‘¢ Paradiso,” xx., 55-60.
By fire (80d zupds). Better, Rev., through fire. He will escape as through the fire that consumes his work, as one does through the flames which destroy his house.
16. Temple (vads). Or sanctuary. See on Matt. iv. 5. Compare Eph. ii. 21; 2 Cor. vi. 16.
204 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. IL
17. Defile (pSelper). Rev., more correctly, destroy. This is the primary and almost universal meaning in classical Greek. In a fragment of Euripides it occurs of dishonoring a female. Sophocles uses it of women pining away in barrenness, and Plutarch of miaing pure colors. The phrase seems to be used here according to the Jewish idea that the temple was destroyed or corrupted by the slightest defilement or damage, or by neg- lect on the part of its guardians. Ignatius says: “ ot otxod- Sépor violators of the house (of God) shall not inherit the king- dom of God” (To the Ephesians, xvi.).
Which temple (ofrwes). Temple is not in the Greek. The double relative which refers to the epithet holy ; “of which holy character or class ye are.” *
19. He taketh (6 Spaccdpevos). Cited from Job v. 13, but not following the Septuagint verbally. The verb occurs only here, meaning to grasp with the hand. Rev., more accurately, gives the force of the participle with the article, he that taketh. This is the only allusion to the book of Job in the New Testa- ment, except Jas. v. 11.
21. All things are yours. The categories which follow form an inventory of the possessions of the Church and of the individual Christian. This includes: the christian teachers with different gifts; the world, life, and things present; death and things to come. In Christ, death becomes a possession, as the right of way between things present and things to come.
22. Things present (éveot@Ta). See on Rom. viii. 38.
23. Ye are Christ’s. A summary of the ditle following the inventory. Compare Rom. viii. 17.
* Others follow the A. V., and refer to temple ; but, as Ellicott remarks, such a connection would simply be a reiteration of ver. 16, and would hint at a plurality of temples. Rev. puts and such wre ye in margin, and this is the explanation of Ellicott, Meyer, Brown, Alford, De Wette. Godet refers to both words, holy temple. Edwards follows A. V.
Cu. IV.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 205