Ver. 4. θεοῦ yap διάκονός ἐστιν cot eis τὸ ἀγαθόν. διάκονός is feminine agreeing with ἐξουσία, which is “ almost personified ” (Sanday and Headlam). The σοὶ is not immediately dependent on διάκονός, as if the State were con- ceived as directly serving the person; the State serves God, with good in view as the end to be secured by its ministry, viz., the maintenance of the moral order ~ in society; and this situation is one the benefit of which redounds to the indi- vidual. ἐὰν δὲ τὸ κακὸν ποιῇς, PoBod : only when the individual does that which
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κακὸν πράσσοντι. ὀργὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν ’ συνείδησιν. τελεῖτε ᾿
1
7. ἀπόδοτε οὖν ' πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλάς *
‘ ol λειτουργοὶ yap Θεοῦ εἰσιν, eis αὐτο τούτο προσκαρτερούντες.
x \ , ‘ fi τῷ τον hopov, τὸν Φφόρον.
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5. διὸ ἀνάγκη ὑποτάσσεσθαι, οὗ μόνον διὰ τὴν
6. διὰ τοῦτο γαρ καὶ φόρους bt Cor. x. 25, 27; 1 Pet. ii, το.
TO ‘
1 αποδοτε ουν $°D°FLP; om. ουν N!ABD! and all edd.
is contrary to the end set before the State by God—commits τὸ κακὸν, which frus- trates τὸ aya0dv—need he fear: but then he must fear. οὐ γὰρ εἰκῇ: for not for nothing, but for serious use, does the ruler wear the sword. For εἰκῇ cf. 1 Cor. xv. 2, Gal. ili. 4. Φορεῖ is wear, rather than bear: the sword was carried habitually, if not by, then before the higher magistrates, and symbolised the power of life and death which they had in their hands. ‘The Apostle in this passage,” says Gifford, ‘‘expressly vin- dicates the right of capital punishment as divinely entrusted to the magistrate” But ‘‘expressly”’ is perhaps too much, and Paul could not deliberately vindicate what no one had assailed. He did, in- deed, on a memorable occasion (later than this) express his readiness to die if his life had been forfeited to the law (Acts xxv. rr); but to know that if an individual sets himself to subvert the moral order of the world, its representa- tives can proceed to extremities against him (on the ground, apparently, that zt, as of God’s institution, is of priceless value to mankind, whereas he in _ his opposition to it is of no moral worth at all) is not to vindicate capital punish- ment as it exists in the law or practice of any given society. When the words θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν are repeated, it is the punitive ministry of the magistrate which is alone in view. ἔκδικος eis ὀργὴν: anavenger for wrath. ὀργὴ inthe N.T. almost always (as here) means the wrath of God. It occurs eleven times in Romans: always so. The exceptions are Eph. iv. 31, Col. 11. 8, 1 Tim. ii. 8, Jas. i, 19 i τῷ τὸ κακὸν πράσσοντι = to him who works at evil. The process is presented in πράσσειν rather than the result. Cf. i. 33.
Ver. 5 f. διὸ ἀνάγκη ὑποτάσσεσθαι: there is a twofold necessity for submis- sion—an external one, in the wrath of God which comes on resistance; an in- ternal one, in conscience. Even apart from the consequences of disobedience conscience recognises the Divine right _and function of the ἐξουσία and freely -submits to it. διὰ τοῦτο yap καὶ φόρους
τελεῖτε. διὰ τοῦτο seems to refer to the moral necessity to which appeal has been already made in διὰ τὴν συνείδησιν. It is because conscience recognises the moral value of the State as an ordinance of God that we pay taxes. φόρος is often used of the tribute paid by a subject nation: Neh. v. 4, 1 Macc. viii. 4, Le. xx. 22; but here is probably used in- definitely of any imposts made for the support of the Government. λειτουργοὶ γὰρ θεοῦ εἰσίν: the use of λειτουργοί here instead of διάκονοι emphasises the official character of the service which they render. In the LXX λειτουργεῖν
is the regular rendering of nw, and