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XI. 1. ΛΕΓΩ οὖν, Μὴ ἀπώσατο ὅ Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὗτοί ; μὴ γένοιτο" a Phil iii 5. καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ἰσραηλίτης εἰμὶ, ἐκ σπέρματος Αβραὰμ, φυλῆς " Beviapiv.
4 cal 2. οὐκ ἀπώσατο 6 Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν προέγνω.
a ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε
ἐν Ἠλίᾳ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή ; ὡς ἐντυγχάνει τῷ Θεῷ κατὰ τοῦ Ισραὴλ, λέγων, 4. “Κύριε, τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ 7 τὰ θυσιασ- τήριά σου κατέσκαψαν ᾿ κἀγὼ ὑπελείφθην μόνος, καὶ ζητοῦσι τὴν
ψυχήν µου”.
b Ch. iii. 26. ς Ch. ix. 11.
κ 5. οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν bs
4. ἀλλὰ τί λέγει αὐτῷ 6 χρηµατισµός; “ Κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτακισχιλίους ἄνδρας, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ Baah.”
καιρῷ λεῖμμα Kar "ἐκλογὴν χάριτος
1 λεγων KIL ; om. ΝΑΒΟΡΕ. 2 και before τα θυσιαστηρια ΝΓΙ,; om. NABCF 17.
no proselyte. Φφυλῆς Βενιαμείν: the one tribe which with Judah mainly repre- sented the post-exilic theocratic people.
Ver. 2f. οὐκ ἀπώσατο: formal denial of what the heart has indignantly pro- tested against in νετ. 1. ὃν προέγνω must contain a reason which makes the rejection incredible or impossible. This excludes the interpretation of Weiss, who thinks that Paul means to say that God knew what Israel was before He chose it, and therefore cannot cast it off as if its unbelief had disappointed Him ; He knew from the first what it would be. To plead thus for God is too paltry. We must take προέγνω as in viii. 29: the meaning is, Israel stood before God’s eyes from eternity as His people, and in the immutableness of the sovereign love with which He made it His lies the im- possibility of its rejection. The idea is the same as in νετ. 29 below. ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε: this is the alternative. He who says, God has cast off Israel, must be ignorant of what Scripture says ἐν ᾿Ἠλίᾳ in the passage which gives the history of Elijah. The sections of the Bible were designated, not as now by chapter and verse, but by some descriptive phrase: cf ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου, Mark xii. 26: and in Philo ἐν ταῖς ἀραῖς = Gen. iii. 15. Many references are made in this form by Hebrew writers. For ἐντυγχάνειν κατὰ cf. 1 Macc. viii. 32: it means to plead (not intercede) with God against Israel. τὰ θυσιαστήρια is one of the indications that in Elijah’s time there was no law requiring only one altar for Jehovah. The words are quoted from 1 Kings xix. νετ. 1ο or 14. In Elijah’s mood, Paul might have said something _ Similar of his own time, for their circum- stances were not alike. The Apostle, like the prophet, was lonely and perse-
cuted, and Israel as a whole seemed to have abandoned God or been abandoned by Him. But he understands God’s way (and His faithfulness) better.
Ver. 4. 6 χρηµατισµός: the word is related to χρηµατίζω (Mt. ii. 12, 22, Acts x. 22, Heb. viii. 5) as χρησμὸς to χράω: it means the oracle, or answer of God. Here only in N.T., but see 2 Macc. ii. 4, xi. 17. The quotation is from 1 Kings xix. 18 with ἐμαυτῷ added, by which Paul suggests God’s interest in this remnant, and the fact that He has a purpose of His own identified with them. God has reserved the seven thou- sand; He has reserved them for Himself; it is on this the proof depends that He has not cast off His people. The seven thousand are Israel to Him. Yet His unchanging faithfulness in keeping a people is not represented as a merely unconditional decree, having no relation to anything but His own will, for the seven thousand are described by their character: οἵτινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ. οἵτινες is qualitative: such were those whom God reserved for Himself, men who never bowed knee to Baal. Baad takes the fem. art. because it
was often replaced in reading by ΠΟ (LXX αισχύνη). ᾿ Ver. 5. Application of the principle of ver. 4 to the present. 6 viv καιρὸς is the present regarded not merely as 4 date, but as in some sense a crisis. λεῖμμα γέγονεν: a remnant has come to be—this is the fact which has emerged from the general unbelief of Israel. kat’ ἐκλογὴν χάριτος: on these words the emphasis lies. The existence of the remnant is due to an election of grace, a choice on the part of God the motive ot which is to be sought in His unmerited