personal object ; — the real 1 object, as regards the future, is, love is not provoked , it hopeth all things , it endureth all things ; as re- gards the past, the object of the thing is, it thinketh no evil , it cover eth [Engl. Vers., bearetli] all things, believeth all things : as regards the present, it rejoiceth not at iniquity , but rejoiceth together with others in the truth ; now by thus transposing the members, the elegance of the order, which Paul has adopted, is the more clearly seen ; which the following scheme thus represents, and its evident plan shows the thread and connection :
1. It is not provoked . j'' 2. It thinketh no evil .
j (3. It rejoiceth not at iniquity.
'j ] (4. But rejoiceth at the truth. Present.
| L 5. Covereth all things , believeth all things , past.
I 6. Hopeth all things , endureth all things , fixture. Thus the order is mutually consistent with itself ; and the reason appears, why these last, hopeth , endureth , are put at the end, because in fact they are to be referred to the future. — ob va po%b- vsTccjj is not provoked) although love glows with an eager desire for the Divine glory, yet it is not provoked ; comp. Acts xv. 39. — ob 'koyi'Czrcu to xaxov, [Engl. Vers, thinketh no evil ]) doth not meditate upon evil inflicted by another, with a desire to avenge it. So the lxx. for njn often. [It does not think thus , This or that man inflicts upon me this or that wrong ; he has either done , or deserved this or that . — V. g.]
6. ' Adtxia — aXnkia, in iniquity — in the truth ) On this antithesis see Pom. ii. 8. — evy^a/psi, rejoiceth with ) congratulates, with joy. All truth cherishes Joy.
7. Udvray all things) all things occurs four times, viz., those things, which are to be covered, or believed ; and which are to be hoped for, and endured. These four steps beautifully follow one another. — ersyei, covers) conceals2 in relation to itself and in relation to others myo^gi/, we cover , ch. ix. 12, note. — mffrebei, be- lieves) as he covers the evil deeds of his neighbour, which are apparent, so he believes the good , which is not apparent. — gX-r/^g /, hopes') See the ground of hope [viz., u God is able to make him
1 The object of the thing , as contrasted with the object of the person. “ reale objectum” — “ objectum personale.” — Ed.
2 Bears, without speaking of what it has to bear. — Ed.