as afterwards in the phrase vo^v g'Jg/, will have pasture, will eat. These men think they are going forward in sacred things. The future is used in its strict sense ; for it is a prediction, as in will have pasture (will eat) in the next verse ; comp. iii. 1.
17. 'T/t&va.io$, Hymenceus) who continued pertinacious ; comp. 1 Tim. i. 20. — 7.0.1 <b'r/.r~og, and Philetus) who assented to Hymenaeus.
18. Trtv avaffraffiv, the resurrection) Perhaps these Ephesians had laid hold of a pretext taken from Paul's own Epistle to the Ephesians, Eph. ii. (5. Clemens Al. says, that the defamers of marriage interpreted the resurrection [wherein " they neither marry nor are given in marriage "], Luke xx. 35, concerning this life. [/So the hope of eternal life was taken away.' — V. g.] — AmrpsKouffij subvert) The figure is derived from a foundation, a house; see the following verses.
19. 'O pswi ffTspeo; [; nevertheless,' Engl. Yers.], indeed sure) The antithesis is, tliey subvert., ver. 18 : add by all means the note on 1 Tim. iii. 15. Indeed (/Agvro/) has its Apodosis in the os, but, ver. 20. — de/A&ios rot ®eov, the foundation of God) Hebr. "ip^, foundation, that is, the subject which is the point at issue (the matter in question) ; for example, in a contract [the subject- matter, which is the foundation on which the contract rests], as Sam. Petitus observes, Yar. Lect. c. 10. The foundation of God, on which they who are His depend, so that they cannot be over thrown, is the immoveable faithfulness of God. — sffrqxev, hath stood and stands) It is said to stand, for to remain unmoved as a sentence, a decree, is said to stand [to be fixed]. The word desist, presently occurring, corresponds to it ['Acrotrr^rw and egrqxev are conjugates]. Paul expresses the meaning of D^pn to be firm, sure. — (fppayTdct, the seal) Sentences in former times were wont to be engraven on seals. — 7-a-j~r,v, this) to which the whole remaining part of this verse is to be referred. — syvu K-jpiog, the Lord knows) £-7Tsff/(:£~~ai "/.a/ svrsyvo) o Qsog rovg 'ovrag uv~o\j, zat rovg ay/ov* wpoffrr/dyzro xpb; eavrov, God has looked upon and knoivs them that are His, and draws His saints near to Him, Num. xvi. 5. He knows His own in love, nor ceases to know them, but always
doubt flattered themselves they were going forward (TrpoxoTrrsm), and had spiritual pasturage or eating (i/o^j/ t^st). To this Paul replies by allusion, using the words in a bad sense. — ED.