The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 287

literally rations (Luke iii. H; Rom. vi. other mny be set aside as far as our purpose 23). Ple.nteth a vineyard. Analogy from is concerned. In the mnrgin of the Revised the support of the \'inc-dressers (lllalt. ix. Version it is rendered "So.ith he it, as he 37). Feedeth a flock. Analogy from the doubtless doth, for our so.ke ? " In hope. support of shepherds (1 Pet. v. 2). The two St. Paul's lo.rge experience of life, and his latter classes of labourers are paid in kind insight into character, suffioed to show him in the East to tb is day. that despairing work must be ineffectuo.\ Ver. 8.-Say I these things as a man 1 work. 'fhe spring and elasticity of cheerful Am I relying exclnsi,ely on mere human spirits is indispenso.ble to success in any analogies? 'The same phrase occurs in arduous undertaking. Rom. iii. 5; Gal. iii. 13. Saith not the Law. The vnbs used for" say" (l\a.\w) and" snith" " Life without hope draws nectar in a sieve, ("-'i'") are different: "Do I speak [gener,11 And hope without an object cannot live." word] these things as a man ? or saith [ a Ver. 11.-If we. The we is in both more dignified word] not the Law," etc.? c\nuses emphatic, to show that the argument Yer. 9.-In the Law of Moses (Deut. xxv. applied directly to St. Paul's own case. 4). He uses the same argument again in Is it a great thing. An argument a l Tim. v. 19. The mouth of the ox that fortiori. If ordinary labour is not under• treadeth out the corn; rather, an ox ichile taken gratuitously, is the spiritual labourer treading out the corn. The flail was not to be left to sto.rve? St. Paul always unknown, but a commo:i. mode of threshing recognized the rights of preachers and was to let oxen tread the corn on the ministers, and stated them with emphasis threshing-floor. Doth God take care for (Gal. vi. 6; Rom. xv. 27), although from cxen ~ Certainly he does; and St. Pan\ ean higher motives he waived all personal claim hardly mean to imply that he does not, to profit by the result of his arguments. seeing that ten<lerncss for the brute creation Ver. 12.-If others. St. Paul felt a touch js a distinguishing characteristic of the of natural indignation at the thought that l\1osaic legislation (Exod. xxiii. 12, 19; these Corinthians submitted to the extremest Dcut. xxii. 6, 7, 10, etc.). If St. Paul had and haughtiest exactions from other teachers failed to perceive this truth, he must have who bad been loud in the statement of their Jearntitat least from Ps.cxlv.15, 16; Jono.b own pretensions, while his own claims were iv. II. Even the Greeks showed by their shamefully disparaged, and he was even proverb that they could pity the hunger of left, with perfect indifference, to suffer real the poor beasts of burden starving in the privation. Wesba\l find the full expression midst of plenty. It is, however, a tendency of his wounded sensibilities in 2 Cor. xi. -of all Semitic idiom verbally to exclude or 1-15, We have not used this power. "egatiDe the inferior alternative. St. Paul This strong climax here asserts itself before did not intend to say, "Go<l bas no co.re for the time. It anticipates ver. 15. Suffer. oxen ; " for be knew that" his tender mercies The same word, which also means "to are over all his works:" be only meo.nt contain without leaking," is used in eh. xiii. in Semitic fashion to say that the precept 7; 1 Thess. iii. 1, 5. All things. Any a.mount was much more important in its human of privation 11.nd distress. Binder the gospel application: and herein he consciously or of Christ. Dy giving any handle for unconsciously adopts the tone of Philo'~ malicious misrepresentations as to our being comment on the same passage (' De Victim self-interested. The word fo1· "hindrance" Offerentibus,' § 1), that, for present pul'poses, means etymologically "cutting into," i.e. oxen might be left out of account. The an impediment on a path, etc. J'abbinic Midrash, which gave this tum to Ver. 13.-They which minister about holy ibe passage, wns happier and wisel' than most things. Jewish p:-iests. He o.dds his two specimens of ilieir exegesis. St. Paul sets final arguments-since the right which he the typico-alle:;orical interpretation above is pleading has its own intrinsic importance the liter11\ in tl,is instance (comp. I Tim. v. -before proceeding to the exo.mple which 18), because he regards it as the more im• he set in order to prevo.il on the strong portant. It is a specimen of the common to give up their rights and their liberty, Jewi~h exegetic method of a furtiori or a when need was, for the sake of the weak. minori ad magus. Luther's curious comment Live; literally, eat, or feed. The Zealots ia: "God cares for all things; but he does used this excuse for themselves when they not care that anything should be written for broke open tho temple stores in the siege -oxen, because they cannot read" J of Jerusalem (Josephus,' Dell. Juel.,' v. 13, Ver. 10.-Altogether. It is probable that § 6). Of the things of tho temple. They St. Paul only meant the word 1o be taken sharnd in tho victims offered (sec Numb. argumentatirnly, a11<1 not au pied de la xviii. 8-13; Dent. xviii.1). Partakers with idtre. This appliralion (he says) ,e so the altar. Only certain portions of ccrtaiu oi.Jviously the right application, that the victims wero allowed them. ell. 1x. l-2i.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIA:NS.