14. Spirit (zvedua). The human spirit, which is moved by the divine Spirit. See on Rom. viii. 4.
Understanding (vods). See on Rom. vii. 23. Is unfruitful (dxcaprds éorwv). Furnishes nothing to others.
15. I will sing (yard). See on Jas. v.13. The verb da is also used for sing, Eph. v. 19; Col. iii. 16; Apoce. v. 9; xiv. 3; xv.3. In the last two passages it is combined with playing on harps. In Eph. v. 19 we have both verbs. The noun war- pos psalm (Eph. v. 19; Col. iii. 16; 1 Cor. xiv. 26), which is etymologically akin to this verb, is used in the New Testament of a religious song in general, having the character of an Old- Testament psalm; though in Matt. xxvi. 30; Mark xiv. 26, ipvéw hymneo, whence our hymn, is used of singing an Old- Testament psalm. Here applied to such songs improvised under the spiritual ecstasy (ver. 26). Some think that the verb has here its original signification of singing with an instrument. This is its dominant sense in the Septuagint, and both Basil and Gregory of Nyssa define a psalm as implying instrumental accompaniment; and Clement of Alexandria, while forbidding the use of the flute in the agapae, permitted the harp. But neither Basil nor Ambrose nor Chrysostom, in their panegyrics upon music, mention instrumental music, and Basil expressly condemns it. Bingham dismisses the matter summarily, and
270 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Czu. XIV.
cites Justin Martyr as saying expressly that instrumental music was not used in the Christian Church. The verb is used here in the general sense of singing praise.
16. The place (rév ro7vrov). Some explain of a particular seat in the assembly. Rather it expresses the condition of those who are unintelligent as regards the utterance in an un- known tongue.
The unlearned (édv@tov). Only once outside of the Corin- thian Epistles: Acts iv. 18 (see note). In the Septuagint it does not occur, but its kindred words are limited to the sense of private, personal. ‘Trench (“Synonyms”) illustrates the fact that in classical Greek there lies habitually in the word “a negative of the particular skill, knowledge, profession, or stand- ing, over against which it is antithetically set; and not of any other except that alone.” As over against the physician, for instance, he is ééce@rns in being unskilled in medicine. This is plainly the case here—the man who is wnlearned as respects the gift of tongues. From the original meaning of a private individual, the word came to denote one who was unfit for pub- lic life, and therefore uneducated, and finally, one whose mental powers were deficient. Hence our zdiot. Jdiot, however, in earlier English, was used in the milder sense of an uneducated person. Thus “Christ was received of ¢diots, of the vulgar people, and of the simpler sort” (Blount). “ What, wenest thou make an idiot of our dame?” (Chaucer, 5893). “ This plain and zdiotecal style of Scripture.” ‘Pictures are the scripture of ¢diots and simple persons” (Jeremy Taylor).
Amen. Rev., correctly, zhe Amen. The customary response of the congregation, adopted from the synagogue worship. See Deut. xxvii. 15 sqq.; Neh. viii. 6. The Rabbins have numer- ous sayings about the Amen. “Greater is he who responds Amen than he who blesses.” ‘ Whoever answers Amen, his name shall be great and blessed, and the decree of his damna-
tion is utterly done away.” “To him who answers Amen the gates of Paradise are open.” An ill-considered Amen was styled “an orphan Amen.” ‘ Whoever says an orphan Amen,
his children shall be orphans.” The custom was perpetuated
Cu. XIV.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 271
in Christian worship, and this response enters into all the an- cient liturgies. Jerome says that the united voice of the people in the Amen sounded like the fall of water or the sound of thunder.