The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 233

iM,cl(a, ha.rdly 111lows us to foke the word of there being no article with v&µov, some as me11nlng ' "from moment to moment woultl render fnr& 116µ011 "under Le.w ," that accordin~ 'to the ra.pidly vnrying emer- is, Law viewed in genere, as in Rom. iv. 15. gencies.' This would ha.ve been expressed But the whole scope of the Epistle resists rather by l.71.l\duuw,. The question then this view. The apostle's contention with arises-Change : from what to what? to the Galatian perverters of the truth is which a. grea.t va.riety of a.nswers have been not concerning Christians being subject to proposed. The •clue is probably supplied Law absolutely, but concerning their being in the words," be present with you this very subject to a Law of outward ceremonial hour." This lfpT1, contrasting as it does the observance; that is, to the Law of Moses; very present with the former occasions on for there was no other system of positive which the apostle had been with them, ordinances by which, as of Divine authority, suggests that he mearit that the tone of his they could imagine themselves to be bound. utterance would need to be different if The noun v&µos is used without the article, amongst them just now from wha.t it had like other monadic nouns ,vith an under- then been. Then, it was the simple, un- stood specific reference (for examples, 0,6r, a.nxious, joyous, exposition of the blessed Kvp,or, XptO'T6r, Ilv,vµa, 6,.1,Bollor, 1<011µ.or); as gospel, untrammelled by fear of being mis- it is also Rom. ii. 23 ; iii. 31 ; iv. 13, 14; understood; such a way of speaking as one v. 13; I Cor. ix. 20; eh. ii. 21 ; iv. 5; Phil. iii. would be naturally drawn on to pursue 5, 6. Do ye not hear the Law 1 ( Tdv vdµov who found himself addressing those whom 0~1< a.1<oveTE ;) ; to that Law give ye no heed 1 he could confide in, and who were disposed The article is here prefixed to v6µov to frankly and lovingly, with an honest and make the repetition of the noun the more good heart, to drink in from his lips the telling; just as it is in Rom. ii. 23, •or lv simple faith. Perhaps he might now find v6µcp 1<avxa(fa1, 6,a Ti;r ,rapa,Blf,reo,s TOV v6µov it necessary to replace that mode: of utter- Tdv 8ebv O.T1µd(e1s; The verb a.1<ove-r,, hear, ance by gu111·ded words, by stem reasoning, like our "listen to," means "take to heart by the refuting of wilful misconceptions, what it says;" as in Matt. x. 14; Luke xvi. by exposing and a.bashing cavil and objec- 29, 31. There is no reason for attributing tion. For I stand in' doubt of you; or, I to the verb such a. sense of listening to an am perplezed for you (a:rropovµa, "l'°'P iv OTal utterance as should warrant us in 6µ'iv); I am perplezed about you. Compare supposing, that the apostle is thinking 0appw Iv ~µ'iv, "I am in good courage con- in particular of the Ga.latian Christians cerning you" (2 Cor. vii. 16). As "in" as in the habit of "hearing" the Pentateuch the Corinthians the apostle found ground and other Old Testament Scriptures read, for good courage, so "in" the Galatians he whether in Jewish synagogues (cf. 2 Cor. found ground for perplexity. This explains iii. 14, 15 ; Acts xv. 21) or in Christian his wishing that he were with them. He assembla.ges. That such Scriptures in the would in that case be less unable to clearly Septuagint Version were customarily read understand their state of mind. aloud when Christians assembled for united Ver. 21.-Tell me, ye. tha.t desire to be worship, especially in the absence or dearth under the Law (1'.-yeTe µ01, ol 61rb voµov of other inspired writings, is more than 6e7'ovTes eTva,). After the outburst of probable; we know from Justin Martyr- affectionate earnestness expressed in the (' Apol.,' i. p. 83) that such was the custom last four verses, the apostle seems to have from Sunda.y to Sunday in his days, when paused, reflecting in what way he could the there were o.1roO'T0;\11<d ~oµv11µov,{JµaTa o.lso most effectually convince these Galatian available for such use. Moreover, the exist- legalists of their err.or. At length, a. con- ence of such a custom helps us to under- sideration occurs to him, which he im- stand how it was th,1t the apostle could petuously so to speak hastens to abmptly here, as iu Rom. vii. 1, presuppose with. set before them. He bas before (eh. iii. 29) Christian believers au acquaintance with. shown to the Gelatian believers that they the contents of the Pentateuch. But we were "Abraham's seed." He now means to require more here than the thought, "Are, show that, as children of Abraham through ye not wont to henr the Lo.w read?" It faith in Christ, they stood on a far higher is rather an acquo.intance with its contents, footing than the children of the Sinai and taking due account of them, that he covenant did-a position which, by subject- demands of his renders. Some uncial ing themselves afresh to the Law, they manuscripts have o.va-yivw,r1<<T<, read. in- would forego. The verb" desire" (6/7'ovTes), stead of a1<o{J,n. This rending of the text as here introduced, intimates that this would only imply, not without o. touch of aspiration of theh-s wa.s a mere freak of sarcasm, the sense which the more accredited self-will, there being nothing in the oircum- reuding, l,.,co~ere, mo.y be understood as sta.nces to prompt it. So in var. 9, "Ye diroctly denoting. The use of the word desire to be in bonda.ge." In consequence "Law" to denote at once the system o(  200 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. [cu. 1v. 1-31.