In whom. Resuming the in whom at the beginning of the verse, and repeated on account of the length of the clause.
Ye were sealed (€odparyicdnre). See on John iii. 33; Apoc. xxii. 10. Sealed with the assurance of the Holy Spirit. Rom. viii. 16; 2 Cor. i. 22; 2 Tim. ii. 19,
Spirit of promise. Strictly, the promise. Denoting the promise as characteristic of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit which was announced by promise. See Acts ii. 16 sqq.; Joel ii. 28; Zech. xii. 10; Isa. xxxii. 15; xliv. 3; John vii. 389; Acts i. 4— 8; Gal. iii. 14.
14, Earnest. See on 2 Cor. i. 22. Unto the redemption, etc. Construe with ye were sealed.
Of the purchased possession (rijs arepuroujoews). See on peculiar, 1 Pet. ii. 9. The word originally means a@ making to remain over and above ; hence preservation ; preservation jor ones self; acquisition; the thing acquired, or a possession. Used here collectively for the people possessed, as the circumcis- zon for those circumcised, Philip. iii. 3; the election for those chosen, Rom. xi. 7. Rev., Gods own possession, God’s own being inserted for the sake of clearness. Compare Isa. xliii. Pie eAcis Xx 0 Polit. i, 14,
Unto the praise of His glory. Construe with ye were sealed: Ye were sealed unto the redemption, ete; setting forth God’s purpose as it contemplates man. Ye were sealed unto the praise of His glory ; God’s purpose as it respects Himself.
15. Your faith (ry xa? tyuas rictw). The Greek phrase is nowhere else used by Paul. Lit., as Rev., the faith which is Vou. III.—24
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among you. Expositors endeavor to make a distinction between this and Paul’s common phrase % wiotus tyav your faith, but they differ widely, and the distinction is at best doubtful.
Love. Omit.
Unto all the saints (iv eds mdvtas Tods aylous). Lit., that which is toward all, etc. Love being omitted, this refers to faith ¢ faith which displays its work and fruits toward fellow- Christians. See on Philem.5, 6. Compare work of faith, 1 Thess. i. 8. Though dove is not mentioned, yet faith works by love. Gal. v. 6.
16. Making mention, etc. As I make mention. The same expression occurs Rom. i. 9; Philip. i. 4; Philem. 4.
17. God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Compare John xx. 17; Matt. xxvii. 46, and see on ver. 3.
Father of glory (6 watnp ths d6Ens). The Father to whom the glory belongs. Note the article, the glory, preéminently. Compare Acts vii. 2; 1 Cor. ii. 8. See Ps. xviii. 3, “who is worthy to be praised ;” where the Hebrew is 2s pracsed. The exact phrase has no parallel in Scripture.
The Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Spirit has not the article, but the reference is to the Holy Spirit. Compare Matt. xii. 28; Luke i. 15, 35, 41; -Rom.i.4; 1 Pet.i. 2. Wesdom and revelation are special forms of the Spirit’s operation. He imparts general wlumination (wisdom) and special revelations of divine mysteries. The combination of two words with an advance in thought from the general to the special is character- istic of Paul. Compare grace and apostleship, Rom. i.5; gifts and calling, Rom. xi. 29; wisdom and prudence, Eph. i. 8; wisdom and knowledge, Col. ii. 3.
In the knowledge of Him (év émuyvdce: aitod). The sphere in which they will receive God’s gift of wisdom and revelation. To know God is to be wise. The condition is not merely acknowledgment, but knowledge. ?Etiyvwcius knowl- edge is never ascribed to God in the New Testament. Of Him refers to God.
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18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened (repwticpévous Tovs opIarpovrs THs Kapdias budv). Rev., eyes of your heart. Lit., being enlightened as to the eyes of your heart ; enlightened being joined with you (ver. 17) by a somewhat ir- regular construction: may gwe unto you being enlightened. For a similar construction see Acts xv. 22. The phrase eyes of the heart occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Plato has eye of the soul (pvyijs, “ Sophist,” 254). Ovid, speaking of Pythagoras, says: ‘“ With his mind he approached the gods, though far removed in heaven, and what nature denied to human sight, he drew forth with the eyes of his heart” (“‘ Metamorphoses,” xv., 62-64). Heart is not merely the seat of emotion, as in popular usage, but of thought and will. See on Rom. i. 21. The particular aspect in which its activity is viewed, perception or cognition, is determined by what follows, “that ye may know,” ete.