it is impossible. — ovreog dXvxov yXvxu rroiyjffai vdup, so neither can
a salt spring produce sweet water ) viz. bvvcircu (to be supplied). Thus the most weighty authorities, Colbert. 7 ; Cov. 4 ; Gen. ; JEth. ; Copt. ; Lat., and the Syr. The Alexand. reads ojts ccXukov. Baum- garten has a long dissertation in favour of the more generally received reading : Exam., p. xxxii. You will see my reply in App. Crit., Ed. ii., on this passage.1 The apostle had said in ver. 11, that it is not befitting that two contraries should proceed from one source ; he now says, that nothing can proceed from any source whatever, unless it be of the same kind. Salt (water), in the nominative case, has the force of a substantive, as just before, sweet and bitter. In Hesy chius jj, i) QuXaffffu, the sea. In James, dXvxov has a wider meaning, a lake or spring of salt , pouring forth water. — ovrug, thus , is used be- fore the word salt , now in particular, because this resemblance, al- ready represented in the 11th verse, puts on here a more strict propriety,2 and in this place contains the Apodosis itself, which is about to be added immediately, in plain (unfigurative) words.
13. Tig, who?) All wish to appear wise ; though all are not so : see App. Crit. on this passage.3 — dei£uru, let him show) by deed, rather than by words. — xaX^g ava<rrpo<p7jc, a good conversation) The opposite is found in ver. 16. This good conversation itself is de- scribed, ver. 17 and 18, compared with 1 Pet. ii. 12. — sv npu\jrr,ri aocpiag, with meekness, with which true wisdom is connected.
14. ZrjXov n/xpbv, bitter emulation) Emulation is not condemned, when exercised with kindness; nor anger, accompanied with kindness, and proceeding from faithfulness and love. — /uri, do not) They boast and lie against the truth, who, when they have bitter emulation, still give out that they themselves have wisdom. — w xaruxotvyctff&s) The Alex, and others read /xj? xu-oyatifc.* See App. Crit., Ed ii.
15. ['Ai/wtfei/, from above) ch. i. 17. — Y. g.] — Wr/uog, earthly) not heavenly, such as descends from the Father. — ^vyixri, animal) not spiritual, which is from the Holy Spirit. Comp, animal, 1 Cor. ii. 14; Jude 19. This is a middle term between earthly and devilish.
1 ABC corrected and later Syr. omit ov-rag, which Rec. Text prefixes without very old authority. ABC Vulg. Memph. Syr. read ovts d'hvx.ov y'Kvx.v. But Rec. Text without any old authority except later Svr., reads ovhpctx TrriyY) uT^vkov Kcci y'KVKV. — E.
2 i.e. It is more strictly in accordance with the simile that u.’Kvkov should be supposed to send forth y'KVKV, sweet water, than that a Trjjyo?, as in ver. 11, should send it forth. — E.
3 Inferior authorities read u tig. — E.
4 K a.TuxotvX'Xodi is the reading of BC. of A. — E.