The Pulpit Commentary — James — Section 12

of G11me.liel (who muet, therefore, he.ve been Ver. 25.-Application of the illustration in o. contompore.ry of St. Je.mee): "All my the form of a contrast. Looll:eth into ( ,rapc.· de.ye I he.ve grown up e.mongst the wise, 1<6,/,a• ). l<'or the literal sense of the word, o.nd ho.ve not found ought good for a me.n see John xx. 5, 11; Luke xxiv. 12. The but eilence; not le11ming but doing is the figurative meaning occurs only here and in groundwork; and whoso multiplies words 1 Pet. i. 12. Properly it signifies to "peep occe.sions sin." Thie pe.sse.ge is curiously like into." See its use in the LXX., Gen. xxvi. the one before us, both in the thoughts and 8; Prov. vii. 6; Ecclua. xxi. 23. When use<l in the expressions used. figuratively, it couveya the idea of looking Ver. 20 gives the re11son why men should into, but scarcely with that intensi11e force be slow to wrath. Bece.use man's wrath which is often given to it, and for which does not work God's righteousness (6uca,o• /-y,c67rnw would be required (see Dr. Field's t16V7111 ®•ov), the righteollSness which God • Otinm Norvicense,' p. 147). Its use in deme.nds e.nd requires. St. Peter, loc. cit., is easy enough to explain. Ver. 21.-With the form of expression in Angels desire even a glimpse of the mys- this verse, comp. 1 Pet. ii. 1, "Putting teries. But what are we to say of its use away, therefore, all wickedness (l1:rro6lµ.,1101 here? Is it that, though the man took a 0311 niiuav 1<a1<!a11), and all guile, and hypo- good look at himself in the gle.ss (1<a-ra110,,11, crisies, and envies, and all evil-speakings, consider, is a very strong word ; cf. Rom. i V- us new-born babes long for the spiritual 19), yet he forgot what he was like, whll" milk," etc. Filthiness (pu1ra.pla.11), Here the man who only peeps into the law of only in the New Testament, never in LXX.; liberty is led on to abide (1rapaµ.e(11as) but the adjective ~u,rap&s is the word used of and so to act? The perfect law of liberty; the "filthy garments" in Zech. iii. 3, 4- re.ther, the perfect law, e11en the law of e. narrative which illustre.tes the pa.sse.ge Uberty; 116µ.ov 'TEAEIOV TOI/ ..;;. ell.•u6,p(u. The before us. Ka,c!a ie not vice in general, but substantive is a.ne.rthrous, yet the attributive re.ther the.t vicious ne.ture which is hent on has the e.rticle. This construction serves to doing harm to others (see Lightfoot on Col. give greater prominence to the attributive, iii. 8). Thus the two words ~u,rapia and requires the rendering given above (see e.nd ,ca,c{a. comprise two clBBses of sins-the Winer, § xx. 4). The conception of the sensual e.nd the maligne.nt. Engrafted; gospel as a. "law" is characteristic of St. rather, implanted. The word is only found James (cf. eh. ii. 8, "the royal law,'' and eh. age.in in Wisd. xii. 10, where it signifies iv. 11). A forgetfnl hearer (~,cpo<1T1l• e1rL\11· "inborn." St. James's teaching here i& <Tµ.ov1,s); i.e. a hearer characterized by for- almost like a reminiscence of the parable ol getfulness, contrasted with 1ro,71T11• ,p,-ov, a the sower (Matt. xiii. 3, etc.). The " im- doer characterized by v:ork. pl11nted Word " ie the gospel teaching. Ver. 26.-Seem (001<•,); seems to himself " The seed is the Word of God " (Luke rnther than to others; translate, with R. V., viii. 11). thinketh himself to be. Vulgate, Si quis Ver. 22.-They are not merely to receive putat se esse. Religious (9pi)urcos). It is and hear the Word; they must also act upon difficult to find nn Enirlish word which it. Compare St. Paul's tee.ching in Rom. exactly answers to the Greek. The noun ii. 13, "}for not the hearers (~,cpoa.Tal) of a 6p71u,c,(a refers properly to the external rites law a!e just before God, but the doers of a of religion, and so gets to signify an over- lBw she.ll be justified." 'A1<poaT71• occurs scrupulous devotion to external forms nowhere else except in these passages. De- {Lightfoot on Col. ii. 18); almost "ritual- oeiving your own selves (1rapall.o,-[(.,11); to ism." It is the ceremonial service of reli- lead 11stray by false ree.sonings; only here gion, the external forms, a body of w hloh 11nd iu Col. ii. 4. Not uncommon iu the •vu,/3,(a is the informing soul. Thus the LXX. 6pf,u,cos (the word apparently only occurs Vere. 23, 24.-Illustmtion from life, show- here in the whole range of Greek literature) ing the folly of being led astray. His is the diligent performer of Divine offices, of ne.tural faoe ( TO 1rp6uw1ro11 -rii• ,,,,,..,.,.,, the outirard service of God, but not neces- avToii); litemlly, the face of his birth. The sarily anything more. This depreciatory expression is 11n unusu,il one, but there is no sense of 8P711T1<•la is well seen in a pa.ssage of doubt of its meaning. In a glass ; rather, Philo (' Quod Det. Pot. J us.,' 7), where, in a mirror, /11 iu&'IT'Tp'f': of. 1 Cor. xiii. 12, 11fter speaking of some who would faiu be A•' iu&'IT'Tpou. The mirror of burnished counted among the •vll.ri/3eis on the score of brass. divers WBshings or costly offerings to the Ver. 24.-Observe the tenses; literally, temple, he proceeds: n,1rll.6.111J-ra, "l'"P ""l He considered (rcanv&11u•) himself, and O~'TOS ..;;. ,rpo• <vlT•/3•(a.v d6oii, 6p711TKEICll/ <iv-rl has gone away (a1r,.\71.\v6,), and Btraight- 6u,&-r11-ro• 11,-ovµ..vos (see Trench on • Syno- way forgot ( ,1r,.\d.6,To) what he waa like nyms,' from whom the reference is here (comp11re note on ver. 11). taken). "How delicate aud line, then, St. r, 'IRE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES. [en. r. 1-27.