“Fractus -
The case of slaves is treated -
17.--25.
τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ᾿ ἀθυμῶσιν.
πάντα τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις, μὴ ἐν " ὀφθαλμοδουλείαις,! ὡς
443
22. οἱ δοῦλοι, ὑπακούετε κατὰ P Only here
and Eph, vi. 6 (par.) in class,
“dvOpwrdpeckor, GAN’ ἐν "ἁπλότητι καρδίας, φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον. oF Bib.
23. ὃ ἐὰν ποιῆτε, ἐκ ψυχῆς ἐργάζεσθε, ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώ- « Not class.
ποις, 24. εἰδότες ὅτι ἀπὸ Κυρίου ἀπολήμψεσθε τὴν τῆς κληρονομίας - τῷ Κυρίῳ Χριστῷ δουλεύετε"
r Only Paul in N.T.
bia ΐ only here, ἀνταπόδοσιν Eph. vi. 6 ὁ vito Δδικῷ {par.); Ps.
2 ο ικων iil. 5 in 5* 9 yap Bib. Gk.
1 So T., Tr., W.H., Ws. with RCKL. οφθαλμοδουλεια: Ln., Lft. with ABDEFG,
by assimilation to Eph. vi. 5.
double-dealing of eye-service. — τὸν Κύριον: in significant contrast to the masters according to the flesh,
Ver. 23. Not only must the slave’s work be done in the fear of the Lord, but done as if it were actually for the Lord that he was doing it, and not for a mere human master. And this principle is to govern every detail of his varied service. —é« Ψυχῆς: heartily and with good will.—ovx ἀνθρώποις : their service, Paul would say, is not to be rendered at all (οὐκ not μὴ) to their earthly master, but exclusively to Christ.
Ver. 24. However their earthly master may reward their service, there is a Master who will give them a just recom- pense; although they cannot receive an earthly, He will give them a heavenly inheritance.—&mw6 Κυρίου : in Eph. vi. 8 mapa K. The absence of the article is noteworthy. It emphasises the position rather than identifies the Person of Him who gives the reward (cf. the anarthrous ἐν υἱῷ, Heb. i. τ). Haupt thinks that there is no significance to be attached to its omission; but, as Lightfoot says, “Τε is studiously inserted in the context”’.— ἀνταπόδοσιν τῆς κληρονομίας : the ‘just recompense consistingintheinheritance”’. KX. is a genitive of apposition.—SovAevere. This may be taken as απ indicative (Lightf., Findl., Moule, Haupt) or as an imperative (Mey., Ell., Alf., Abb.). The indicative is defended on the ground that it is needed to explain who is meant by ἀπὸ Κυρίου (but this was surely obvious), and that the imperative seems to require ὡς τῷ Κ. But Lightfoot himself quotes Rom. xii. 11, where ὡς is absent. On the other hand the indicative gives a somewhat flat sense, and the imperative seems to yield a better connexion with
ver. 25. It is best then to take it as an imperative. Ver. 25. This verse provides the
reason (γὰρ) for δουλεύετε. It is dis-
puted whether 6 48. means the master who treats his slave unjustly, or the slave who by his idleness wrongs his master. To include both (Lightf., Findl., Ol.) is highly questionable, not only because a double reference is on principle to be avoided in exegesis, but because the con- nexion with δουλ. implies that one side of the relation only is being dealt with. It is commonly thought that the verse is an encouragement to the slave, based on the assurance that the master who ill treats him will receive his recompense in due course. In favour of this οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπ. is urged, since it implies that they are in a social position which might influence earthly courts, but can- not mitigate the judgment of God. But while a Christian writer could dissuade from vengeance by the thought that vengeance belonged to God alone, it is not credible that Paul should console the slave or encourage him in his duty by the thought that for every wrong he received his master would have to suffer. And, as Haupt says, we should have ex- pected ὑμᾶς after ἀδικῶν and δὲ instead of yap. There is also a presumption in favour of an exhortation to the slave here. If it referred to the masters it would have come more naturally after iv. 1. Nor does προσωπ. necessarily imply that the wrongdoer is socially more highly placed. It equally well applies to favouritism that might be expected from God on the ground of religious position. So we should interpret the verse (with Weiss and Haupt) as a warning to the Christian slave not to presume_on his Christianity, so as to think that God will overlook his misdeeds or idleness.