26. The present distress (tv éveotdcav avdyxnv). ’Evec- Tacav present may also express something which is not simply present, but the presence of which foreshadows and inaugurates something to come. Hence it may be rendered dmpending or setting m. See on Rom. viii. 88. "Avdyen means originally force, constraint, necessity, and this is its usual meaning in classical Greek ; though in the poets it sometimes has the mean- ing of destress, anguish, which is very common in Hellenistic
*So Edwards, Ellicott, Meyer, De Wette, Bengel, Alford. Godet, on the contrary, explains, ‘‘if thou mayest be made free, make use of the possibil- ity.” His argument is certainly forcible. Both Stanley and Alford present excellent summaries of the discussion, and Edwards has some good remarks on ver. 22.
Cu. VIL] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 221
Greek. Thus Sophocles, of the approach of the crippled Phil- octetes: “ There falls on my ears the sound of one who creeps slow and painfully (xat’ avdyxnv.” “ Philoctetes,” 206); and again, of the same: “Stumbling he cries for pain (ir dvdy- kas,” 215). Inthe Attic orators it occurs in the sense of blood- relaiionship, like the Latin necessitudo a binding tie. In this sense never in the New Testament. For the original sense of necessity, see Matt. xviii. 7; Luke xiv. 18; 2 Cor. ix. 7; Heb. ix. 16. For distress, Luke xxi. 23; 1 Thess. ili. 7. The dis- tress is that which should precede Christ’s second coming, and ~vhich was predicted by the Lord himself, Matt. xxiv. 8 sqq. Compare Luke xxi. 23-28.
28. I spare you (iuav deidoua). Rev., “I would spare,” is not warranted grammatically, but perhaps avoids the ambiguity of J spare, which might be understood: 7 spare you further mention of these things. The meaning is: I give you these in- junctions in order to spare you the tribulation of the flesh.
29. Time (xarpos). Not, the period of mortal life; but the time which must elapse before the Lord appears.
Short (cuvecrarpévos). Reyv., correctly, giving the force of the participle, shortened. Compare Mark xiii. 20, and see on hasting unto, 2 Pet. iii. 12. The word means to draw together or contract. Only here and Acts vy. 6, where it is used of the winding up of Ananias’ corpse. In classical Greek of furling sails, packing luggage, reducing expenses, etc. Applied to time, the word is very graphic.
It remaineth that (70 Aowrdv va). The meaning is rather henceforth, or for the future. That (va) in any case is to be construed with the time is shortened. According to the punct- uation by different editors, we may read either: the tome is shortened that henceforth both those, etc.; or, the time zs short- ened henceforth, thut both those, etc. The former is preferable.* The time is shortened that henceforth Christians may hold earthly ties and possessions but loosely.
*So Rev. ; Westcott and Hort, Tischendorf, Brown, Meyer, Ellicott, Stan- ley. Godet prefers the other.
999 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. (Cu. VIL
31. Abusing (xataypwpevor). Only here and ch. ix. 18. The verb means to use up or consume by using. Hence the sense of misuse by overuse. So A. V. and Rev., abuse. But the American Rev., and Rev. at ch. ix. 18, wse to the full, thus according better with the preceding antitheses, which do not contrast what is right and wrong in itself (as use and abuse), but what is right in itself with what is proper under altered circumstances. In ordinary cases it is right for Christians to sorrow; but they should live now as in the near future, when earthly sorrow is to be done away. It is right for them to live in the married state, but they should “assimilate their present condition ” to that in which they neither marry nor are given in marriage.
Passeth away (zapdyev). Or, as some, the continuous pres- ent, 7s passing. If the former, the natwre of the worldly order is expressed. -Itis transitory. If the latter, the fact ; it is act- ually passing, with a suggestion of the nearness of the consum- mation. The context seems to indicate the latter.*