The punctuation in W. and H. margin deserves notice. “In that we cry, Abba, Father, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,” etc. Our own spirit tells us we are God's children, but the voice with which it speaks is, as we know, prompted and inspired by the Divine Spirit itself. For similar distinctions Gifford compares Romans 2:15 and Romans 9:1. τέκνα θεοῦ : τέκνα, not υἱοὶ, is used with strict propriety here, as it is the reality of the filial nature, not the legitimacy of the filial position, which is being proved.

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Old Testament