The thought of trade suggests the thought of wealth, as in Revelation 18:15 οἱ ἔμποροι τούτων πλουτήσαντες�ʼ αὐτῆς. The rich men who are here addressed are outside ‘the brotherhood.’ This appears clearly both from the character of the address and from the acts ascribed to them, and also from the abs... [ Continue Reading ]
ἌΓΕ. See above, James 4:13. ὈΛΟΛΎΖΟΝΤΕΣ κ.τ.λ. Comp. Luke 6:24-25, a passage closely related to this. Comp. Isaiah 13:6 ὀλολύζετε· ἐγγὺς γὰρ ἡμέρα κυρίου, where there is the same connexion as here with the day of judgment. ΤΑΙ͂Σ ἘΠΕΡΧΟΜΈΝΑΙΣ, which are now coming upon you in succession (ἘΠΊ).... [ Continue Reading ]
ΣΈΣΗΠΕΝ … ΓΈΓΟΝΕΝ … ΚΑΤΊΩΤΑΙ. The tense implies that the case indicated by ταλαιπωρίαις is already present. The tarnishing of the gold and silver is an accomplished fact. The words bring out the thought that the wealth wrung from the poor by injustice and cruelty is of no service to the rich man him... [ Continue Reading ]
Ὁ ΧΡΥΣῸΣ ὙΜΩ͂Ν ΚΑῚ Ὁ ἌΡΓΥΡΟΣ ΚΑΤΊΩΤΑΙ. Arrian, _Epict._ IV. 6, ὡς ὁπλάρια ἐπικείμενα κατίωται. The precious metals, gold and silver, are not, strictly speaking, subject to rust, but to tarnish or oxidisation, which does not destroy the metal: τοῦ χροίης καθύπερθε μέλας οὐχ ἅπτεται ἰὸς | οὐδʼ εὐρώς,... [ Continue Reading ]
ἸΔΟΎ: here as frequently in N.T. a vivid transitional particle. The Jews were agriculturists long before they were traders. It would be a natural step, as they grew in wealth, to acquire land in the countries of the Dispersion. It is probable that the land which Barnabas sold was in Cyprus. Ὁ ΜΙΣΘῸΣ... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΤΡΥΦΉΣΑΤΕ, YE LIVED DELICATELY. The force of these aorists should be observed; the whole past is reviewed as on a judgment day. τρυφᾶν, here only in N.T. The strengthened form κατατρυφᾶν is beautifully used Psalms 37:4 κατατρύφησον τοῦ κυρίου, and 11 πραεῖς … κατατρυφήσουσιν ἐπὶ πλήθει εἰρήνης. Com... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑΤΕΔΙΚΆΣΑΤΕ, YE CONDEMNED. Another reference to the courts, κριτήρια ch. James 2:6, which were used as instruments of oppression. ὈΦΟΝΕΎΣΑΤΕ ΤῸΝ ΔΊΚΑΙΟΝ, YE SLEW THE JUST ONE. Either (_a_) some special case of martyrdom is referred to, or (_b_) τὸν δίκαιον points to a class, the article generalisin... [ Continue Reading ]
The death of the righteous martyr raises once more the thought of μακροθυμία, this time with hopes of the παρουσία. The Book of Enoch again has a parallel: ‘Wait with patient hope; for formerly you have been disgraced with evil and with affliction, but now shall you shine like the luminaries of heav... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἡ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΊΑ ΤΟΥ͂ ΚΥΡΊΟΥ ἬΓΓΙΚΕΝ, a Christian watchword, cited in its Aramaic form Μαρὰν�, 1 Corinthians 16:22, and Philippians 4:5 τὸ ἐπιεικὲς ὑμῶν γνωσθήτω πᾶσιν�· ὁ κύριος ἐγγύς: where as here the παρουσία is a motive for forbearance and fairness of judgment; see below.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΡΙΘΗ͂ΤΕ with all the chief MSS. κατακριθῆτε has very slight support. 9. ΜἩ ΣΤΕΝΆΖΕΤΕ, a strengthened expression for μὴ καταλαλεῖτε, ch. James 4:11. Comp. Matthew 7:1 μὴ κρίνετε ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε: and see Philippians 4:5. ΚΡΙΤΉΣ κ.τ.λ. Note the same close connexion between slander and the presence of... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑΚΟΠΑΘΕΊΑΣ, here only in N.T. Comp. _infra_ James 5:13 κακοπαθεῖν, ‘to endure hardship’; and 2 Timothy 2:3; 2 Timothy 2:9; 2 Timothy 4:5. ΜΑΚΡΟΘΥΜΊΑΣ, LONGSUFFERING, a late Greek word found in Plutarch, elsewhere only in LXX. and N.T., 10 times in St Paul’s epistles, in Hebrews 6:12, and of divine... [ Continue Reading ]
ὙΠΟΜΕΊΝΑΝΤΑΣ אBP, Old Latin and Vulgate, ὑπομένοντας KL and several versions—the distinction is important, see below. 11. ΤΟῪΣ ὙΠΟΜΕΊΝΑΝΤΑΣ, THOSE WHO ENDURED, indicating special instances of endurance; τοὺς ὑπομένοντας would signify a class, generally ‘those who endure.’ ὙΠΟΜΟΝΉΝ. See ch. James 1... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΡῸ ΠΆΝΤΩΝ marks the importance of what follows. ΜῊ ὈΜΝΎΕΤΕ κ.τ.λ. This emphatic rule is founded on the Lord’s words, recorded by St Matthew only, Matthew 5:33 ff. μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως κ.τ.λ. Comp. Matthew 23:16-22. The only oath enjoined in the Mosaic code is that by which an accused person cleared himse... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑΚΟΠΑΘΕΙ͂. See above, James 5:10. ψαλλέτω. The word implies the accompaniment of a musical instrument. For psalmody among the Jews see Bp Lightfoot’s note on Colossians 3:16. He shews by quotation from Philo that it had reached a high development at this epoch: ποιοῦσιν ᾄσματα καὶ ὕμνους εἰς θεὸν δ... [ Continue Reading ]
Deeply important practical rules relating to (_a_) Prayer as a force in life, (_b_) Intercessory prayer, (_c_) Confession, (_d_) Conversion.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΣΘΕΝΕΙ͂, IS SICK, a special form of the more general κακοπαθεῖ. For the word see Matthew 10:8; Luke 4:40. Note the aorists προσκαλεσάσθω … προσευξάσθωσιν of single acts contrasted with προσευχέσθω and ψαλλέτω, the continuous exercise of prayer and psalmody. τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας, probabl... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕΥ̓ΧῊ ΤΗ͂Σ ΠΊΣΤΕΩΣ. The prayer which is based upon faith, which proceeds from faith. Comp. Matthew 21:22 καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ πιστεύοντες λήμψεσθε. ΣΏΣΕΙ ΤῸΝ ΚΆΜΝΟΝΤΑ. κάμνειν here and Hebrews 12:3 only in the sense of being sick. σώσει, here in the sense of physical recovery as... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤᾺΣ ἉΜΑΡΤΊΑΣ with אABP, several cursives, Fathers and versions apparently; Old Latin and Vulgate have _peccata._ τὰ παραπτώματα KL and some of the Fathers. 16. ἘΞΟΜΟΛΟΓΕΙ͂ΣΘΕ … ὍΠΩΣ ἸΑΘΗ͂ΤΕ. It is disputed whether ἰαθῆτε be used of physical healing or in a figurative sense. The context certainly po... [ Continue Reading ]
ἩΛΊΑΣ. For the historical account see 1 Kings 17:18. In those Chapter s, however, there is no mention made of the two prayers of Elijah; and the duration of the famine is there limited to less than three years, 1 Kings 18:1. In Luke 4:25 the account agrees with this, marking the tradition followed b... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΒΛΆΣΤΗΣΕΝ: in the other three passages of the N.T. where βλαστἀνω occurs, viz. Matthew 13:26; Mark 4:27; Hebrews 9:4, it bears an intransitive sense as usually in the classics.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἈΔΕΛΦΟΊ ΜΟΥ introduces another and a last topic closely connected with prayer, namely Conversion. ΤΗ͂Σ�. The clause ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν makes it clear that the truth spoken of is the Christian truth, the saving truth of the gospel, almost equivalent to ἡ πίστις. Comp. 1 Timothy 6:10 ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν... [ Continue Reading ]
ΣΏΣΕΙ ΨΥΧῊΝ ΑΥ̓ΤΟΥ͂ ἘΚ ΘΑΝΆΤΟΥ, SHALL SAVE HIS SOUL (i.e. the soul of the convert) FROM DEATH. ΚΑῚ ΚΑΛΎΨΕΙ ΠΛΗ͂ΘΟΣ ἉΜΑΡΤΙΩ͂Ν. Comp. Proverbs 10:12 ‘love covereth all transgressions’ R. V., where καλύψει is a literal rendering of the Hebr. חְּכַםֶּה ‘cover’ in the sense of ‘forgive.’ The LXX. transla... [ Continue Reading ]