* In Heb. x. 38, wod after dlkaios is retained by Tischendorf, Weiss, and Rey. T., and is bracketed by WH. Vulg. has justus autem meus.
Cu. IIL] THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 119
14. That (ia). Marking the purpose of Christ in re- deeming from the curse of the law.
That we might receive, etc. The second va is parallel with the first. The deliverance from the curse results not only in extending to the Gentiles the blessing promised to Abraham, but in the impartation of the Spirit to both Jews and Gentiles through faith. The evroyla blessing is not God’s gift of justification as the opposite of the curse; for in vv. 10, 11, justification is not represented as the opposite of the curse, but as that by which the curse is removed and the blessing realised. The content of the curse is death, ver. 18. The opposite of the curse is life. The subject of the promise is the life which comes through the Spirit. See J. vii. 39; Acts ii. 17, 38, 39; x. 45, 47; xv. 7, 8; Rom. v. Ggevul 274) 61 eiiph. id.
15. After the manner of men (Kata advOpwrov). Ac- cording to human analogy; reasoning as men would reason in ordinary affairs. The phrase is peculiar to Paul. See houteiioo-e b Corsita ix.'S sixvace; Gal.i.11.,. Comp, avOperivos as a man, Rom. vi. 19.
Though it be—yet. The A. V. and Rev. give the cor- rect sense, but the order of the Greek is peculiar. “Opes yet properly belongs to ovdels no man: “ Though a man’s coven- ant yet no man disannulleth it.” But dues is taken out of its natural place, and put at the beginning of the clause, before avOpérrov, so that the Greek literally reads: “Yet a man’s covenant confirmed no one disannulleth, etc.” <A similar displacement occurs 1 Cor. xiv. T.
Covenant (c:aOyxnv). Not testament. See on Matt. xxvi. 28, and Heb. ix. 16.
Confirmed (xexvpopérnv). P° See 2 Cor. ii. 8. In LXX, Gen. xxiii. 20; Lev. xxv. 30; 4 Mace. vii. 9. From xdpos supreme power. Hence the verb carries the sense of
120 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. ([Cu. IU.
authoritative confirmation, in this case by the contracting parties.
Disannulleth (aere?). See on bring to nothing, 1 Cor. i. 19. Rev. maketh void.
Addeth thereto (émidvatdcoerat). N.T.°. Adds new specifications or conditions to the original covenant, which is contrary to law. Comp. éridia9 jn a second will or codicil, Joseph. B. J. ii. 2,3; Ant. xvii. 9,4. The doctrine of the Judaisers, while virtually annulling the promise, was appar- ently only the imposing of new conditions. In either case it was a violation of the covenant.
16. The course of thought is as follows. The main point is that the promises to Abraham continue to hold for Christ- ian believers (ver. 17). It might be objected that the law made these promises void. After stating that a human covenant is not invalidated or added to by any one, he would argue from this analogy that a covenant of God is not an- nulled by the law which came afterwards. But before reach- ing this point, he must call attention to the fact that the promises were given, not to Abraham only, but to his de- scendants. Hence it follows that the covenant was not a mere temporary contract, made to last only up to the time of the law. Even a man’s covenant remains uncancelled and without additions. Similarly, God’s covenant-promises to Abraham remain valid; and this is made certain by the fact that the promises were given not only to Abraham but to his seed; and since the singular, seed, is used, and not seeds, it is evident that Christ is meant.
The promises (ai évayyed/ac). Comp. Rom. ix. 4. The promise was given on several occasions. *