port of the truth ; or fellow-workers with the truth. Adopt the latter, as Rev.*
9. | wrote unto the Church. The best texts insert re somewhat, which indicates that the apostle did not regard the communication as specially important.
Diotrephes (Aiozpedrjs). The name is from Alos of Zeus (Jove), and tpédw to nourish, and means Jove-nursed.
Who loveth to have the pre-eminence (6 ¢irorpwrtevor). From the adjective ¢urorpwros fond of being jirst. The word occurs here only.
10. Prating (dAvapav). From ¢dvo to bubble up or boil over. Hence of talk which is both flwent and empty. Com- pare the kindred adjective ¢Avapou tatilers, 1 Tim. v. 13.
Them that would. Those who were disposed to receive the strangers.
Casteth them out. By excommunication, which, through his influence, he had power to bring about.
11. Follow (yspod). More correctly, as Rev., dmitate. Else- where only 2 Thess. iii. 7,9; Heb. xiii. 7. The kindred word pipntns imitator, uniformly rendered follower in A. V., occurs 1 Cor, iv. 16; xi. 1; Eph. v.1. Hence our word mimic; also pantomime. Mipos means both an actor and a kind of prose
* The ordinary usage of cvvepyés with the genitive of the person co-operated with (Rom. xvi. 21; 1 Cor. iii. 9) seems against the second explanation; but against the former is the fact that the thing for which, or on behalf of which, one is a fellow-worker, is also used in the genitive (2 Cor. i. 24) or with eis unto (Col. iv. 11; 2 Cor. viii. 23). There is no instance of the dativus com- modt (so Alford, Huther), dative of reference. On the other hand, the kindred verb ouvepyéw occurs with the dative of the thing co-operated with in Jas. ii. 22: 4 wloris cuvhpyet Tors epyos, faith wrought with his works (see Huther's note). I agree with Canon Westcott that this construction is sufficient to sup- port the Rev. rendering. Huther, Alford, and Ebrard all adopt the other explanation.