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Twelve Patriarchs (Judah xix. 3, ἠλέησέ pe ὅτι ἐν ἀγνωσίᾳ τοῦτο ἐποίησα) dated by Charles between 109-106 B.c.
ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ does not so much qualify ἀγνοῶν, as correct a possible notion that all ignorance must be excusable. ‘St. Paul declares, on the contrary, that his was a positive act of sinful disbelief; but ‘where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly,” ὑπερεπερίσ- σευσεν ἣ χάρις, Rom. v. 20.
Ver. 14. ὑπερπλεονάζειν only occurs here in N.T.; but St. Paul constantly uses compounds with ὑπέρ. The com- parative force of the ὑπέρ--σταςε out- weighing sin—is brought out in Rom. v. 15 544. in these passages at least it is not true, as Ellicott maintains, that ὑπέρ has a superlative (abound exceedingly) force.
τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν: The expression our Lord (without the addition of Fesus or Fesus Christ), common in modern times, is rare in N.T. See reff. In 2 Peter iii. 15 it is not certain if the refe- rence is to Christ, the Judge, or to the Father who determines the moment of His coming. In Rev. xi. 15 God the Father is meant.
Faith and love which is in Christ FYesus occurs again in 2 Tim.i. 13. In both places the singular relative is im- properly used for the plural. It is one of the writer’s habitual phrases; and therefore we cannot suppose any special relevance to the context in either of its constituent parts, though here - Bengel contrasts faith with the unbelief; and love with the blasphemer, etc., of ver. 13. Faith and love, are the inward and outward manifestations respectively of the bestowal and realisation of grace.
πίστις ἐν Χρ.Ἴησ. occurs Gal. iii. 26, τ Tim. 111. 13, 2 Tim. iii. 15. πίστις and ἀγάπη are also associated (in this order) in the first six reff.
Vv. 15-17. The dealings of Christ with me, of course, are not unique. My ex-
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