The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 164

pare the use of the same preposition: Rom. This is plainly the view of the pas~ago ii. 12, "As many e.s have sinned under which is taken by the Pauline writer of tl e [Greek, 'in'] the Law ; " iii. 19, "It saith Hebrews in x. 38. to them thu.t a.re under [Greek, 'in'] the Ver. 12.-And the Law is not ot faith(<> Lu.w.'' An exactly pe.re.llel construction is Be 11oµos ob1< l<TTtv l1< ,,.(.,,,.,.,,); but lhe Law found in Acts xiii. 39, "From u.11 things i8 not "by faith." This is closely connected from which ye could not by [Greek,• in'] with the latter part of the preceding verse, the Le.w be justified." They could not e.s as forming another portion of the proof being in the Le.w find therein e.ny means which is there introduced by "for." Ver. of gaining BCceptance. " Is justified with 11 should end with a semicolon, not with God;" comes to be accounted righteous with a full stop. The Be at the beginning of this him. "With God;" not merely outwardly, verse is slightly adversative, setting "the Levitically, in the judgment of a Levitical Law" in contrast with the notion of" living prieijt-but inwardly and in reality, in God's by or from faith." These words, "by or estimation. The preposition" with" ( ,ra.pri) from faith" (iK ,r/<T1'eo,s), are borrowed from is used similarly in Rom. ii. 13, "Fol' not the preceding citation. We may paraphrase the hearers of the Law are righteous with thus: The Law does not put forward as its God ; " 1 Cor. ii. 19, "The wisdom of this characteristic principle, "by faith;" the world is foolishness with God." It is God characteristic principle of the Law is rather himself that justifies the sinner (Rom. iii. that which we read in the third book of 30; iv. 5); but the apostle does not write Moses (xviii 5)," The man who hath actually "is justified by God," because he is con- done them shall live by them." But, The fronting the notion so natural to man, and man that doeth them shall live in them ( a.J\X, above all, to the J udaizing legalist, that a 'O ,ro,~<Ta.s a.l,,,.i,. [lfv8po,,ros] (ti<T<'Ta.t Iv a./rro,s: man is to make himself righteous by doings (the word lfv8po,,ros is omitted by the recent -ceremonial or moral-of his own. For, editors, as having crept into the text from the The just shall live by faith (6 B(1<a.1os /1< Septuagint); but, He that doeth them shall ,rl<TT<.,• (~<T<Ta.t); the righteous by faith shall litie in them. The whole verse (Lev. xviii. 5) live. The apostle is not weaving the pro- in the .Authorized Version, following the phet's words into his own sentence simply Hebrew, stands thus: "And ye shall keep as aptly expressing his own thought, but my statutes and my judgments: which if is citing them probati vely as words of Scrip- a man do, he shall live in them: I e.m the ture; as if he had said," As Scripture saith, Lord." The Septuagint runs thus: "And The righteous," etc. The same is the case ye shall keep [or, • and keep ye'] all my with the words introduced in the next verse statutes and all my judgments, and ye shall out of Leviticus; so Rom. ix. 7. In Rom. do them [or, 'and do yo them']: the man xv. 3 and 1 Cor ii. 9 the apostle inserts, that doeth them shall live in them ( 6 ,rot• " according as it is written," e.s in paren- ~<Ta.s a.J,,.i,. liv8po,,ros (~<TETt" Iv a.J,,.o,s): I thesis, before adding the words of Scripture am the Lord your God." It thus appears in such a we.y as to form a continuation of that the pronoun "them" recites "my sta- his own sentence. "The righteous by faith tutes and my judgments." Bnt this the shall live;" that is, the righteous man shall apostle is not at present po.rticnlarly con- d1·a w his life from his fe.ith. It is generally cerned to specify; his muin point here is agreed upon by Hebrew scholars that in that the Law l'equiree such and such things the original passage (Hab. ii. 4) the words, to be actually done, before it holds out the , "by his faith" (or possibly, adopting u.n- prospect of life to be gu.ined thereby, Those other reading of the Hebrew text, "by my under the Law were bound to render strict faith," that is, by fu.ith in me) belong to obedience to all its requirements, whether "shall live," rather than to "the righteous'' moral or ceremonial ; u.nd whosoever set (see 011 this point Delitzsch on Heb. x. 38, aside auy of whichever cle.ss wus consti- and Canon Cook on Hab. ii. 4, in • Speaker's tuted by the Le.w a ••transgressor" and a Commentary'). And that St. Paul so under- man '' accursed." As it etunds in the pas- stood it is made probable by the contrasted sage of Leviticus referred to, the cluuso citation of" shall live in them" in the next which is cited bears not so much the aspect verse. With this conjunction of the words, of a promise as of a restrictive statement the passage suits the apostle's purpose per- implying a threateuing or wo.rning, and is fectly; for if it is by or from his faith that therefore in harmony with the comruinatiou the righteous man lives, then it is by or from quoted in ver. 10. The "doing" here, his faith that he gets to be accepted by God spoken of differs essentio.J.ly from evunge- e.B righteous. The " faith" spoken of is lioal obedience. Comprising as it dicl in shown by the context in Habakkuk to mean very large proportiou the obse:.vanoe of the suoh reliance upon God us is of a steadfast ocl'emoniul prescriptions (,rpo<TTt1"J'µa.Ta.) of che.ru.oter, and not a mere fleeting or ocoe.- the Le.w, it points to a course of conduct in eional ucoeptance of God's promises as true. which a man, strivi11g to earu pardon and GALA TIA NB. K 130 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALA'l'UNS. [ CH. III. 1-29.