The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 162

Ver. 2!1.-Wb.atever ye be doing, work iii. 6 ; v. 5; Ilom. viii. 17; Gal. iii. 20 ; l (theroin) from (the) soul, as to the Lord, and Cor. vi. 9, 10; xv. 50; Titus iii. 7; 1 Pet. not to men (ver. 17; Eph. vl. 6, 7; l Cor. i. 4), which the o.postle has so often under vii. 21-23). (On the first cla.uee, see ver. other terms aasnred to his rearlers ( eh. i. 5, 17.) In tho Revised Text, however, the turn 23, 27 ; ii. 18 ; iii. 4, 15). For o. slave to bo of expression diil'ere from that of vcr. 17, heir was "a paradox" (Lightfoot): see Gal. ,riiv being cancelled. The writer is think- iv.1,7; Rom.viii.15-17. Noformofpro- ing, not so much of the variety of service miee conic! be more cheering and ennobling possible, as of the spirit which shonltl to the despised slave than this. "In Christ," pervado it. "Do" is replaced in tho Onesimus is "no lrmger as a slave, but o. second clause by the more encrA"etic" work," brother bc·loved" (Philem. 16), and if a opposed to indolent or useless doing (comp. brother, then a joint-heir with liis master :Eph. iv. 28; 2 These. iii. 10; John v. 17; Philemon in thehea.rnnly inheritance (eh. iii. ix. 4). "From [/,c, out of] tho soul "indi- 11 ). Ye serve the Lord Christ ( vers. 22, 25 ; cates the spring of their exertions-imoard eh. ii. 6; Eph. vi. 6; Rom. xiv. 8, 9; 1 Cor. principle, not outward compulsion; the vi. 19, 20; vii. 22, 23; John xiii. 13); that is, servant must put his soul into his worlc. Christ is the Lord whose bondmen ye are. "Soul" implies, even more than "heart," "For" is probably a correct gloss, though the engagement of the man's best individual a corrupt reading. Its insertion indicates powers (comp. Phil. i. 27, o.e well as Eph. that the sentence was rea.d indicatively vi. 6). The slaves' daily taskwork is to be (Lightfoot, and R.V.); not imperatively done, not only in sight and in fear of the Lord ("serve the Lord Christ"), as Meyer. Alford, (vcr. 22 b; Eph. v. 21), but as actually "to Ellicott, with the Vulgo.te, construe it. Tho the Lord." Him they are serving (ver. verse amounts to this : " Work as for the 241,), who alone is" the Lord" (eh. ii. 6); Lord : he will repay yon; yon are his every mean and hard task is dignified and servants.'' sweetened by the thought of being done for Ver. 25.-For he th9.t doeth wrong shall him, and the commonest work must be donA receive a.gain that he did wrong; and thero with the zeal and thoroughness that his is no respect of persons (E ph. vi. 8, 9 ; service demands (comp. Eph. vi. 7, "with Phil. i 28; 2 Thess. i. 5-7; l Pet. i. 17: good will doing bond-service"). The Rom. ii. 11 ; Gal. ii. 6). "For" is replnc,•d word "not" (ou instead of µ¾) implies by "but" iu the same inferior copies which that their service is actually rendered to insert it in the last sentence. Hero wo One other and higher than " men" (1 Cor. have the other side of the rccompcnso vii. 22 ; Gal. i. 10). promised in ver. 2-1 a, to whid1 the explan- Ver. 24.-Xnowing that from (the) Lord atory "for" points ho.ck. The impu.rtial you will receive the just recompense of the justice which o.veng~s every wrongguo.rantecs inheritanoe (Eph. vi. 8; Rom. ii. 6-11; the reward of the faithful servant of Christ. 2 Cor. v. 10 ; Rev. x.xii. J 2; Ps. !xii. 12). So the Old Testament saints rightly o.rgued "Knowing" (,16onr}-that of which one (Ps. xxxvii.9-11; Iviii. 10, 11 ; hiv. 7-10) is awar6, not merely learning or "getting that the punishment of the evil-doer affords to know" (.,,,.~.-,cw): see both words in hope to the righteous mo.n. This warning Eph. v. 5 and John xiv. 7, Revised Text; is quite general in its terms, o.od applies also Rom. vi. 6 and 9; I John v. 20. alike to the unfaithful eervnnt and to tho "The absence of the definite article" before unjust muster (comp. Eph. vi. 8). At tho Kvplov "is the more remarkable, because it judgment-seat of Christ there will be nu is studiously inserted in the context " favouritism : nil ranks nod orders of men (Lightfoot). St. Paul virtually says, will stand on precisely the rnmc footing- "There is a Master who will recompense (ch. iii. 11). The word ci.61,c,.,, twico you, if your earthly masters never do" employed here, denotes " legal wrong or (comp. eh. iv. 1). "Just" render~ the c'r.vTl injury (l Cor. vi. 7, 8); e.g. the conduct of in lr.v-ra,r&6011iv (ll wortl common in LXX), Onesimus towards Philemon (ver. 18). The implying "equivalence" or "correspond- verb "receive" (1eoµ.l(oµ.a.1, carry off, (lain; ence " ( comp. lr.v-rava1t/l.11pw in eh. i. 24; Eph. vi. 8; 2 Cor. v. 10; 1 Pet. v. 4; Matt. also Rom. xi. 35 ; xii. 19 ; I Thess. iii. 9 ; 2 xxv. 27) looks more to the receioer, wheren,1 Thess. i. 6; Luke vi. 38; xiv. 12, H)-I\ lr.,ro/1.~µi/t•<TB< rim) (ver. 2-l) points to tho afrer. reward in the case of eo.ch individual, and in ITpo.-w,ro/1.11µ1/tla. (liternlly, acceptina of the each particular, answering to the service face) is o. pure Hebraism, found in St. James rendered to "the Lord" (comp. Matt. xxv. twice, nnrl four times in St. Pnul. 14-:J0). The opposite truth is n.sserted in The apostle turns from the slo.vc to addrrss ver. 25; Eph. vi. 8 combines them both. his master. The recompense of the faithrul Cliristio.n Ch. iv. 1.-Ye lords, show jnst dealing and elave is nothing Iese than "the inherilo.nco " fairness to your servants [l,onil111e11] (Epl1 vfGod'qchildrep(ch. i.12; Eph. i. 5, 11, H: vi. 8, (I; l\folt. :-viii. 2,l-3.i; Luke ,·i. ::II)  158 TlIE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE COLOSSI.ANS. [cu. m. 1-215.