attained, or, it has happened unto us to be to the praise of his glory.’ This however not only unnaturally dis- severs contiguous clauses, but assigns to ἐκληρώθημεν a weakened sense inconsistent with the Scripture usage of that and its cognate words. A second method con- nects the last clause of the 12th verse with the second clause of the 11th.—‘ Having predestinated us to be the first who hoped in Christ.’ But this also rends the clauses apart, and does not express a sense so suitable to the context. It is saying much more, and much more in the way of an explanation of the fact affirmed in the first clause of v. 11, to say, ‘We were predes- tinated to be the praise of God’s glory ;’ than to say, ‘We were predestinated to be the first who hoped in Christ.’ The majority of commentators therefore take the clauses as they stand, and as they are concatenated in our version.
Υ. 18. The apostle having in v. 10 declared that the purpose of God is to bring all the subjects of re- demption into one harmonious body, says in y. 11 that this purpose is realized in the conversion of the Jewish Christians, and he here adds that another class, viz. the Gentile Christians, to whom his epistle is specially addressed, are comprehended in the same purpose. The first clause, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς, xTr., is elliptical. Ln whom ye also, after that ye heard, ὅσα. There are there- fore several modes. of construction possible. 1. Our translators borrow the verb ἠλπίκατε from the imme- diately preceding clause.-—‘ We, who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted.’ But the preceding