c. 4. This condition of faith is already seen in Abraham, typical of righteousness under the covenant of promise. (1) Abraham was admittedly a righteous man: but how did he become so? (3) The scripture connects his righteousness with his faith. (6) So David makes forgiveness an act of GOD’s grace. ... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΊ ΟΥ̓͂Ν ἘΡΟΥ͂ΜΕΝ = what shall we say of Abraham?…, i.e. in relation to the question of boasting and the source of righteousness. Zahn (_Einl._ p. 95, A2) punctuates ἐροῦμεν; and takes [εὑρ.] Ἀβραὰμ … θεόν as stating an opposed view: but this is too complicated. ΤῸΝ ΠΡΟΠΆΤΟΡΑ ἩΜΩ͂Ν. Addressed to Ge... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἸ ΓᾺΡ Ἀ. The question bears on our argument, for if Abraham was justified from works, he has the right to boast, and is an exception to our principle which would be a precedent for other exceptions. ἈΛΛ' ΟΥ̓ ΠΡῸΣ ΘΕΌΝ, sc. ἔχει καύχημα. Scripture shows that his condition was due to a free act of G... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΊ ΓᾺΡ Ἡ ΓΡ. Λ. Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23. ἘΠΊΣΤΕΥΣΕΝ. Here primarily of belief in GOD’s word: but this belief implied trust in the faithfulness and power of GOD, and was therefore essentially faith in the full sense. ἘΛΟΓΊΣΘΗ, was reckoned for something more than it actually was beca... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΩ͂Ι ΔῈ Κ.Τ.Λ. S. Paul argues from the precise words of scripture: it was an act of faith that was met by the act of GOD. No works are mentioned, therefore no works were included in the consideration; if there had been works, the language would have expressed the act of GOD as conferring a due rewar... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΠῚ ΤῸΝ ΔΙΚ. ΤῸΝ�. This goes beyond the strict relevance of the qu. in Romans 4:3 and prepares the way for the enlargement of the idea by the qu., Romans 4:7-8. ΠΙΣΤ. ἘΠῚ brings into explicit statement the notion of trust, not expressed in Romans 4:3. Cf. Moulton, p. 68, who suggests that the substi... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΑΥΕῚΔ. Psalms 32:1-2. The qu. emphasises the act of GOD in putting away man’s sin, without naming conditions; and is used by S. Paul to bring out the wider reference of faith in GOD, not only as fulfilling promise but as removing and not imputing sin. ΤῸΝ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΣΜῸΝ = the blessing (art.)—the act o... [ Continue Reading ]
Ὁ ΜΑΚ. ΟΥ̓͂Ν. The blessing mentioned in the ps. is essentially the same as ‘the reckoning’ of Romans 4:3; and the question is raised whether it extends to the circumcision only or to all. This is answered by insisting on Abraham’s circumstances at the time.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΝ ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜΗ͂Ι. The true place of περιτομή in the history of GOD’s dealings with man: it was a sign (Romans 4:4) of a state already existing and due to GOD’s free gift.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜΗ͂Σ. The gen. of description—not practically different from περιτομήν. ΣΦΡΑΓΙ͂ΔΑ. App. a common Jewish term for circumcision; cf. S. H., Wetst. _ad loc_[118], “signum foederis, sigillum Abrahami.” For the Jew circumcision marked the inclusion of the individual in the Covenant: here S. Paul t... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ ΠΑΤΈΡΑ ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜΗ͂Σ. ΠΕΡ. probably abstr. for concrete, = τῶν περιτεμνομένων. ΤΟΙ͂Σ ΟΥ̓Κ ἘΚ Κ.Τ.Λ. Among the circumcised only those are sons of Abraham who follow in the steps of the faith which he had before he was circumcised. This is obviously the meaning, but requires the assumption of a prim... [ Continue Reading ]
The relation of law to promise is very briefly treated, just to meet the possible objection that the law is a condition of inheriting the promise, even though it was not an original condition of the promise itself.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΟΥ̓ ΓᾺΡ ΔΙᾺ ΝΌΜΟΥ, ΓΆΡ = this is a full statement of the case, for law does not come in to qualify it. ΔΙᾺ ΝΌΜΟΥ, under conditions of law. Abraham was not under law when the promise was made; nor could the fact that his seed came under law affect the range or condition of the original promise; beca... [ Continue Reading ]
ΟἹ ἘΚ ΝΌΜΟΥ, those who base a claim on law, and those only. ΚΕΚΈΝΩΤΑΙ Ἡ Π. Κ. Κ. Ἡ Ἐ. The two principles are mutually exclusive. Ἡ Π. = the act of faith seen in Abraham. ΚΕΚΈΝΩΤΑΙ = is made, by such a qualification, pointless; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:14; 1 Corinthians 1:17. ΚΑΤΉΡΓΗΤΑΙ = is robbed of... [ Continue Reading ]
Ὁ ΓᾺΡ ΝΌΜΟΣ … ΚΑΤΕΡΓΆΖΕΤΑΙ. This verse indicates the true function of law, to show that it can have no effect upon the promise; it neither makes nor unmakes the kinship with Abraham, which is a kinship of character (faith) not of works. What the law does is to develop the moral sense of GOD’S will;... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΙᾺΙ ΤΟΥ͂ΤΟ Κ.Τ.Λ. Here follows the positive side of the argument, of which the negative has been given—not ἐκ νόμου but κατὰ χάριν. Observe that νόμος as laying conditions upon men is contrasted with πίστις, as implying the action of GOD with χάρις. See. below. ΔΙᾺ ΤΟΥ͂ΤΟ. Antecedent to ἵνα; for t... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑΤΈΝΑΝΤΙ ΟὟ Κ.Τ.Λ Cf. 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 12:19; and esp. Acts 8:21 : = κατέναντι τοῦ θεοῦ ᾦ ἐπίστ. Ἀ The clause is to be taken with the main sentence, not with the relative clause: the promise to Abraham is secure for the faith of Abraham, wherever it is found, because the promise c... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΑΡ' ἘΛΠΊΔΑ ἘΠ' ἘΛΠΊΔΙ, when hope was passed, he took his stand on hope and trusted, so that he became, etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ ΜῊ�. μὴ in N.T. and all later Greek is normally used with part.; cf. Moulton, pp. 170, 232. ΚΑΤΕΝΌΗΣΕΝ. Really a μὲν clause—though he fully saw … yet (εἰς δὲ …).... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἸΣ = in regard to. ΔΙΕΚΡΊΘΗ. Cf. Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23; James 1:6; = did not hesitate; cf. S. H.; cf. Field, _ad loc_[121] ΤΗ͂Ι�., under the disbelief which was natural. [121] _ad loc._ ad locum ἘΝΕΔΥΝΑΜΏΘΗ ΤΗ͂Ι ΠΊΣΤΕΙ. With S. H. = was empowered, by his faith, to beget a son; cf. Hebrews 11... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΗΘΕῚΣ. Cf. Hebrews 10:22; see Lightfoot, Colossians 4:12; Kennedy, _Sources_, p. 119. = persuaded, convinced. “Almost exclusively Biblical and Ecclesiastical,” Lft, _l.c_[123] Ecclesiastes 8:11 only in Sept. “A word esp. common among the Stoics,” S. H.—on what authority? One instance is quot... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΙὈ ΚΑῚ sums up and restates the argument, and so leads to the statement of the parallel between Christians and Abraham, justifying the conclusions of ch. 3.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΟΥ̓Κ ἘΓΡΆΦΗ ΔῈ Κ.Τ.Λ. Cf. Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 9:10; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΟΙ͂Σ ΠΙΣΤΕΎΟΥΣΙΝ = οἳτινες Π. ἘΠῚ ΤῸΝ ἘΓ. Ἰ. (1) The trust is personal in a Personal Power, whose Power and Character are revealed in the crucial act. (2) The raising of Jesus is a kind of antitype of the birth of Isaac. Note that the name Jesus is used alone to emphasise the historic fact—τὸν κ.... [ Continue Reading ]
ὋΣ ΠΑΡΕΔΌΘΗ ΔΙᾺ ΤᾺ Π. As Romans 3:25; cf. Isaiah 53:12 LXX[124] Joh. Weiss (_op. cit_[125]), p. 172, points out that the two clauses are an instance of the Hebrew tendency to parallelism, and that consequently they must not be regarded as independent statements of distinct elements in the process of... [ Continue Reading ]