in it, are to be attributed to God. This leads him to speak of the ministry of the gos^^el, -which he contrasts with that of the law, and himself with Moses, so that it is not until the seventh chapter that he pauses, as it were, to take breath, and resumes the narrative here broken off. The thing for which the apostle gives thanks is his success; w^hich inchides both his triumph over obstacles and enemies, and his efficiency in spreading abroad the knowledge of the truth. The word ■^piajx/Sivuv, rendered here to cause to triianjjh^ means to tri- iimph ovei\ to lead in triumph. This is its uniform sense in the classics, and it is so used by Paul in Col. 2, 5. Meyer and others so render the word here. ' Thanks be to God who triumphs over us,' i. e. who disappoints our fears and puts our anxieties to shame. But this is evidently incongruous. Paul does not represent himself as humbled and conquered, but just the reverse. Calvin and others retain the literal meaning of the word, and say the sense is, ' Thanks be to God who leads us in triumph, not as captives, but as sharers of his victory.' This gives a suitable meaning, but is not so consistent with the use of the word, which means to triimiph ovei\ not, to make one a sharer in our triumph. The great majority of commentators therefore modify the sense of the word as is done by our translators. This they justify by referring to the fact that many verbs which in ordinary Greek are neuter, in tlie Hellenistic dialect are used in a causative sense ( Winer, ]). 304), as ixa^rjTcvuv, to be a disciple, in Matt. 28, 19 and else- where, means to make disciples j ^amXiveiv, to reign, in 1 Sam. 8, 22, and often in the Septuagint, means to cause to reign ; and thus '^ptafxfSevetv, to triumph, may in obedience to the con- text be fairly rendered, to cause to triumph. In Christ, in virtue of union wdth Christ, or, as united to him. These words de- termine the nature of the triumph of which the apostle speaks. It was the triumph of a Christian minister in the service of Christ.
And maheth manifest the savour of his knowledge, i. e. diffuses or spreads abroad his knowledge, wliicli is compared to the savour of a sacriiice (Gen. 8, 21. Eph. 5, 2. Phil. 4, 18), or to incense. His knowledge ; the pronoun his is commonly referred to God, but as thin clause is explanatory of the for- mer, or an ann)lification of the idea therein expressed, it is }K'rh:ips better to refer it to Christ. ' He causes us to triumph in Christ, and to spread abroad the savour of his knowledge,* i. e. th(^ knowledge of Christ. Tiiat Christ should be known