The Pulpit Commentary — James — Section 11

hu in hi~ mind the oonoeption of a direct Ver. 18.-Begat; literally, brought forth; temp~tion from God. AuTO< is flmphatic. l.:,r•rco11u.v. 'l'he word has been e.lree.dy used Render with R.V., And he himsJelj tem1iteth of sin in ver. 15, The recurrence of it here no man. points to the conneetion of thought. The Ver. l4 ~t.at<'B the true origin of tempta- offspring of sin has been shown to be deiith. tion. While the OOC(J.$Wn might be of God God, too, who is both Fiither and Mother "in the order of his providence and of our (Bengel), has his offspring. But how dif- spiritual training," the inclination is not ferent I Us (-/iµ.ns). To whom does this of him. Compo.re with this versC\ the refer? (1) To all Christie.ns. (2) To Chris- deeoription of the harlot in Prov. vii. 6-27. tiane of the 1tpostolic ago. (3) To Jewish Here lust is personified, and represented es Christians, to whom the Epistle is specially e. seducing harlot, to whose embraces man 1tddreesed. Probably (3). Just as lernel of yields, and the result is the birth of sin, old wo.s Jehovah'e firstbom (Exod. iv. 22), which in its tum gives birth to death. so now the germ of the Christian Church, as Ver. 15 shows where temptation po.sses found in these Judreo-Christian coxnmuni- into sin. 'Er,9vµ.la, lust, is clearly not in ties, was to be " e. kind of firstfruits." The itself "true and proper sin," but it is no thought may be illustrated from e. striking Jess clear that, e.e our Article IX. says, it parallel in Philo (' De Creat. Prine,'): To •• hath of itself the nature of sin." With uoµ.1ra.v 'Ioulia.l,,w tBvos • , . .-oii ,r{,µ,ra.VTos this whole passage we should compare St. &.v9p,I,,r,,w "fEJIOUS 1,;,,..,,.,,,;,011 oTa. .,.,. a.1ra.px¾/ Pe.nl'e teaching on br,Ovµ.la, t1/J,4{JT<O., and .-,; ,ro111Tji rca.l ,ra.Tpl. Transfer this from the 6avaTbS, in Rom. vii. 7-11. 'A,rorco•w occurs Jewish to the Judmo-Christian communities, only here and in ver. IS; translate, gen- and we have the very thought of the dereth. apostle. :By the word of truth (cf. 1 Pet. i. V ers. 16-18.-The connection of thought 23, where, as here, the new birth is con- with what goes before appears to be this. nected with the Word of God). A kind of God cannot be the author of temptation, firstfrnits of his creatnrea (a,ra.px11), The which thns lce.ds to sin and death, becauae image is taken from the we.ve sheaf, the first- a.II good and perfect gifts, and tlieee only, fruits of the harvest, the earnest of the crop come from him. to follow. St. Paul (according to a very Ver. 16.-Do not err; better, be not possible reading) has the same figure in 2 deceived,; µ.11 ,r>.aviiu9•. The same formula These. iL 13, "God chose you e.s firetfruits is al;m found in l Cor. vi 9; xv. 33; Gal. (a.,ra.px1111);" see R.V. mo.rgin. Elsewhere he Ti. 7. applies it to Christ, " the Firstfruits of them Yer.17.-Every good gift, etc. The wor<le that are a.sleep" (1 Cor. xv. 20), "His crea- form e. hexe.meter verse, though this is tures (rcT<trµ,fr.,v)." It does not appear to probably accidental, and no sign that they be absolutely necessary to extend the use of a.re e. q notation. .Aorm e.nd 'liwf111µ.a. should this word so as to include the irre.iione.l be distmgu.i.shed. .. Every kind of gift that creation e.s well as mankind. n•i::i is is goorl, e.ud every one the.t is perfect in its frequently used in rabbinical writings for kind" (Dean Scott). .A6uu and owpov occur the Gentile world, and rcTltrµa. may be given together in the LXX. in Prov. :ui 14. the so.me meaning here, e.nd perhaps rcTlu,s They a.re expressly distinguished by Philo, in Mark xvi. 15 ; Rom. viii. 19, etc. ; Col. who says that the le.tter involves the idea of i. 23. magnitude and fulness, which is wanting to Vere. 19-27.-EXHORTATION (1) TO BEAR the former (see Lightfoot on• Revision,' p. 77), RATBEB THAN TO SPEAK, (2) NOT ONLY TO "Every good gift and every perfect boon," REAll, BUT ALSO TO DO, R.V. The Father of lights (a,ri 'TOV Da.Tpos Ver. 19.-The text requires correction. -rii,v tf,rl,Tu,v). The word must refer to the For C,uT• . . . tu.,.,., ,riis of the Textus Re- heavenly bodies, of which God may be said ceptus, read. 'Iun ali•/1.,t,ol µo, a.-,a.,,.11To, l<TT"' to be the Father, in the.t he is their Cree.tor o, ,riis, tt •, At, B, C, Le.tt. 'I<TT• is probably (for " Father,'' in the sense of Creator, cf. indicative, and refers to what has gone Job x=viii. 28). From him who "made before. " Ye know this, my beloved brethren. the stars also" comes down every good and But let every man," etc. The verse gives perfect gift, and with him" there can be no UB St. James's version of the proverb, ve.riB.tion, neither shadow that is cast by "Speech is silver. Silence is golden." tuming." These last words appee.r to fix Similar maxims were not unfrequent the meaning of q,ii.Ta., e.s -rpo,r1/ is used in the among the Jews. So in Ecclus. v. 11, "Be LXX. e.s in classical writers for the changes swift to hear; and let thy life be sincere ; of the heavenly bodies (see Job xuviii. and with patience give answer;" cf. iv. 29, 33 ; Deut. :u:z:iii. 14 ; Wisd. vii. 18). O~" " Be not hB.sty in thy tongue, and in thy lv,, "there is no room for." It negatives, not deeds slack and remieR." In the rabbini- only the fact, but the poBSibility allO (cf. cal work,• Pirqe A both,' I. xii., we have tne Gal. iii. 28; Col. iii. 11 ). following saying of Rabbi Simeon, the sou OH, I, 1-27.) THE GENERAL EPIS'rLE OF JAMES. 5