Charity. See on 1 Cor. xiii. 1.
Bond of perfectness (ctvdecpuos ris tedXevdTnTOs). Love embraces and knits together all the virtues. Tedewrns perfect- ness is a collective idea, a result of combination, to which bond is appropriate. Compare Plato: “But two things cannot be held together without a third; they must have some bond of union. And the fairest bond is that which most completely fuses and is fused into the things which are bound” (“ Tim- aeus,” 31).
15. Peace of Christ. Which comes from Christ. See John Kive 24.2 loph,. ti, 14.
Rule (8paBeverw). Lit., be wmpire. Only here in the New Testament. See on ch. ii. 18. The previous references to oc- casions for meekness, long-suffering, forbearance, forgiveness, etc., indicate a conflict of passions and motives in the heart.
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Christ is the one who adjusts all these, so that the metaphor- ical sense is appropriate, as in ch. il. 18.
Called in one body. See Eph. iv. 4. So that ye are in one body according to your call.
16. The word of Christ. The only occurrence of the phrase. The word spoken by Christ.
Richly. See on Rom. ii. 4, and compare ch. i. 27.
In all wisdom. Some connect with the preceding words, others with the following—in all wisdom, teaching, ete. The latter seems preferable, especially in view of ch. i. 28, where the phrase occurs teaching and admonishing in all wisdom ; because the adverb vchly forms an emphatic qualification of dwell in, and so appropriately terminates the clause; and be- cause the whole passage is thus more symmetrical. ‘‘ Dwell wm has its single adverb rzchly, and is supported and expanded by two coordinate participial clauses, each of which has its spirit- ual manner or element of action (tn all wisdom, in grace) more exactly defined” (Ellicott).
Admonishing. See on ch. i. 28. The participles teaching and admonishing are used as imperatives, as Rom. xii. 9-13, 16-19; Kphwiv.2..8 +s Heb xi, 5 jel Pet: iil aie.
One another (éavrovs). Yourselves. See on ver. 13.
Psalms. See the parallel passage, Eph. v. 19. A psalm was originally a song accompanied by a stringed instrument. See on 1 Cor. xiv. 15. The idea of accompaniment passed away in usage, and the psalm, in New-Testament phraseology, is an Old-Testament psalm, or a composition having that char- acter. A hymn is a song of praise, and a song (@d7 ode) is the general term for a song of any kind. Hymns would probably be distinctively Christian. It is supposed by some that Paul embodies fragments of hymns in his epistles, as 1 Cor. xiii. ; Eph. vn 12;719Tim- 111-16502 Tim ii 11214 dass diieand Apoce. i. 5, 6; xv. 3, are also supposed to be of this character. In both instances of his use of #67 song, Paul adds the term spiriual. The term may, as Trench suggests, denote sacred
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poems which are neither psalms nor hymns, as Herbert’s “Temple,” or Keble’s “Christian Year.” * This is the more likely, as the use of these different compositions is not restricted to singing nor to public worship. They are to be used in mu- tual christian teaching and admonition.
With grace (év 7H ydpurr). Lit., the grace. The article limits the meaning to the grace of God. With grace begins the second participial clause.
17. Inthe name. See on Matt. xxviii. 19.
Giving thanks. Notice the emphasis on the duty of thanks- giving placed at the close of the exhortations. See ch. i. 12; LY Ses Ui Eee hone
18. Wives, etc. Compare the parallel passages, Eph. v. 22- vi. 9. See also 1 Pet. ii. 18-iii. 7; Tit. ii. 1-5.
Is fit (avjxev). See on Philem. 8. The imperfect tense, was fitting, or became fitting, points to the time of their en- trance upon the christian life. Not necessarily presupposing that the duty remained unperformed. Lightfoot illustrates by ought, the past tense of owed, and says, “the past tense perhaps implies an essential a priori obligation.”