1 Corinthians 11:1
1 Corinthians 11:1. This verse belongs to the former chapter, and concludes the argument, as in ch. 1 Corinthians 4:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Corinthians 11:1. This verse belongs to the former chapter, and concludes the argument, as in ch. 1 Corinthians 4:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
2. [ἀδελφοί] after ὙΜΑ͂Σ, rec. with DEFG Vetus Lat. Vulg. Peshito. Omit אABC. 2. ἘΠΑΙΝΩ͂ ΔῈ ὙΜΑ͂Σ. There is no contradiction between this verse and 1 Corinthians 11:17. The ordinances which St Paul had delivered to the Corinthians had on the whole been faithfully kept; but the principles of Christia... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Corinthians 11:2-16. THE CONDUCT AND DRESS OF WOMEN AT THE PUBLIC SERVICES OF THE CHURCH... [ Continue Reading ]
ΘΈΛΩ ΔῈ ὙΜΑ͂Σ ΕἸΔΈΝΑΙ. According to St Paul’s invariable rule, the question is argued and settled upon the first principles of the Christian Revelation. ‘Order is heaven’s first law.’ And no assembly of Christians is rightly constituted where this principle is put out of sight. ΚΕΦΑΛΉ. ‘In the idea... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΑ͂Σ�. We have two propositions in this and the following verse: the first concerning the man, the second concerning the woman. ‘It was the custom of the Jews that they prayed not, unless first their head were veiled, and that for this reason; that by this rite they might shew themselves reverent an... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΑ͂ΣΑ ΔῈ ΓΥΝΉ. This refers, of course, to the public assemblies of the Church, where the woman appears, not in her individual character, but as the member of a community. She must therefore perform her devotions in this latter character, and her attire must bear witness to the fact that she is subor... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἸ ΓᾺΡ ΟΥ̓. A question has been raised why we have οὐ here rather than μή. The answer is that οὐ refers to a state of things which, as we learn from the whole passage, was actually occurring. ΚΕΊΡΑΣΘΑΙ Ἢ ΞΥΡΑ͂ΣΘΑΙ. SHORN OR SHAVEN, the latter being stronger than the former. The first signifies stri... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΝῊΡ ΜΈΝ. The Apostle now gives reasons for what he has just said. His _first_ argument is that to appear uncovered in the congregation denotes the having no visible superior there. But woman _has_ a visible superior, namely, man. To this fact, when she appears in public, her very dress should testi... [ Continue Reading ]
ΟΥ̓ ΓΆΡ ἘΣΤΙΝ�. FOR MAN IS NOT FROM WOMAN. _Second_ argument, drawn from the creation of mankind. The narrative in the book of Genesis establishes two facts, (1) that woman had her being originally through man, and not, as man, directly from God; and (2) that she was created for man’s advantage, and... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ ΓΆΡ. FOR ALSO. This introduces a _third_ argument.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΞΟΥΣΊΑΝ. That is, as in the margin of our version, ‘_a covering in sign that she is under the power_ (or rather _authority_, see below) _of her husband_.’ _Fourth_ argument, drawn from the presence of the angels at Christian worship. The word translated _power_ here is rather, the _right to exercis... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΛῊΝ ΟΥ̓́ΤΕ … ἈΝΉΡ. ‘St Paul’s teaching from 1 Corinthians 11:7 onward might possibly be misinterpreted by the men so as to lead them to despise the women, and by the women so as to lead them to underrate their own position.’ Meyer. He goes on, however, to treat the passage as referring chiefly to m... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΚ ΤΟΥ͂�, i.e. by creation and generation (Genesis 2:22). ΔΙᾺ ΤΗ͂Σ ΓΥΝΑΙΚΌΣ. By birth. ἘΚ ΤΟΥ͂ ΘΕΟΥ͂. We are not to dwell too much on the intermediate links in the chain of causation, but to remember that all human beings come from God and exist by His ordinance, and that therefore each has his ow... [ Continue Reading ]
13–15. ἘΝ ὙΜΙ͂Ν ΑΥ̓ΤΟΙ͂Σ ΚΡΊΝΑΤΕ. _Fifth_ argument. An appeal is now made to our natural feeling of what is proper and becoming. Man, as his sphere is the world, and as he is the highest of God’s creatures in it, needs no covering to hide him from the gaze of others. Woman, as her sphere is the home... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἡ ΦΎΣΙΣ. This argument from nature must not be pressed too far. St Paul is speaking of the natural sense of what is fitting in those whom he addressed. In early times the Greeks and the Romans wore long hair, and the Gauls and Germans did so in St Paul’s own time. So Homer continually speaks of the... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΌΞΑ. The true glory of every creature of God is to fulfil the law of its being. Whatever helps woman to discharge the duties of modesty and submissiveness assigned to her by God is a glory to her. ἈΝΤῚ ΠΕΡΙΒΟΛΑΊΟΥ. Literally, something _flung around_ the body. It is worthy of remark that the Vesta... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἸ ΔΈ ΤΙΣ. Not ‘any _man_’ as A.V., but ‘any _one_,’ a material difference. The Apostle had special reason to apprehend difficulties on this point. See 1 Corinthians 14:33; 1 Corinthians 14:38, and notes. Thus it would be better to apply the words to what follows, rather than with some commentators,... [ Continue Reading ]
DISORDERS AT THE LORD’S SUPPER... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΑΡΑΓΓΈΛΛΩΝ ΟΥ̓Κ ἘΠΑΙΝΩ͂ אE. παραγγέλλω οὐκ ἐπαινῶν ACFG. Vulg. Peshito. So Lachmann and Tregelles. Westcott and Hort edit as text, but with marks of doubt. B has the participle in both places. 17. ΤΟΥ͂ΤΟ ΔῈ ΠΑΡΑΓΓΈΛΛΩΝ. As R.V., IN GIVING YOU THIS CHARGE. St Paul was able to praise the Corinthians... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΡΩ͂ΤΟΝ ΜῈΝ ΓΆΡ. Either (1) we must take this to apply to this and the next verse, and the second cause of blame to commence with 1 Corinthians 11:20, or (2) we must regard it as applying to the whole of this chapter, and then the next cause of blame will be the abuse of spiritual gifts, which is tr... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΕΙ͂ ΓᾺΡ ΚΑῚ ΑἹΡΈΣΕΙΣ. The turn of the sentence distinguishes αἱρέσεις from σχίσματα. The word αἵρεσις is variously translated in the A.V. It differs from the προαίρεσις of Aristotle (see _Nic. Eth._ III. ch. 2) in implying less of preference and more of choice, less of reason and more of self-will.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΟΥ̓͂Ν. Meyer points out that this word, coupled with the marked repetition of συνερχομένων, proves that the πρῶτον μέν of 1 Corinthians 11:18 refers to the disorders in the Christian assembly. ἘΠῚ ΤῸ ΑΥ̓ΤΌ. Literally, TO (or AT) THE SAME PLACE. See Acts 1:15; Acts 2:1, and ch. 1 Corinthians 7:5 of... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤῸ ἼΔΙΟΝ ΔΕΙ͂ΠΝΟΝ. ‘It is not the Lord’s Supper, but _your own_ that you eat. Jesus Christ established a Supper with a solemn celebration of His Death, as at once a symbol of the unity of those who believed in Him, and a means of effecting that unity. By the course you are pursuing you are defeating... [ Continue Reading ]
ΜῊ ΓᾺΡ ΟἸΚΊΑΣ ΟΥ̓Κ ἜΧΕΤΕ. The force of this construction is most nearly represented by FOR YOU DO NOT MEAN TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE NO HOUSES TO EAT AND DRINK IN, unless with some we regard γάρ in the light of an exclamation, as we find it translated in the A.V. of John 9:30. ΕἸΣ ΤῸ ἘΣΘΊΕΙΝ ΚΑῚ ΠΊΝΕΙΝ.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΓῺ ΓᾺΡ ΠΑΡΈΛΑΒΟΝ�. Literally, FOR I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD. Reason why St Paul could not praise the Corinthians. Their conduct was a gross profanation of a rite which had been so solemnly instituted by Christ. These words, especially if we notice the emphatic use of the pronoun, seem to imply that... [ Continue Reading ]
24. [λάβετε φάγετε] after ΕἾΠΕΝ. The student of the Gospels is familiar with the constant efforts on the part of the copyists to assimilate the language of the various narratives. It need surprise no one, therefore, if such attempts appear also here. The familiarity with the words as used in the Chu... [ Continue Reading ]
ὉΣΆΚΙΣ ἘΆΝ אBC. ὁσάκις ἄν DEFG. So also in next verse. 25. ὩΣΑΎΤΩΣ. The words in the original, though translated differently, are precisely the same as those of St Luke, and seem to imply that, according to Jewish practice at the Passover, while the bread was administered _at_ supper, the cup was a... [ Continue Reading ]
26. [τοῦτο] after ΠΟΤΉΡΙΟΝ rec. with E and Peshito. Text אABCDFG Vetus Lat. Vulg. [ἄν] before ἜΛΘΗΙ rec. with E. Text אABCDFG. 26. ὉΣΆΚΙΣ ΓᾺΡ ἘΆΝ. The A.V. somewhat obscures the repetition of these words, by translating ‘oft,’ and ‘often.’ These words are not those of Christ, but of St Paul. John... [ Continue Reading ]
27. [τοῦτον] after ἄρτον, rec. with Vulg. (auth.). Text אABCDEFG Peshito and many ancient copies of the Vulg. 27. Ἢ ΠΊΝΗΙ ΤῸ ΠΟΤΉΡΙΟΝ. OR DRINK THE CUP. Many Protestant translators, including those of the A.V., have evaded the force of the _or_, from a fear lest they should thereby be countenancing... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΟΚΙΜΑΖΈΤΩ. _Preve_, Wiclif. _Probet_, Vulgate. That is, _test_ himself, ascertain his own condition (Galatians 6:4). The same word is used of the weather, and of God’s times and seasons (Luke 12:56); of beasts of burden (Luke 14:19); of moral questions (Romans 2:18); of the “Will of God (Romans 12:... [ Continue Reading ]
29. [ἀναξίως] rec. with DEFG Vetus Lat. Vulg. Peshito. Text אABC. The authority of the ancient versions is strong. But on the whole it appears more probable that the word was introduced from 1 Corinthians 11:27. Origen has the word, but his citation is loose. See note on 1 Corinthians 11:29 below.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΣΘΕΝΕΙ͂Σ ΚΑῚ ἌΡΡΩΣΤΟΙ. If the body be the temple of the Lord (ch. 1 Corinthians 6:19), we can well understand how a crime against His Body and Blood (1 Corinthians 11:27) would tend to deprive the body of any Christian who committed it of His presence, and predispose it to sickness and even death.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΈ אABDEFG. γάρ rec. with C and Peshito. 31. ΕἸ ΔῈ ἙΑΥΤΟῪΣ ΔΙΕΚΡΊΝΟΜΕΝ. Dean Stanley renders, _if_ _WE__ had judged ourselves, these judgments_ (i.e. weakness, sickness, death) _would not have fallen upon us_. But it is better to render FOR IF WE WERE IN THE HABIT OF DISCERNING OURSELVES, JUDGMENTS... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΑΙΔΕΥΌΜΕΘΑ. Cf. Psalms 94:12; Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-11. The word implies discipline for the purpose of improvement. ἽΝΑ ΜῊ … ΚΑΤΑΚΡΙΘΩ͂ΜΕΝ. A clear proof that _damnation_ is an incorrect translation of κρίμα in 1 Corinthians 11:29. The κατάκριμα is avoided by undergoing the κρίματα.... [ Continue Reading ]
ὭΣΤΕ. The conclusion of the whole subject. Every one is to _wait_ till a fair and orderly distribution of the food has been made; and each is to remember that this is not an ordinary meal for the purpose of satisfying hunger, but the solemn commemoration of the Lord’s Death. A meal for the purpose o... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἸΣ ΚΡΊΜΑ. UNTO JUDGMENT, i. e. that your assembling yourselves together may not have that result. The same word is used here as in 1 Corinthians 11:29. ὩΣ ἌΝ ἜΛΘΩ. ἂν points out the uncertainty of the time of this coming. ΔΙΑΤΆΞΟΜΑΙ. Great changes in the order of administration of Holy Communion w... [ Continue Reading ]