Verse 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice.

That is to say, in the living hope you have of this final salvation you are exceedingly glad, although it is true that now for a little time you are in heaviness; that is, you are sorry, or undergoing sorrow brought about by the afflictions with which you are visited. I take it that these brethren were at this time being persecuted on account of their faith. The expression "if need be," indicating a necessity, which appears both in the Common and Revised Versions, is somewhat confusing. The idea intended to be conveyed is possibly more apparent in the Syriac version, which reads: "Wherein ye will rejoice forever, notwithstanding ye at the present time are pressed a little by various trials that pass over you."

Continues after advertising
Continues after advertising

Old Testament