The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 114

of form appropriate to the circumstances. intense ea.mestneee, whioh St. P1ml ie wont That we should go unto the heathen, and to express in the use of 111rou5J.(.,, as well they unto the circumoision (1va 11µ.,,s ,/s .,-a as of nou8¾i and ,nrou8aios, He did not l8v-q, aJ.,-ol Ii, ,is T¾iv .,,,p,.,.oµ.,f,v); literally, merely consent to bear in mind the poor or that we unto (or, for) the Gentiks, and them- J udmo.; apart from suoh atipulo.tion, apart selves unto (or,for) the circumcuion, without from regard to o.ny request of James, any wrb. We have a very similar ellipsis of Cephas, and John, it WB.S a matte1• which the verb in a carefullv balanced antithesis, of himself he regarded as one of ver great and before the same preposition ,ls, in Rom. importance, demanding his most earnest v. 16 (comp. e.Jso 2 Cor. viii. H). We may attention, The especial force of this verb read it either thus, "should go unto," as in iu1ro6oaua is evinced i>y Eph. iv. 3 ; both the Authorized and the Revised Ver- 1 Thess. ii. 17 ; 2 Tim. ii. l 5 ; and especially sions; or, "should be ministers for,"takingthe by 2 Cor. viii. 16, 17, in which the fro.me or ,ls with thP. like shade ofmeaninl?, as in ver. mind it expresses is distinguished, o.s here, 8. Tb is distribution of the several provinces from that of mere willingness to consent of work is shown by the subsequent praclice to another person's request. The principal on both sides (see note on ver. 7, sub fin.) to reason for making this matter so prominent have been intended to be geographical rather lay, no doubt, in the great distress prevail- than national; which understanding is also ing amongst the poor in Judma, justifying indicated by the mention in the next verse the application of the principle stated in of " the poor" whom Paul and Barnabas 2 Cor. viii. 14, 15 (see Stanley's note on were, notwithstanding this distribution, to 1 Cor. xvi. 1). But we co.n hardly err in bear in mind; they were the poor in Juda3a, supposing that, as a subsidiary motive, the province of James, Cephas, and John. both the leaders of the Jewish Church and Yer. 10.-0nly they would that we St. Paul himself were greatly influenced by should remember the poor (µ.ovuv .,-ri,v 'lr'T"'X'"" the consideration that such practical mani- 1va P.VTl/1-ovroo,µ.,v) ; only, that we should be festation of Christian sympathy would both mindful of the poor, or perhaps, their poor; evince, and help to cement, the unity with for the chrnse must be understood subjec- each other of the Jewish and Gentile tively, as referred to the standpoint of those Churches. It was this organic. unity which who" gave us the right hands of fellowship." constituted the obligation of rendering such (For the order of the words in the Greek, assistance (comp. Rom. xv. 27 with Rom. xi. comp. 2 Cor. ii 4; John xiii. 29.) If there 17, 18). How perijeveriugly and how ear- is the ellipsis of any participle at e.11 which nestly the apostle strove to o.id the poor of needs to be supplied, which many critics sup- the Jewish Churches both before and after pose, thongh Meyer not unplausibly thinks the conference here spoken of, is seen in otherwise, perhaps "stipulating" presents Acts xi 29, 30 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 1 (where re- itself more readily than either "willing" or ference is me.de to collections in Gale.tin); •·requesting;" for this 1va depends as much 2 Cor. viii., ix.; Rom. xv. 25-27; Acts upon the 5,(las [l';.,,ca.v BB the preceding xxiv. 17. Since in this last cited passage wa does, and therefore seems to introduce it is only incidentally that St. Luke is led something as much as that e. part of the to mention the collection which St. Paul compact. What the apostle means is this : brought with him in that journey or his "1n one respect only did this mutual com- to Jerusalem recorded in Acts xxi. 17, it is pact of equal brotherly partnership leave quite supposable that he brought collections us who were ministers of the Gentiles with him also in that former visit men,ly unfree in relation to the circumcision and gla.nced o.t in Acts xviii. 23. We may their ministers ; we consented to allow our- surmise the.t St. Paul has a special purpose selves bound to be mindful of the duty of in mentioning to the Galatians this par- helping their poor. In all other respects, ticular item of that important compact. In we were to still pursue the same ple.n of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, written eve.ngefuo.tion as we had been pursuing, at no long interval whether before or after with no modince.tion of either our doctrine the sending of this letter, he tells them or Church practice; with no such modinca- (xvi. 1) that he had given order to the tion, for example, e.s these false brethren Churches of Galatia respecting the manner were clamouring for." St. Paul's methods of in which they should collect for this object. work thus received the full sanction of the It seems the more probable supposition that " pillars," being recognized by them as those directions were not given until this standing on the se.me level of truth e.nd letter had had the happy effect of restoring heavenly guidance as their own. The same better relations between himself and them whiob I &1110 wu forward to do (a ,caJ than he was able at present to reckon upon. iu1ro68aa-c, al,,ro 'TOV,-0 11'01,i<Ta.t); the 'Dery thing Meanwhile, however, this historical reference thu whi.eh I too11 ei,en of my,elf ,:eal.ou., to do. would serve to prepare them in Rome measure The "al makes prominent the notion of for the appeal. when he should think it OB. ll, 1-21.] THE l!:PISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 79