The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 222

whole sentence comprised in this and 1he favour the view thnt the apostlo doos not in next vnse, which are closely welded together &he lee.st intend iu the present cl,mse to by the particles µ.,v and li,. In ccntrn\"en- ea:ou.se the idole.tries which he goes on to tion of God's work of graoe just described, epee.k of, but rather to describe e. condition they_ were renouncing their sonship and of godlessness whioh, as beingdositive rather makmg themselves slaves afresh. Then than m_er~ly negative, infe~re _utter. pro.vity (.,.,1,,-, µ.,v). The µiv, with its balancing a.!ld gu1lt1ne~a. He uses ou,c with the parti- Ii<, here, as often is the ORSe, unites together mple here, rn place of the µ.¾ in the two sentences not in their me.in substance passages cited from the Thesse.lonie.ns as strictly adverse to each other, but only in intending to etBte an historice.l fnot vie~ed subordinate details contrasted, of which we absolutely-a. sense which is me.de olee.r in have e.n exemplary instance in Rom. viii. English by substituting an indicative verb 17, KJ.:11povoµ.ous µ,v e,oii rru-yKll.71povoµ.ous 0~ for the participle. Yo did servioe unto Xp,rrToii. In such cases we have often no (iooull.,6rrau); sert·ed; devoted yourselves resource in English but to leave the µ.•v to. The verb is, perhaps, used here in that untre.nsla.ted, as our Authorized Version mil~er sense i~ which it frequently occurs; commonly does; "indeed" or "truly," for as 1n Matt. v1. 24; Luke xv. 29; xvi. 13,; example, would be more or less misleading. Acts xx.. 19; Rom. vii. 6, 25; xiv. 18; 1 The truth is, the apostle in these two verses These. i. 9. The Revised Version, however, is heaping reproach upon the Ge.le.tie.n gives" were in bondage to" in the present J udaizere ; first, in this verse, for .their instance, but "serve " in the passe.gee now former (guilty) ignore.nee of God and their cited. The aorist, instead of an imperfect, idolatries, nnd then, in the next verse, for describes the form of religious life which their slighting that blessed friendship with they then led as a whole. Them whi~h by God wLich they owed only to hi, prevent- nature a.re no gods ( rois q,6rr« µ.¾, oorr, ing grace. In dealing with Gentile Chris- 8,o'is). The Textus Receptus he.a Toi"s µ¾, tians the apostle repeatedly is found referring q,6rr•• oorr, 8,oi"s, which would apparently to their former heathenism, for the purpose mean "which a.re not gods by nature, but of enforcing humility or abashing presump- only in your imagination ; " like " There be tion, as for example in Rom. :xi. 17-25; that are ea.lied. gods,'' in 1 Cor. viii. 5- xv. 8, 9; l Cor. :xii. 2; Eph. ii 11-13, 17. Zeus, .A.polio, Here, etc., mere figments of In the case of the Galatians his indignation imagination (ccmp. 1 Cor. viii. 4). The prompts him t.o nee e. degree of outspoken more approved reading suggests: re.ther the severity which he we.a generally disposed to idea that the objects they worshipped mighl forbear employing. The "then" is not not be non-existent, but ,were certainly not defined, as English readers might perhaps of a Divine nature; "by nature," that is, misccnetrue the Authorized Version e.s in- in the kind of being to which they belong tending, by the follo\\ing cle.use, "not (Eph. ii. 3; Wisd. xiii. 1, µrha,o, q,6rr«). knowing God," which in that version is The question may be asked-If they were "when ye knew not God "-a construction not gods, what then were they? The of the words which the use of the participle apostle would probably have answered, would hardly warrant; rather the time "Demons;" for thus he writes to the referred to by the ad verb is the time of Corinthians (1 Cor. x. 20): "The things which he has before been speaking, when which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice God's people were under the pedagogy of to devils (Ba1µ011lo&r), and not to God." the Law. This, though when compared Alford renders," to gods which by nature with Christ's liberty e. state of bondage, was, exist not," etc.; but the more obvious sense however (the apostle feels), a position of of alirrw is that of a copula merely (comp. 2 high advancement e.s compared with· that of Cbron. xiii. 9, Septuagint, "He beco.me a heathen idole.ters. These last were " far priest ( rrji µ.¾ 611n 8«p) "). off," while the Israelites were '' nigh " Ver. 9.-:But now (11ii11 li•J; and. now. (compare the passages just now referred to). (See note on "then" in ver. 8). After that During that time of legal pedagogy the ye have known God, or rather e.re known of Galatians and their forefathers, e.ll in tlie i God (-yvov.,-u e,611, µ.aM011 8~ -yvwue,,,.,..,,, ~1rb apostle's view formiug one class, were El•oii) ; after that ye have gotten to know wallowing in the mire of heathenism. God, or rather to be known of God.. Con- When ye knew not God (ov,c ,loorH 0,ov); sidering the interchangeable. use of -yvwva, ye kMW not God and, etc. "Kuowing not or ,--,,w1e,11a, and ,la,va, in John viii. 55 u.ntl God" describes the condition of heathens 2 Cor. v. 16, it seems precarious to me.kc also in 1 These. iv. 5, ·• Not in the passion of much distinction between them as o.pplied lUBt, even u the Gentiles which know not to the knowledge of God. The former, (.,-il.µ:-1, El~a)God;" 2 These. i. 8," Render- however, is the verb more commouly mg veageance to them that know not ( rois used in this relation ; by St. John, in his ,.. EWorrw) God." Both of these pusagee First Epistle, whero so much is se.id of OH, IV, 1-31.] 'fHE EPIB'l'U~ 'fO THE GALATIANS. 189