2 He had been speaking of slaves or servants, ver. 9. — ED.
1. ' ' KpyjyJic, xa! s^ouffiaig, to principalities and powers) Crete was a Roman province. — ItbraactKsdcu, midapyjTv, to be subject, to obey) The words, avoqroiy foolish (comp. Ps.xxxii.9), d^sidsTg, disobedient, ver. 33 are opposed to them.
2. 'AfAa^ovg, no brawlers) Such as do not attack. — sKisixe/t, gentle) Such as yield to any one attacking them. — Kavrag, all) Crete was an island much frequented by men engaged in mer cantile transactions) ; and they wrere generally such as are described, ver. 3.
3. Tap, for) As God has treated us, so we ought to treat our neighbour. — xa! y/AsTg, we also) Eph. ii. 3. — avoyroi, foolish) We have not come to the knowledge of God of our own accord (of ourselves). [This is the very exact image of human life without grace. Grace, and grace alone, is the remedy even for foolishness. Some, wliicli may appear wonderful, though they excel in some things by singular skill and sagacity, yet in other things, when godliness or even mere natural equity is the point at issue, make the most wretched blunders, and permit themselves to be imposed upon, and their authority to be basely exercised. — Y. g.] — axeiOtTf, disobedient) We did not obey God when revealing Himself. — qdovaTg, pleasures) which consist even in evil speaking, not merely in the taste of the tongue (i.e. the pleasures of the palate). — <To//aXa/s, various, divers) 2 Tim. iii. 6. A remarkable epithet. Variety delights.
4. *H %p9)(fr6rvis xai tpi\avQpu<7ria, kindness and love to men) Human vices of a quite contrary character are enumerated, ver. 3. — ffurqpos, our Saviour) The conjugate, zffuasv, fie saved, occurs ver. 5.
5. O-j?c s% cpyuv, not of [by] works) The negative belongs to the whole sentence : we had not been in a state of righteousness ; we had not done works in righteousness ; we had no works by which we could be saved. So Moses to Israel, Deut. ix. 5.—