The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 154

(Rom. viii. 0-11, 29, 30; xii. 2; 2 Cor. iii. •Synonyms'). Neither of these wor<ls is 18; John xvii. 22-26; 1 John iv. 17). etymologically, or invariably, evil in sense. The text uni change from "your" to "our" The degradation of such terms in all lan- is doubtful (see note on eh. ii. 18). Ob- guages is e. sad evidence of the corruption serve that " Christ" is repeated four times in of our nature. n;,..,ov,(la. is both wider and the last four verses. more intense in meaning than our "cove- Ver. 5.-Make dead, therefore, the (or, tousness." It denotes mdically the dispo- your) members that are upon the earth sition to "have more," "grasping greed," (eh. ii. 11; iii. 9; Eph. iv. 21, 22; Phil. iii. "selfishness grown to a passion." Hence it 19; Rom. vi. 6; viii.13; xiii.14). "Your" applies to sins of impurity, greediness for is omitted by most textual critics, but sensual pleasure (1 Thess. iv. 6; Eph. iv. English idiom requires it in translation. In 19); but by the emphatic nse of the article its absence a stronger emphasis falls on the (" the covetousness"), and by the words that defining clause, "that are upon the earth." follow, it is marked out as a distinct type of As these things may no longer be pursued sin ; so in Eph. v. 3, 5, where "uncleanness" or studied (vers. 1, 2), the organs devoted to and "greed" are stigmatized as m"le form,i of them must be put to death. These members sin. This word, often used by St. Paul, is are indeed those of the actual body (Rom. pecnliar to him in the New Testament. vi. 13, 19; vii. 5, 23; viii. 13) ; but these "The which" (l\-r,s: comp. 11.-r,va, cl1. ii. 23) in so far as ruled hitherto by sinful impulse gives a reason while it states a fact (" inas- and habit, constituting the body of "the mnch as it is idolatry"). For the thought, old man" (ver. 9; Eph. iv. 22; Rom. vi. 6), comp. Eph. v. 5 and 1 Tim. vi. 17, also "of the flesh" ( eh. ii. 11 ), " of sin," and " of Matt. vi 2!; it is a commonplace of reli- death " (Rom. vi. 6; vii. 2! ), with " sinfnl gion, and appeo.rs in Phifo and Jewish passions working in its members, bearing rabbis (see Lightfoot). Lightfoot places a fruit unto death" (Rom. vii. 5): comp. note, colon after " upon the earth," and supposes eh. ii. 11. That body is "made dead" by de- "fornication," etc., to be "prolcptic accwa- struction of the evil passions that animated tives," looking forward to some verb unex- it. The body of "the new man" is physi- pressed, such o.e "put off" (ver. 8). But cally identical with it, but different in this is needless (seB Winer, p. 666), an,! the moral habit and clie.thesis-a difference that command, "make drod your members," re- manifests itself even in bodily expression quires this qunlifyin!{ explanation. The and manner (2 Cor. v. 17). N<1<poc., occurs grammatical o.1vkwardness of the apposition besides in the New Testf\ment only in Rom. is not without rhetorical effect. iv. 19 and Heh. xi. 12 (in Rom. viii 13, a Ver. 6.-Because of whioh (things) the still stronger word is used of " tho pmctices" anger of God cometh [upon the sons of dis- of the body): as the aged Abraham had obedience] (Eph. ii. 2, 3; v. 6; Gu!. v. 21; been made dead iu respect of the natural Rom. i. 18: ii. 5-9; v. 9; 1 Thess. i. 10: possibility of fatherhood, so the body of ii. 16; 2 Thess. i. 5-10; John iii. 36; Rev the Oh ristian is to be dead for purposes of vi. 17: Mo.I. iii. 2). The !otter phrnse is sin. If there were any doubt o.s to the cancelled by Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alfor,I, writer's meaning, the next clause removes Lightfoot, Westcott nnd Hort: but ret.dned it. His languago has approached that of by Ellicott and, preferentiolly, by the Re- the philosophical ascetics (see eh. ii. 23, visers. The witnesses ago.inst it, th6ugh note and quotations); hence the abrupt numerically few, o.re varied and select, un<l cxplano.tory apposition that follows : forni- the parallel (Eph. v. 6) would suggest inser- oation, unoleanness, (sensual) passion, evil tion of the words if originnlly absent. "The desire, and covetousness, the which is idola• anger of God is comiug" is a sentence com. try (Eph. v. 3-5; Phil. iii. 19; 1 Cor. vi. plete in itself (comp. Rom. i. 18). God', 9-11; v. 11; Rom. i. 29; 1 Tim. vi. 17; "o.nger"(6py{,) is his settled punitive indig- Matt. vi. 2!, 31, 32; Luke xii. 21; Ps. xlix. nation ago.inst sin, of whicn his "wrnth" 6 ; Iii. 7). To these vices the Colossian (Ou,uos) is the tcrriblo outHaming (Rev. xvi. 1; Gentiles (some of them at least) had been to xiv.10); see Trench's 'Synonyms.' "Cometh" euch a degree de1·otcd that their member, implies a continuing fact or fixed prineiple had beoomo virtually identified therewith. (see Winer, p. ll32); or rnther, perhaps, The first two sins a.re relo.ted o.s pcutioulo.r signifies that this "anger II i~ in course nnd g,mcral. The second pair, 1rdOos nnd of manifestation, is "on the way: 11 comp. briO.,p.la, are combined in 1 These. iv. 4 iu 1 Thess. i. 10, "the anger that is coming," con trust to "(bodily) sanctification cmd not "to come, 11 also the nso of lpxo1,a., in hnuour" ( comp. eh. ii. 23, nnd "passions of John xiv. 3, 18; Hob. x. 37. Tho objods rlu,honour," Rom. i. 2G). 'l'ho former denotes of this anger(" children of wrath," Eph. ii. a morbid, inflamed condition of the sensull.l 2, 3) are "the sons of disobedience. ' 'l'h,, nppotite; the latter, craving for some pnr- expressive Hebraism by which a mo.n is s:i.id ticulo.r gro.li1ic1\tion of it (see Trench's to be 11, child or ,011 of the <lnminaut ,pu!,ty  THE EPIS'l'LE 1'0 'l'HE COLOSSIANS. (ell. Ill. 1-25.