The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 160

oases tho "Scripture" is put in place of has Kal lv,v)\.O"Y1J8ficrov-ra, ~v o-ol ,racra, al cpv)\./i, the nnnounccmant which !:icriptura records .,-ij, -yijs: in our Authorized Version,"And in ns ha.ving been made, the Scripture itself thee shall a1l families [Hebrew, mishpeclwth] being written o.ftor the time of both A bra- of the earth be blessed:" only, through some bnm anrl Phnro.oh, and not addressed to cause or other, instead of " all families," them, Iln t here there is the additional he writes the words," all nations" (,rctVTcz feature, of foresight being attributed to -re\ (Ovr,), which we find in what was said by Scripture-a foresight, not exactly of the the Lord to the two angels (Gen. xviii. 18), Holy Spirit inspiring the Scripture, but of Ka;l iv,v"-oyri81J<Tov-ra, iv o.u.,-rj [that is, Abra- the Divina Being who, on the occasion re- ham] ,r&v-ra; -re\ (8v11 -rii• -yij,: Authorized ferred to, was holding communication with Version, " all the nations of the earth " Abraham; although, yet ago.in," the Scrip- (Gen. xxii. 18, and the promise to Isaac, ture" seems in the words, "foreseeing that Gen. xxvi. 4, are irrelevant to the point God would justify," etc., distinguished now under consideration). We, therefore, from "God." The sense, however, is clear; are warranted in assuming that, as (8v 11 Scripture shows that, as early as the time might be used as coextensive with ct,v/1.al of Abmham, a Divine intimation was given ("families"), it really is here employed by that God would, on the ground of faith the apostle with the same extension of simply,justify any human being throughout application. We may add that, most cer- the world that should believe in him as ta.inly, the apostle utterly repudiated the Abraham did. Rabbinical scholars tell us notion that God justifies Gentiles o:i a that in those writings a citation from Scrip- different footing from that on which he ture is frequently introduced with the words, justifies Jews: whether Jews or Gentiles, "What sees the Scripture?" or, "What they only who are of faith are blessed with sees he [or, 'it']?" That God would justify Abraham; and, whether Jews or Gentiles the heathen through faith (8-r, '" .,,.fo·-rews all who are of faith are blessed with him. li11ca;m, -re\ Mv11 d Eleos) ; that by (Greek, out Preached before the gospel unto Abraham, of) faith would God justify thB nations. saying (,rpo•V1Jrr•>..i<Ta;'To -rtp 'A/3po.&µ., 8-r,); The position of J,, ,r[cr-rews betokens that preached the gospel beforehand unto Abra- the apostle's point here is, not that God ham, saying. Very striking ond animated would justify the Gentiles, but that it was is the apostle's use of this word ,rpo•V1J-y- by faith that he would do so irrespectively -,,,.,(cra;-ro, a compound verb, minted no doubt of any fnlfilmen t on their pa.rt of cere- for the occasion out of his own ardent monial observances. The tense of the thought, though it is found also in his 11resent indicative 811,a;w, is ha.rdly to be senior contemporary, Philo. 'It is plainly an explained thus: would justify as we now allusion to the ''gospel" now openly pro- see he is doing. The usua.l effect of the claimed to the world as having been " by oratio obliqua transfers the st.andpoint of anticipation" already then announced to time in li11<a;1oi to the time of the foresight, Abraho.m, the Most High himself the herald; the present tense being put instead of the signifying also the joy which it brought to future (611,a,wcrE<), as intimating that God the patriarch, and (Chrysostom adds) hia was, so to speak, even now preparing thus great desire for its accomplishment. The to justify, or, in the Divine estimate of blessed and glorious gospel of the grace of spaces of time, was on the eve of thus God has been the thought of God in all justifying; analogously with the force of ages. May we connect with this the mys- tho present tense in the participles "given'' terious passage in John viii. 56? In point and "pournd out" (616&,u,vov, i1<xvv&,uevov) of construction, the verb eba-y-y,/1.£ (oµa., is in Luke xxii. 19, 20. The condition of nowhere else followed by 8T1: but as it mankind in the meanwhile is described in is sometimes found governing an accusative vers. 22, 23-shut up unto the faith that of tho matter preached (Luke i. 19; ii. 10 ; wns to be revealed. A question arises oa Acts v. 42; viii. 12; Eph. ii. 1i), there ie to the exact interpretation of the word (8V1J no horshness in its construction with 0T1, us twice occurring in this versa. Does the which we mi\y here represent in English apostlo use it os the correlative to Jews, by " saying." In thee shall all nations "Gentiles;" or without any such sense of be blessed {bev/l.o'Y1191ia-ov-ra, [Receptus, contro.distinclion, "nations" includiug both EU)\.O"Y1J8,\CTov-ra,] b o-ol 1rclVTa; Ta (9V7J). " In Jews o.nd Gentiles? In answer, we observe: thee" oa their type ond pattern, in respect (1) The greot point in these verses (6-9) is, both to the "blessing" bestowed upon him not the call of the Gentiles, but tho effico.oy and to the faith out of which his blessing of faith without Laviticol caremonialism, o.s sprong. The "blessing" consists of God's summed up in the words of ver. 9. (2) The love and all the well-being whioh can flow original passage which the apostle is now re- from God's love; the form of woll-bdn"' ferring to is that in Gen. xii. 3, whern the varying according to the believer's circum".. Septt1ogint, coQformably with the Hebrew, stllnces, w4etller iu t4is life or in the lifo  126 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [en. m. 1-29,