Ver. 15. γένησθε. “' That ye may be- come.” A high ideal before Paul’s mind to be reached by a gradual ρτοςες».---ἅμεμπ- TOL. οὐ μικρὰν yap προσάγει κηλῖδα ὁ γογγυσμός (Chr.). Perhaps ἄμεμ. refers to the judgment of others, while ἀκέραιοι denotes their intrinsic character (so Lft.). Cf. Matt. x. 16, where Christ exhorts the disciples to be ἀκέραιοι ds ai περιστεραί. —téxva Θεοῦ. This whole clause is a re- miniscence, not a quotation, of Deut. xxxii. 5, ἡμάρτοσαν, οὐκ αὐτῷ τέκνα, μωμητά" γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη. It is impossible to say whether Paul uses τ. ©,
442
Il.
r Rev. xxi. ἐν οἷς φαίνεσθε ὡς "φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, 16. "λόγον ζωῆς ' ἐπέχοντες,
x15
i246; εἰς " καύχημα ἐμοὶ εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ εἰς " κενὸν ἔδραμον,
xiii. 2.
5 For the thought, cf. John
οὐδὲ εἰς κενὸν " ἐκοπίασα.
vi. 68;
Acts v.20. Phrase only here. Cf. 1 Cor, i. 18; 2 Cor. ν. 19 al. u See on chap. i. 26. v Gal. ii y Ritual sense in Luke i. 23; Heb. viii. 6, ix. 21.
See note in/r. xlix. x 2 Tim. iv. 6.
in 2 Cor. ix. 12, and prob. ver. 30 of this chap. Often in
26 = rejoice with.
TN” εχοντες. 2So Trg., NaB*CD*FGP. ν᾿ om. και σννχαιρω.
in the strict sense common in N.T., or whether he employs the term more loosely as in Eph. v. 8.—The best authorities read ἅμωμα, the more usual N.T. word. ἀμωμητά may be due to μωμητά of LXX. Sale is certainly to be read instead of ἐν μέσῳ, with all leading authorities. It is one of those adverbial expressions which, in the later language, perhaps under the influence of Semitic usage, took the place of prepositions. Cf. Hatz., Einl., p. 214, where several exx. are quoted from Porphyrogenitus, de Caer.— σκολ. κ. διεστραμ. The latter epithet is precisely = the Scotch expression
‘“*thrawn,” “having a twist"? in the inner nature.—évy ols. Sense-construc- tion.—¢aiy. Comm. differ as to whether
φ. means here “appear” or “‘shine”’. Surely the appearing of a φωστήρ, a luminary, must be, at the same time, a shining. Both interpretations really con- verge in this context. [Calv. takes φαίν. as imperative, and compares Isa. Ix. 2. This is by no means unlikely.) Probably κόσμος (= the whole universe of things) goes closely with φωστῆρες, emphasising the contrast, while nothing is said as to their influence on others. Christ Himself is τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμον (John viii. 12). His followers are φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ. For κόσμος see Evans’ excellent note on 1 Cor. ii. 12.
Ver. 16. λ. ζωῆς. For the connexion between this expression and φωστῆρες see John i. 4, ἢ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. When Paul speaks of “life” as belonging to the Christian he means not merely the new power of holy living imparted to him, but the real presence of a truly Divine life which, although largely concealed for the present by the fleshly nature, is the pledge and actual beginning of life eternal. This is, in the Apostle’s view, the supreme goal of the Christian calling. The Christian gospel, therefore,
17. ᾿Αλλ᾽ εἰ θυσίᾳ καὶ "λειτουργίᾳ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, χαίρω καὶ * συγχαίρω ὃ
Kal? "σπένδομαι ἐπὶ τῇ
_ t No parallel in Ν.Τ, or ΕΧΧ, ii. 2; οἱ. Rom. ix. 16; Gal. we w C/. Isa. ore general use
XX. =z Luke i. 58, xv. 6, 9; 1 Cor. xii.
2 και ει FG, ἢ, g, vg. Alf. with ABcDcEKsil.L,
Ti., W.H., Ws. σννχαιρω with
is ἃ λόγος ζωῆς. .---ἐπέχοντες. Its common meaning (as in Homer, etc.) is “" holding forth", But the Apostle is not thinking of the influence exercised by his readers upon others. It is their own steadfast- ness in the faith that is before his mind in this passage. That tells against the interpretation of Field (Οι Norvicense, iii., pp. 118-119, following Pesh. with Michaelis, Wetstein, etc.), who translates, ‘* being in the stead of life "’ (to it, sc., the world), ‘holding the analogy of life’’. No doubt there are good exx. ofthe phrase in later Greek, but we are safe in saying that the ordinary N.T. reader would not understand Ady. {. in this sense. Chr, and Thphl. take it as = “having in them "’ (a strengthened ἔχειν). Th. Mps. has “holding fast," which is also the gloss of Hesychius on the word (κρατοῦν- τες). There is practically no difference between the two last explanations. Either suits the context well. It was quite cus- tomary in late Greek to use intensified forms like ἐπέχειν as stronger equivalents for the simpler words.—els καύχ. ‘‘ For a ground of boasting.”’ C/. Zeph. iii. 20, δώσω ὑμᾶς ὀνομαστοὺς καὶ els καύχημα. one X. A combination only found in this Epistle. As the Apostle advanced in years the final result of his labours would have increasing prominence in his thoughts.—rt. Does this introduce the ground of his boasting, or is it used in an κ᾽ anticipative '’ sense = because? The latter seems necessary, as the reason of his boasting has already been given, their blamelessness and steadfastness.