The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 226

which is one gTCat characteristic of St. no wrong. There is no rcnson for supposing Paul ..,]Jpn writing in one of his more that the time of the nction referred to in 0~5111 passionate moods. Comparp for this the µe -1,311e,fuaT< is identical with that indioated flexure of passionate feeling prevailing by the aorists of the two next verses. From through the tenth and three following chap- the words,T~ 11'p,l-repov, "theflrst time," in ver. ters oi the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. 13, it is clear, as oritics have genernlly felt, Just before, in this ohapter, vers. 8-11, the that there had been a second visit after that language has been that of stern uphr:lidiug, one. If so, a disclaimer of offence taken and, indeed, as if de hat1t en bas; as from during the first visit would not have ob• one who from the high level of Israelite viated the suspicion of offence taken during pre-eminence was oddressing those who a later one. The aorist of -l,311e,f,n,Te must, quite recently were mere outcast heathens. therefore, cover the whole period of inter- But here he seems suddenly caught and course. Perhaps thus: whatever wrong you carried away by a flood of passionate may suspect me of charging you with, be emotion of nnother kind. The remem- nssured I do not charge you with it; there brance comes to his soul of his own former was no personal affront then offered me. In sorrows, when he "suffered the loss of all what follows, it is true, he dwells exclusively things," as he so pathetically tells the upon the enthusiastic demonstration which Philippians (iii. 4-14); when in tho work- they made of their personal attachment to ing out of his own salvation, and that of him when he first visited them; but though theGentilcs to whom he had been appointed the assertion here made is not to its full to minister, he had cnt himself off' from all extent proved good by the particulars given that he ha.d once prized, and from all the in vers. 13 and 14, and though the enthu- attachments of kindred and party and siasm of personal kindness there described nation. A terrible rending had it been for most, under the circumstances, have very him when he had ceased to be a Jew; his considerably abated; yet, very supposably; fluh still quivered at the recollection, nothing may have occurred since then- though his spirit rejoiced in Christ Jesus. nothing, for example, during his second And now this mood of feeling prompts him visit-which would show that they· now to cast himself almost as it were at the feet disowned those feelings of love and respect. of these Gentile converts, adjuring them At all events, he refuses to allow that there not to turn away from him, not to bereave had. No personal affront had he to complain him of their fellowship and sympathy. Ye of; while, on the other hand, their former h&n not injured me at all (ob5,v µe -1)511C11- intense kindness ho.d laid up as it were a o-an); no fbT'ong ha1Je ye done me. This fund of responsive affection and gratitude commences a new sentence, which runs on in his bosom which could not be soon ex- through the nex:t three verses. The apostle hausted, is anxious to remove from their minds the Ver. 13.-Ye know (o'lliaTE 51); and i;11 apprehension that he was offended with know. The apostle very often uses the verb them on the ground of unkindness shown u13aµe11 or o13aT<, conjoined with either 31, by them ie>wards himself. It was true that -ycl.p, or 1tar1cf,s, wken recalling some circum- he had been writing to them in strong terIIl.ll stance of personal history (1 Cor. xvi. 15; of displeasure and indignation ; but this Phil. iv. 15; 1 These. ii. 1, 2, 5, 11; iv. 4: was altogether on account of their be- 2 Tim. i. 15) or to introduce the stntement haviour towards the gospel, not at all on of a doctrine as one which would be at once account of any injury that he had himself recognized as certain or familiar (Rom. ii. t() complain of. He is well aware of the 2 ; iii. 19 ; viii. 28 ; 1 Tim. i. 8 ; 2 TheBB. ii. virulent operation of the sentiment ex- 6). The phrase as so used is equivalent to pressed by the old maxim, "Odimus quos " We (or, ' you '] do not need to be told," Jresimus;" and is therefore eager and etc. ; and with 31, is simply n formula intro- anxious to take its sting out of the mutual ducing such a reminiscence, this conjunc- relations between himself and them. When tion having in such cases noadversative force, the apostle is writing under strong emotion, but being simply the ~I, of transition (meta- the connecting links of thought are fre- batic); equivalent to "now" or "and," or quently difficult to discover; and this is the not needing to be represented e.t e.11 in trans- C&Be here. But this seems to be the thread lation; so that the Authorized Version is of connection : the Galatian Christians perfectly justified in omitting it in the pre- would not be ready to accord him any sent instance. The phrase may be taken as sympathetic compliance with his entreaty meaning "And you will well remember." that they would "be as he was," if they If the apostle had intended to introduce a thought he enterta.ined towards them senti- statement strongly adversative to the last ments of soreness or resentment on persons.I preceding sentence, he would probably have groUitda. There was no reason, he tells written a.Al-a. Tob11a11Tlov (oh, ii. 7) or soma them, why they should; they had done him such phrase. :Row through illl4'mitJ of the  OH, IV, 1-31.] THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 193