taken here in its religious rather than its civil or national sense ; it expresses the relation of the people to God rather than to other na- tions. A Jew, therefore, in opposition to a Gentile, was a member of the true church, a child of Abraham, &c. In this sense the word occurs •again in vs. 28, 29. Rev. 2:9, "I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are not."
Restest in ihe law, i. e. reclinest upon it as a ground of confidence. The same word occurs in the Septuagint version of the strikingly analo- gous passage in Micah 3 : 11, "The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, the prophets thereof divine for money ; yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say. Is not the Lord among us? None evil can come upon us." This is precisely the spirit which Paul reproves, a reliance on external advantages, connected with security in sin. The law here means the whole civil and religious polity of the Jews ; the Mosaic system, the possession of which made such a distinction between them and other nations, and conferred upon them such exalted privileges.
And makest thy boast of God. The words which are thus correctly rendered here, occur in a very different sense in ch. 5: 11, where they are translated we joy in God. The word rendered to boast is expressive of self-gratulation, with or without sufficient reason. It is therefore often used for vain boasting. Its meaning here is obvious. The Jews consi- dered that they had reason for self-gratulation and exaltation in their peculiar relation to God. Their boast and confidence was that he was their God, and that they were his people.
(18) And knowest his will, and approvest the things which are most excellent, &c. The second ground of confidence was their superior knowledge. The Jews not only supposed themselves to stand in a more favourable relation to God than the Gentiles, but they regarded them- selvesas personally greatly their superiors; having better knowledge of divine things, &c. On the ground of this superiority they expected to be treated with especial favour when they appeared before God. To this ground of confidence the apostle now refers. Knowest his will, ' art possessed of a divine revelation ;' or, ' knowest what is pleasing to God.' The next clause may be rendered, either thou approvest the things that are more excellent ; or thou discernest {can decide about) the things which differ. The usage of the Greek terms admit of either of these versions. The context is in favour of the latter, as the point in hand is the superior knowledge of the Jews, by which they were able to decide questions of duty which others could not, and hence thought themselves fit to be their guides and teachers. The same phrase occurs again, Phil. 1 : 10, where it may be rendered as it is here.
(19, 20) And art confident that thou thyself art a guide to the blinr^^ and a light to them that are in darkness, &c. What is expressed figi. ratively in this verse, is expressed literally in the one that follows — an