account, not even into the Divine account, in the absence of the law. — Comp. iwbyu, impute , or put it to my account , Philem. v. 18, note. Sin therefore does not denote notorious crimes, such as those, for which the inhabitants of Sodom were punished before the time of Moses, but the common evil. Chrysostom on this passage shows exceedingly well, what Paul intended to prove by this argument, on ovx uvrri 59 upapna rijg rod vo/aov rrapa^dffiug, a\\’ exe/vri 59 rqg rod A du/jo ^ccpaxorig, d vrr, qv 59 ‘ruvru Xvfiaivo/joevy), xai rig i] rodrov urrbbui^tg ; ro xocl irpb rod vofiov rrdvrug drro6v7]6xa v, u that it was not the very [actual] sin of transgressing the law, but that of the disobedience of Adam — this was the sin that brought universal destruction, and what is the proof of this 1 The fact that all died before the giving of the law”
14. 'E/3a<r/Xgy<rg, reigned) Chrysostom says, vug efiuffi'ktvfcv. ; ii/ rut of/joioj/xan rr\g ‘7Tapot(3d<rewg 5 Ahdpu. u How did it reign? in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.” He therefore construed in the likeness with reigned ; and no doubt [death] reigned , I say , may be supplied [before the words in the likeness of Adarris transgression ] ; comp. vi. 5. A reign is ascribed to death, as well as j ooiver, Heb. ii. 14. Scarcely indeed has any sovereign so many subjects, as are the many even kings whom death has taken away. It is an immense kingdom. This is no Hebraism- ; sin rules ; righteousness rules. — d*ro — hsXPb from — until) The dispensation respecting the whole human race is threefold. 1. Before the law. 2. Under the law. 3. Under grace. Men severally experience the power of that dispensation, chap. vii. — xa /, even) The particle indicates a species of persons subject to death, whom death might have seemed likely to spare in prefer- ence to all others ; and so therefore it establishes the universa- lity of death. [Not only against those, he says, who committed many sins after the age of Moses , which were to he reckoned to them according to the law, hut even against those, long before, who did not commit such sins — V. g-] . — eni, over) This is a para- dox ; death reigned over those who had not svnned. Paul shows an inclination to use such paradoxes in speaking of this mystery, comp. v. 19 ; 2 Cor. V. 21 ; Bom. iv. 5. — roijg w prfaavrag, those who had not sinned) All indeed from Adam to Moses have committed sins, although some were virtuous, others profligate ; but because they sinned without law, without which sin is not
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