20. npotpqrtiag, prophesyings) Which should be exercised more than the other gifts ; 1 Cor. xiv. 1, 39. — i^ efyuQsvsfre, do not despise) The other gifts were more showy.
21. navrce1) all things, viz. spiritual things, which, without any carelessness and undue curiosity, you may be liable to consider as in any way belonging to you, and as not exceeding your ability.
22. ' Atfb Kavrbg e'/dovs crov?jpoD, from every bad species or kind of thought, act, or word) Species, in the sense, " appearance of evil" [as Engl. Vers.], would be sJdoc TOT a-o^oD, with the article, which TO /taXov, that which is good, has, ver. 21. But sJdog Kovypbv is a bad kind or species : sJdog, species, Germ. Gattung; LXX., Jer. xv. 3 [" I will appoint over them four kinds — the sword — the dogs — the fowls — the beasts"] ; Sir. xxiii. 21 (16), xxv. (2) 3. We ought to abstain from every species of evil [evil species of thing], lest we be deceived. The whole genus of good is simple, belonging to the " spirit, soul, and body," [ver. 23] ; the species or kinds of evil are many, 2 Cor. vii. 1 ; comp. the antithesis in the following verse.
23. Avrbi) [The very] Himself. You will be defended, says Paul, not by my zeal, but by the Divine protection. — 6 ©eo? r%s eipqvijs, the God of peace) who gives all that is good, and takes away all that is evil : etpqvq and oXorsX?^, in the Hebrew DPK>, are conjugates. [Therefore the following prayer shows what this title implies (involves in it). — V. g.] — oXorsXg/^ — oXoxX^ov) He wishes that collectively (oXoreXs/s) and as individuals (oXoxX^pov) they should be claimed for God [as His], and being so claimed, should abide in Him : collectively, all the Thessalonians without excep tion, so that no one should fail; individually, every one of them, with " spirit, soul, and body." The exposition of this verse will perhaps be more matured in course of time. There might be supposed an elegant Chiasmus, and if oX&xX?jpoi/ were taken adverbially, it would cast new light on the exposition.2 If we
1 The Germ. Vers., following the decision of the 2d Ed., subjoins the word Ss.— E. B.
Lachm. adds le, with BD(A)G$r Vulg. and later Syr. But Tisch. omits it, with A, Orig. 4,289c (3,825c).— ED.
2 The Chiasmus would make faoxhYipov answer to aupu,, and Trvtvpa. to •&vx,v) : meaning, May your body be wholly preserved, as also your spirit and soul ! — ED.
25. 209
give the passage another sense, oXoxXypov vpuv, would constitute the genus and the whole; the three following words (m/gfyta, would be the parts. — l^v rb wsv/^a nai T\ ^v^n your spirit and soul and body) You ; he just before has called them universally : and the same persons he now de nominates from their spiritual condition, my wish being, saith he, that your spirit (Gal. vi. 18) may be preserved 6XoxX«jpo>, whole and entire ; then from their natural condition, and soul and body, for the nature of the whole man absolutely consists of these two parts, my wish is, that it may be preserved blame less.1 The mention of the body agrees with the preceding discussion, iv. 4, note 16.
24. 2'O xaX&Jc upas) He, who has called you, so that He will not even now change His [purpose of grace in] calling you. This verse exhibits much of a triumphant spirit. — cro/^ere/, will do it) will preserve you, ver. 23. So that His calling of you may attain its designed end, Phil. i. 6 ; 1 Pet. v. 10 ; Rom. viii. 30.
25. Ilspi wuv, for us) as we for you, ver. 23. [Paul begs the same thing in the second epistle to the Thessalonians, also in the epistle to the Komans, Ephesian, Colossians, and Philemon, and