A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 • SECTION 171

188 EPHESIANS,

← Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians

readers may be thus strengthened, im order that, with all saints, they may be able to comprehend the truth of which he speaks. The knowledge in question is peculiar to the holy, i. 6. the saints. It is a spiritual knowledge, both because of its origin and of its nature. It is derived from the Spirit, and it consists in those views which none but the spiritual can experience. The object of this knowledge is infinite. “It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea?” Job 11, 8. 9. This language is used to express the infini- tude of God. The apostle employs a similar mode of representation to indicate the boundless nature of the object of the believer’s knowledge. To know what is infinite, and which therefore passes knowledge, can only mean to have some due appreciation of its nature, and of the fact that it is infinite. It is only thus that we can know space, immensity, eternity orGod. Paul therefore would have us understand that the subject of which he speaks has a length and breadth, a depth and height, which pass all understanding. But what is this immeasurable theme? The answers given to this ques- tion are too numerous to be detailed. The main point is, whether the additional particular indicated by τέ, in the phrase γνῶναι te, is to be sought in the difference between καταλαβέσθαί and γνῶναι (between compre- hending and knowing), or in the difference of the ob- jects. In the former case, the sense of the passage would be: ‘That ye may comprehend and know the

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Public-domain historical edition (1856). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.

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