Cra Xt] THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 125
the act of filling (Rom. xiii. 10), though this is doubtful.* Here in the first sense: the fulness of their number contrasted with the diminution. They will belong as an integral whole to the people of God.
13. For | speak. The best texts read Sé€ but instead of yap jor. The sentence does not state the reason for the promin- ence of the Gentiles asserted in ver. 12, but makes a transit- ion from the statement of the divine plan to the statement of Paul’s own course of working on the line of that plan. He labors the more earnestly for the Gentiles with a view to the salvation of his own race.
Inasmuch as | am. The best texts insert ody then. So Rev.; thus disconnecting the clause from the preceding, and connecting it with what follows.
| magnify mine office (r7v Svaxoviay pov do&dfw). Lit., 7 glorify my ministry, as Rev. Not I praise, but L honor by the fuithful discharge of its duties. He implies, however, that the office is a glorious one. The verb, which occurs about sixty times in the New Testament, most frequently in John, is used, with very few exceptions, of glorifying God or Christ. In ch. viii. 30, of God’s elect. In 1 Cor. xii. 26, of the members of the body. In Apoe. xviii. 7, of Babylon. For ménistry, see on minister, Matt. xx. 26.
14. Some of them. A modest expression which recalls Paul’s limited success among his own countrymen. j
15. The casting away (7 a7o8or)). In contrast with re- cewing. Only here and Acts xxvii. 22, where it means loss. Here exclusion from God’s people.
Reconciling of the world (xatadday? Kdopov). See on ch. y. 10,11. Defining the phrase riches of the world in ver. 12.
Life from the dead. The exact meaning cannot be de- termined. Some refer it to the resurrection to follow the con-
*The student will find the subject fully discussed by Bishop Lightfoot, “Commentary on Colossians,” p. 323; Ellicott on Gal. iv. 4; Eph. i. 23; Eadie and Alford on Eph. i. 23. See, also, an article by John Macpherson, ‘‘ Expositor,” second series, iv. 462.
126 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. XI.
version of Israel, including the new life which the resurrection will inaugurate. Others, a new spiritual life. Others combine the two views.
16. For (de). Better dwt, or now. A new paragraph begins.
The first-fruit—holy. See on Jas. i. 18; Acts xxvi. 10. Referring to the patriarchs.
Lump. See on ch. ix. 21. The whole body of the people. The apparent confusion of metaphor, jirst-fruit, lump, is re- solved by the fact that jirst-fruit does not apply exclusively to harvest, but is the general term for the first portion of every thing which was offered to God. The reference here is to Num. xv. 18-21; according to which the Israelites were to set apart a portion of the dough of each baking of bread for a cake for the priests. This was called drapy7 first-fruits.
Root—branches. The same thought under another figure. The second figure is more comprehensive, since it admits an application to the conversion of the Gentiles.* The thought of both figures centres in holy. Both the first-fruits and the root represent the patriarchs (or Abraham singly, compare ver. 28). The holiness by call and destination of the nation as represented by its fathers (first-fruits, root) implies their future restoration, the holiness of the lump and branches.
17. Branches were broken off («rddwv éFexddoIncar). See on Matt. xxiv. 32; Mark xi. 8. The derivation of «AdSwv branches, from xrdw to break, is exhibited in the word-play between the noun and the verb: ladon, eweklasthésan.
A wild olive-tree (aypséAauos). To be taken as an adjective, belonging to the wild olive. Hence Rev., correctly, rejects tree, since the Gentiles are addressed not as a whole but as individ- uals. Meyer says: “The ingrafting of the Gentiles took place at first only partially and in single instances; while the thow addressed cannot represent heathendom as a whole, and is also not appropriate to the figure itself; because, in fact, not