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justice [righteousness]. — ‘xpoyeyovoruvy of sins^ which had been committed , before atonement was made for them by the blood of Christ. Comp, again Heb. ix. 15.
26. [ver. 25, Engl. Vers.] ’Ey, in marks the time of forbearance [but Engl. Vers., through]. The antithesis [to that, the time of forbearance ] is, in the present time [ev r& vvv xa/ptp] where also the vvv, present , corresponds to the rrpo, before , in Kpoyeyovoruv — e ig ro eivai avrov drxaiov xai bixaiovvra, that He might be just and the justifier) The justice of God not merely appeared, but really exercised itself in the blood-shedding of Christ. Comp, the notes on the preceding verse, avrov, He Himself, in antithesis to th q person to be justified. We have here the greatest paradox, which the Gospel presents ; for, in the law, God is seen as just and condemning ; in the Gospel, He is seen as being just Himself, and, at the same time, justifying the sinner. — rov ex ‘Tiffreojc) him who is of faith [who believeth , Engl. Vers.] comp, the ex, ch. ii. 8, [i£ epiOelag, influenced by contention].
27. Uov, where) A particle showing the argument to be com- plete and unanswerable. 1 Cor. i. 20, xv. 55 ; comp. 2 Pet. iii. 4. — i] xav^ffig, boasting ) of the Jew, over the Gentiles, towards God, ch. ii. 17, etc., iv. 2. He may boast, who can say, I am such as [all that] I ought to be, having fully attained to righteousness and life. The Jews sought for that ground for boasting in themselves. — did -tto/ou vopou) by what law, supply e^exXe 'ns&r\ rt xavyr\<ng, is boasting excluded ; or rather, by what law is the thing [justification] accomplished ? A similar ellipsis is found at ch. iv. 16, [<3/a rovro ex rr'nsreoig, therefore it is accom- plished of or by faith]. — ovyj, nay) Although a man, according to the law, might have [i.e., supposing he might have] righteousness and a reward, yet he could not boast before God ; comp. Luke xvii. 10 ; now as it is, seeing that there is no righteousness to be had by the law, there remains much less room for boasting ; and boasting is much more excluded by the law of faith, than by the law of works. — vopou tfier eng, the law of faith) An ap- propriate catachresis [change 1 in the application] of the word law. This [justification by faith] is also a law, inasmuch as being of Divine appointment, to which subjection [submission]
1 See Appendix.
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