34 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. IV.
11. Direct (xkarevOuvac). Lit. make straight. Only in Paul and Luke. See on L. i. 79, and comp. 2 Th. iii. 5. Frequent in LXX.
13. With all his saints (wera wdvtav trav dylwv aitov). Saints is often explained as angels; but the meaning is the holy and glorified people of God. Oz dyor is uniformly used of these in N. T. and never of angels unless joined with dryyero. See L. ix. 26; Mk. viii. 38; Acts x. 22. It is doubtful if of &y1ou is used of angels in LXX. Zech. xiv. 5, which is confidently cited as an instance, is quoted at the conclusion of the Didache (xvi. 7), clearly with the sense of glorified believers. “Arysou ayyedXou appears Tob. xi. 14; xii. 15; Job v. 1. Angels has no connection with anything in this Epistle, but glorified believers is closely connected with the matter which was troubling the Thessalonians. See ch. iv. 18. This does not exclude the attendance of angels on the Lord’s coming (see Mk. viii. 38; L. ix. 26), but when Paul speaks of such attendance, as 2 Th. i. 7, he says, with the angels (ayyédov) of his power.
_1. Furthermore (Aourév). Rev. not so well, finally, although the word is sometimes rightly so rendered. The formula is often used by Paul where he attaches, in a some- what loose way, even in the midst of an Epistle, a new sub- ject to that which he has been discussing.
2. Commandments (mapayyedias). Better, charges. Only four times in N. T. °LXX. The verb rapayyédXew to command or charge is frequent, and is often used in Class. of military orders. See Xen. Cyr. ii., 4,2; Hat. iii., 25.
3. Fornication. Paul wrote from Corinth, where sensu- ality in the guise of religion was rife. In Thessalonica, besides the ordinary licentious customs of the Gentiles,
Cu. IV.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 35
immorality was fostered by the Cabeiric worship (see Intro- duction). About the time of Paul, a political sanction was given to this worship by deifying the Emperor as Cabeirus.
4. That every one of you should know how to pos- sess his vessel, etc. (eidévar Exactov tuav Td éavTod cKedos xTacGa). The interpretation of vv. 3-6 usually varies between two explanations: 1. making the whole passage refer to fornication and adultery: 2. limiting this reference to vv. 8-5, and making ver. 6 refer to honesty in business. Both are wrong. The entire passage exhibits two groups of parallel clauses; the one concerning sexual, and the other business relations. Thus: 1. Abstain from fornication: deal honourably with your wives. 2. Pursue your business as holy men, not with covetous greed as the heathen: do not overreach or defraud. A comma should be placed after aKevos vessel, and KradcOa procure or acquire, instead of being made dependent on eidévat know, should begin a new clause. Render, that every one of you treat his own wife honorably. Eiéévac is used Hebraistically in the sense of have a care for, regard, as ch. v. 12, *“* Know them that labour,” etc.: recog- nise their claim to respect, and hold them in due regard. Comp. Gen. xxxix. 6: Potiphar ov« 75a rév Ka®? abrov ovdev “gave himself no concern about anything that he had.” 1 Sam. ii. 12: the sons of Eli ove eiddres Tov Kupiov “ paying no respect to the Lord.” Ex. i. 8: Another King arose ds ovk noe Tov ’lwonh “who did not recognise or regard Joseph” : did not remember his services and the respect in which he had been held. xedos is sometimes explained as body, for which there is no evidence in N. T. In 2 Cor. iv. 7 the sense is metaphorical. Neither in LXX nor Class. does it mean body. In LXX very often of the sacred vessels of wor- ship: sometimes, as in Class., of the accoutrements of war. In N. T. occasionally, both in singular and plural, in the general sense of appliances, furniture, tackling. See Matt. xii. 29; L. xvii. 31; Acts xxvii. 17; Heb. ix. 21. For the meaning vessel, see L. viii. AG se xine 2057) 2 Cor, 1.7 ; Apoe. ii. 27. Here, metaphorically, for wife; comp. 1 Pet.