The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 176

ture," 11,9 well o.8 the condition of comparative 1<J\«11µlvo1), which may have given it vogue. helple8ane9a and condemnation, under which The perfect participle seems alone suitable those subject to the Law were detllined. to the passage, q.d. shut up for good and The participle ,,..,, ,r&<TT<vov,n is either a all. The present participle would require cJ11,9s 9ubst11,ntive (e.8 Act8 ii. 44; 1 Cor. xiv. to be understood of the rP,pression of 11, con- 22), " to believers," or the present tense of stantly repeated endeavour to escape ( or, the participle points to action contempo- what?). As the verb 11uvl1<>..«uev occurs in raneous with that expreased by the verb, "to the preceding verse, uv-y1<<1<A<10'µ.<vo1 takes them that should believe." the shade of meaning, "shut up a.a I said." Ver. 23.-The feature which distinguishes Unto the faith which should afterwards be this new paragre.ph ( vers. 23, 24) from the revealed ( eis 7¾}v µ,h,..A.ov<1'a.v ,r[unv CJ.1ro1ea- preceding (vers. 21, 22) is the more distinct J\v</J8'iiva.1 ). " Unto;" with reference to, statement of the pmdagogic function of the with an eye to, the coming economy of free L11w •11,s preparatory to that economy of grace, to which they were then to be trans- grace which was the ulterior purpose of the ferred. The same preposition ( eis) is used Lawgiver. In thc meanwhile (the apostle in the same manner in the next verse," unto here says) we were committed to the custody Christ." In the words, Tt/v µlJ\J\ovua.v irlaTw c,f the Law. But before faith oame (,rpo l,.,ro1<a.J\v</J811va.,, we have the same fonn ofsen- Toii I,~ i/l.6e'iv Tt/v 'll'l<Tnv). The "but" is an- tence as in Rom. viii. 18, Iloos 1'1Jv µlMov11a.v tithetic to the closing clause of ver. 22, from 8&~a.v a.,ro1<a.J\v</J91j11a.1, " For the glory which which is taken up afresh the notion of faith, shall hereafter be revealed." In both cases, there spoken of 11,9 of old destined to become the emphatic position of µb,Jl.ou<Ta.v appears at the proper time the qualifier for the re- to indicate, not merely that the manifesta- ceiving of the promise. " Faith " denotes, tion was futnre, but that the future would not objectively, "the faith," that is, the be sure to bring it; the predetennining gospel, as oh. i. 23, 11, sense in which it is purpose of God made it certain. •· Re- seldom used, and which is repelled here by vealed:" the principle of faith as accepting the whole context; but subjectively, the a gift bestowed of free grace, though r.ot principle of belief in One who gives of unknown to the pious of former ages (Rom. mere grace. This, by 11, bold and surely iii. 21)-for how in any age could one con- jubilant figure of speech, is personified as scious of sin look for any gift at the h;;.nds "coming" for men's deliverance, while the of the Almighty except thus ?-was des- "Law" is also personified 11,11 the stern cus- tined, under the " gospel of the grace of todian under whose charge till then men God," to come forth in to conspicuous pro- were detained. Compare the frequent re- minence as the one supremely commanding ferences in the P8alms to "light," " trut.h," element of religious sentiment. " righteousness," " word," etc., being" sent," Ver, 24.-Wherefore the Law was our •• commnnded," by the Lord, e.s if angels, school.master to bring us unto Christ (/liu.,., o despatched for the help of his saints (Ps. v&µos ,ra.18cry.,,,os 71µiiiv -y<-yovev eis Xp«rr&v); xliii. 3; xl. 11; lvii. 3; ovii. 20, etc.). We wherejOTe the Law hath been the keeper of were .kept under the Law, shut up (~,rl, oor childhood to keep us unto Chri3t. With VOµOV il/Jpovpovµe9a., <TV"(KEICAEL<TµEVOI [<Tv-y• St. Paul, C,11,,.,, so that, frequently is ,cJ\Etoµ,vo,, Revised Text; so, according to used to introduce e. sentence which is uot Scrivener, L. T. Tr.]); we were kept in ward dependent in construction on the preceding under the Law, shut up. The "we" recites, words, but is one which makes e. fresh de- not exactly Jewish Christians or Jews, parture as if with the adverbial conjunetion except per accidens, but God's people. The " wherefore," or "so then." Thus ver. 9; verb </Jpovpe'iv, keep carefully guarded, is oh. iv. 7; 2 Cor. iv. 12; v. 16; 1 Thess. used with a prominent notion of protection iv. 18, in which last passuge it is even fol- in Phil. iv. 7; 1 Pet. i. 5; whilst in 2 Cor. lowed by e.n imperative. r.,,ov,v differs xi. 32, as here, the more prominent idea is from ,\v or e-ylvno by describing pa.at action that of preventing egress. Comp. Rom. ns ending in e. result which still coutiuues. vii. 6, "The Law wherein we were holden The verb -yl-yve118a.1 frequently denotes (,ca.,,.,.x&µe9a.)." So Wisd. xvii. 16, of Egyp- "prove one's self," "act as" (comp. 1 Thess. tians, in the plague of miraculous darkness, ii. 7; Aots i. 16; vii 52). The Law ho.th e.s ii were imprisoned, unable to move, done with us (says the apostle) the work of 'E</Jpovpewo EIS Tt/V ao11671pov e/p1<Tt/v l(Q.'l'Q.• a child's caretaker (predagog'U.11), with an eye 1<J\uu6,ls, "Was kept in wo.rd, having been to Christ, to whom we have now been shut up into the prison whioh had no iron he.nded over. (For the use of •••• see note bars." The reading <Tv-y1<J\<1oµevo1 or <Tvv- on ver. 23.) Pmdagogus ha3 no equivalent ,cJ\etoµevo,, although highly witnessed to by in the English language ; " pedagogue," unoio.l manuscripts, e.ppeQ.?8 to be accounted "schoolmaster," " tutor," "guardian,'' are for by the reading in B, uv-yKJ\EtO'µ<vo, (very all inadequate, covering ea.eh one an area of probably e. olerical blunder for O'll')'K•• thought more or Jess quite different. "Tu.tor,"  142 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [CH, 111, l-29