30. Wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. ‘The last three terms illustrate and exemplify the first—wisdom. The wisdom impersonated in Christ mani- fests itself as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.* For Sicavoctun righteousness, see on Rom. i. 17. For dysacpos sanctification, on Rom. vi. 19. For dmrorvTpwas redemption, Rom. iii. 24.
31. He that glorieth, etc. From Jer. ix. 23, 24, abridged after the Septuagint.
1. With excellency (xa isrepoynv). Lit., according to ele- vation or superiority. The noun occurs only here and 1 Tim. ii. 2, where it is rendered authority. The phrase expresses the mode of his preaching. For similar adverbial phrases, see «a3 imepBorjy exceedingly or according to excess, Rom. viii. 13; xara kpdtos mightily or according to might, Acts xix. 20. Con- strue with declaring.
* Others regard the four as separate predicates of Christ.
Ox, If] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 195
Declaring (katayyéd\dwv). Rev., proclaiming. See on1 John i. 5; Acts xvii. 23. Authoritative proclamation is im- plied. The word is found only in the Acts and in Paul.
Testimony (wapripiov). Some of the best texts read wvorip. tov mystery. So Rev. See on Rom. xi. 25.
2. Crucified. Emphatic. That which would be the main stumbling-block to the Corinthians he would emphasize.
3. | was with you (éyevounv mpds duds). J was is rather I became. I fell into a state of weakness, etc., after I had come among you. With you, i.e., in intercourse with. See on with God, John i.1. The implication is that his condition grew out of the circumstances in which he found himself in Corinth.
4. In demonstration (év azode/£er). Only here in the New Testament. Lit., a showing forth.
6. Wisdom. Emphatic. Lest his depreciation of worldly wisdom should expose him and his companions to the charge of not preaching wisdom at all, he shows that they do preach wis- dom, though not of a worldly kind, among matured Christians.
Them that are perfect (rots teAXelous). American Rev., them that are full-grown. Paul’s term for matured Christians. See Eph. iv. 13, where a perfect (réXevov) man is contrasted with children (vynmiot, ver. 14). So 1 Cor. xiv. 20: “In malice children, in understanding men (lit., perfect) ;” Philip. iii. 15. “This wisdom is the Christian analogue to philosophy in the ordinary sense of the word” (Meyer), and the perfect to whom he delivered it would recognize it as such.
That come to nought (xarapyoupévwv). The A. V. states a general proposition, but the Greek present participle a fact in process of accomplishment: which are coming to nought. So
Rev.
7. Ina mystery. Connect with we speak. See on Matt. xiii. 11; Rom. xi. 25.* The dn (év) has a kind of instrumental
* There is a pleasant discussion of the word in Vaughan’s ‘‘ Hours with the Mystics,” ch. iii.
196 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. IL.
force: by means of a mystery ; i.e., by delivering a doctrine hidden from the human understanding and revealed to us by
God.
8. Lord of glory. The Lord whose attribute is glory. Com- pare Ps. xxix. 1; Acts vii. 2; Eph. i. 17; Jas. ii. 1.
9. Eye hath not seen, etc. From Isa. xiv. 4, freely rend- ered by Septuagint. The Hebrew reads: “From of old men have not heard, not perceived with the ear, eye has not seen a God beside Thee who does (gloriously) for him who waits on Him.” Septuagint, “From of old we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen a God beside Thee, and Thy works which Thou wilt do for those who wait for mercy.” Paul takes only the general idea from the Old-Testament passage. The words are not to be limited to future blessings in heaven. They are true of the present.
Have entered (avé@n). Lit., went wp. See on Acts vii. 23. Compare Dan. ii. 29, Sept.