The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 155

r>r in O11,'ncc of hi~ lifo is fre'luent in tile in its orip;innl sense, inclnclcs injurious spcr.ch New Tcslarnvul... of nny kin<l, oithor ngainst mnn or God (~ce Yer. 7.-In which also ye walked once, Ilom. iii. 8; xiv. 1G; l Cor. x. U0; 'l'itus iii. when you wera living in these (things) (Eph. 2). Al,rxpbs in aluxpoll.ayla (only here in tho ii. 3; v. S; Rom. ,·i. 19-21; 1 Car. vi. 11; New ,rc~tament) denolcs, lilrn tho E1\glish xii. 2; Titus iii. 3; 1 Pet. iv. 3). Even "foul, c~ther "scurrilous" or" filthy.'' 'J'he r2tnining "sons of disobedience" in ver. 6, formm· krnd of spccoh is suggested by the it seems better, with Alford, Lightfoot, and foregoing blasphemia; but cspeoially in such the English Version, to re;1<l olr as neuter, an atmosphere ns that of Greek city-life, "in whicb," referring to the s:i.ruc ante- scurrility commonly runs iuto filthiness. ec•dcnt (rnr. 5) ns "because of which" in ver. In Eph. v. 4, where a slightly different word G; not "amongst whom" (Ellicott, Meyer). occur3, the lo.tter ideo. is prominent. The The latter interpretation is against tl10 two last vices, boing sins of speech, must be general mnge of "walk in" with St. Paul put away "out of your mouth.'' "Your" (eh. iv. 5; Eph. ii. 2, 10; iv.17; v. 2; Rom. vi. bears the emphasis in the Greek; such utter- 4; 2 Cor. iv. 2), and seems to condemn the ance is quite unfit for a Christian mouth mere fact of living "amongst the sons of (comp. Eph. iv. 29; v. 3, 4; Jo.s. iii.10; o.nd disobedience" (sec, on the other ho.nd, 1 Cor. the prohibition of lying in the next verse). ,·. 9, 10; Phil. ii. 15; John xvi i. 15; 1 Pet. ii. Ver. 9.-Lie not one to another, having 12). The parallel "because of which" (ver. stripped off the old man with his deeds ti) gives also its force: these sins are visited (Eph. iv. 14, 15; 20-25; 1 'l'im. i. G; Rev. with the DiYinc nngcr, aud moreover arc the x:s:i. 8; eh. ii. 11; Rom. vi. 6; Yiii. 12, 13; ,·erv sins i11 which the Colossians aforetime Gal. v. 16, 21). The imperatives of ,·crs. 5 J,ad lirnd; observe the same connection in o.nd 8 were o.orists,enjoiniuga single, dccisivo Eph. \'. G-8; 1 Cor. Yi.10, ll. "Were living" act; this is present, as in vers. l, 2, 15, le, stands opp0sed to "make dead" of vcr. 5, etc., giving a rule of lifo. Only in Colos- and to •· ye died" (ver. 3: comp. eh. ii. 20; sians nod Ephesians do we find the apostle (;al. ii. 20); it marks the time when "the give a general warning against lying. What old man" (rnr. 9), with his "earthly mem- reason there was for this we cannot tell; 1,ers" (ver. 5) was olive and activo (comp. unless it Jay in the deceit of the heretical Tiom. vii. 5, 9, "sin c,\Dle to life"). " In teachers (eh. ii. 8: comp. Eph. iv. 14, 15; these things" ( .-au.-a,s, not a~.-o,s: Revised Acts x.x. 30; 2 Cor. :s:i. 13; l Tim. iv. 2; Text) points to the things ennmerated in 2 Pet. ii. 1; 1 John iv. 1; Rev. ii. 2; wr. G, with a mental gesture of contempt. iii 9). The lying in question is uttered Ver. 8.-Bnt now do ye put away indeed within the Church (" to one another"), and ell these (things) (ver. 9; eh. ii J 1; Eph. iv. is fatal to its unity (ver. 11; Eph. iv. 25; 22, 25; l:l.om. xiii 12; 1 Pet. ii 1). The Acts xx. 28-30). The following aorist par- thought of the death of the old life gives ticiples, "having stripped off" o.nd "having 11!acc to ilia t of the dir!esting of the old habit; put on" (ver.10), may,grammo.tically, be part the new life wears a new dresil. l\Iark the of the commancl-" st.-ip off," etc., and "lie triumphant emphasis in "hutnow!"(opposed not "-as e.g. in 1 Thess. v. 8; Heh. xii. 1; to the "once" of ver. 8), characteristic of the or may state the fact on which tho.t com- wi-iter (comp. eh. i. 21, 26; Rom. iii. 21; vi. mand is based. Tbe latter view is preferable :22, de.). Ta. rcfv-ra (" all these things," (Meyer, Alford, Ellicott, English Version; "tuc whole" of them) summarizes the vices but see Lightfoot); for the participles describe specified in ,er. 5, and forms the starting- a change already realized-a. change of p,·in- J•Oint of auother se:ies, in which malice p1·e- ciple, which has, however, still to bo moro <lom.inates, as ;in purity in the prel"ious list; fully carried out in practice (eh. ii. 11-13, anger, wrath, malic~, evil-apes.king, foul 20; iii. J, 3, 7, 11; Eph. iv. 20-24; Gal. iii. spe~ch from your mouth (Eph. iv. 26-31; v. 27, 28): in ver. 12 tlio imperative mood is 4; Rom. i. 29-31; 1 Cor. vi. 10; Gal. v. 20, resumed with an emphatic "therefore," im- 21; Titus iii. 3). There is a similar order plying a previous reference to fact. (On lho nud dil'ision between these two chief classes <louble compound a.ir-•K-~vucfµ.,va,, "having of hin in the parallel passages. In Eph. stripped off (and put) away," see notes, eh. ii. iv. 31, 32 and v. 3-5 the order is reversed. 11, 15.) The" old man" is the former self, •·Anger" (op,,-/;) is ascribed to God in ver. G the "I no longer Ii ving" (Gal. ii. 20) of the (,Nnp. Epli. iv. 26; lieb. x.30). (On "anger'' Colossian belie.er, to wLom "the member. u:id "wrath•· (or" rage"), see ver. G.) 'fhe that aro upon the earth'' (,·er. 5) belonged- ]alter is once uscrihed to God by St. Paul the entire sinful persouo.lity of" him who is (ltom. ii. 8), more frequently in the Apoca- in the flesh" (Rom. ,·iii. 8). His "deeds" lypse. In man it is universally condemned. (" practices," "habits of doing," Rom. viii. ( Fur KaK(a, maliguity, badness of disposition, 13; SAil 'J.'rcnch'u •Synonyms' on rpd.uuw) (•<Jwp. Rom. i. 2U; 1 Cor. xiv. 20; Titus iii. ore the pursuits of wLich vers, 5, 8, 9 supply 3; sc,e Trench's 'SynonymB.') Bll.au,p71ula, cxamplcu. on. m.1-25.J THE EPISTLE •ro 'fHE COLOSSI.ANS.