The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 161

v~r. 19.-io husbands, love yo11r wives, case of tho runaway slave Ouesimue (oh. iv and be not bit"ter a.g&inst them (Eph. v. :i5 9; Epistle to Philemon). "Servo.nt" is -31 ; l Pet. iii. 7). "Love" is a:ya,rdw, the aov>.os, bondman, as in eh. i. 1 o.nd commonly word which expresses 1he highest spiritual in St. Paul. In l Pet. ii. 18 we ho.ve nfl,•ction-" crnn as Christ loved the Church" the milder olH:•'NJs, domesti-0. The vast (Eph. v. 25). Here, first and most of all, the majority of servants of all kinds at this "new commandment" of John xiii. 34 applies. time in the Greek e.nd Romo.a world were St.. Paul only uses the verb ,ru,pa.lvw (" to sla1Jes. In most districts the slaves were make bitter") here, but he has the noun much more numerous than the free .,..,,,pla ("bitterness") in a wider application populo.tion. And they were undoubtedly in Eph. iv. 31. It denotes "exasperation," numerous in the early Church. The prompting to ha.sty sc,•erity. Bengel defines gospel has o.lways been welcome to the it 11s "odilllll amori mu.tum "-hatred infused poor and oppressed. The attitude of St. int-0 lorn. Paul and of Christianity towards slavery Yer. 20.-Ye children, be obedient to your claims considero.tion under the Epistle to pa.rents in all things; for this is well-plea.sing Philemon; on this point see Lightfoot's in the Lord (Eph. vi. 1, 2; :Exod. xx. 12; • Introduction.' Here and in Eph. vi. 5 Deut. v. 16: Lev. xu. 3; Prov. xxiii. 22; (comp. vers. 7, 8) the apostle calls the Luke ii. 51, 52). In Eph. vi 1, 2 "in all master ,d,p,os ("lord") in reference to "the things" (Ka.,-tt ..-d.v,-a., "in rega.rd to all Lord Christ" (vers. 22 b, 24); elsewhere in thiugs ") is wanting; and not the extent, the Kew Testament, o.s in C-Ommon Greek, Lut the intrinsic rightness of the command the opposite of 6ov.\os is 6«r1ro,-,\s (1 Tim. vi. es it is found in the Decalogue is insisted l, 2; 2 Tim. ii. 21, etc.). "According to on. But here, where "Christ is all and in flesh," that is, "in outward, earthly relation- nll" (,er. 11), ii is "in the Loni" (Revised ship" (comp. Rom. iv. 1): Christ is the Lord Text) that the child's obedience is declared in the o.bsolute e.nd abiding sense of the to Le "well-pleasiug." There is something word (similarly, "in the flesh" and" in the especially plea.sing in the behaviour of a Lord," Philem. 16). Not with aote of eye- lovingly obedient child, that wins "favour" servioe (liternlly, not in eye-sen-ices), as me.u- both "with God and man " (Luke ii. 52). plee.sers, but in singleness of heart, fee.ring The law of filial obedience has its creative the Lord (Eph. vi. 6; v. 21; I These. ii. 4; ground "in him " ( eh. i. 16), and is an Gal i. 10 ; Matt. vi. 22 ; Luke xi. 34; J as. essential part of the Christian order of life, i 5-8; Ps. cxxiii. 2; Isa. viii. 13; Rev. ii. "hich is the natural order restored e.nd 23). "Eye-service" is plural here, accord- perfected. " Well-pleasing" is a favourite ing to Revised Text ; singular in Eph. vi. word of St. Panl's (oorup. eh. i. 10; Eph. v. 6. Here the word o,P0a.J,.µ.o6ou>.Ela. first 10; Phil iv. 8; Ilom. xiv. 18; Titus ii. 9, etc.; occurs in Greek, like e0,>.08p71u1<da.(ch. ii. 23). used also in Hebrews). It strikes e.t the besetting sin of servnnts of Yer. 21.-Ye fathers, do not irritate your all kinds. 'Av0pwmJ.p,uH:os (" me.n-plenser ") children, lest they he disheartened (Eph. occurs in the LXX, Pe. lii. 6 (comp. l Thess. ,·i. 4 ). 'Ep,eI(w (" irritate " or "provoke") ii. 6; GaL i. 10). The servant whose aim it is St. Paul uses once besides (2 Cor. ix. 2), in a to please his earthly master in what will good sense. It implies o. use of po.rental catch his eye, ple.ys a double po.rt, acting in uuthority which, by continaal exactions and one way when observed, in another when C-Omplaints, teaches the child to look on the left to himself; with this duplicity is con- father as Lis enemy rather than his friend. trasted "singleness of heart" (comp. Rom. The syuonymons 1ra.pop-yl(w of Eph. vi. 4, xii. 8; 2 Cor. xi. 3; a.1r.\&T71s in 2 Cor. viii. found J,ere in many copies, is, more definitely 2 and ix. 11, 13 has a different application). " to rouse to anger." 'A0ul'-'"' ( only here in "Fearing the Lord" more tbe.n the eye of iL.e New Testament) means" to Jose bee.rt," his eo.rthly lord, the Christian servant to have the confidence and high spirit of will al ways act in "singleness of heart; " for youth broken ; "fractus animus pestis "the eyes of the Lord a.re in every place," juventutis" (Bengel). In place of this In the same manner the apostle (" bond- treatment, " the discipline and admonition man of Christ Jesus," eh. i. l) speaks of his of tbe Lord" are recommended in Eph. vi. 4. own relations to men o.nd to the Lord Christ Yer. 2:l.-Ye servants (literally, l,ondnien), respectively (1 Cor. iv. 3-5; 2 Cor. v. 11; be obedient in all things to your lords accord- Gal. i. JO; l Thess. ii. 4--6, etc.: comp. ing to the :flesh (EpL.. vi. 5-9; l Tim. vi. John v. 37-H). The reo.uing "God" of 1, 2; Titus ii. 9, 10; l Cor. vii. 21-24; Received 'fext is e. copyist's emendation, a ll,,m. xiii. 1, 5; 1 l'et. ii. 18-25). 'fLe sample of a large cluss of corruptions of the d uLics of servant, and masters are promineut text, where a. word morn fwnilio.r in e.ny l.e,e (,u. 2~--<:h. iv, 1), in view of the em• given connection is, more or less un- i,liasis lhrowu upon tlie lordship of Christ; consciouely, subotitutcd for the ol"iginllJ. aucl 1,arLly, no doulit, with rcforenco to the word. DH. III, 1-25,] THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. 157