competitors in the public games, whose names were openly read and became famous. — ev /3//3Xw £w?j£, in the book of life) viz. are, or, I pray may be. The optative must be often supplied, ver. 23. They seem, to have been already by that time dead, for we generally follow such with earnest wishes1 of that sort. Who would not help the surviving companions of these departed ones,
1 Wishes that they may be found among the saved, not prayers, which are contrary to Scripture. — ED.
(jy"?1 Being associated with those who have died with honour, is to younger survivors a great recommendation to him who thus, as it were, stands in the middle place between those who are dead and those who are alive ; for example, it formed a recom mendation of Timothy to the Philippians, because he had been the intimate friend of Paul. [Those have also excellent materials for concord, of whom some have good reason to think others (who have good reason to think of one another that they are) partakers of eternal life, 1 Pet. hi. 7.— Y. g.]
4. Xa/psrs sv Kvpiy ffdvrors, craX/i/ spu, ^aipSTs, rejoice in the Lord : again I say, always rejoice) The particle, again, requires an Epitasis,2 as in Gal. i. 9, where the Epitasis is in irapeXd^srt, comp. ver. 8 ; so the Galatians are more strongly bound, because [not only Paul preached, ver. 8, but] they also received or took up the Gospel which was preached. Add Gal. v. 3, where / testify makes an Epitasis to Xsyu, I say, ver. 2 ; and iravri, to every man, has an Epitasis to unto you, ver. 2 ; and 6p£/Xgr»j£, he is a debtor, to shall profit you nothing, ver. 2 : here the word, always, forms such an Epitasis with rejoice ye, repeated. At the begin ning of the verse, it is said, rejoice ye in the Lord, as ch. iii. 1. Some join xdvrors with the preceding words.
5. Tb Iflr/g/xeg, your kindly spirit [aequitas3]) Joy in the Lord produces true kindliness in regard to our neighbour, and proper unconcern [freedom from over-carefulness] about one's own affairs, ver. 6 ; likewise true candour towards men and God Him self: and this candour is expressed by the words, yvbitfyru, let it be known, i.e. in acts, and, ytupitttfa, let (your requests) be made known, viz. by prayer, ver. 6. Moroseness is the companion of sadness and care. — yvwtf^rw, let be known) from the thing itself. There are some who cherish gentleness (sequitas, a yielding and
1 Buxtorf, de Abbrev. Hebr. p. 84, writes, li Vt = n^aV ^?! memoria ejus sit in benedictione (may his memory be blessed). De pluribus n^?! memoria ipsorum (their memory): nomini piorum virorum defunctorum subjici solet : aut in genere sapientum vel Rabbinorum commemoration!." The ^ and t are the initials used as the abbreviation for the whole words. — ED.
2 See Append.
3 Wahl, Clavis, N. 1, renders it 'humanitas,' kindness and gentleness towards others. He adds, others interpret it ' modestia,' moderation. Beng. has ' sequitas,' which includes both fairness and kindliness towards others, and equanimity in one's own mind. Th. gfo«, I yield. — ED.