The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 83

his strongest inve<>tiYe against the sins and chapter. In the Old Testament "to hcl\r hollow unrenlity of Pharisaism there is an 6ius" or "iniquity" ruenns to suffer the pu- ontbur11t of the deepest love, the tenderest nishment of sin, whether one's owu sin or cnneem (MRtt. xxiii. 27). But committed the sin of others (see Lev. v. l, 17, and mRny him~elf to him that judgeth righteously. similar passages). In th~ description of the The Yerb "enmmitted" wap•81'5ov) is with• eeremonial of the Day of Atonement in out an object in the original. Most com- Lev. xvi. it is said (ver. 22) tho.t the soope• meutat-0rs supply" himself,'' or" his cause;" goat "shall beRr upon him [the Hebrew is others, "his sufferings;" some, as Alford, 1•~J1. i•)!(f::, ~~i: the Greek is 'A~,t,•n• d xlµa.pos "those who inflicted them." Perhaps the l<t>' ~av.-cp] all their iniquities unto o land not last explR.nation is the best: he left them to inhabited,'' where the soopegoo.t is repre- God. to God's mercy, if it might be; to his sented as bearing the sins of the people and juclgmcnt, if it must be. There may be a taking them away. Compare also the great r,,ference to his prayer, "Father, forgive saying of the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb them." Compare by contrast the langu~ge of God, which tu.keth away the sin of the of Jeremiah, speaking in the spirit of the world I" where the Greek (d aYpw11) may Old Testament (xi. 20 and xx. 12). There be rendered with equal exactness, "who is a curious re.'lding. entirely without the beareth," or "who taketh away." The authority of existing Greek manuscripts, re- Lord took our sius away by to.king them presented by the Vulgate, Trarlebatjudicanti upon himself (comp. l\'latt. viii. 17). .As se in_juste, as if the words were understood of Aaron put the sins of the people upon the the Lord's submitting himself •• to one who bead of the scapegoat (Lev. xvi. 21), and judged unrighteously," that is, to Pilate. the goat was to bear them upon him unto a Ver. 24.-Who his own self bare our sins land not inhabited, so the Lord laid on the in his own body on the tree. St. Peter has blessed Saviour the iniquity of us all, and thus far spoken of our Lord as our Example be bare our sins in his own body on to the of patient endura.nce; but he seems to feel tree, and, there dying in our stead, took that, although this is the aspect of the them away. He bare them on himself, as Savionr's sufferings most suitable to his the scapegoat bare upon him the iniqnitieR present purpose, yet it is scarcely seemly of Israel. It was this burden of sin which to dwell upon that most momentous of all made his sacred body sweat great drops of events, the death of ChriEt our Lord upon blood in his awful agony. He bare them the cross, without mentioning its more on to the tree (,l.,,.lrli!6'A.011); he carried them solemn e.nd awfnl import. .A martyr may thither, e.nd there he expiated them (comp. be e.n example of patient suffering; he Heb. ix. 28, "Christ was once offered to cannot bear our sin9. The apostle proceeds bear the sins of many," where the same to unfold the contents of the {,.,,.,p vµi;,11 in Greek word is used-a.11ev•'Yic••11). Another ver. 21. The Lord died/or us: but what is interpretation takes a.11atf>•P"'" in its sacri- the meaning of the preposition? Was it iicie.l sense, as in Heb. vii. 27, and regards that hie example might stimulate us to the cross as the al tar : "He bore our sins imitate l..tis patience and his holy courage? on to the altar of the cross." The Lord is This is a trne view, but, ta.ken alone, it both Priest and Victim, and the verb is used would be utterly inadequate. The death in the sacred writings both of the priest of the Son of God had a fax deeper signifi- who offers the sacrifice and of the sacrifice cance. The irrr.p used here e.nd ell'ew here which bears or takes away sin. But the is explained by the more precjse -~11rl ?f sacrifice which the Lord offered up was Matt. xx. 28 ; Mark x. 45; 1 Tim. 11. 6, 1n himself, not our sins; therefore it seems which last passage both prepositions are best to understand 6.11atf,•p•111 here rather of combined. The Lord died, not only in our victim than of priest, as in Heh. ix. 28 behalf, but in our stead. He gave "his life and the Greek Version of Isa. liii. 12. The a ransom for many;" '' he is the Propitia- thought of mcrifice was doubtless present tion for our sins.'' St. Peter exhibits here, to tl,e apostle's mind, as it certainly was with all possible emphasis, this vicarious to the prophet's (see ver. 10 of Isa. !iii.). aspect of the Saviour's death. '' He bore our The word (61\011 is used for the cross twice sins himself.'' The pronoun is strongly em- in St. Peter's speeches in the Acts of the phatic; he bore tliem, though they were not Apostles (v. 30; x. 39). It is also so used hie own. They were our sins, but he bore by St. Paul (Gal. iii. 13). That we, being tl..tem-be alone; none other could bear that dead to sins, should live unto righteo11Sness. awful burden. He bare (a.vfJ11eyK<11). The The Greek word 4..,,.o'Y•116µ,110, occurs no- apostle is evidently quoting Isa. liii. 12, wliere else in the New 'l'estamont. Dengel where the Hebrew verb is Ni:!'l, and the Sep- understands it differently. He s11ys thnt as tuagint Version is Kal at .. bs ~~apTitis ..,,.o'A.'A.wv 'Y•11.u8,u .. ,,,&, means "to become tl1e slave a.ll'fiv•'Y"' ; comp. vers. 4 and 11 (in ver. 11 of some one,'' so &..,,.o'Y•vlcr8at may mean to there is another Hebrew Yerb) of the same cease to be a slave. But this would requir@ t1H, n. 1-25.J THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 77