The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 273

vintage is done (Isa., xxiv. 18); ancl fourthly, Exposition, be translated law, Mt IM Daw. the a.ssooia.tion with this remnant, not only Fo: t~ey ~umbled at the stone of stumbling; of the " ou leasts of Israel " gathered from aa 1t 18 wntten, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone o.11 lancls, but also of a multitude of Gentiles, of stumbling and rock of offence : and he who should be go.thered into the Messiah's that (,rur before 6 71'UTT<6"'v expressed in the kingdom (cf. Zeph. iii. 12, etc.; Zech. xiii. 9; Authorized Version by ,: whosoever," has Amos ix. 9; Joel ii. 32; Isa. vi. 13; no g?Od snpport, having prr,bably been lvi. 6; lx.). supplied from eh. x. 11) believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Here, as throughout Ver. 30-ch. x. 21.--(3) The cau8e i, in theEpiatle, the apostle's position i.a S"Upported Ike fault of the Jews themselve,. Hitherto by an Old Testament referenM. In this the apostle has viewed his subject from the instance it is to two passages of Isaiah inter- side of the Divine will and purpose (see mingled (xxviii. 16 and viii.14). The way note on ver. 19). He now viE,ws it from in which they are fnse<l is illustrative of St. Paul's way, elsewhere apparent, of referrincr the side of human responsibility. The to Scripture. As a rule, he quotes th~ rejection of the J ewe is now attributed, LXX., but often varies from it, and some- not to God's purpose to reject them, but times so as to be closer to the Hebrew. to their own fault, in that they would not Sometimes he seems to be quoting from accept God's terms. "Bio expresse ponit memory, as one who :is familiar with the causam reprobationis, quia ecilicet nolint general drift of prophecy on the subject in hand, and ee.t:isfied if the form of h:is oredere Evangelio. Ideo supra dixi, simili- quotation expresses BUeh general drift. In tudinem de Into oon ita aocipiendam esse the case before us, he follows the Hebrew quasi non sit in ipsa vohmtate hominie in Isa. viii 14, and the LXX. in =viii. 16, oa.usa. reprobationis" (Melancthon). where for the Hebrew expression rendered " shall not. make haste," the LXX. has ,.;; Vere. 30, 31.-What shall we say then, µ't, 1<a.-r,uuxvvB;i, apparently with the same That the Gentiles, which followed not after essential meaning; for" meke haste" seems righteousness, attained to righteousness, to siguify "haste a.way in terror and con- even the righteousness whioh is of faith, fusion." The two texts combined express But Israel, following aftera law of righteous- the idea of e. stone being laid by the Lord ness, attained not to (or, arrived not at, so in Zion, which should be the support of the as to distinguish l,p6a.ue e1$1 used here, from faithful, but a stumbling-block to others. 1ca.-rb,a./3e, previously need of the Gentiles, It is not necessary to inquire whether the It expresses the idea of failing to reach texts themeelve.s have in the original any what is being pursued) a law of righteous- obvious Messianic reference. Enough tha.t. ness. The Gentiles are here sllid to have they denote God's plan of dealing with hi& attained righteousness (i.e. the righteousness people. But to understand the full ides. in of God, appropriated by faith, as previously the apostle's mind, when he speaks of "t1l8 explained); but Israel to have pursued, stone of stumbling," we most take into without reaching it, a law (not, as in the account olso Ps. cxviii. 22, and onr Lord'1:1 Authorized Version, the Law) of righteous- lauguuge, e.s recorded in Matt. m. 42. 44 ness : because in the Law of Moses they and Luke :u:. 17, 18. In the Psalms we find sought o. justifying law, which in itself the :figure of" the stone,. used thus: "The it could not be. '.rhe idea is resumed in stone which the builders refu..sed is become oh. x. 3. The concluding liu«uouv,,,,, in the head sloM of the comer; " and in the ver. 81, whioh mo.y have be11n introduced Gospels our Lord refers to this text as de- into the text to make the meaning plain, noting himself, aud subjoins, with referenae is ill supported; but the sense requires it to Isaiah, the idea of the same stooe being to be understood. So far wo have a state- one on which some should ~all and be broken, ment of the facts of the oose. The reo.son with the additional oonception of its crush- follows. ing those on whom iLself should fall. The V,·rs. 32, 38.-Wherefore t Beoanse they same view essentially is e:xpressed in sought it not of faith, but aa of works of Simeon's words (Luke ii. 3-:1:), that "this la.w. The genuineneBB of the concluding Child " should be for the fall es well as for word v&,.ov here is doubtful. Its omission the rising again of many in Israel ; and it does not affect the sense. If retained, it is repeated definitely in 1 Pet. ii. 7 ( cl". a1ao mUBt1 according to the rule observed iu this Acts iv. 11; 1 Cor. i. 28).  THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. [err. rx.1-38.