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differs from the hour-reckoner of mortals. His gnomon1 shows at once all hours in the greatest activity and in the greatest repose. To Him the times pass away neither more slowly nor more quickly than is befitting to Him and to His economy. There is no reason why He should consider it needful either to delay or to hasten the end. How shall we understand this ? If we were able to under- stand it, there would be no occasion for Moses and Peter to add, with the Lord.
9. Oil fipuduv s/, does not delay) as though the time of His promised coming were already present, Heb. x. 37, note. Thus Ecclesias- ticus xxxv. 17, 18, %a /' xpivsT d/xaiug (6 "Y^itrog) xai eiroiY\tei xptffiv xa /' 6 xvpiog oit pr\ (3pa,dvvriy ouds pr\ paxpo6vp7i<fri hr auroTg , ?c.r.X., the Most High shall judge righteously , and execute judgment ; for the Lord will not he slack , neither will He he patient towards them , etc. This passage of the Son of Sirach closely agrees with the passage of Peter’s epistle. — rr\g svayyiXiag^ His promise) that is, sVexa, on account of. The promise will be fulfilled, ver. 13, whatever these mockers may prate, ver. 4. — pa npoQvpe?, is long-suffering) For this reason He waits, until the number of those who shall be saved shall be complete, ver. 15. — nvag, that any) not even those, who are just spoken of, as some men. — anoXsodai, should perish) This would be the case, if He did not give space for repentance. Comp. 2 Esdras viii. 59. — ywpr^ui) may have recourse to).
10. "H Js/) will he present. — oi ovpavoi , the heavens) which the mockers say shall continue as they are, ver. 4. — -po/fydov, with a great noise) The word poT^og has letters resembling the sound of an arrow in its flight, the trickling of water, etc. — croiyeTd, the elements) that is, the works which are in the heavens , as the following words show. The sun, the moon, and the stars, are often called aroiy sTa, by Theo- philus of Antioch, p. 22, 148, 228, and by others, whom Wolf has brought together in his edition, and whom Suicer has noticed, and Menage on Diogenes Laertius, vi. 102, they are called elementa by Jerome. As at the creation, so at the destruction of the world, the sun, the moon, and the stars, are accustomed especially to be men- tioned, Matt. xxiv. 29 ; and they are certainly contained in some part of Peter’s representation, and especially in the word elements , rather than fire , air , water , and earth. For Peter makes mention of the earth separately, and under this he includes water , or even air (of ■which, however, the Scripture rarely makes mention, when speaking
1 Gnomon properly denotes the pin of a sun-dial. — T.
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